The Big Shave *** (1967, Peter Bernuth) – Classic Movie Review 12,250

Peter Bernuth plays a young man whose morning shave becomes a blood bath as he repeatedly cuts himself and yet carries on regardless.

The 1967 six-minute horror short film The Big Shave is an early, darkly comic Martin Scorsese work, which is available as part of the Scorsese X 4 package, demonstrating an ability to get straight down to business.

The disconcertingly cheerful soundtrack (Bunny Berigan’s ‘I Can’t Get Started’) and the visceral shot of the imagery make this a memorable achievement, with Scorsese’s use of violence, music and montage, now trademarks of his work, on show.

It was shot at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts on Afga color film donated by Palais des Beaux Arts.

It was released on DVD/ Blu-ray in May 2020 by The Criterion Collection as part of a collection of Scorsese’s short films from the Sixties and Seventies.

It is also known as Viet ’67, prompting the idea of the film as a metaphor for America’s self-destructive involvement in the Vietnam War.

Martin Scorsese short films: What’s a Nice Girl like You Doing in a Place like This? (1963), It’s Not Just You, Murray! (1964), The Big Shave (1967), “Bad” (1987), New York Stories (segment “Life Lessons”, 1989), Made in Milan (1990), The Key to Reserva (2007) and The Audition (2015).

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,250

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