DVDFile

Reviewing stand-alone titles like these are a mixed bag. From a cinephilic perspective, these two films are absolutely extraordinary and come with enormous and unreserved recommendations. Shadows (1959), underground filmmaker John Cassavetes' first feature film, is a spectacularly ahead-of-its-time picture, and it makes for a fantastic primer course in the director's oeuvre. On a similar note, Faces (1969) is considered to be one of the filmmaker's grandest achievements: its brittle, earnest emotional see-sawing remains unparalleled (except by some of Cassavetes' later works, of course).

From a DVD vantage point, however, your buddy Mike has more timid accolades for this pair of Criterion titles. Don't get me wrong - these films look and sound just fine and come with a lovely set of bonuses. But the question remains: why buy these two titles when you could buy the John Cassavetes: Five Films box set that was released a few years ago?

I suppose the pro of buying Shadows and Faces on their own might be that for newcomers to the Cassavetes pantheon, it might be easier to take baby steps rather than dropping over $100 on a box set you may not fully enjoy. But that Five Films box set is such a staggering home entertainment triumph that I simply can't find a reason to recommend you pick these movies up as self-contained entities.

If you already know of Cassavetes' cinematic mastery and can lose yourself in the insanely powerful emotional push-pull of his narratives, I must tell you that the John Cassavetes: Five Films box set is a must-own. If you're unsure about your potential affinity with the works, I say pop these babies on your rental queue rather than buying them outright. Odds are that if you end up loving one or both of these, the other films on the Five Films set (most importantly, the galactically impressive A Woman Under the Influence) will appeal as much to you, if not moreso.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

You really couldn't expect for better transfers of these two films than those on these discs. Preserving the original 1.33:1 and 1.66:1 aspect ratios of Shadows' and Faces'' presentations (Faces is given an anamorphic presence here), Criterion has done a masterful job of preserving the films' gritty presence while cleaning them up almost pristinely. Sure, there are age-related issues with both releases (especially scratches, dust and grime on Shadows), but seeing as the films were beyond low-budget and were shot with less than grade-A equipment, they look just as solid as they ever have. Finely detailed textures aren't air-tight, but they probably never were, even in the films' original projections, and black levels and color accuracy (in Faces) both pop impressively. Not too bad at all.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Mono, baby! There is crackle, hiss and hum aplenty on these English monaural soundtracks, but that's the way the movies were originally recorded. Dialogue is discernible (if a bit crackled), and music cues come across in an appropriate fashion, but it should come as no surprise that while these mixes serve the films' original aural presence as they were originally envisioned, there isn't a lot here that will really blow you away.

English subtitles are included.

The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Shadows' disc houses a set of interviews with actress Lelia Goldoni and producer (and frequent Cassavetes collaborator) Seymour Cassel, as well as a featurette showcasing Cassavetes' and Burt Lane's acting workshop, a restoration demonstration, a stills gallery and the film's original trailer.

Faces also comes with some great goodies. Not only do we get an alternate opening of the film (which is really interesting), but we get three featurettes: An episode of the French series Cinéastes de notre temps from 1968 featuring Cassavetes, the 2004 documentary Making "Faces" featuring interviews with tons of the film's key players, and a short doc called Lighting and Shooting the Film, in which D.P. Al Ruban talks about how the film's notoriously grainy/pulpy look came about.

(And again - remember that if you go for the John Cassavetes: Five Films box set, you get Opening Night, A Woman Under the Influence and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and all their bonuses, as well as the excellent comprehensive Cassavetes documentary A Constant Forge...)

Final Thoughts

These films are extraordinary, but in comparison to the grand box set that came before them, their DVD presentations here are not. Both are well worth watching, of course, but Mike says rent them first, and if you like them, go with the box set.

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