The ritual of shaving and it's risks is explored by a young Scorsese. Surely every man has felt the fear/temptation of cutting one's self with a razor. A typical outlet for his self-loathing Catholic guilt, the gore is contrapuntally balanced by incongruous music on the soundtrack. Bunny Berigan's "I Can't Get Started" recalls the blackly comic ending to "Dr. Strangelove" with "We'll Meet Again" accompanying images of nuclear holocaust. Strangely, the young man in the feature is not in need of a shave in the slightest. And he shaves a second time in a row, the second time with bloody consequences. As other reviewers have posted, there may be some symbolic significance to this short film. Knowing Scorsese, it undoubtedly operates on many levels. It is to his credit as a filmmaker that he is able to make a solitary, mundane task so attention-grabbing.
31 Reviews
Extraordinary 'short' short
BJJManchester5 January 2006
Martin Scorsese's third short film before he graduated into feature film making is,despite being only six minutes long,a considerable cinematic achievement.Even at this early stage in his career,Scorsese shows considerable technical excellence,distinctive style and panache,showing that in just the simplest,most banal of settings(a bathroom)on a zero budget,he can produce memorable images and moments that most other film directors can't manage in films three hours long. Apparently intended as a black joke against the then on-going conflict in Vietnam,the contrast between the clean,white bathroom and the young man's visceral,gory,but seemingly unconscious gradual self-harm while taking a shave brings sheer gasps and giggles of astonishment at it's sheer audacity.A taster of the brilliance to come in the next four decades.
Fade to Red
richardchatten30 December 2019
The Big Shave - Don't try to do it at home
Fred-Hubner5 February 2005
This film is closely related to my adolescence ... rather iconic. I've seen it only once a few months after completing fourteen years of age (1970). Back then, the UCSD had a very active cine-club ... and thanks to it I had access to films like La Jetée, Young Aphrodite, Midnight Cowboy, Catch-22, Deep Throat (in which I fell asleep after its first five minutes) and many others.
At first I found it rather boring and unappealing. A man shaving ... definitely isn't something a pubescent male teenager would care for, but since it's only six minutes long ... soon, the whole intended idea started to fall in place. The flowing and perfectly edited strong images left me totally assured that I was watching a powerful work of art and criticism. As the years passed by, the film's images were surely imprinted in my memory ... but the title simply vanished from all recall efforts. Once I got acquainted with IMDb's message boards, I posted a message asking about which could its title be ... promptly and correctly answered by an user signing as Weeping Prophet.
Usually The Big Shave is understood as a hyperbolic criticism towards America's engagement in the Vietnam war. While at a very shallow level it can be understood as so, the deeper message is very prophetic encompassing the whole future of America's mainstream film productions concerning the glorification of violence in itself. Well, in those happy days of open confrontation and anti-war rallies I understood it as a film about our everyday acts of self-destruction undertook as a matter of fact events ... including America's vaguely justified involvement in the civil war going on in Vietnam.
It's a film everyone should watch and one of Scorsese's most powerful films.
At first I found it rather boring and unappealing. A man shaving ... definitely isn't something a pubescent male teenager would care for, but since it's only six minutes long ... soon, the whole intended idea started to fall in place. The flowing and perfectly edited strong images left me totally assured that I was watching a powerful work of art and criticism. As the years passed by, the film's images were surely imprinted in my memory ... but the title simply vanished from all recall efforts. Once I got acquainted with IMDb's message boards, I posted a message asking about which could its title be ... promptly and correctly answered by an user signing as Weeping Prophet.
Usually The Big Shave is understood as a hyperbolic criticism towards America's engagement in the Vietnam war. While at a very shallow level it can be understood as so, the deeper message is very prophetic encompassing the whole future of America's mainstream film productions concerning the glorification of violence in itself. Well, in those happy days of open confrontation and anti-war rallies I understood it as a film about our everyday acts of self-destruction undertook as a matter of fact events ... including America's vaguely justified involvement in the civil war going on in Vietnam.
It's a film everyone should watch and one of Scorsese's most powerful films.
After Thoughts
freethinkingworld20 December 2022
So I expected to hate this short film, I was only watching this film to have watched an unknown Martin Scorsese film. But I actually kind of digged it! It was well done even for a 5 minute short. I really liked the camera work and lighting of it all. I thought the song chosen for it was perfect and it just made me think. I don't think the film has a particular meaning (it might I have not looked into the history of it at all), but it really just kind of let my thoughts run wild. The blood effects were good as well, forgot to say that. But I don't know, it was waaaaaaaayyyy more enjoyable than I thought it would be, looking forward to checking it out again.
That's a big shave alright
Jeremy_Urquhart9 April 2023
Saturday, the 8th of April was one of those days when I didn't have a lot of free time to watch a movie. On days like that, sometimes it's nice to watch a short film because at least it's something, and part of me feels compelled to at least log something every day.
So I picked the first short film that came to mind, which is one of the earliest things Martin Scorsese ever made: a dialogue-free horror film about a guy shaving. He keeps shaving more than he needs to, and things get bloody. That's about it.
