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.