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.