It's kind of effective for something so simple? But I wish it had gone a little more extreme than it did (even though it gets pretty gross, I feel like even a young, possibly film student Scorsese could've done a bit more). Some of the editing has the feel of his later films, which was cool. And it gets a bit of an emotional reaction out of me as a viewer, as many of his longer and better films also do.
So I picked the first short film that came to mind, which is one of the earliest things Martin Scorsese ever made: a dialogue-free horror film about a guy shaving. He keeps shaving more than he needs to, and things get bloody. That's about it.
It's kind of effective for something so simple? But I wish it had gone a little more extreme than it did (even though it gets pretty gross, I feel like even a young, possibly film student Scorsese could've done a bit more). Some of the editing has the feel of his later films, which was cool. And it gets a bit of an emotional reaction out of me as a viewer, as many of his longer and better films also do.
Worth watching
Alwayssomething5 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
If you have five minutes to spare and are in the mood for a short film, you should definitely check this one out. This film is very simple but perfectly executed. The viewer can enjoy this as both a horror film in the literal sense, or a horror film in the metaphorical sense in regards to what this film represents.
I went in completely blind to this short, and I was surprised by how it was so well shot. My level of surprise didn't last long, as I quickly checked the credits to see this was a Scorsese project. In true Scorsese fashion, the lighting, shot composition and editing were all top notch. It was cool to see a Scorsese horror film as that is not really a genre he works in.
I went in completely blind to this short, and I was surprised by how it was so well shot. My level of surprise didn't last long, as I quickly checked the credits to see this was a Scorsese project. In true Scorsese fashion, the lighting, shot composition and editing were all top notch. It was cool to see a Scorsese horror film as that is not really a genre he works in.
Powerful and disturbing short feature - Scorsese's message is as sharp as the razor blade in the film
MovieAddict201617 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Martin Scorsese is one of America's finest directors, and my favorite director of all-time (although on occasion I do replace him with Hitchcock and he drops down a notch), and I had been looking for "The Big Shave" quite a long time after initially reading about it in Empire Magazine UK. Their review was positive (it was from an issue devoted to Scorsese's film career, in retrospective) and ever since then my curiosity had skyrocketed.
Well, today I finally found the film and watched it. Although it is only six minutes long, it manages to say so much more than unnecessarily excessive and repetitive films such as Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July." The movie begins with a young man beginning to shave, and after a few strokes of the blade he begins to bleed. And he begins to bleed more...and more...until finally his entire face is a bloodied mess, and the film finishes with him slitting his own throat -- peacefully, I might add -- and setting the bloodied blade down on the edge of the sink.
Now, is this disgusting and shocking? In a way, yes. It's very gruesome to watch -- especially the bit where he slits his throat with no emotion or reaction at all. However, Scorsese's point sharp and effective.
Overall, this is a short yet devastating allusion to the Vietnam War -- and can be taken a few ways (as a criticism of the mental deterioration of vets and/or a message that we, as Americans, should not agitate something when we don't have to).
If you're a fan of Martin Scorsese, this is a must-see, and I highly recommend seeking it out.
Well, today I finally found the film and watched it. Although it is only six minutes long, it manages to say so much more than unnecessarily excessive and repetitive films such as Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July." The movie begins with a young man beginning to shave, and after a few strokes of the blade he begins to bleed. And he begins to bleed more...and more...until finally his entire face is a bloodied mess, and the film finishes with him slitting his own throat -- peacefully, I might add -- and setting the bloodied blade down on the edge of the sink.
Now, is this disgusting and shocking? In a way, yes. It's very gruesome to watch -- especially the bit where he slits his throat with no emotion or reaction at all. However, Scorsese's point sharp and effective.
Overall, this is a short yet devastating allusion to the Vietnam War -- and can be taken a few ways (as a criticism of the mental deterioration of vets and/or a message that we, as Americans, should not agitate something when we don't have to).
If you're a fan of Martin Scorsese, this is a must-see, and I highly recommend seeking it out.
I Don't Know
Hitchcoc22 April 2019
Martin Scorsese was a pretty young guy when he made this. I'm not sure what the interpretation of it is. Basically it's a young 20 something guy, routinely shaving with one of those big old Gillette double edged blades. But he keeps it up until he has cut himself so badly that blood drips from every place on his face. He is nonplussed and just keeps right on going as his blood runs down the sink drain. I guess he was learning his craft.
The most excrutiatingly good short film of its time
Quinoa198415 June 2002
Martin Scorsese cooked up this quick little film before he made his debut feature, and here examines a somewhat anti-Vietnam, perfectionists perspective, all enveloped in one man's craze to shave his face over and over again. Mysterious on the first viewing, graphic on repeated ones, but the effect of it being well crafted in its fakeness and surrealism is noticable. Kudos! A+
Early Scorsese shorts (inc. The Big Shave)
josephseal10 August 2009
When watching Martin Scorsese's first footsteps into film-making it occurs that only a very fortunate few might have experienced these cinematic nuggets before encountering the behemoth output he has since delivered. Made during his time at New York University, the three films serve as an indicator of what would follow with Scorsese at the helm of feature films such as Mean Streets and Taxi Driver in the coming ten years. Mutilation, straight- talking male buddies and ennui are themes honed in the Italian American's earliest works, Scorsese hallmarks easily identifiable for any self-respecting fan of American cinema viewing the films today.
