An early Scorsese film to whet your appetite for the classics
Back when I was a film student at NYU, Martin Scorsese was not just admired and respected, he was spoken of with a reverence usually reserved only for deities. Marty actually walked these halls, we would say to each other, as though we were on a first-name basis with our idol, and even though the NYU film schools of the 60s was likely in a different building than the NYU film school of the 90s. But we watched all of his films carefully, trying to find the best shots and ideas to steal in our own scrappy productions. A heartening discovery from those film school days is The Big Shave, one of the earliest, widely-known Scorsese shorts. It was a reminder that even a titanic talent of Scorsese stature had to start somewhere, namely in this small bathroom. Though this transfer leaves something to be desired, check it out to see an early combination of jaunty pop music and shocking violence that would reappear in some of Scorsese’s most iconic films.
And be sure to check out our Scorsese Classics series screening this December 26-31. Taxi Driver, Casino, Mean Streets and more, all the best films are included!
Tags: martin scorsese, The Big Shave
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