The films opening two scenes show signs of some of
Scorsese’s later work and feature an Italian mother cooking (Italianamerican, Goodfellas) and J.R.
getting into a street brawl with his friends (Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York). An early scene which
really stands out for me is the meeting of the two protagonists. The scene
lasts several minutes as the two get to know each other. Both are noticeably
nervous. Bethune is shy and reserved while Keitel fidgets and talks too
quickly. The scene is shot using a single camera which slowly pans from one
actor to the other, occasionally zooming in and out. It is a quite beautiful
shot. After a few minutes Scorsese breaks with this and introduces some unusual
camera angles including one from above and another that obscures both actors’
mouths with a bench. It’s an interesting and bold start to a debut feature.
Showing posts with label Who's That Knocking at My Door. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Who's That Knocking at My Door. Show all posts
Monday 30 April 2012
Who's That Knocking at My Door
The first in my Scorsese in Sequence feature and also
Martin Scorsese’s debut feature film, Who’s
That Knocking at My Door stars Harvey Keitel as J.R, a typical Italian
American guy living in New York ’s
Little Italy neighbourhood. On the Staten Island Ferry J.R. meets a pretty,
college educated woman played by Zina Bethune. After a long conversation about
John Wayne, American movies and foreign magazines the two start dating. All is
well until the girl announces that she has a horrible secret, something that
J.R. has trouble dealing with.
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