Influences we are readily familiar with thanks to documentaries such as My Voyage to Italy and his Personal Journey Through American Movies are boldly recognisable; from the incendiary Colonel Blimp hunting sequence aped with the use of home furnishings in What's a Nice Girl..., to the swift use of editing throughout that reminds us of Messieurs Godard and Truffaut (or should that be Monsieur Coutard?). Scorsese is known as a director who wears his influences on his sleeve and the beginnings of that trait are present even here. The Big Shave's less than subtle metaphor for America's self-destructiveness at war with Vietnam is indicative of the vitality of the New American Cinema's outlook, whilst exhibiting a flair for dark humour and a confident use of music that points to the revolutionary works that were to come.
With these three short films Scorsese leaves an early legacy neither tentative or deliberately artsy, but confident and forthright, establishing an air of cool that has never left the director.
Influences we are readily familiar with thanks to documentaries such as My Voyage to Italy and his Personal Journey Through American Movies are boldly recognisable; from the incendiary Colonel Blimp hunting sequence aped with the use of home furnishings in What's a Nice Girl..., to the swift use of editing throughout that reminds us of Messieurs Godard and Truffaut (or should that be Monsieur Coutard?). Scorsese is known as a director who wears his influences on his sleeve and the beginnings of that trait are present even here. The Big Shave's less than subtle metaphor for America's self-destructiveness at war with Vietnam is indicative of the vitality of the New American Cinema's outlook, whilst exhibiting a flair for dark humour and a confident use of music that points to the revolutionary works that were to come.
With these three short films Scorsese leaves an early legacy neither tentative or deliberately artsy, but confident and forthright, establishing an air of cool that has never left the director.
Excellent Martin Scorsese short film
duce12219 November 2002
The Big Shave (1967) D: Martin Scorsese. Peter Bernuth. Excellent Martin Scorsese short film about a young man who is shaving and cuts himself, with the results symbolic of the Vietnam War, which Scorsese was opposed to. The camerawork is fluid and flawless, the scene very bloody, but wonderfully done, one of the best short films I've seen. RATING: 9 out of 10.
The Big Push In To Menstrual Envy
Theo Robertson16 July 2013
It was the feminist critic Judith Grahn who brought the phrase " menstrual envy " in to popular use . In fact the term is neither popular or populist outside feminist circles or more academic film studies . The thinking behind the concept is that men don't have periods therefore they're warlike to make up for it hence civilisation needs to wage war so blood letting puts men on the same biological level as women . Hmmm I'm not convinced and I think some people are feeling the need to come up with philosophical metaphors to make themselves look clever . Most people think writing their own name is the pinnacle if not the zenith of personal intellectual boundary and if you disagree then take a look at many of the contributions on this website that'll give the impression that humanity has the intelligence of the average mollusc and if mollusc's were typing on the internet then they'd probably write in to tell us how insulted they are at that comparison . If anything Grahn shows that only a genius could come with such a stupid metaphor as " war is menstrual envy "
That said New Hollywood that started in the late 1960s was spearheaded by Sam Peckinpah who effectively destroyed the classic Western genre in one blow with THE WILD BUNCH down to the very violent blood soaked visual nature of that film . Young Martin Scorsese was another member of the New Hollywood who has made a large number of movies in different genres but is best known for his blood spurting violent ones . He too seems to have issues involving " menstrual envy " and THE BIG SHAVE shows us this
It's interesting that this six minute short is also called VIET 67 in some circles which gives a subtext that it might indeed be seen as " war is menstrual envy " but one can also ask if this title became known as VIET 67 through hindsight ? It's not a short film for anyone who is squeamish and it's not a film I would have gone out of my way to watch if it wasn't for the director but it's essential viewing for film students because it's early Scorsese and you can impress the class by coming out with " menstrual envy " which will imprss the girls and embarrass the boys
That said New Hollywood that started in the late 1960s was spearheaded by Sam Peckinpah who effectively destroyed the classic Western genre in one blow with THE WILD BUNCH down to the very violent blood soaked visual nature of that film . Young Martin Scorsese was another member of the New Hollywood who has made a large number of movies in different genres but is best known for his blood spurting violent ones . He too seems to have issues involving " menstrual envy " and THE BIG SHAVE shows us this
It's interesting that this six minute short is also called VIET 67 in some circles which gives a subtext that it might indeed be seen as " war is menstrual envy " but one can also ask if this title became known as VIET 67 through hindsight ? It's not a short film for anyone who is squeamish and it's not a film I would have gone out of my way to watch if it wasn't for the director but it's essential viewing for film students because it's early Scorsese and you can impress the class by coming out with " menstrual envy " which will imprss the girls and embarrass the boys
Rather forgettable early effort from one of the greats
Horst_In_Translation27 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I'm quite a fan of Martin Scorsese. More recently, Shutter Island and Hugo are among my favorite films from their respective years. So why not give one of his very early films a go. "The Big Shave" is his third directorial effort and he was in his mid-20s when he filmed this one-man show.
