in many way and the filmic career of independent film make legend john cassavetes be the polar opposite of someone like alfred hitchcock and the consummate studio director . where hitchcock infamously treat his actor a cattle and cassavetes seek to work with them improvisationally . where every element in a hitchcock shot be compose immaculately and cassavetes care less for the way a scene be figuratively compose than in how it felt and or what it convey and emotionally . hitchcock tale be always plot first narrative and with the human element put in the background . cassavetes put the human experience forefront in every one of his film . if some thing do not make much sense logically and so be it . one can see this even from his very first film and 1959 shadow and film with a 16mm hand hold camera and on a shoe string budget of about $ 40 and 000 and in manhattan and with cassavetes act workshop repertory company and and tout a an improvisatory film . the story be rather simple and a it follow the life of three black sibling manhattanites benny ( ben carruthers ) a trumpeter and no account and hugh ( hugh hurd ) a wash up singer and and lelia ( lelia goldoni ) the young sister of both . the film three main arc deal with hugh failure a a nightclub crooner and and his friendship with his manager rupert ( rupert crosse ) while benny perambulation in an about manhattan with his two no account pal while and lelia lovelife first with a white boy tony ( anthony ray ) and who do not realize light skin lelia race and even after bed her while then with stiff and proper davey ( davey jones ) and who may be a misogynist . in the first arc and nothing much happens and except dark skin hugh get to pontificate on how degraded he feel to be sing in low class nightclub and and opening show for girly act . he dream of make it big in new york and or even paris and but one can tell he be the type of man who will continue delude himself of his meager skill and for the one time we actually get to hear him sing and he show he a marginal talent and at best . that rupert keep encourage him give u glimpse into how destructive friendship work . but and this be the least important of the three arc . while this film be well overall than and say and martin scorsese first film and a decade later and who that knock at my door . another tale of failed romance and frustrate new yorkers and it have none of the brilliant moment act wise nor cinematographically that that film have . it also be not naturalistic and for naturalism in art be a very difficult thing to achieve and especially in film and although the 1950s era manhattan exterior and at ground level and be a gem to relive . while shadow may and indeed and be an important film in regard to the history of the independent film circuit and it certainly be nowhere near a great film . part of it be preachy and poorly act and scenes end willy nilly and almost like blackout sketch and and sometimes be cut off seemingly in the middle . all in all it a very sloppy job especially the atrocious jazz score that be often out of synch with the rest of the film and a cassavetes prove that a a director and at least in his first film and he be a good actor . the only reason for anyone to see shadow be because cassavetes ultimately get well with late film and and this give a clue a to his late working style . the national film registry have rightly declare this film worthy of preservation a culturally significant . this be all in keep with the credo of art cassavetes long champion and a typify by this quote represent i have never see an explode helicopter . i have never see anybody go and blow somebody head off . so why should i make film about them . but i have see people destroy themselves in the small way . i have see people withdraw . i have see people hide behind political idea and behind dope and behind the sexual revolution and behind fascism and behind hypocrisy and and i have myself do all these thing . so i can understand them . what we be say be so gentle . it gentleness . we have problem and terrible problem and but our problem be human problem . that this film be culturally significant be true and but that truth be not synonymous with it be artistically significant . it be in the difference between these two definition where great art truly thrives .