Post by petrolino on May 5, 2018 23:12:12 GMT
The comic book picture 'The Shadow' is based on a character created by Pennsylvanian author Walter B. Gibson who wrote scores of Shadow stories under his pen name Maxwell Grant. It primarily takes place in a crime-ridden America that's been destabilised by the horrors of the 1st World War. Lamont Cranston (Alec Baldwin) is an organised crime kingpin operating in Tibet who's punished for his sins by spiritual leader Tulku (Brady Tsurutani). He becomes superhero The Shadow and returns to New York where he's obliged to fight crime and establish himself as a force for good. The Shadow acts as a criminal's conscience and can exert mind control but his power is challenged by the arrival of Shiwan Khan (John Lone), a malevolent descendant of Genghis Khan who once studied mind manipulation under Tulku.
The Shadow had been played by several actors before Russell Mulcahy was hired to direct this version, notably Kane Richmond, an avid film serial specialist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. 'The Shadow' was co-produced by New Yorker Marty Bregman which was vital to its realisation. Bregman's a producer who's never been afraid to back technical directors and court genre, collaborating on key productions in the careers of crime filmmakers Sidney Lumet, Jerry Schatzberg, Brian De Palma and Harold Becker. 'The Shadow' showcases the mobile location camerawork of the great Stephen Burum whose masterful shot constructions and detailed period compositions bring New York's jazz age to life. An elaborate, high speed shot tracing the path of a message dropped down a chute that's connected to the city pipe system is a great example of Burum's talent with the camera. Originally, Ben Cross was sought to star as The Shadow, but lengthy production delays meant the role went instead to Alec Baldwin. Penelope Ann Miller dazzles as telepathic socialite Margo Lane, her casting coming about after she impressed everybody concerned with her performance in 'Carlito's Way' (1993), the first film in a crime franchise produced by Bregman.
'The Shadow' is an elemental thriller with a fine trio of leads that involves earth, fire, wind and water. The gallery of players includes Ian McKellen as atomic scientist Doctor Reinhardt Lane, Sab Shimono as molecular scientist Doctor Roy Tam, Jonathan Winters as police commissioner Wainwright Barth, Peter Boyle as secretive go-between Moe Shrevnitz, Tim Curry as sleazy procurer Farley Claymore, James Hong as crafty opium trader Li Peng, Joseph Maher as knowledgeable museum curator Issac Newboldt and Max Wright as bumbling warehouse manager Berger. The music score for the film is composed by Jerry Goldsmith.
Russell Mulcahy directs 'The Shadow' with typical flair. Mulcahy created some of the greatest music videos of the 1980s, including the controversial video for 'Sex (I'm A)' by Berlin. 'The Shadow' doesn't set the world on fire but it's fun to watch. It was reported in 2010 that Quentin Tarantino was set to direct a remake of 'The Shadow' with Sam Raimi producing but these rumours turned out to be unsubstantial. Now in 2018, rumours have started up again that a new version of 'The Shadow' is currently in the works.
'THE SHADOW KNOWS.'
'Original Sin' - Taylor Dayne
'Original Sin' - Taylor Dayne
The Shadow had been played by several actors before Russell Mulcahy was hired to direct this version, notably Kane Richmond, an avid film serial specialist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. 'The Shadow' was co-produced by New Yorker Marty Bregman which was vital to its realisation. Bregman's a producer who's never been afraid to back technical directors and court genre, collaborating on key productions in the careers of crime filmmakers Sidney Lumet, Jerry Schatzberg, Brian De Palma and Harold Becker. 'The Shadow' showcases the mobile location camerawork of the great Stephen Burum whose masterful shot constructions and detailed period compositions bring New York's jazz age to life. An elaborate, high speed shot tracing the path of a message dropped down a chute that's connected to the city pipe system is a great example of Burum's talent with the camera. Originally, Ben Cross was sought to star as The Shadow, but lengthy production delays meant the role went instead to Alec Baldwin. Penelope Ann Miller dazzles as telepathic socialite Margo Lane, her casting coming about after she impressed everybody concerned with her performance in 'Carlito's Way' (1993), the first film in a crime franchise produced by Bregman.
"In defining the hallmarks of a Martin Bregman production, one constant is his commitment to New York film making. In the mid-70's he helped to create the Mayor's Advisory Commission that was largely responsible for increasing the amount of film production in New York. ''The things we were looking to bring to New York were urban films,'' Mr. Bregman says. ''We wanted to keep those films from going to Boston or Philadelphia or Toronto or other Eastern cities, and we did help to bring more production to New York.''
- Stephen Farber, The New York Times
“I’ve always wanted to make a gangster picture and I’ve always wanted to work with Al Pacino.”
- Brian De Palma exaplains his decision to direct 'Scarface' (1983) following Sidney Lumet's departure, Vulture
Alec Baldwin
John Lone
- Stephen Farber, The New York Times
“I’ve always wanted to make a gangster picture and I’ve always wanted to work with Al Pacino.”
- Brian De Palma exaplains his decision to direct 'Scarface' (1983) following Sidney Lumet's departure, Vulture
Alec Baldwin
John Lone
'The Shadow' is an elemental thriller with a fine trio of leads that involves earth, fire, wind and water. The gallery of players includes Ian McKellen as atomic scientist Doctor Reinhardt Lane, Sab Shimono as molecular scientist Doctor Roy Tam, Jonathan Winters as police commissioner Wainwright Barth, Peter Boyle as secretive go-between Moe Shrevnitz, Tim Curry as sleazy procurer Farley Claymore, James Hong as crafty opium trader Li Peng, Joseph Maher as knowledgeable museum curator Issac Newboldt and Max Wright as bumbling warehouse manager Berger. The music score for the film is composed by Jerry Goldsmith.
