Director
John Cassavetes
Leading Actors/Actresses
Lelia Goldoni, Ben Carruthers, Hugh Hurd
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Anthony Ray, Tom Reese
Genre
Drama, Romance
Language
English
Awards
Critics Award 1960 Venice Film Festival
Date of Release
1959
Producer
Maurice McEndree
Setting and Context
New York during the Beat Generation of the 1950s
Narrator and Point of View
Point of view is that of Ben, Lelia, and Hugh as they encounter the difficulties of life.
Tone and Mood
Serious and Dramatic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Lelia, Hugh and Ben are the protagonists and Tony is the antagonist
Major Conflict
After sleeping with Lelia, Tony abandons her as he finds out her brother is black.
Climax
Lelia lets go of Tony and attempts to accept the love of Davey as Hugh and Rupert decide to take a real shot at having a successful music career in New York City. And Ben decides to let go of his childish ways and begin to walk in a new direction away from his friends.
Foreshadowing
The mood of the film changes drastically when Tony takes Lelia up to his apartment to sleep with her. It becomes darker and more dangerous and foreshadows the trouble between these two characters.
Understatement
Ben's love for music is understated as we hardly see him talk about music or what he wants, let alone play his trumpet.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
The film was fully shot as an improvisation in the first version. Later additions were made in the second version.
Allusions
The film alludes to the Beat Generation and the lifestyle they lived in 1950s New York City.
Paradox
Ben is a musician and an artist at heart but paradoxically spends all of his time with guys who don't care for art, only for women.
Parallelism
In the beginning of the film Cassavetes films Ben walking through a crowd trying to find a way to play with the musicians, and he isn't able to. This scene is paralleled with the final scene as been cuts through traffic in order to find his way to a more fulfilling life.
