Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- sardonic
- theatrical
- late night viewing
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's black-and-white German Expressionist atmosphere while finding its rambling, derivative screenplay uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film is shot in black and white with pronounced shadows and a deliberate homage to German Expressionist cinema.
Neighbors organize vigilance committees while an unseen strangler spreads fear throughout the town.
Kleinman is an unremarkable bookkeeper unexpectedly recruited to help pursue a serial killer.
The traveling circus, performers, magician, brothel, and stylized town create an overtly staged atmosphere.
Films like Shadows and Fog, and why
The Trial
black-and-white expressionist comedy blending mystery, anxiety, and theatrical artifice
Zelig
stylized black-and-white urban absurdism centered on neurotic outsiders and social unease
The Purple Rose of Cairo
darkly comic mystery atmosphere, eccentric ensemble, and neo-noir visual language
Movie Details
- Director
- Woody Allen
- Release Date
- 1991-12-05
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (415)
Cast
- Woody Allen
- Mia Farrow
- John Malkovich
- John Cusack
- Madonna
- Kathy Bates
- Jodie Foster
- Lily Tomlin
- Anne Lange
- Kenneth Mars
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shadows and Fog about?
- A timid bookkeeper wanders through a shadowy, expressionist town where a serial killer, a traveling circus, and collective panic turn existential anxiety into darkly comic mystery.
- What is Shadows and Fog like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shadows and Fog as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Shadows and Fog violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Shadows and Fog as moderate.
- What did critics think of Shadows and Fog?
- Critics broadly admired the film's black-and-white German Expressionist atmosphere while finding its rambling, derivative screenplay uneven.
- Which films are like Shadows and Fog?
- Films with a similar feel include The Trial, Zelig, and The Purple Rose of Cairo.
- How long is Shadows and Fog?
- Shadows and Fog runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shadows and Fog?
- In United States, Shadows and Fog streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
