In this golden age of home viewing, the Criterion Collection still provides some of the best editions of the best movies ever released, usually with a rich selection of extras and often including audio commentaries (a feature they pioneered, and perhaps the greatest gift ever to film students and cinephiles alike). This column features one Criterion release per week, based on where my interests lead me and what’s available from my local public library.
Martin Scorsese surely needs no introduction, and neither do most of his features. His short films are a different story: I watch a lot of films, including a more than average number of shorts, and until recently the only Scorsese short I was aware of was “The Big Shave.” Then I discovered Criterion had a disc with five of his short films, plus the usual range of extras, with the upshot that I know 400% more Scorsese shorts than I did a few weeks ago.
“What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?” (1963, 9 min., black and white) is the earliest film in the collection and the first of three Scorsese made while a student at NYU. It’s also his second film overall, if one can trust the imdb, and has a bit of everything in it, including animations, jump cuts, freeze frames, a singing waiter, goofy typefaces, voiceover, and a scene echoing Federico Fellini’s 8 ½. There’s a story of sorts about an unassuming writer named Algernon (Zeph Michaelis) who becomes obsessed with a painting, but the narrative takes a back seat to the lively style. Overall this film feels like the work of a talented young man who was full of ideas and wanted to try it all out and then proceeded to do so. Extra bonus: some scenes are shot at the site of the 1964 World’s Fair, which was then under construction. Or perhaps I should say “World’s Fair” since this was Robert Moses’ baby and was not recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions, the governing body for international expositions (trust me kids, they used to be a thing).
The second film from Scorsese’s NYU days, “It’s Not Just You, Murray!” (1964, 16 min., black and white) premiered at the 1966 New York Film Festival won a bunch of awards including the Producers Guild Award for Best Student Film. There’s more of a story to this one, involving a mobster named Murray (Ira Rubin) who is reportedly based on Scorsese’s uncle. If true, that’s not much of a complement, because if Murray is successful, he’s also dumb, and the contrast, along with some continuity-destroying effects, are responsible for much of the humor in this film.
“The Big Shave” (1967; 6 min., color) has the alternative title “Viet ‘67” which clues you in as to the meaning of the otherwise puzzling action you see on the screen. Although this film dates from his student years, Scorsese is already developing the eye and ear that makes his best films so memorable—the set is the whitest bathroom you’ve ever seen, and it will soon become clear why he chose that color. Great casting also: Peter Bernuth is just the sort of blandly attractive young man that makes a perfect stand-in for this country, and the music (“I Can’t Get Started” by Bunny Berrigan) forms an ironic contrast with the action.
In the documentary “Italianamerican” (1964, 49 min., color) Scorsese interviews his parents, Catherine and Charles Scorsese (whose first name is actually Luciano, something they discuss in the film), in an apartment where the living room couch covered in clear plastic and the kitchen wallpaper is adorned with gigantic turquoise flowers. There’s a lot of randomness in the conversation, with topics ranging from their own parents to Christmas trees to how to make red sauce, the latter followed by a demonstration (and dinner) courtesy of Mrs. Scorsese. It’s the most charming, unpretentious film ever, full of humor and quicks and people who are exactly what they are.
“American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince” (1978, 55 min., color), also a documentary, features Steven Prince, who discusses his life with Scorsese and a group of friends; the present-day scenes are intercut with home movies of Prince as a baby (hence the film’s title, I guess). Prince led quite a life—he was once the road manager for Neil Diamond, who offered to help him get off heroin, he once performed in real life one of the more memorable scenes in Pulp Fiction (an adrenaline injection is involved), saw a boy be electrocuted, and shot a man who tried to attack him with a knife. I’m sorry to say that I really didn’t see the point of this film (as in, I should spend almost an hour watching this why?) but I guess it illuminates some aspects of Scorsese and his approach to filmmaking and one should never turn down the chance for achieving that kind of insight. The other four films, however, are richly rewarding experiences and totally worth your time and attention. | Sarah Boslaugh
Spine #: 1030
Technical details: 135 min.; color and B&W; 1.33:1 screen ratio; English.
Edition reviewed: Blu-ray
Extras: conversation between Martin Scorsese and film critic Farran Smith Nehme; discussion about Scorsese between Ari Aster and Josh and Benny Safdie; 1970 radio interview of Scorsese; booklet including an essay by film critic Bile Ebiri and storyboards, treatments, and correspondence from Scorsese’s archive (the booklet was missing from the library copy I reviewed, so that information is from the Criterion web page).
Fun Fact: The end credits of “Italianamerican” includes Catherine Scorsese’s meatball recipe.
Parting Thought: Is there some secret meaning I’m missing with regard to the song featured in “The Big Shave?” Scorsese is too deliberate a filmmaker to have chosen something at random, however effective it might be.
