Scorsese Fest: 4 mini-reviews
June 5th 2011 23:10
Here's some brief thoughts on four Scorsese films I watched for the first time last week. Listed in order of viewing:
The King of Comedy (1983, Scorsese)
Fascinating film and different from the previous Scorsese/DeNiro collaborations up until this point. Scorsese had said he wanted to make a comedy with DeNiro. What resulted is an unsettling black comedy and satirical meditation on the allure of Celebrity. Scorsese sets the tone from the first frame, and most particularly in the opening credits, and does not stray from it once. The viewer is uneasy and entertained at once, and DeNiro’s performance is nothing if not dedicated and powerful. Jerry Lee Lewis seems to essentially be playing himself in real life; stone-face and no nonsense yet he does a great job counteracting DeNiro’s frenetic energy. Sandra Bernhardt is incredibly believable as an obsessed fan perhaps even more unbalanced than DeNiro’s Rupert Pupkin.
Boxcar Bertha (1972, Scorsese)
I wanted to like this more than I did. There were some nice moments but ultimately it fails due to an unfocused story and a lack of passion from Scorsese. It’s clear he was merely commissioned for the job and the exploitation aspects were dictated to him by Korman (i.e. he required nudity/sex scenes every 15 pages of script and wanted Scorsese to make it as close to Bonnie and Clyde as he could, given it’s success). What results is a plot that is flimsy and repetitive, and unpolished and stilted action sequences. Barbara Hershey is very good in the titular role and utterly breathtaking to watch. She also has great chemistry with David Carradine but aside from scattered scenes here and there (the end of the film is haunting and strong) the film is uneven. Scorsese was told afterward he should work on something he loved; he agreed and what resulted next was Mean Streets. The difference is insurmountable.
Who’s That Knocking at My Door? (1968, Scorsese)
Scorsese’s debut film. In terms of structure and plot it’s a bit weak. What shines here most are the themes (Scorsese’s quintessential catholic guilt) and the elements such as numerous song usages and violent beat downs, which we’ll come to associate with Scorsese for years to come. Scorsese knew right off the bat the types of films he wanted to make, the themes that were closest to his heart. Harvey Kietel, in his acting debut, was young and hypnotic and completely convincing in his on-screen convictions. Scorsese still didn’t have full directorial control and was told he should add a sex scene in order to appease audiences of the time (understandable, as the lift of the Production Code was just felt and capitalizing on the ability to portray sex and violence was a priority). What results is an admirable fantastical montage, artistic and well-meaning yet so obviously inserted, quiet literally, into the middle of a scene. Scorsese makes some great directorial choices here and despite the flaws, this is a rather brilliant first effort.
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974, Scorsese)
Ellen Burstyn gives a great performance and Scorsese does a fine job outside his comfort zone, directing a female centric film. It wasn’t a passion project but he manages to throw in some of his trademarks. Burstyn’s Alice is definitely a strong female character (eventually) but she also inhabits old-fashioned ideals of wanting strong, dominating men even though she’s mistreated by this same type of man. In the end, it seems as though she’s starting to finally live for herself and no one else, but it’s implied this too will be short-lived. Certainly not a film which pioneers feminism (as Alice herself is confused about her own desires) but nonetheless is impressive and well-made. The opening shot is an homage to The Wizard of Oz and is very stylistic and spellbinding.
The King of Comedy (1983, Scorsese)
Fascinating film and different from the previous Scorsese/DeNiro collaborations up until this point. Scorsese had said he wanted to make a comedy with DeNiro. What resulted is an unsettling black comedy and satirical meditation on the allure of Celebrity. Scorsese sets the tone from the first frame, and most particularly in the opening credits, and does not stray from it once. The viewer is uneasy and entertained at once, and DeNiro’s performance is nothing if not dedicated and powerful. Jerry Lee Lewis seems to essentially be playing himself in real life; stone-face and no nonsense yet he does a great job counteracting DeNiro’s frenetic energy. Sandra Bernhardt is incredibly believable as an obsessed fan perhaps even more unbalanced than DeNiro’s Rupert Pupkin.
Boxcar Bertha (1972, Scorsese)
I wanted to like this more than I did. There were some nice moments but ultimately it fails due to an unfocused story and a lack of passion from Scorsese. It’s clear he was merely commissioned for the job and the exploitation aspects were dictated to him by Korman (i.e. he required nudity/sex scenes every 15 pages of script and wanted Scorsese to make it as close to Bonnie and Clyde as he could, given it’s success). What results is a plot that is flimsy and repetitive, and unpolished and stilted action sequences. Barbara Hershey is very good in the titular role and utterly breathtaking to watch. She also has great chemistry with David Carradine but aside from scattered scenes here and there (the end of the film is haunting and strong) the film is uneven. Scorsese was told afterward he should work on something he loved; he agreed and what resulted next was Mean Streets. The difference is insurmountable.
Who’s That Knocking at My Door? (1968, Scorsese)
Scorsese’s debut film. In terms of structure and plot it’s a bit weak. What shines here most are the themes (Scorsese’s quintessential catholic guilt) and the elements such as numerous song usages and violent beat downs, which we’ll come to associate with Scorsese for years to come. Scorsese knew right off the bat the types of films he wanted to make, the themes that were closest to his heart. Harvey Kietel, in his acting debut, was young and hypnotic and completely convincing in his on-screen convictions. Scorsese still didn’t have full directorial control and was told he should add a sex scene in order to appease audiences of the time (understandable, as the lift of the Production Code was just felt and capitalizing on the ability to portray sex and violence was a priority). What results is an admirable fantastical montage, artistic and well-meaning yet so obviously inserted, quiet literally, into the middle of a scene. Scorsese makes some great directorial choices here and despite the flaws, this is a rather brilliant first effort.
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974, Scorsese)
Ellen Burstyn gives a great performance and Scorsese does a fine job outside his comfort zone, directing a female centric film. It wasn’t a passion project but he manages to throw in some of his trademarks. Burstyn’s Alice is definitely a strong female character (eventually) but she also inhabits old-fashioned ideals of wanting strong, dominating men even though she’s mistreated by this same type of man. In the end, it seems as though she’s starting to finally live for herself and no one else, but it’s implied this too will be short-lived. Certainly not a film which pioneers feminism (as Alice herself is confused about her own desires) but nonetheless is impressive and well-made. The opening shot is an homage to The Wizard of Oz and is very stylistic and spellbinding.
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