"In the early nineties, following the runaway success of Tim Burton’s Batman in ‘89, major studios scrambled to develop their own 30s pulp-inspired properties in the hope of replicating Warner Brothers’ box office bonanza. Avoiding the oppressively dark Gothic tone of Burton’s Batman and the lurid over-the-top comic book operatics of Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990), the tone of Russell Mulcahy’s pulp-inspired adventure yarn is far more comparible to Joe Johnston’s affectionate 30s serials homage The Rocketeer (1991) – with a liberal peppering of Indiana Jones-style wry humor thrown in for good measure.
Producer Martin Bregman had been striving to bring The Shadow to the big screen for over a decade; having grown up with the character on radio when he was a boy. Originally created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931, The Shadow began as a popular pulp magazine series spanning eighteen years and 325 stories. It also became a popular serialized radio drama which aired between 1937 and 1954 (with the titular character initially voiced by a young Orson Welles) and a fifteen chapter movie serial adaptation in 1940. It has been suggested the character of The Shadow could indeed be considered the prototypical vigilante superhero and a direct inspiration for Bob Kane’s Batman, as well as ‘V’ in Alan Moore’s V For Vendetta. And it is easy to see why. Dressed in a black cape, slouch hat, with a crimson bandana concealing his face (while sporting twin Colt .45 automatics) – The Shadow possesses the ability to ‘cloud the minds of men’ – that is, to telepathically hypnotize them so as to appear invisible, while only his shadow is seen on the walls. He also has the power of hypnotic suggestion, whereby he is able to influence the thoughts of others and make them do or think whatever he commands. When invisible he is identifiable only by his maniacal laugh – which he uses to spook his targets, before either killing them or forcing them to hand themselves in to police. To assist him in his task, The Shadow has recruited a secret network of helpers or Shadow Agents – victims of crime he has rescued who have sworn an oath of allegiance in return for him saving their lives. These agents can be identified via a ruby red ring which glows when they are required."
- Greg Moss, Moss Film
"It turns out that the film that restored dignity to the Batman franchise has the exact same story as a failed adaptation of a 1930s radio show. I’m talking about 2005’s Batman Begins and 1994’s underrated action film, The Shadow. Batman Begins has a lot in common with The Shadow.Think about it. A rich guy spends years in an Asian country learning skills to fight crime by hiding in the shadows. He then faces a villain with the same skills as him who threatens to destroy the city the hero protects. Plus, both of these films are inspired by radio shows and comics dating back to the 1930s and 1940s."
- Robert Lockard, Deja Reviewer
Penelope Ann Miller
'Good Girls Go To Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)' - Pandora's Box
Producer Martin Bregman had been striving to bring The Shadow to the big screen for over a decade; having grown up with the character on radio when he was a boy. Originally created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931, The Shadow began as a popular pulp magazine series spanning eighteen years and 325 stories. It also became a popular serialized radio drama which aired between 1937 and 1954 (with the titular character initially voiced by a young Orson Welles) and a fifteen chapter movie serial adaptation in 1940. It has been suggested the character of The Shadow could indeed be considered the prototypical vigilante superhero and a direct inspiration for Bob Kane’s Batman, as well as ‘V’ in Alan Moore’s V For Vendetta. And it is easy to see why. Dressed in a black cape, slouch hat, with a crimson bandana concealing his face (while sporting twin Colt .45 automatics) – The Shadow possesses the ability to ‘cloud the minds of men’ – that is, to telepathically hypnotize them so as to appear invisible, while only his shadow is seen on the walls. He also has the power of hypnotic suggestion, whereby he is able to influence the thoughts of others and make them do or think whatever he commands. When invisible he is identifiable only by his maniacal laugh – which he uses to spook his targets, before either killing them or forcing them to hand themselves in to police. To assist him in his task, The Shadow has recruited a secret network of helpers or Shadow Agents – victims of crime he has rescued who have sworn an oath of allegiance in return for him saving their lives. These agents can be identified via a ruby red ring which glows when they are required."
- Greg Moss, Moss Film
"It turns out that the film that restored dignity to the Batman franchise has the exact same story as a failed adaptation of a 1930s radio show. I’m talking about 2005’s Batman Begins and 1994’s underrated action film, The Shadow. Batman Begins has a lot in common with The Shadow.Think about it. A rich guy spends years in an Asian country learning skills to fight crime by hiding in the shadows. He then faces a villain with the same skills as him who threatens to destroy the city the hero protects. Plus, both of these films are inspired by radio shows and comics dating back to the 1930s and 1940s."
- Robert Lockard, Deja Reviewer
Penelope Ann Miller
'Good Girls Go To Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)' - Pandora's Box
Russell Mulcahy directs 'The Shadow' with typical flair. Mulcahy created some of the greatest music videos of the 1980s, including the controversial video for 'Sex (I'm A)' by Berlin. 'The Shadow' doesn't set the world on fire but it's fun to watch. It was reported in 2010 that Quentin Tarantino was set to direct a remake of 'The Shadow' with Sam Raimi producing but these rumours turned out to be unsubstantial. Now in 2018, rumours have started up again that a new version of 'The Shadow' is currently in the works.
