The Shade (1998 film)

Infobox Film
name = The Shade


caption = Theatrical poster
director = Raphael Nadjari
producer = Geoffroy Grison Francesca Feder
writer = Raphael Nadjari
starring = Richard Edson Lorie Marino
music = John Surman
cinematography = Laurent Brunet
editing = Tom Donahue
released = March 1, 2000 (France)
country = USA
language = English
followed_by = I Am Josh Polonski's Brother
imdb_id = 0216204

"The Shade" was Raphael Nadjari's debut feature.

Awards and Nominations

Cannes Film Festival (1999) - Official Selection, Un Certain Regard,
Bergamo Film Festival (1999) - Audience Award

Plot

"The Shade" is a modern adaptation of Dostoevsky's A Gentle Creature, (the same Gentle Creature that once inspired French director Robert Bresson), The film takes place in contemporary New York City. It tells the story of a Jewish middle aged pawnbroker who meets a mysterious woman who will become his wife without their truly knowing each other. The film begins with Simon, alone in his apartment with the corpse of his wife, Anna, who has just committed suicide. In his grief, he remembers the first time he met her, a year ago when she walked into his pawnbroker's shop in Spanish Harlem. Mysterious Anna, who seems to come from nowhere, impresses solitary Simon with her beauty, and he proposes to her on their first night out. They then enter into a passionate realationship that will lead her to death.

Trivia

The film is also the first collaboration between the Director of Photography Laurent Brunet and Raphael Nadjari. They will team again for I Am Josh Polonski's Brother(2000), Apartment #5C(2001), Avanim (2003) and Tehilim (2007). This film also marked the first time Nadjari worked with producers Geoffroy Grison, Francesca feder, Noah Harlan, Fred Bellaiche and Caroline Bonmarchand and with the editor and photographer Sean Foley - all of whom he would continue to work with for the remainder of his career to date.

External links

* [http://www.iht.com/articles/2000/03/03/trmovie.2.t_0.php IHT] —External Review
* [http://www.festival-cannes.fr/index.php/en/archives/film/5388 CannesFestival] —Cannes Film Festival Archive
*imdb title|id=0216204|title=The Shade