Shadows: The First Version

Please note that the version of SHADOWS screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam was unauthorized. It has been brought to our attention that authorization was never sought from the owner of all rights to SHADOWS, her company, or its agents or representatives. Unfortunately, this was not known to the International Film Festival Rotterdam at the time, and had we been aware of this, we would not have allowed the film to be screened here. It is not the policy of the International Film Festival Rotterdam Film to knowingly circumvent legal responsibility, and our sincere apology is extended to those adversely affected.The ownership of the film SHADOWS in any form resides with Gena Rowlands Cassavetes and is managed through her company, Faces Distribution Corporation, and their authorized representative, IN-motion Pictures Limited. There is only one authorized version of SHADOWS, that which was released to the public by its director, John Cassavetes, in 1959. Any prior screening was a work-in-progress with an invited, non-paying audience. Therefore, requests for exploitation of anything other than the authorized version will not be entertained.It’s not generally known that John Cassavetes, often called the father of American independent film making, made his first film Shadows twice. He initially shot the film in 1957. But after the print was screened a few times in 1958, he decided to re-shoot much of the movie. In 1959 he deleted approximately two-thirds of the footage, replaced it with newly shot material, and withdrew the earlier print from circulation. Some time after that, the first version (which had existed only as single 16mm print) disappeared. Even Cassavetes had no idea what had become of it. For 45 years the first version has been one of the legendary unseen works of cinema, generally believed to have been lost forever. However as a result of a conversation with Cassavetes shortly before the film maker’s death, Professor Ray Carney, the leading expert on the director’s work, decided that the first version might still survive. From 1987 until the present, he spent his time pursuing scores of leads -making thousands of phone calls and other enquiries, talking to surviving members of the cast and crew and anyone who might have information. Finally this indefatigable and long search paid off. In November, 2003, the first version of Shadows was discovered in the attic of a house in Florida. After 45 years, the world will again have the opportunity to see Cassavetes’ actual first film.