The Shadow (1994 film)

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The Shadow

Directed by	Russell Mulcahy
Produced by	Willi Bär Martin Bregman Michael Scott Bregman
Written by	David Koepp
Starring	Alec Baldwin Penelope Ann Miller John Lone Ian McKellen
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography	Stephen H. Burum
Editing by	Peter Honess Beth Jochem Besterveld
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	July 1, 1994
Running time	108 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$40 million (estimated)
IMDb profile

The Shadow is a 1994 film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, and based on the character created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931. The film is one of many featuring the character as its star, but is by far the most expensive and lavish of those productions, with an estimated $40 million dollar budget and an expensive marketing campaign attributed to it.

Starring Alec Baldwin in the title role, the film was intended to be a summer blockbuster and to be the starting point for a new franchise of films that would be tied in with toy and clothing lines. Despite good intentions, the movie flopped, it was panned by both critics and fans and the planned franchise never materialized, although some toys were offered during its release period.

1 Plot
2 Trivia
3 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
4 External links

[edit] Plot

The Shadow's origin as described in the original magazine stories was deemed too complex to be amply covered in a mainstream motion picture, and was modified by the writers so that it could be told fairly easily.

Lamont Cranston (Alec Baldwin) is a former American soldier, and a veteran of World War I. Tired of being a servant to greater powers, Cranston hides himself away in Tibet, eventually rising to power as an iron-fisted opium dealer and warlord. Living his life in opulence, Cranston sees little reason for reform, until he is unseated and captured by a monk who teaches him how to manipulate the minds of others and make himself virtually invisible to the naked eye, prompting him to take on the pseudonym of The Shadow.

With his newfound abiltities, Cranston returns to the United States, where he poses as an opulent playboy by day and fights crime by night under the cloak of his alter ego; his new life seems to be falling into place nicely when Shiwan Khan, the last living descendent of Genghis Khan, makes his entrance. Khan exhibits psychic powers on par with Cranston's, but is decidely more evil, and begins going through the motions with a plan that will eventually give him control of the world. Able to brainwash others into doing his bidding, Khan is able to mull along secretly until the Shadow gets wind of his plans.

The movie includes many characters that were introduced in the pulp fiction magazines in the 1930s, such as Margo Lane, Moe Shrevnitz, and Inspector Wainwright.

[edit] Trivia

Jeremy Irons was the producers' first choice for Lamont Cranston.

The living knife featured in some scenes of The Shadow is a prop recycled from the Eddie Murphy movie, The Golden Child.

The US Region 1 DVD presents the film in a pan and scan full frame (1.33:1) transfer, while the Region 2 DVD released in the UK preserves the original widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio.

[edit] Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

A soundtrack album, comprised of selections from Jerry Goldsmith's score as well as several songs from the film, was released in 1994 on the Arista Records label.

CD Track Listing:

The Shadow Knows... 1994 (Dialogue, performed by Alec Baldwin) [:08]
Original Sin (Theme from The Shadow) (Written by Jim Steinman, performed by Taylor Dayne) [6:27]
The Poppy Fields (Main Title) [3:16]
Some Kind of Mystery (Written by Diane Warren, performed by Sinoa) [3:48]
The Sanctum [3:33]
Who Are You? [4:02]
Chest Pains [3:26]
The Knife [3:05]
The Hotel [5:53]
The Tank [4:08]
Frontal Lobotomy [2:28]
Original Sin (Theme from The Shadow) Film Mix (Written by Jim Steinman, performed by Taylor Dayne) [5:02]
The Shadow Radio Show 1937: Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men? (Dialogue, performed by Orson Welles) [:29]