Amazon.com Essentials:
After Martin Scorsese went to Hollywood in 1972 to direct the
low-budget Boxcar Bertha for B-movie mogul Roger Corman, the
young director showed the film to maverick director John Cassavetes
and got an instant earful of urgent advice. "It's crap," said
Cassavetes in no uncertain terms, "now go out and make something that
comes from your heart." Scorsese took the advice and focused his
energy on Mean Streets, a riveting contemporary film about
low-life gangsters in New York's Little Italy that critic Pauline Kael
would later call "a true original, and a triumph of personal
filmmaking." Starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel in roles that
announced their talent to the world, it set the stage for Scorsese's
emergence as one of the greatest American filmmakers. Introducing
themes and character types that Scorsese would return to in Taxi
Driver, GoodFellas, Casino, and other films, the
loosely structured story is drawn directly from Scorsese's background
in the Italian neighborhoods of New York, and it seethes with the raw
vitality of a filmmaker who has found his creative groove. As the
irresponsible and reckless Johnny Boy, De Niro offers striking
contrast to Keitel's Charlie, who struggles to reconcile gang life
with Catholic guilt. More of an episodic portrait than a plot-driven
crime story, Mean Streets remains one of Scorsese's most direct
and fascinating films--a masterful calling card for a director whose
greatness was clearly apparent from that point forward. --Jeff
Shannon
Amazon.com Essentials:
After Martin Scorsese went to Hollywood in 1972 to direct the
low-budget Boxcar Bertha for B-movie mogul Roger Corman, the
young director showed the film to maverick director John Cassavetes
and got an instant earful of urgent advice. "It's crap," said
Cassavetes in no uncertain terms, "now go out and make something that
comes from your heart." Scorsese took the advice and focused his
energy on Mean Streets, a riveting contemporary film about
low-life gangsters in New York's Little Italy that critic Pauline Kael
would later call "a true original, and a triumph of personal
filmmaking." Starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel in roles that
announced their talent to the world, it set the stage for Scorsese's
emergence as one of the greatest American filmmakers. Introducing
themes and character types that Scorsese would return to in Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, Casino, and other
films, the loosely structured story is drawn directly from Scorsese's
background in the Italian neighborhoods of New York, and it seethes
with the raw vitality of a filmmaker who has found his creative
groove. As the irresponsible and reckless Johnny Boy, De Niro offers
striking contrast to Keitel's Charlie, who struggles to reconcile gang
life with Catholic guilt. More of an episodic portrait than a
plot-driven crime story, Mean Streets remains one of Scorsese's
most direct and fascinating films--a masterful calling card for a
director whose greatness was clearly apparent from that point
forward. --Jeff Shannon
