The Big Shave1967

Scorsese-a-thon This is one I skipped in my marathon, partly due to its brief length and partly due to the subject matter. I don’t really have a problem with gore, but I don’t know anyone who loves self-mutilation, and having not seen it, I wasn’t sure how graphic it would be.  But I was watching Nolan in the Criterion closet, and he picked the Scorsese shorts DVD and said that this was the only one he had seen. I thought it was crazy that I’ve seen stuff that a huge director like Nolan hadn’t seen. But I figured I might as well do the dang thing, especially if I’m skipping the rest of Scorsese’s documentaries.  And… It’s not that bad. I don’t know why I thought it would be super gory, but there is a lot of blood. This was made as a criticism of America’s involvement in Vietnam, saying it is harming itself by taking part in something that has nothing to do with it. I don’t know how well it works as that metaphor, but it is very well shot, and the editing is as on point as any other Scorsese work.  It’s cool but not as interesting to me inherently as his other shorts. But I’m glad to have seen it.