THE BIG SHAVE

(director/writer: Martin Scorsese; cinematographer: Ares Demertzis; cast: Peter Bernuth; Runtime: 7; MPAA Rating: NR; Janus; 1968)

“personal statement film.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Shot by recent NYU film school grad Martin Scorsese (“Raging Bull”/”Taxi Driver”/”The Last Waltz”) as a personal statement film about his reaction to the ongoing tragic Vietnam War. The short was shown at underground film festivals, and was taken by the audience to be a funny film. A young man (Peter Bernuth), in a pristine white bathroom, shaves with a razor and continually draws blood until the sink is covered in red. In the background soundtrack, Bunny Berigan’s 1939 recording of “I Can’t Get Started”plays throughout. The bloodied innocent man stands for a metaphor on the self-destructive nature of the unpopular war.

The film was created for the week-long anti-Vietnam protest by “The Angry Arts Against the War.”

REVIEWED ON 4/2/2013 GRADE: B-   https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/