Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967)

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

"Who's that knocking at my door" is an excellent first film by Martin Scorsese, with a first half of great level and a second half with some irregularities and that for that reason does not have the same high level of the first. The influences of the French "nouvelle vague" are more than evident in this first work of Scorsese, more concretely the first films of Jean-Luc Godard, of the first half of the decade of 60, notably the nonlinear narrative, the style of the dialogues, the scenes "non-sense", the multiple cinematic "honors" (references to films "the searchers", "the man who shot liberty valance", "rio bravo"), artistic (references to actors John Wayne and Lee Marvin) and even musicals (references to Percy Sledge and others). Even considering these (good) influences, Scorsese's style and themes are well-grounded in his first film: psychological analysis of a man disintegrated from society, the marginality of the streets, a fatal woman, the religion, and so on. The choice of songs is also remarkable, which has become a "mark" in Scorsese's films. Harvey Keitel has his debut as an actor here and is excellent, he would collaborate with Scorsese in more films. The filmmaker's second film, "Boxcar Bertha", also notable, would emerge five years after this, in 1972, he also with notable influences of "nouvelle vague", but with a more regular and consistent narrative, although the theme of this "who's that knocking at my door" seems to me perhaps more powerful than that of "boxcar bertha".

Aimless and unemployed young Italian-American J.R. (an excellent and explosive portrayal by Harvey Keitel in his first major role) aspires to little more than hanging out with his buddies in New York's Little Italy. J.R.'s minuscule perspective on life gets radically altered after he meets and falls for a more worldly college-educated woman (a fine and charming portrayal by the fetching Zina Bethune). However, a dark secret from the woman's past threatens to destroy their burgeoning romance.While Martin Scorsese's debut might be a little raw and marred slightly by sloppy moments of unfortunate indulgence (for example, a fantasy sequence involving several nude women comes across as pretty forced and unnecessary, but nonetheless is exceptionally well filmed and makes great galvanizing use of "The End" by The Doors), it still manages to overcome its modest budget and occasional lapses thanks to Scorsese's inspired selection of dynamic rock songs on the eclectic soundtrack, strong early interest in such familiar themes as Catholic guilt, tight-knit macho male cliques, and the intrinsic difficulty old school conventional men encounter in dealing with independent and liberated women, a true and infectious love for cinema, and several surprisingly poignant moments of real tenderness and vulnerability. Moreover, Scorsese exposes the limitations of a strict Catholic upbringing and stubborn male pride without ever becoming too sappy or preachy about it. The sharp black and white cinematography by Richard C. Coll and Michael Wadleigh vividly captures a convincingly gritty feeling of lived-in authenticity. Granted, it's not exactly perfect by any means, but it does possess a fierce urban vibrancy that's both captivating and exhilarating in equal measure.

Released under many different titles, "Who's That Knocking at My Door" is an energetic, if muddled directorial debut from the great Martin Scorsese.Like George Lucas' "American Graffiti," the autobiographical elements were ripped from the young director's life growing up in the tenements of New York's Little Italy. However, the only difference between the two movies is completely different styles of filmmaking. While Lucas' film is a nostalgic, colorful look into the lives of high school graduates, "Who's That Knocking" is the polar opposite with its grainy, black-and-white photography and free-wheeling direction.In his film debut, Harvey Keitel's working class J.R. is the archetypal Scorsese protagonist. Concepts of machismo, religious guilt and unable to conform in regular society would be the future characteristics that would pop up in his later films. Keitel's sudden encounter with a high-class, educated woman (Zina Bethune) puts his character in a life-changing dilemma. Will he continue to hang out with his neighborhood buddies? Or will he develop a long-term relationship with the statuesque blonde? Filmed over a period of several years, the making of "Who's That Knocking" is kind of an interesting story all its own. Working from student films to a legitimate feature film is such a daunting task for the young Scorsese. You've got to remember "Easy Rider" wasn't released yet and the New Hollywood revolution was just around the corner. After the film's world premiere, Scorsese was able to find a distributor on one condition that a sex scene be added as a selling point. This wasn't just some ordinary sex scene, but it is a hell of a scene to watch.Shot on location in Amsterdam with a noticeably older Keitel, Scorsese and long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker were able to create a technically beautiful montage set to The Doors' epic song "The End." While watching this scene progress before my eyes, I am so glad that Scorsese agreed to do the sex scene because it blends with the film so well."Who's That Knocking at My Door" is not a well-polished debut film, but there's more to come from Uncle Marty.

Here is Martin Scorsese's first feature film, and already, at a mere 25 years old in 1967, it is clear this young man had the determination and eye for visceral images, solid acting and a great ear for soundtracks. A rather raw and unpolished work, Who's That Knocking at My Door works in other ways such as the professionally-done editing by the great Thelma Schoonmaker, another future Scorsese collaborator. In the lead role is a very young Harvey Keitel, who plays the role of a young New York Italian very similar to the nature and style of Martin Scorsese himself. Clearly, there was a special bond between these two that continued for years.The plot, while at times veering wildly off track, focuses on a young couple attempting to overcome a difficult instance in the past that still looms over the future. With numerous Catholic images and references, this is one of the more explicitly religious of Scorsese's work but there is still a definitive drive behind everything. It is certainly worth watching for anyone who is interested in making their own film as well as any fan of Scorsese eager to know how he got to where he is today. Not always great, sometimes very powerful, this film still remains a strong piece of work that encompasses much of future themes Scorsese would come back to: Catholic guilt, relationships between street friends and the difficulties of romance.