The Shadow | Better in Black and White

by



In 1994 Universal Pictures resurrected The Shadow a property that is almost 100 years old now to see if it could be the next super hero franchise. It didn’t hit with audiences then but in black and white it deserves a serious reevaluation. Directed by Russell Mulcahy with a visual flair that he brought from his music video background. Starring Alec Baldwin as the Shadow, Penelope Ann Miller, John Lone, Tim Curry, Peter Boyle, and Jonathan Winters. This essay is written by filmmaker Erik Clapp.

#theshadow #filmnoir #1930sfilm #alecbaldwin #penelopeannmiller #timcurry #highlander #highlandermovie #theshadowradio #theshadow1994
#russellmulcahy #jerrygoldsmith

source

27 thoughts on “The Shadow | Better in Black and White”

  6. Thanks so much for such a wonderful re-look at such a great(almost) underated film. Black and White all the way. After watching this I did exactly that…VLC saturation down add darken the shadows slightly and away we go, MAGIC. I can never see this in color again. For anyone who has not had the pleasur, BLACK AND WHITE…. you will not be sorry.

    Reply

  7. I just ran it through an editor and it looks and feels so much more accurate. Even the dated effects and less than stellar performances by minor supporting characters fit better.

    Reply

  11. I've always wanted to write a TV series based on The Shadow. Set it in the 1990's with the female descendent of The Shadow and Margot Lane trying to figure out what happened to her grandfather.
    A.G.

    Reply

  13. I know Baldwin has been cancelled by Hollywood, and even if he wasn't, he's too old to reprise the titular role, but man I would love to see a sequel where Baldwin reprises it to pass on The Shadow's mantle onto a younger talented actor like Austin Butler or Ansel Elgort, which I think would be great to continue the franchise, especially Butler with his iconic deep raspy voice, it would really work for the scenes when The Shadow is narrating or speaking to villains as he hides in the shadows…

    I loved that shortlived period in the late 80s and into the 90s when Pulp heroes were getting the big feature film treatment like The Shadow, The Phantom, Rocketeer, Zorro, Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, Indiana Jones… etc… the movies weren't all perfect, but they all felt cohesive in the Pulp Comics that a lot of them derived from. Even movies that weren't derived from classic Pulp comics/stories felt like they could live in the same world like The Crow, The Mask, Darkman… etc, had that edgy and dark Film Noir feel to them that could live perfectly beside all the old Pulp heroes from the past.

    We need a ressurgence of that Pulpy genre again… and not hyper stylized like The Spirit or Sin City… those movies were visually interesting, but The Spirit fell flat imo, and Sin City is very much it's own thing too, not really Cops, Robbers and Gangsters like Pulp stories, even if it did follow a lot of the tropes like the Noir setting and Femme Fatale's… its excessive violence doesn't fit the theme of the old Pulp stories because of that.

    Reply

  16. I got to see it in theater back in 94. I really liked it and the score was so awesome k stil habe it on tape. It gave the perfect aura and excitement to the whole piece. This bw version looks stunning. I place it along great films on the comic and pulp charachters that havent had much recognition back in the day such as the rocketeer (wich inreally love) and dick tracy (the storaro cinematography is mindbkowing)

    Reply

Leave a Comment