It's Not Just You, Murray!

This cute, inventive student film is Scorsese's second time in the director's chair, and this film is the beginning of his fascination with crime and double-crosses. Like with his brilliant debut, What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This?, his techniques in generally unfolding the story and his clever cinematographic eye...you know what? I praise too much. I think I'm boring when I praise. I praise Martin Scorsese all the time. Everything he makes turns to gold in my eyes because I think he makes movies the precise way I think they should be made. I love the guy, that's all. There's nothing specific to say pertaining to why I like even his early student short films such as this one. I just think he's the man. If you think he is the man, I would check this one out just to say you saw it and to see the foundations of his ingenious later work.

Murray has done ok for himself. Expensive ties, shoes, cars the self aggrandizing Murray admits he could not have done it without Joe. Problem is Joe and his wife have this thing for each other.

Martin Scorsese's influence and go to territory over the next half century reveal themselves early in this well shot amusing student film. The Fellini (Germi less so) influence is a blatant but impressive homage while some of the imagery and characterization could fit smoothly into Raging Bull. Populating his filmography with Little Italy good fellers and wise guy mainstays Murray and his "good friend" Joe would be the prototype for decades to come. Here they have a sly charm but the single cuckold theme can only go so far in this overall well mounted little short.

This movie is a successful short film, which belongs to Martin Scorsese's early Director career.

The movie use the way of comedy to describe a rise of a gangster in underground world.

The final part of the movie shows a similarity to ending of Frederico Fellini's "8½" .

Martin was already 22 or 23 when this short was made at NYU. One has to wonder how he was able to score such elaborate sets for this film. I mean interiors couldnt have all been filmed at NYU, no?

You also have to wonder what happened to teh actors who never worked again and how they feel that he's still making money off this movie and they arent.

It's a really well made short although the story gets old quicker than the 15 minutes it takes to finish watching the film.

Out of his earlier works, I would say Italianamerica is my favourite, but this short film is just as important.

Not to be compared with his more serious works, Scorsese's short film is a comedy piece where we are introduced to the life of a small time hood - Murray, who is oblivious to the fact that even his best friend is betraying him. This gives way for some interesting set pieces.

This film could have been a start of Scorsese's interaction with mob life. The ideas of male bonding etc, are used here, and will later be seen in Mean Streets in 73. Mean Streets was also influenced by I Viteloni by Fellini - so if you are interested in Scorsese's work, and how it came to be, watch that film.

If you are a Scorsese fan, you must see this - as it helps you understand his later works. Also recommended : Italianamerica/Big Shave/what's a nice girl like you doing in...

See some Truffaut to - for technique.