Scorsese Shorts Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this must-own Blu-ray release
See individual titles for their synopses.
For more about Scorsese Shorts and the Scorsese Shorts Blu-ray release, see Scorsese Shorts Blu-ray Review published by Jeffrey Kauffman on September 16, 2020 where this Blu-ray release scored 5.0 out of 5.
There was a rather funny throwaway line in the recently reviewed mockumentary Brutal Massacre: A Comedy, where a hapless horror film director was discussing film shoots fraught with
peril and disappointment. This director, the sort of guy who really wants to impress his interviewer even if he's manifestly short on any actually
impressive achievements, mentions Apocalypse Now
as a prime example of this phenomenon and then adds "just go ask Scorsese" to make his point. Those who aren't confused about
Scorsese's filmography may think of his feature
film career starting with at least Mean Streets, though
diehard Scorsese fans will of course know about Boxcar Bertha and perhaps even Who's That Knocking at My Door?. But even before Who's That Knocking at My Door? came out in 1967, Scorsese had started making a name for himself with both
documentaries and some more whimsically minded shorts, and this Criterion release aggregates several of them, giving fans an opportunity to see
one
of the titans of contemporary cinema beginning to define his style.
For reviews of the five films in this set, please click on the following links:
Martin Scorsese and Farran Smith Nehme (1080p; 43:37) is a really interesting in depth interview with Scorsese which was
conducted in New York in February of 2020. This has both broader biographical tidbits as well as more particular anecdotes about individual films and
should be enjoyed by all Scorsese fans.
The Safdie Brothers and Ari Aster (1080p; 24:48) features the trio discussing Scorsese in New York City in January of 2020.
Scorsese on WNYC, 1970 (1080p; 22:32) is a really fun archival audio interview conducted by Doris Freedman with a 27 year old
Scorsese, who was then curating New York City's first Movies in the Park series. This plays to a slightly peculiar still of Scorsese that's out of focus and
"jiggly" looking.
The very nicely appointed insert booklet contains production data on all of the films in the collection, an essay by Bilge Ebiri, stills and technical
information.
Any fan of Martin Scorsese will certainly find at least something to enjoy here, even if some individual efforts don't appeal as much as others.
This is an appealing overview of a creative genius at the beginning of his career, and some of the offerings here clearly foreshadow both themes and
techniques that Scorsese would address in his later, better known, offerings. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package very appealing.
Highly recommended.
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The Criterion Collection has announced that it will add six new titles to its catalog in May. They are: Six Moral Tales (1963-1972),
The Great Escape (1963), Wildlife (2018), Dance, Girl, Dance (1940), Husbands (1970), and Scorsese Shorts (1963-1978).