The Big Shave
Encyclopedia
The Big Shave is a 1967 six-minute short film directed by Martin Scorsese
. It is also known as Viet '67.
Peter Bernuth stars as the recipient of the title shave
, repeatedly shaving away hair
, then skin, in an increasingly bloody and graphic bathroom scene. Many film critics have interpreted the young man's process of self-mutilation as a metaphor
for the self-destructive involvement of the United States
in the Vietnam War
, prompted by the film's alternative title. The music accompanying the film is Bunny Berigan
's "I Can't Get Started
", recorded in 1939. The film was produced at New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts
for a film production class called Sight & Sound Film.
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
. It is also known as Viet '67.
Peter Bernuth stars as the recipient of the title shave
Shave
Shave may refer to:*to shave refers to the act of shaving*"Shave," a song by Enon from their 2003 album Hocus Pocus*Shave , a periodical magazine...
, repeatedly shaving away hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
, then skin, in an increasingly bloody and graphic bathroom scene. Many film critics have interpreted the young man's process of self-mutilation as a metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
for the self-destructive involvement of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, prompted by the film's alternative title. The music accompanying the film is Bunny Berigan
Bunny Berigan
Rowland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan was an American jazz trumpeter who rose to fame during the swing era, but whose virtuosity and influence were shortened by a losing battle with alcoholism that ended in his early death at age 33. He composed the jazz instrumentals "Chicken and Waffles" and "Blues"...
's "I Can't Get Started
I Can't Get Started
"I Can't Get Started" is a popular song, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and music by Vernon Duke, that was first heard in the theatrical production Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 where it was sung by Bob Hope...
", recorded in 1939. The film was produced at New York University's
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
for a film production class called Sight & Sound Film.
Cultural references
- American Dad!American Dad!American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
: In The Best Christmas Story Never, Stan travels back in time to 1970 and meets a young Martin Scorsese. When Stan tells the director that he's a big fan, Scorsese says, incredulously, "You saw my six minute short about a guy shaving?!" - Dave HauseDave HauseDave Hause, born David Andrew Hause, March 12, 1978 is an American singer-songwriter that has played in multiple Philadelphia, PA area punk and hardcore bands. He currently performs solo as well as sings and plays guitar in The Loved Ones.-Music and career:...
, singer of The Loved OnesThe Loved Ones (American band)The Loved Ones is a punk band based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in late 2003, the band currently consists of Dave Hause , David Walsh , Chris Gonzalez , and Mike Sneeringer...
released a video for the song "Time Will Tell" from his debut solo album ResolutionsResolutions (album)Resolutions is the first full-length album from Dave Hause, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, singer/songwriter and of The Loved Ones. It was released on January 24, 2011 through Paper + Plastick and was recorded at Salad Days Studio in Beltsville, Maryland, and Little Eden in Asbury Park, New...
which pays homage to The Big Shave.