The premise is pretty simple. We see an empty bathroom. After 90 seconds a man steps inside and starts shaving. Nothing spectacular for roughly the next two minutes. Then the first blood is shed and runs down the sink. He keeps shaving and it turns into quite a massacre while we keep hearing trumpet music. Blood everywhere. It's interesting how only we see it though. The central character seems to be immune to pain or injury even to the point where he cuts his throat and goes on as if nothing happened. This film may be one of Scorsese's most violent works and that says a lot looking how frequently violence has been depicted at his career. It's certainly not among his best or most compelling though. It runs for slightly under six minutes and I dare say had it been shot by any unknown director, it would not be half as popular as it is today. All in all, it's a mediocre final result and I'd only recommend it to Scorsese completionists.
The premise is pretty simple. We see an empty bathroom. After 90 seconds a man steps inside and starts shaving. Nothing spectacular for roughly the next two minutes. Then the first blood is shed and runs down the sink. He keeps shaving and it turns into quite a massacre while we keep hearing trumpet music. Blood everywhere. It's interesting how only we see it though. The central character seems to be immune to pain or injury even to the point where he cuts his throat and goes on as if nothing happened. This film may be one of Scorsese's most violent works and that says a lot looking how frequently violence has been depicted at his career. It's certainly not among his best or most compelling though. It runs for slightly under six minutes and I dare say had it been shot by any unknown director, it would not be half as popular as it is today. All in all, it's a mediocre final result and I'd only recommend it to Scorsese completionists.
The Scorsese in the making from the very first
kami_k18 October 2004
This is six minutes of introduction to the world of Martin Scorsese. You may anticipate a story but it is only portrait of an obsessive shaver who shaves until he makes a bloodbath out of his face. A gruesome sight to average spectator ,and in one shot even to a more sophisticated one when the man pulls the blade from one end of his neck to another and acts very convincingly, this short film is an unblinking portrait of violence and especially personal violence for that matter, with a strong streak of masochism familiar to the fans of Scorsese. A man shaves or punishes himself for no apparent reason but cleansing(his face or his soul?). Also you can see the making of a director infatuated with the montage who will use its techniques for years to come.
The Big Shave also displays an effective use of two colors in jarring contrast for an aesthetic purpose: white of the bathroom and red of the blood. White and Red devour the character and the viewer and signal the world of a director in love with radical shifts and juxtapositions. overall a student film from Scorsese in retrospect is a lesson in film history. Experiment is the prerequisite of perfection. The jazz song which accompanies the whole film and unites its images has been wonderfully used.
The Big Shave also displays an effective use of two colors in jarring contrast for an aesthetic purpose: white of the bathroom and red of the blood. White and Red devour the character and the viewer and signal the world of a director in love with radical shifts and juxtapositions. overall a student film from Scorsese in retrospect is a lesson in film history. Experiment is the prerequisite of perfection. The jazz song which accompanies the whole film and unites its images has been wonderfully used.
Enigmatic and very short
weedeter10 November 1999
The Big Shave is usually shown just before screenings of Italianamerican. It was conceived as a protest against the Vietnam War and won some kind of European Prize. I understand it was made during the production of Who's That Knocking at My Door?, Scorsese's first feature film that was released the following year. The Big Shave could be described as graphical so if you don't like blood turn your head. It is very short (6 minutes) so is only worth seeing if you decide to watch Italianamerican.
Understanding "The Big Shave" is understanding the roots of Scorsese's torment and ultimately his genius.
ElMaruecan8230 November 2019
"The Big Shave" is disturbingly bold, brave and of course, bloody... but no one would certainly have remembered it had it not been the first film of director Martin Scorsese.
The various parts of an ordinary bathrooms are shown through a stylish editing and under a smooth and relaxed 30's jazz music that will be the film's only sound. Then a young man enters, nothing special about him, he's young, not bad-looking and still dazed of sleepiness, he puts some shaving foam, takes his razor and so begins the shave. Not so big at first, it goes well and then he puts more foam and repeats the same modus operandi then it goes on... and on, the first drops of blood soils the immaculate white porcelain. The man is tracing horizontal lines of blood all over his cheeks, drops of blood have been replaced by red flooding on the sink and the film climaxes with the man cutting (not slitting) his throat, from ear to ear, making vertical lines of blood on his chest and as he (finally) puts his razor, the images fades to a red screen. And whoever provided that (fake?) blood deserved to be mentioned in the credits.
By the way, the alternate title is given at the end credits and it's Viet '67.
Obviously, it's a metaphor of the Vietnam War but instead of sticking to the obvious (since the director mentions it), I appreciate how the use of jazz music, shockingly casual and relaxed, fits the relative indifference of the exterior eye toward the conflict, especially if jazz reflects the "older" generation. But more disturbing is the man's own indifference. This is a fine man, at the peak of his youth and watching him mutilating himself isn't just horrific because of the graphicness but because it feels like a terrible waste, extremely pointless. In fact, he didn't even look like he needed a shave... and that's the point for the movie whose name's Viet 67. Marty was of the same generation of the youth sacrificed in Nam and this his angst cry.
It's by the way interesting that Marty would also be present in Woodstock as an editor and it's only fitting that he could witness the most iconic artistic expression of that anger because was also destined to become one of the greatest artists of his generation and his legacy immortalized the film. And what a legacy! I won't drop titles right now because I'll use them to make my points.
