Who's That Knocking at My Door?

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Martin Scorsese's debut feature, Who's That Knocking at My Door? contains many of the autobiographical elements that would inform Scorsese's work as became a director of world-class importance. This was Harvey Keitel's debut as well, and he plays a young New Yorker named J.R. (the name also served as the film's alternate title) as a tortured vehicle for Scorsese's own inner conflict between rigid Catholic tradition and initial forays into liberating sexual experience. Produced over a lengthy on-and-off schedule while Scorsese was a struggling New York University film student, and shot in the Little Italy neighborhoods where Scorsese was raised, the film (with a final budget of $75,000) is a boldly stylized, stream-of-consciousness experience, establishing Scorsese's passion for well-chosen rock & roll soundtrack songs while plumbing the depths of J.R.'s soul as he begins a tenuous relationship with an independent, sexually experienced young woman (Zina Bethune) who's at odds with J.R.'s seething repression. Incorporating fantasy sequences to further convey the young man's turbulent thoughts and emotions, Who's That Knocking at My Door earned favorable reviews, announcing the arrival of a bracing new talent and setting the stage, five years later, for the breakout triumph of Mean Streets. --Jeff Shannon
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Martin Scorsese Collection (After Hours/Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore/Goodfellas/Mean Streets/Who's That Knocking At My Door?)
Starring: Martin Scorsese , and Robert De Niro Manufacturer: Warner Home Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000286RR0 Release Date: 2004-08-17 |
Amazon.com
Almost by accident, these five Warner Brothers films represent key moments in Martin Scorsese's career. Three of the films debut on DVD; all have excellent presentations plus new commentaries from Scorsese. The black-and-white Who's That Knocking at My Door? (1968) was Scorsese's first film, an episodic tale of growing up in Little Italy. Mean Streets (1973) put him on the map. After taking a bit of Hollywood bait (Boxcar Bertha), mentor John Cassavetes put Scorsese straight to find his true vision, and this nervy look at New York friends who border the gangster life is the result. This new special edition has the commentary track and a big improvement in its home video presentation.Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) put Scorsese in the mainstream. This tale of a single mom (Ellen Burstyn in an Oscar-winning performance) finding second chances in the arid Southwest proved the New York City kid could tell other types of stories. After Hours (1985) saved Scorsese. The drain of big movies and his unsuccessful first attempt to make The Last Temptation of Christ left the auteur doubting his talent. The nightmarish comedy starting Griffin Dunne is a love-it-or-leave-it for many Scorsese fans, but the fast shoot schedule and claustrophobic story rejuvenated Scorsese and won him Best Director kudos at Cannes. The highlight of the collection is a two-disc edition of his masterpiece, GoodFellas (1990), complete with a remastered print and a dynamite commentary by several key talents (recorded separately) including Ray Liotta, author Nicholas Pileggi, and even Robert De Niro. Even with an extra disc of three featurettes, it's the film on which we hear the least from the man himself, but perhaps all we need to know is on the screen. --Doug Thomas
Average customer rating: |
Who's That Knocking at My Door?
Starring: Thomas Aiello , Zina Bethune , Philip Carlson , Anne Collette , and Paul DeBonde Manufacturer: Warner Home Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000286RPM Release Date: 2004-08-17 |
Amazon.com
Martin Scorsese's debut feature, Who's That Knocking at My Door? contains many of the autobiographical elements that would inform Scorsese's work as became a director of world-class importance. This was Harvey Keitel's debut as well, and he plays a young New Yorker named J.R. (the name also served as the film's alternate title) as a tortured vehicle for Scorsese's own inner conflict between rigid Catholic tradition and initial forays into liberating sexual experience. Produced over a lengthy on-and-off schedule while Scorsese was a struggling New York University film student, and shot in the Little Italy neighborhoods where Scorsese was raised, the film (with a final budget of $75,000) is a boldly stylized, stream-of-consciousness experience, establishing Scorsese's passion for well-chosen rock & roll soundtrack songs while plumbing the depths of J.R.'s soul as he begins a tenuous relationship with an independent, sexually experienced young woman (Zina Bethune) who's at odds with J.R.'s seething repression. Incorporating fantasy sequences to further convey the young man's turbulent thoughts and emotions, Who's That Knocking at My Door earned favorable reviews, announcing the arrival of a bracing new talent and setting the stage, five years later, for the breakout triumph of Mean Streets. --Jeff ShannonDVD:
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