MovieChat Forums > Boxcar Bertha (1972) Discussion > This film was garbage. I don't care if S...

This film was garbage. I don't care if Scorcese was involved.


So I just suffered through this garbage, and all of you seem so afraid to call it garbage, because that would somehow insult Scorcese, who all of you hold in such high regard, and then you wouldn't be taken seriously as film critics.

Well, guess what, this film is still complete garbage lacking anything that would qualify as a decent film in any way.

Someone has to say this.

Enough, "this isn't one of Scorcese's strongest efforts" and other such weak, cowardly statements. This film just really sucks

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[deleted]

"And all of you seem so afraid to call it garbage".

Yeah, scared stiff. After all, if Scorsese found out that such authority figure as myself has dissed it... the poor man just couldn`t get over it. Ever.



"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

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[deleted]

i pretty much agree with the OP.

the movie is below average to say the least as some people tend to sugar coat it (i.e. "it's not one of his best efforts" etc instead of calling it like it is) because Scorsese is tied to it which sort of automatically makes it at least okay-ish even though it's not. even being generous it's average at best.

hell, the best thing about the movie was seeing Scorsese in a small part as he looked really young as i damn near did not even recognize him as i mostly did due to the voice and then i was like 'holy crap, it's Scorsese' and then checked the cast out and sure enough it was him ;)

but anyways... i would say Scorsese never really became "Scorsese" til at least Taxi Driver (1976). even being generous i would say not before Mean Streets (1973) as before that it was total amateur central as i just seen Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967) a couple of days ago for the first (and only) time and then this movie for the first (and only) time just now and they where both below average movies overall. Who's That Knocking at My Door had an okay scene here and there but overall it was pretty dull just like this one is.

i have seen 18 total Scorsese movies at this point and Who's That Knocking at My Door/Boxcar Bertha are his bottom 2 movies. although in the last 15 years (i.e. from 1999 to date) i think Hugo/Shutter Island are his two weakest movies.


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It was one of his early films and no classic, but this is a tad much.

The first part of the film at least was pretty good.

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One can find beauty in garbage also.

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I'm listening to the commentary for "Mean Streets". Scorsese talks about his career from that early period. John Cassavetes, who had admired "Who's That Knocking At My Door?" took Scorsese aside after screening "Boxcar Bertha" and gave him the blunt response,"you just spent a year of your life making $h1t!" Scorsese makes no bones that Boxcar Bertha was anything other than a Roger Corman exploitation flick, but he said the experience taught him invaluable lessons about filming quickly on a tight budget, and he enjoyed working with the cast (and Barbara Hershey's suggestion to Scorsese of the Nikos Kazantzakis novel ultimately led to "The Last Temptation of Christ") After Cassavetes' scathing response, it got Scorsese thinking about being true to his artistic integrity and not being a sell-out (a tension that has offten appeared throughout his career). This is the origin of "Mean Streets."

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Everybody's got to start somewhere. "THX 1138" is pretty thin gruel compared to "Star Wars: A New Hope," but it shows an artist with a vision that he is capable of bringing to the screen. "Duel" is made for me tripe, but it gives a clue as to how good this teenager might be with a decent budget.

Actually, I think both of those early efforts were superior to "Boxcar Bertha" and at least as close to any actual history that we have experienced as Mr. Scorsese's early outing was. Nevertheless, I can appreciate what his fans see in this film. I am not quite as disenchanted as you, but maybe you can see there point.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

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I tried for about 10 minutes tonight. It's unwatchable. Dreadful, disjointed mess. This is what Hollywood got away with in the 60's and 70's.

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Oh for heaven sake, it's a fun quick Roger Corman movie.
Anyone expecting it to be more than it is -- is deluded.

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