Now, a few days ago, I was watching "The Irishman" and I observed how desensitized I was to the effect of gunshots, but still, the big picture affected me, it's not the use of violence that shocks but its pointlessness. Indeed, just because there's a cause to violence doesn't make it reasonable for all that... Travis Bickle did use violence to save a young prostitute but let's not forget it was Plan B after failing to assassinate a politician, just because he gave violence a meaning (and even justification) didn't make his motives any nobler. There's always an element of ego and hubris in these characters, something that confines to self-destruction... Hoffa not getting the threats, Tommy De Vito or Nicky Santoro escalating in violence, La Motta getting increasingly jealous and taking all the hits against Sugar Ray Robinson, it all started with that man that keeps shaving as if blood had no effect whatsoever.
And why do we shave? To look clean or good. It's America's obsession, how do we look in front of the world, it's not an obsession for violence, but a self-obsession that Marty exorcizes because, maybe, he feels concerned by the own thing he denounces. Indeed, the film might betray a sort of hypnotic gaze toward blood, the young sickly director who couldn't become a priest and became famous by portraying sinners, insisting that it's only in the streets that you could find redemption, not in church. It goes back to his deep belief in Jesus Christ and I couldn't help but think of Willem Defoe's relieved smile in "Last Temptation of Christ", when he realizes he's being crucified (renouncing the other path), he doesn't even feel the suffering, he almost savors it.
The Christ's blood has been part of the Catholic symbolism, and behind the condemnation of violence, there's a weird and hypnotic fascination of Marty's eye for blood, not violence but blood... as if Scorsese was intoxicated by the Christ's own blood. This artistic inebriation foreshadows the unique style of a director who didn't make violence cool, but he didn't make it ugly either. Violence by essence can't be boring, Tarantino knows it too, but Scorsese gives violence a meaning that cuts straight to your soul.
And "The Big Shave" is fascinating in the way it contains the core of Scorsese's movies, that mix of fascination and revulsion for violence, echoed in each of his films and rooted in his Catholic upbringing, his New Yorker heart... and his conscience as an American who can't stand watching his country sacrificing its youth. Marty's not a pacifist or a conscience objector but a man who knows too much the cathartic value of violence to see it used in vain... and understanding "The Big Shave" is understanding the roots of his torment and ultimately his genius.
The various parts of an ordinary bathrooms are shown through a stylish editing and under a smooth and relaxed 30's jazz music that will be the film's only sound. Then a young man enters, nothing special about him, he's young, not bad-looking and still dazed of sleepiness, he puts some shaving foam, takes his razor and so begins the shave. Not so big at first, it goes well and then he puts more foam and repeats the same modus operandi then it goes on... and on, the first drops of blood soils the immaculate white porcelain. The man is tracing horizontal lines of blood all over his cheeks, drops of blood have been replaced by red flooding on the sink and the film climaxes with the man cutting (not slitting) his throat, from ear to ear, making vertical lines of blood on his chest and as he (finally) puts his razor, the images fades to a red screen. And whoever provided that (fake?) blood deserved to be mentioned in the credits.
By the way, the alternate title is given at the end credits and it's Viet '67.
Obviously, it's a metaphor of the Vietnam War but instead of sticking to the obvious (since the director mentions it), I appreciate how the use of jazz music, shockingly casual and relaxed, fits the relative indifference of the exterior eye toward the conflict, especially if jazz reflects the "older" generation. But more disturbing is the man's own indifference. This is a fine man, at the peak of his youth and watching him mutilating himself isn't just horrific because of the graphicness but because it feels like a terrible waste, extremely pointless. In fact, he didn't even look like he needed a shave... and that's the point for the movie whose name's Viet 67. Marty was of the same generation of the youth sacrificed in Nam and this his angst cry.
It's by the way interesting that Marty would also be present in Woodstock as an editor and it's only fitting that he could witness the most iconic artistic expression of that anger because was also destined to become one of the greatest artists of his generation and his legacy immortalized the film. And what a legacy! I won't drop titles right now because I'll use them to make my points.
Now, a few days ago, I was watching "The Irishman" and I observed how desensitized I was to the effect of gunshots, but still, the big picture affected me, it's not the use of violence that shocks but its pointlessness. Indeed, just because there's a cause to violence doesn't make it reasonable for all that... Travis Bickle did use violence to save a young prostitute but let's not forget it was Plan B after failing to assassinate a politician, just because he gave violence a meaning (and even justification) didn't make his motives any nobler. There's always an element of ego and hubris in these characters, something that confines to self-destruction... Hoffa not getting the threats, Tommy De Vito or Nicky Santoro escalating in violence, La Motta getting increasingly jealous and taking all the hits against Sugar Ray Robinson, it all started with that man that keeps shaving as if blood had no effect whatsoever.
