Benny and his friends populate the Manhattan street scene. His older brother Hugh is a talented but struggling singer. Their sister Lelia can pass with her paler skin.
The version I saw is dated 1959. It's the first theatrical writing and directing effort from John Cassavetes. The technical skill is sometimes amateurish. There are some bad panning camera moves. The closing text claims that the dialog was improvised. It's a micro budget indie. At least, Cassavetes uses the street level energy to his advantage. Mostly, this is about the edgy subject matter and one very powerful scene. It's a good predictor of his future in filmmaking. As for the story, I would start the movie with the three siblings together. I didn't understand their relationship for the first part until I read the synopsis before continuing. It needs to be clearer. All in all, Cassavetes is pushing the envelope and creating some real art.
The version I saw is dated 1959. It's the first theatrical writing and directing effort from John Cassavetes. The technical skill is sometimes amateurish. There are some bad panning camera moves. The closing text claims that the dialog was improvised. It's a micro budget indie. At least, Cassavetes uses the street level energy to his advantage. Mostly, this is about the edgy subject matter and one very powerful scene. It's a good predictor of his future in filmmaking. As for the story, I would start the movie with the three siblings together. I didn't understand their relationship for the first part until I read the synopsis before continuing. It needs to be clearer. All in all, Cassavetes is pushing the envelope and creating some real art.