Che sta facendo una ragazza carina come te in un posto come questo?

The title of this short doesn't really tell what it's about. This is the earliest of the legendary Martin Scorsese's films that's available for viewing and it's quite a fascinating find as with this one, he experiments with various jump cuts, still images, and extreme close-ups with a (possibly) stock piano score playing throughout. The ending is especially interesting. Worth checking out.

"What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This?" is Martin Scorsese's first film, a non-sequitur short in which he flexes his visual and narrative muscles and announces his dynamic presence in the world of cinema.

The plot is insignificant... the cuts are fast and aggressive, the visuals big and bold. What amazes me is how comfortable Scorsese seems with the camera, the frame, and the rhythm so early in his career... the movie is alive with his genius; it's still striking today.

• The shots of Harry setting up his apartment are reminiscent of Edward Norton's catalog decorating in "Fight Club." Did director David Fincher get his idea from this movie? Probably not, but great minds think alike... and incidentally Scorsese achieved his effect without any computers.

• The interplay between the voice-over narration and the dialogue reminded me of Scorsese's "Goodfellas," especially the friend who simply repeats Harry's lines.

HENRY (VO): What could I do? If she wanted me to I had to go back for her hat!

KAREN: A hat?

• If you are a New Yorker you may notice a brief but interesting shot of the 1964 World's Fair grounds under construction in Queens. The Unisphere is of course still up and not far from Shea Stadium which was also being built at the time.

Can I rate this as a movie? Of course not... a student film like this is not intended to be a profound statement; it's an appetizer, a hint of what's to come, and Scorsese has delivered on his promise to say the least. The only people who will see this are Scorsese fans and film students, but it provides an education for anyone who considers themselves a film fan. Worth checking out.

This cute, inventive student film is Scorsese's first time behind the camera and he's already ahead of his time. His techniques pertaining to narration and, generally, his way of telling the story are as auspicious and new in a film from 1963 as are his stylish placement of the camera.

The story is odd, the cinematography is odd, even the actors are odd. It's a great debut. Like a lot of directors in his ranks, Scorsese does not begin his filmography with the most hard-hitting and serious of his work. He begins with the lighter side to his cinematic voice and manages to keep it above fluff.

I found this first short of the brilliant Martin Scorcese very odd, very odd indeed. Although it is a student film, I loved this cartoonish, "woody allenish" (or Jewish comedy) side of Scorcese, and I would really like to see more.

Unfortunately, we still haven't (I'm not complaining though), and that leads us to the question: "what if Scorcese had stayed on the comedy path?", great things i'm sure.

Didn't like the ending though, but enjoyed very much the repetitive actions of the friend and the bizarre montage of the boat.

As I said, this is a very enjoyable short, I recommend it (if anyone cares).

PS: This is my first review, that's why it stinks.

PS2: I would re read this review listing to "Wouldn't it be nice" by the Beach Boys.

I saw this film a few months ago as part of a package that was showing five of Martin Scorsese's early short films (the other films included were "The Big Shave", "It's Not Just You, Murray", "Italianamerican" and "American Boy") at the local art-house theater.

"What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?" is very similar to his other NYU film-school effort "It's Not Just You, Murray". It is a quirky little film about a writer and his obsession with a photograph he has on his wall. This obsession has caused him to develop writers block.

The film plays out like a short fable and displays a much more humorous and playful side of Scorsese. You can tell it's Scorsese, but his style is much quirkier and less potent here. Still, it's a good, funny short movie worth seeing if you want to see where Scorsese was routed.