And why do we shave? To look clean or good. It's America's obsession, how do we look in front of the world, it's not an obsession for violence, but a self-obsession that Marty exorcizes because, maybe, he feels concerned by the own thing he denounces. Indeed, the film might betray a sort of hypnotic gaze toward blood, the young sickly director who couldn't become a priest and became famous by portraying sinners, insisting that it's only in the streets that you could find redemption, not in church. It goes back to his deep belief in Jesus Christ and I couldn't help but think of Willem Defoe's relieved smile in "Last Temptation of Christ", when he realizes he's being crucified (renouncing the other path), he doesn't even feel the suffering, he almost savors it.
The Christ's blood has been part of the Catholic symbolism, and behind the condemnation of violence, there's a weird and hypnotic fascination of Marty's eye for blood, not violence but blood... as if Scorsese was intoxicated by the Christ's own blood. This artistic inebriation foreshadows the unique style of a director who didn't make violence cool, but he didn't make it ugly either. Violence by essence can't be boring, Tarantino knows it too, but Scorsese gives violence a meaning that cuts straight to your soul.
And "The Big Shave" is fascinating in the way it contains the core of Scorsese's movies, that mix of fascination and revulsion for violence, echoed in each of his films and rooted in his Catholic upbringing, his New Yorker heart... and his conscience as an American who can't stand watching his country sacrificing its youth. Marty's not a pacifist or a conscience objector but a man who knows too much the cathartic value of violence to see it used in vain... and understanding "The Big Shave" is understanding the roots of his torment and ultimately his genius.
Excellent short film that launched Martin Scorsese's career.
TheGreenSaga7 June 2002
Martin Scorsese's short film "The Big Shave" is absolutely excellent. The film was produced with almost no budget as his final project in film class at N.Y.U. I was shown this film at the beginning of my film class, and the professor didn't tell us who's film it was. He simply said that it was somebody's final project at N.Y.U. As the credits appeared, we were all amazed to see Martin Scorsese's name. As it turns out, this is the film that launched his career. A very famous film producer attended the N.Y.U. screening that year, and immediately sought to have Scorsese direct a full-length feature film. After that, Scorsese became a household name. The film, about a young man shaving, is set to a bouncy classiscal dance tune, adding a sick sense of humor to the movie. For the entire length of the film, we can see that it definitely reflects Scorsese's style as a director. The camera angles, sudden and unexpected "emotional cut" editing, and use of unprecedented and unpleasant violence are what have become some of Scorsese's trademarks throughout his films. (If you watch Scorsese's "Mean Streets" you will see an example of his "emotional cut" editing, where Robert DeNiro is slowed down in motion to the tune of "Jumping Jack Flash". In "The Big Shave", the same motion of the man pulling his shirt off his repeated quickly three times. Look at Scorsese's other films and see if you can find some of these elements that "break the third wall", but somehow bring you deeper into the film.)
What should be said about this film that gives it a whole new meaning,(watch the film first and then read the rest of this) is that it is actually a metaphor for Scorsese's protest to the Vietnam War. The man enters a perfectly tidy bathroom, shaves, then looks at his clean face and decides to shave again, but this time it's not as plesant, as he soon hurts himself(understatement) and the clean bathroom.
If you are a fan of Scorsese, you must watch this film as it is the most career-representative short film I have seen. If you like short films, are thinking of pursuing a film career, or simply like thought provoking or even disturbing movies, find out how you can get yourself a copy of this film.
The Green Saga's Rating: 10 out of 10 (Short Film Category)
What should be said about this film that gives it a whole new meaning,(watch the film first and then read the rest of this) is that it is actually a metaphor for Scorsese's protest to the Vietnam War. The man enters a perfectly tidy bathroom, shaves, then looks at his clean face and decides to shave again, but this time it's not as plesant, as he soon hurts himself(understatement) and the clean bathroom.
If you are a fan of Scorsese, you must watch this film as it is the most career-representative short film I have seen. If you like short films, are thinking of pursuing a film career, or simply like thought provoking or even disturbing movies, find out how you can get yourself a copy of this film.
The Green Saga's Rating: 10 out of 10 (Short Film Category)
Rather disturbing short from director Martin Scorsese that acquires new meaning if you look closely.
Anonymous_Maxine11 May 2001
There's no dialogue in The Big Shave, and the entire film takes place in a bathroom. Even short films don't get much simpler than this, but Scorsese's skillful direction is able to give this extremely simple story some meaning besides what is seen as you just watch it.
Some white guy (and this is noteworthy because of the proliferation of films about the Italian condition that Scorsese was making at the time) walks into the bathroom, having obviously just woken up, and proceeds to give himself a disturbingly brutal shave. If you have a weak stomach, you may be bothered by the striking amount of blood in the film, but this blood does have meaning. I've made several films myself at the junior college level that were all more technically complex than The Big Shave is, but you have to take into account the film's meaning before dismissing it as just a picture of a stomach turning shave.
This white guy walks into an immaculately clean bathroom and shaves, and then he puts more shaving cream on his face and shaves again, this time cutting himself up pretty badly. The things to consider here are the cleanliness of the bathroom when he walked in, as well as the fact that he didn't even really need to shave in the first place. I've even heard that The Big Shave is representative of America's reckless involvement in the Vietnam War, particularly our self-destructiveness. That may be a little bit of a stretch, or at least seem to be actually imposing meaning on the film rather than deriving meaning from it (that is, of course, if it wasn't for that alternate title, which may clear up any misunderstanding), but the possibility is very distinct.
