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Peter Bernuth

Martin Scorsese's experimental short, The Big Shave, materialized during one of the director's harrowing bouts with depression -- a time when he had trouble shaving. An anonymous young man (Peter Bern... read more read more...uth) enters a pristine white bathroom and begins shaving to the tune of Bunny Berigan's 1939 recording of "I Can't Get Started." The man shaves slowly and methodically, stoically piercing through his skin and bloodying his surroundings. Shot on ten rolls of Afga color film donated by the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, The Big Shave was originally conceived for the weeklong anti-Vietnam protest "The Angry Arts Against the War." The man's self-destructive obsessive behavior stands as a metaphor for the United States' involvement in the conflict. The six-minute picture premiered instead at Jacques Ledox's 1968 Festival of Experimental Cinema in Belgium, where it won Le Prix de L'Age d'Or. Beware; it is not for the faint hearted! ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi

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2,679 ratings

Unrated, 6 min.

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

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Flixster Reviews (113)

  • Stinger839
    January 29, 2010
    Stinger839
    This is a very cool Scorsese short that you can easily watch on Flixster's page for this film. For '67 this is some nice blood fx, very dark and consistently colored blood. Great little soundtrack, but some sound fx would improve this greatly. Many say that this short is about Vi... read moreetnam, but as FilmAddykt observes, this can also be a metaphor for vanity. Expanding on that thought, I think this is about self-destruction brought about by vanity, ego, being over the top, or any similar destructive excess which one perpetrates in pursuit of perfection.
  • pier007
    June 23, 2008
    pier007
    Gripping, bloody and basic early attempt by Scorsese
  • kenstachnik
    February 26, 2008
    kenstachnik
    You can see it at

    http://www.hollywoodsaloon.com/podcastEP36-4.html
  • SarahG1988
    October 3, 2006
    SarahG1988
    One of scorsese's earlier short films. This probably best represents his opinion on the vietnam war because of the man continuously shaving himself, almost taking the blood off his hands.

    This may be a little hard to watch at times but worth the watch just to see a Scorsese s... read morehort film. It is avalible on youtube, which is where i watched it.
  • fb100000398655007
    March 5, 2012
    fb100000398655007
    There's not much to say about this one except that it's one of the best short films I have ever watched. The concept was genius. The film starts of in a clean bathroom. But as the guy shaves him self the blood spills on the bathroom. It's supposed to be a metaphor for the war. Th... read moreis was also very suspenseful. At my first watch I knew what was going to happen but I had trouble keeping my eyes glued to the screen. Once the blood came out I realized how fake it looked and felt okay. Good job Martin Scorsese.
  • michaelcorleone
    October 7, 2006
    michaelcorleone
    Very solid short film with a distinct visual style, The Big Shave works because of its objective standpoint and ferociously simple approach.
  • Ivan6655321
    June 3, 2009
    Ivan6655321
    A very disturbing short by Martin Scorsese, the film contains a strong metaphor with the Vietnam war, which Scorsese is against. The entire film is very disturbing, as it shows great amount of blood, but once you watched it and understand the real message of the short, the exper... read moreience is very rewarding.
  • KLFilmmaker
    October 22, 2006
    KLFilmmaker
    Interesting student short by Scorsese. Watch it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83i8G6o0quc

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