It was 1968 when Martin Scorsese released Who’s That Knocking at My Door, five years before Mean Streets. The picture – also titled I Call First depending on whom you talk to – is a raw introduction of Scorsese to the world, a strong debut film full of the signature themes and groundbreaking stylistic choices that would forever set Scorsese apart and above his peers. Marty throws everything at the screen, and uses this early film to flex his creative muscle before he begins sharpening the edges.Who’s That stars longtime Scorsese collaborator and early on-screen doppelganger Harvey Keitel as J.R., an Italian-American living and breathing the New York streets and street corners. J.R. has his friends, he has his family, and he spends his days in and out of bars and scraping by, making a living. J.R. is traditional, he is deeply Catholic, and he is the earliest representation of a character Scorsese would deal with in one way or another in each of his pictures. Who’s That is not only the debut feature for Scorsese, but the introduction of the great Harvey Keitel to the world.
J.R. meets a young woman (Zina Bethune) on the Staten Island Ferry one da
y whose name is never revealed. J.R. is smitten, and falls in love and wants to marry the girl for the chance of a better life beyond the city streets. But that is when he learns of her past, and learns from the streets that she was raped, his traditional Catholic beliefs cloud his judgment on the girl. He cannot marry this girl. This idea brings to light another Scorsese theme, that of the Madonna-whore complex that is explicitly tied to Catholic guilt and sin. This idea deals with men’s relationship with women: as a young virgin they are desirable and enviable and saintly, but once they are tarnished by sexual relations they become quite the opposite. Obviously, you can see the conundrum here, and it is something that Scorsese’s leads grapple with throughout his filmography.
y whose name is never revealed. J.R. is smitten, and falls in love and wants to marry the girl for the chance of a better life beyond the city streets. But that is when he learns of her past, and learns from the streets that she was raped, his traditional Catholic beliefs cloud his judgment on the girl. He cannot marry this girl. This idea brings to light another Scorsese theme, that of the Madonna-whore complex that is explicitly tied to Catholic guilt and sin. This idea deals with men’s relationship with women: as a young virgin they are desirable and enviable and saintly, but once they are tarnished by sexual relations they become quite the opposite. Obviously, you can see the conundrum here, and it is something that Scorsese’s leads grapple with throughout his filmography.While Who’s That Knocking at My Door is billed as Scorsese’s feature debut, and it is a feature-length film. However, it works as more of an exercise, an avenue for Scorsese to flesh out the ideas in his head and to showcase what was just around the corner in his career. It works as a st
arter kit for Mean Streets, and a platform from which all of his pictures would start. There is the innovative use of rock and roll on the soundtrack, Junior Walker singing Shotgun in the background as J.R. and his friends walk down the street, as well as Scorsese’s original use of slow motion. Prior to Scorsese, slo-mo was used primarily to emphasize dramatic moments, but Marty used it to emphasize a woman or a moment of great concentration and thought. Think about the scene where Travis Bickle first sees Cybil Shepherd’s character, or when Jake LaMotta jealously watches his young wife work a room, or when Jimmy Conway contemplates killing Maury to the tune of Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love. All of these shots in later films were first executed in Who’s That.
arter kit for Mean Streets, and a platform from which all of his pictures would start. There is the innovative use of rock and roll on the soundtrack, Junior Walker singing Shotgun in the background as J.R. and his friends walk down the street, as well as Scorsese’s original use of slow motion. Prior to Scorsese, slo-mo was used primarily to emphasize dramatic moments, but Marty used it to emphasize a woman or a moment of great concentration and thought. Think about the scene where Travis Bickle first sees Cybil Shepherd’s character, or when Jake LaMotta jealously watches his young wife work a room, or when Jimmy Conway contemplates killing Maury to the tune of Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love. All of these shots in later films were first executed in Who’s That. There are also some unusual sequences in the film uncharacteristic of Scorsese, but they were things he had to add in order to sell the picture. For instance, there is an extended dream sequence where J.R. is having sex with the girl, and there is an exploitative rape scene that was added so that Scorsese could sell the film as a sexploitation piece and pick up distribution rights.
Who’s That Knocking at My Door feels like a film student imitating Sco
rsese, as all of the themes and elements of Marty’s works are heightened and overdone to an extent, but it makes sense that 25 year-old Martin Scorsese would film things this way. This is less a film you should see first, and more a picture you should watch after taking in Scorsese’s more refined, extensive catalogue. Then, the movie itself will resonate more and will be infinitely more interesting to see such a raw young genius finding his way.
rsese, as all of the themes and elements of Marty’s works are heightened and overdone to an extent, but it makes sense that 25 year-old Martin Scorsese would film things this way. This is less a film you should see first, and more a picture you should watch after taking in Scorsese’s more refined, extensive catalogue. Then, the movie itself will resonate more and will be infinitely more interesting to see such a raw young genius finding his way.B
Trivia note: There is no question mark in the title because that is seen, industry wide, as bad luck.
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