Screened as part of the New American Cinema strand of this year’s Cambridge Film Festival, John Cassavetes’ semi-improvised debut film still has an immediacy and realism that outpaces many modern indies. In the diners, jazz clubs and cheap apartments of 1950s New York, a leisurely tale of the interconnected fortunes of a group of artists and musicians unfolds. The film centres around a trio of African-American siblings: Benny (Ben Carruthers), Leila (Leila Goldoni) and Hugh (Hugh Hurd), all searching for romance and meaning.

The on-location shooting makes New York feel like a living, breathing city, almost a character in the film in its own right. It has precedent in the form of Jules Dassin’s THE NAKED CITY, and the neorealist dramas of post-war Europe. There are also elements that would be present in the French new wave of the 60s, and the films of Charles Burnett, who unsentimentally documented African American urban life.

It’s this aspect of the film – putting black actors and characters centre stage – that was significant in 1959. It’s an achievement in terms of representation and broaching new topics – the relationship between Leila and her white boyfriend Tony (Anthony Ray) was a taboo subject in 1950s America. But Cassavetes skips past the social import to focus on the emotional impact on the characters. The centrepiece scene of the film, a supremely awkward confrontation between Tony and Hugh at Leila’s apartment after Tony has abruptly run out on her, plays out with a surprising lightness of touch. Cassavetes treats his characters as human beings first of all, avoiding didacticism.It’s a quietly political work in its portrayal of people who don’t fit into the established roles of the time, At the film’s centre are questions of dignity: characters are discontented with what has been assigned to them. Hugh feels that introducing the showgirls in a nightclub is beneath him as a musician; Leila is understandably crushed when she realises that Tony doesn’t want to be seen with her.

It’s a quietly political work in its portrayal of people who don’t fit into the established roles of the time…

While the non-professional actors acquit themselves reasonably well , Goldoni is the standout. Her Leila alternates between high spirits and melancholy (often using the former to hide the latter), with a depth and strength of character that’s subtly conveyed. The film is undoubtedly rough-edged and even amateurish in parts, but that remains part of its charm. The print shown at the Cambridge Film Festival was restored from multiple sources, making the film feel like a physical artifact in its moments of imperfection, such as occasional jump cuts when changing reels, or post-dubbed sound.

Cassavetes’ influence has reverberated through American independent cinema for decades, making its mark on everything from the studied cool of Jim Jarmusch to the verbose hang-out movies of Linklater and Tarantino. SHADOWS, where his career started, is a fascinating look back at the foundations of modern American cinema, and a reminder of how the film’s legacy endures into the present day.

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