Who's That Knocking at My Door

Scorsese has something very personal to say, but he's not a great storyteller yet, it would take some more years until he finally made it, with Mean Streets. But in this "college" film, the director shows an avant-garde sensibility, borrowed from the Nouvelle Vague, of course, and presents his favourite themes (guilt, rejection and male camaderie). As Ebert has said, it manages to connect two ages of american filmmaking -- and you can notice that with Scorsese's obsession with John Wayne.

We see from the start that Marty is confident and masterful with the camera. He's got inspiration from French New Wave and that bold violent streak that will become a personal calling card. The main faults lie with the narrative and editing. It's pretty obvious that these were multiple projects put together to make one film. Schoonmaker does the most she can with it, but they'll both grow. It's also nice to see some introspection on toxic masculinity in 1967. Great soundtrack too, per usual.

Scorsese's first near-masterpiece feels like one of his most personal - in a rare move, dealing exclusively with human interaction and relationships. None of the later gangster thuggery per se, but the exploration of emotional violence (along with the regular good dose of Catholic guilt) makes for an at times quite potently emotional experience -- though you can feel Scorsese pulling at the leash to bring in the 70s and get away from some of the pretentious "mod" stylings that permeate the film.

Good first film by Scorsese, good performance by Keitel, too. However, the plot was not gripping, although it got better at times. It's easy to see that this an early showing what he has learned so far.

A good early effort by Scorsese, but can be skipped by anybody who is not a real fan. Good Keitel performance.

This is one of the most average movies I've ever seen, which is something I never thought I'd say about a Scorsese movie. There's nothing bad about it per se, but everything that happened kept disappearing from my mind mere minutes later. To be fair, I was rather tired when I watched it. But I was paying attention; the movie just didn't make any impression on me whatsoever.

Scorsese's rough draft for _Mean Streets_

This has it's share of shortcomings. Most of the actors that aren't Keitel range from okay to really not very good. Scorsese has a tendency towards arcane visual fussiness here that he will be pretty much cured of by the time "Mean Streets" rolls around. A really fascinating, if flawed debut.

Not quite a diamond in the rough, but worth checking out.

Some excellent camera work, engrossing realism, and a few great scenes encased within a meandering script that often revels in complete plotlessness. There isn't enough meat on these bones, but there are flashes of Scorsese's brilliance. The real star of the show is the editing which shows Thelma Schoonmaker coming out of the gate swinging with some of the inimitable cinematic duo's most experimental cutting room stylings.

Nowhere near the top tier of debut films (Eraserhead, Citizen Kane, etc.) but it raises a compelling question. If you were only willing to marry a virgin, could you marry a girl that was raped? It's not her fault, and it's completely unfair to her, but the question still stands. From a very different angle, it explores some of the same ideas about relationships as Annie Hall. The distinction made between girls and broads seems antiquated, but is still entirely relevant today

Em honra dos 80 anos completados hoje pela grande Thelma Schoonmaker que vem editando os filmes do Scorsese desde seu primeiro longa, exceptuando os dos anos 70 por questões trabalhistas relativas a Hollywood. A primeira metade do filme é magnífica, especialmente coroada pela sequência ao som de The Doors, mas depois da "grande revelação" você fica com tanto ódio do Keitel que tudo mais fica indigesto. DVDRip no MakignOff.

Good early film from a master filmmaker.

Scorsese's dizzying camera and impressive editing with all its dissolves are commendable for a debut. The narrative is quite loose but it seems fitting for 1967. Wise guys, movie talk, and tough subjects -the bones are there.

Interesting as a hodgepodge of all of Scorsese's influences, both in all the dialogue about the movies and the visual language he co-opts for many of the more stylized scenes.

The pretentious stuff is as good as the other stuff, and the other stuff is pretty good.

More enjoyable to watch than reflect on, as the unraveling of the theme from the story only really shows how much of a schmuck Keitel's character is -- but damn, Keitel had the acting chops even with his debut. The middle section of this film, though unfocused, sports some exciting cinematics, including haunting effects added to the pop music soundtrack and more than a handful of clever and involving editing choices, which makes Girl's eventual story-telling a highlight of this film.

Uneven, and it shows very clearly that the film is patched together from 2 seperate projects. That being said Harvey Keitel has a great amount of charm, but ultimately it's a meandering film which amounts to one crucial line at the end - one which I think, politically and socially, reflects the era in which it was made and which looks a little incredulous now as the source of a character's conflict.

67.00.

68.500

68.500

Really good. Scorsese crafts a ton of fascinating, fantastic, original sequences. To me, it's very clear that this guy was going to BE SOMETHING. And Harvey Keitel is damn good in it, too.

65.750

Scorsese's first feature covers the same territory as _Mean Streets_, with a more experimental outlook.

First feature film of Scorsese, still in his student years, is bold and different from his later films. Technically, there are far more experimentation. He drew clear influences from new-wave auteurs both from France and America. Plot is very loose, just a bunch of almost unconnected scenes. While some scenes are very impressing, overall it feels like a bold student film, as it is.

The obvious comparison is to John Cassavetes' Shadows; the use of handheld black-and-white cameras, the NY setting, the lack of any real plot and the series of essentially pointless conversations and small events between characters. It's more experimental than Shadows, and as well-made, but not much better - both are more interesting as historical artifacts than engaging films.

Considerado o primeiro longa de Scorsese. Keitel está excelente, a cena com trilha do The Doors é magnífica!

Early version of MEAN STREETS thematising the moral angst that seems to have been one of Scorsese's preoccupations as a young man.