The Big Shave

E746815

The Big Shave is a 1967 short horror film by Martin Scorsese, known for its graphic depiction of a man shaving himself to the point of self-destruction, often interpreted as a Vietnam War allegory.

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Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf short film
cameraWork close-ups of shaving
static shots
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
depicts man shaving in bathroom
director Martin Scorsese NERFINISHED
featuresSong I Can’t Get Started NERFINISHED
filmingLocation New York City
genre experimental
horror
short
hasBloodEffects practical effects
hasColor color
hasCultStatus yes
hasDialogue no
hasMainCharacter unnamed man
hasOnlineAvailability yes
includedIn retrospectives of Martin Scorsese’s early films
influenced later graphic depictions of self-harm in cinema
interpretedAs allegory of the Vietnam War
critique of American self-destruction
isSilentExceptFor music
musicBy Bunny Berigan NERFINISHED
narrativeStructure single continuous shaving routine
notableFor extreme on-screen blood
graphic self-mutilation during shaving
originalLanguage English
partOf early works of Martin Scorsese
producedAs student film
productionCompany New York University NERFINISHED
releaseYear 1967
runtimeMinutes 6
screenedAt Experimental Film Festival of Knokke-le-Zoute NERFINISHED
screenedInYear 1967
setting white bathroom
studiedIn film schools
theme American complacency
body horror
political allegory
self-destruction
violence
usedAsExampleOf economical visual storytelling
political subtext in short films
visualStyle high contrast between white tiles and red blood
minimalist

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Marcia Griffin edited The Big Shave