To say Martin Scorsese is a great filmmaker is nothing new. To say Scorsese was already a great filmmaker by his early twenties — when he wrote and directed three short films as an NYU student — is perhaps rarer to hear. But it’s just as true.
Scorsese enrolled at NYU in 1960, where his cinematic style would begin to form. In 1963, he made “What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?,” a low-budget, captivating and strikingly funny short film about a writer who grows obsessed with a photo. Algernon, known to his friends as Harry, is obsessed with a photo he keeps on the wall of his New York City apartment. It depicts a simple landscape of a man in a boat on a river. Algernon narrates the story, describing his growing infatuation with the picture and his budding relationship with his wife.
Seems simple enough. But Scorsese’s insistently kinetic camerawork brings life to the tale, along with rhythmic editing and many hilarious gags. All the while, old-timey saloon piano music soundtracks the drama. The self-aware quality of it all and the touches of surreality make it a marvel that this film was made by a 21-year-old. Tisch kids, take notes.
Scorsese’s next outing was “It’s Not Just You, Murray!” a year later. It’s a familiar story to those who know his work: a mobster tale where the protagonist recounts the trials and tribulations of his life through voiceover. Even the way the protagonist directly addresses the camera seems to foreshadow the fourth wall breaks in “Goodfellas” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” films Scorsese would make decades later.
But similar to his earlier short, “It’s Not Just You, Murray!” has an enigmatic sense of surrealism and a biting sense of humor. Many slick camera tricks feature, like one entrancing kaleidoscope shot and one where bright Broadway marquees fade in and out. With a nearly 20-minute runtime, a chase sequence and a surprise musical number, Scorsese was already stepping up his game.
The last short film Scorsese made before his feature debut was “The Big Shave” in 1967. This one has a very simple premise: A man shaves … and he keeps going. Set to a mesmerizing jazz score, the calm up-and-down strokes of the man’s razor grow less soothing and more ominous as the white sink is soaked red. Scorsese understands that simplicity here is a strength — monotonous hand motions and continuous cuts back to the sink aid in building dread and horror, culminating in a fittingly grotesque ending.
Almost 60 years later, Scorsese is a legend, and hundreds of young filmmakers study at NYU just like he did. So if you’re searching for inspiration or you just want to explore the ambition and artistry of a young auteur, look no further than Scorsese’s early short films.
Contact Leo Field at [email protected].