John
      Cassavetes:
      Four
      Star
      Reviews|
      /v_
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      David
      Macdonald
     
     
      STAFF
      WRITER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      1959,
      an
      actor
     
     
      named
      John
      Cassavetes
     
     
      changed
      movie
      making
     
     
      forever,when
      he
      decided
     
     
      to
      become
      a
      director.
     
     
      Instead
      of
      going
      the
      way
     
     
      of
      Hollywood,
      however,
     
     
      he
      made
      his
      first
      film
      with
     
     
      his
      own
      money,
      and
      with
     
     
      the
      help
      of
      friends.
      As
     
     
      well,
      the
      film
      was
     
     
      completelyimprovised.
     
     
      That
      film
      was
      called
     
     
      Shadows
      (A-),
      and
      the
     
     
      result
      is
      a
      film
      which,
      while
     
     
      far
      from
      perfect,
      isa
     
     
      breakthrough,
      and
      part
      of
     
     
      a
      body
      of
      work
      which
     
     
      elevated
      Cassevates
      to
      the
     
     
      position
      of
      the
      father
      of
     
     
      independent
      film.
     
    

    
     
      The
      story
      is
      messy
     
     
      and
      filled
      with
      intensity
      and
     
     
      nervousness.
      Itis
      also
     
     
      strangely
      compelling.
      It
     
     
      involves
      a
      group
      of
      sib-
     
     
      lings,
      three
      brothers
      and
      a
     
     
      sister.
      This
      family
      would
     
     
      be
      considered
      black,
     
     
      although
      at
      least
      one
      is
     
     
      light-skinned
      enough
      to
     
     
      pass
      for
      white.
      It
      is
      the
     
     
      sister
      who
      has
      the
      light
     
     
      skin,
      and
      this
      creates
      the
     
     
      major
      problem
      in
      this
      film,
     
     
      as
      she
      becomes
      involved
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      a
      white
      man.
      Eventu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ally,
      however
      the
      brothers
     
     
      find
      out,
      and
      one
      day
      kick
     
     
      the
      white
      man
      out
      of
      the
     
     
      house.
      This
      creates
      a
      lot
     
     
      of
      tension,
      especially
      from
     
     
      the
      point
      of
      view
      of
      the
     
     
      sister.
     
    

    
     
      I,
      for
      one,
      was
     
     
      rather
      shocked
      at
      her
     
     
      passivity
      to
      the
      overpow-
     
     
      ering
      nature
      of
      the
      broth-
     
     
      ers.
      They
      clearly
      do
      not
     
     
      give
      her
      a
      choice,
      and
      she
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      does
      not
      fight
      back.
      Yet
     
     
      later
      on
      in
      the
      film,
      she
      is
     
     
      about
      to
      go
      ona
      date
      witha
     
     
      local
      black
      man.
      Her
     
     
      actions
      during
      these
      se-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ON
      se
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ae
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      quences
      seem
      to
      tell
      me
      that
     
     
      this
      is
      her
      way
      of
      fighting
     
     
      back
      against
      the
      unspoken
     
     
      racial
      codes
      which
      are
     
     
      obviously
      embedded
      in
      the
     
     
      mentality
      of
      the
      male
      char-
     
     
      acters.
     
    

    
     
      Two
      other
      story
     
     
      threads
      appear
      in
      this
      film.
     
     
      Two
      of
      the
      brothers
      have
      a
     
     
      career
      in
      music,
      one
      is
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      singer
      and
      the
      other
      is
      his
     
     
      manager.
      The
      singer
      is
     
     
      bitter
      over
      some
      of
      the
     
     
      venues
      he
      has
      to
      play,
      the
     
     
      sort
      where
      the
      customers
     
     
      would
      rather
      see
      dancing
     
     
      girls
      than
      listen
      to
      an
      ac-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Au
      YET
      |
      Beam
      Tee.
      bu22
     
     
      or
      THE
      CWEPHILE.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      complished
      jazz
      singer,
     
     
      but
      the
      manager
      always
     
     
      tries
      to
      put
      a
      positive
     
     
      spin
      on
      everything.
     
    

    
     
      Another
      thread
     
     
      involves
      the
      third
      brother,
     
     
      who
      unlike
      the
      others
      is
     
     
      truly
      aimless.
      His
      time
      is
     
     
      spent
      with
      his
      friends,
     
     
      hanging
      out,
      and
      getting
     
     
      into
      trouble.
      These
     
     
      friends
      seem
      to
      feel
     
    

    
     
      jealous
      of
      those
      who
     
     
      have
      done
      something
     
     
      with
      their
      lives.
      The
     
     
      friends
      cover
      up
      their
     
     
      feelings
      of
      inadequacy
      by
     
     
      dismissing
      those
      success-
     
     
      ful
      people.
      This
      is
     
     
      revealed
      in
      a
      scene
     
     
      where
      the
      friends
      go
      to
      a
     
     
      museum
      and
      essentially
     
     
      insult
      every
      piece
      of
      art
     
     
      in
      the
      place,
      and
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      friends
      says
      that
     
     
      these
      were
      made
      by
      a
     
     
      bunch
      of
      professors
     
    

    
     
      who‘
      ve
      failed
      in
      life.
     
    

    
     
      The
      improvisation
     
     
      makes
      for
      a
      realistic
     
     
      film.
      Some
      of
      the
      actors
     
     
      tend
      to
      stumble
      occa-
     
     
      sionally,
      and
      the
      emo-
     
     
      tions
      go
      wildly
      back
      and
     
     
      forth,
      but
      you
      get
      the
     
     
      sense
      that
      it
      would
      be
      no
     
     
      different
      in
      real
      life.
      The
     
     
      film
      does
      not
      feel
      like
      a
     
     
      poor
      experiment,
      but
      a
     
     
      lively
      slice-of-life,
      always
      -
      —
     
     
      exciting
      to
      watch.
     
    

    
     
      As
      I
      said,
      the
      story
     
     
      is
      somewhat
      messy,
      but
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      EY
      Guys,
      |Su'T
     
     
      THAT
      THE
      GUC
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TRAVIS,
      LET'S
     
     
      ASK
      HiMm..
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WHATCHA
     
     
      Do
      wo???
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      always
      feels
      real.
      me
      RAT'S
      *
     
     
      Cassevates
      had
      an
      +
     
     
      interesting
      career.
      The
      XXX
     
     
      impact
      of
      this
      film
      was
      100’s
      of
      movies
     
     
      such
      that
      Paramount
      new
      to
      the
      Island
      :
     
     
      signed
      him
      for
      a
      long-
      ;
      :
     
    

    
     
      .
      comer
      0
     
     
      nce.
      cr
      cota
      Mount
      Edward
      Rd.
      &
      Belvedere
      Ave.
     
     
      Cassavetes
     
     
      Continued
      on
      page
      21