Martin Scorsese made this film long before he became famous or well known, and his skill is evident in the film's simplicity, which is contrasted by the extensive meaning that it entails. Clearly, not many people have ever seen or heard of this film, and many would not care to, but as an insight into the filmmaking characteristics of Scorsese as well as a look at his early cinematic productions, it is a curiosity piece that is a must see.
Some white guy (and this is noteworthy because of the proliferation of films about the Italian condition that Scorsese was making at the time) walks into the bathroom, having obviously just woken up, and proceeds to give himself a disturbingly brutal shave. If you have a weak stomach, you may be bothered by the striking amount of blood in the film, but this blood does have meaning. I've made several films myself at the junior college level that were all more technically complex than The Big Shave is, but you have to take into account the film's meaning before dismissing it as just a picture of a stomach turning shave.
This white guy walks into an immaculately clean bathroom and shaves, and then he puts more shaving cream on his face and shaves again, this time cutting himself up pretty badly. The things to consider here are the cleanliness of the bathroom when he walked in, as well as the fact that he didn't even really need to shave in the first place. I've even heard that The Big Shave is representative of America's reckless involvement in the Vietnam War, particularly our self-destructiveness. That may be a little bit of a stretch, or at least seem to be actually imposing meaning on the film rather than deriving meaning from it (that is, of course, if it wasn't for that alternate title, which may clear up any misunderstanding), but the possibility is very distinct.
Martin Scorsese made this film long before he became famous or well known, and his skill is evident in the film's simplicity, which is contrasted by the extensive meaning that it entails. Clearly, not many people have ever seen or heard of this film, and many would not care to, but as an insight into the filmmaking characteristics of Scorsese as well as a look at his early cinematic productions, it is a curiosity piece that is a must see.
what's the big deal?
rroby9927 April 2003
I attend NYU film school and I anticipated seeing this film in class and was disappointed by this heralded film. A metaphor for the Vietnam war. Where does it tell us that? Maybe Scorsese said it was about that. But overall it's pointless, it has massive coverage of the bathroom and then a guy shaves himself for awhile till he's all bloody. So what.
Classic Black Comedy
Michael_Elliott6 March 2009
Big Shave, The (1967)
**** (out of 4)
Six-minute short from the now legendary director feature a lot of his trademark even though this is basically just a student film. A young man goes in front of the mirror to shave and it goes fine until he decides to do it again and this time he butchers his face with the razor, which sends blood all down the sink. I've heard this was an anti-Vietnam film but I really didn't see it as such, although I guess you could draw a message out of what happens here. To me this is a wonderful little black comedy that's certainly going to hit home to anyone who has ever cut themselves shaving. The film doesn't go for minor little cuts but instead it's a real bloodbath and I might even go as far as to say this contains some of the most blood ever put on film during this time. You have the H.G. Lewis films of course and I can't help but wonder if Scorsese was a fan of those since there's a lot of the same humor here. The movie has a nice music score, great editing and in the end is just painfully funny.
**** (out of 4)
Six-minute short from the now legendary director feature a lot of his trademark even though this is basically just a student film. A young man goes in front of the mirror to shave and it goes fine until he decides to do it again and this time he butchers his face with the razor, which sends blood all down the sink. I've heard this was an anti-Vietnam film but I really didn't see it as such, although I guess you could draw a message out of what happens here. To me this is a wonderful little black comedy that's certainly going to hit home to anyone who has ever cut themselves shaving. The film doesn't go for minor little cuts but instead it's a real bloodbath and I might even go as far as to say this contains some of the most blood ever put on film during this time. You have the H.G. Lewis films of course and I can't help but wonder if Scorsese was a fan of those since there's a lot of the same humor here. The movie has a nice music score, great editing and in the end is just painfully funny.
No matter how he shaves, he cannot stop bleed. And the blood goes all to waste!
Rodrigo_Amaro4 July 2011
A young man (Peter Bernuth) enters in a bathroom for his habitual morning shave. Everything's set, he does his shave perfectly but looks like he's not satisfied so he goes to shave it more and more to the point of bleeding, and he bleeds to the exhaustion until he has nothing more to cut in his face.
One of Martin Scorsese's first experiments behind cameras "The Big Shave" is interestingly well made, scary, quite humored (since all the shave is presented with a quiet music symbolizing a natural act and nothing more). But "The Big Shave" has different meanings to different viewers but one historical context is immersed in this short released in 1968 and this take must not be left out and that is the conflict in the Vietnam. A reading most scholars tend to make on this film is that the man shaving his beard represents America's greed and blind interest in the Vietnam war, who wants to demonstrate its enormous power and winning a situation that is already lost, and no matter how much they try to win this war they won't get nothing positive with that, it's all going to waste and it did. Same thing with the guy who keeps cutting himself over and over, almost drowning himself with his own blood but at least (don't ask me how) he knew how to stop. The war kept going for more 7 years...and the rest is a history of waste of money, waste of time, loss of humanity and the loss of countless human lives.
