John Cassavetes' ground breaking directorial debut revolves around an interracial romance between Lelia (Lelia Goldoni), a light-skinned black woman living in New York City with her two brothers, and Tony (Anthony Ray), a white man. The relationship crumbles when Tony meets Lelia's brother Hugh (Hugh Hurd), a talented dark-skinned jazz singer struggling to find work, and discovers the truth about Lelia's racial heritage. Shot on location in Manhattan with a cast and crew made up primarily of amateurs, Cassavetes' Shadows is a visionary work that is widely considered the forerunner of the independent film movement.

Previously released as part of the John Cassavetes 'Five Films' collection, Shadows is to be released as a stand-alone disc on US DVD by Criterion in February 2009 (exact date to be confirmed) with a restored high definition digital transfer, which was transferred in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 from a new 35mm fine-grain master, struck from the UCLA Film and Television Archive's restoration duplicate negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic audio track, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle.

The following extra features will be included in this release:

• Video interviews with actress Lelia Goldoni and associate producer Seymour Cassel;
• Rare silent 16mm footage of John Cassavetes and Burt Lane's acting workshop;
• Restoration demonstration;
• Stills gallery featuring rare behind-the-scenes production photos;
• Trailer;
• English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired;
• Essays by Gary Giddins and John Cassavetes.

Shadows will have an SRP of $29.95.