This reading is totally appropriate for the film but you can forget about that and simply watch the film as it is, in its simplicity and eccentricity, it's enjoyable the same way. Marty's exercise in telling this story is amazing, very gripping, a fine example of what he would make in years to come with classics like "Goodfellas", "Taxi Driver" and other masterpieces. His fans will like this short very much unless they're afraid of the amount of blood the main character will drop along the way. I really loved this film, the editing and the way it got poetic in showing one thing and meaning many others. 10/10
One of Martin Scorsese's first experiments behind cameras "The Big Shave" is interestingly well made, scary, quite humored (since all the shave is presented with a quiet music symbolizing a natural act and nothing more). But "The Big Shave" has different meanings to different viewers but one historical context is immersed in this short released in 1968 and this take must not be left out and that is the conflict in the Vietnam. A reading most scholars tend to make on this film is that the man shaving his beard represents America's greed and blind interest in the Vietnam war, who wants to demonstrate its enormous power and winning a situation that is already lost, and no matter how much they try to win this war they won't get nothing positive with that, it's all going to waste and it did. Same thing with the guy who keeps cutting himself over and over, almost drowning himself with his own blood but at least (don't ask me how) he knew how to stop. The war kept going for more 7 years...and the rest is a history of waste of money, waste of time, loss of humanity and the loss of countless human lives.
This reading is totally appropriate for the film but you can forget about that and simply watch the film as it is, in its simplicity and eccentricity, it's enjoyable the same way. Marty's exercise in telling this story is amazing, very gripping, a fine example of what he would make in years to come with classics like "Goodfellas", "Taxi Driver" and other masterpieces. His fans will like this short very much unless they're afraid of the amount of blood the main character will drop along the way. I really loved this film, the editing and the way it got poetic in showing one thing and meaning many others. 10/10
Scorsese's Greatest besides Raging Bull'
bumrucker3113 August 2006
This short film is one of the highest caliber, and a model of what short films and feature films should be.
A man starts shaving. He shaves again. He cuts himself. He continues to. Ends in bloodshed. The end.
A good simple story, treated with artistic merit. A complicated story line is what many feel makes a good film nowadays. Stories like Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest are a sublime example of carelessness in the audience's reaction, and the treatment of the medium. So many subplots, special effects, and big sets don't mean squat in the eyes of a visionary filmmaker. A good simple story that allows a lot of room for creative choices, and above all, character, is what a film should be.
I said that this film is his best besides Raging Bull because Raging Bull is of the same blood as this film. Simple story line: The rise and fall of Jake LaMotta. Raging Bull was a character piece, mysterious, henceforth, completely gripping. This is what a masterpiece looks like. The most important memorable parts of the film, from the jail cell scene to the matches, everything was propelling the change of Jake's character, superbly acted by Bob De Niro.
With the Big Shave, a simple act of daily hygiene is turned into a gory blood fest, all in a single moment, and to a tune that's ironically life-like. Whenever I'm in a fight with someone, I don't normally hear Bach playing, I hear Chopin. I don't hear depressing blues, I hear upbeat jazz! So much can be said of the five minutes of SOUL that is supplied by Scorsese.
BRAVO. 11 stars out of 5!
A man starts shaving. He shaves again. He cuts himself. He continues to. Ends in bloodshed. The end.
A good simple story, treated with artistic merit. A complicated story line is what many feel makes a good film nowadays. Stories like Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest are a sublime example of carelessness in the audience's reaction, and the treatment of the medium. So many subplots, special effects, and big sets don't mean squat in the eyes of a visionary filmmaker. A good simple story that allows a lot of room for creative choices, and above all, character, is what a film should be.
I said that this film is his best besides Raging Bull because Raging Bull is of the same blood as this film. Simple story line: The rise and fall of Jake LaMotta. Raging Bull was a character piece, mysterious, henceforth, completely gripping. This is what a masterpiece looks like. The most important memorable parts of the film, from the jail cell scene to the matches, everything was propelling the change of Jake's character, superbly acted by Bob De Niro.
With the Big Shave, a simple act of daily hygiene is turned into a gory blood fest, all in a single moment, and to a tune that's ironically life-like. Whenever I'm in a fight with someone, I don't normally hear Bach playing, I hear Chopin. I don't hear depressing blues, I hear upbeat jazz! So much can be said of the five minutes of SOUL that is supplied by Scorsese.
BRAVO. 11 stars out of 5!
Kenneth Anger versus Martin Scorsese
mrdonleone8 August 2009
this movie is great! obviously, Martin Scorsese has learned how to make good movies from Kenneth Anger. Anger made many short films, existing of only images and music. Scorsese does the same, and he has not been ashamed to confess he was influenced by Anger. but, and here's the point, Scorsese is well known, and Anger is not. that's really a shame, because Kenneth Anger is one of the greatest directors ever. The Big Shave shows us a homage to Anger, a tribute to be correct, actually it's just like an Anger film, but not as good (even though Scorsese is a big shot director now and Anger is hated all of his life because of many of his diabolical short films). so why do I give The Big Shave 10 points if I do not like it as much as, for example, Kenneth Anger's Scorpio Rising? simply because I agree that The Big Shave is one of the few movies as close to an Anger short film as can be. Kenneth Anger rules, but so does Scorsese.
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