Who's That Knocking at My Door? Reviews

Who's That Knocking At My Door is primarily of historical interest, more an exercise in style - in this case a New York 60s spin on nouvelle vague and Italian neo-realism - than a work of substance. Expanded from a film school project, Scorsese's feature debut is typically light on plot, counterpointing Harvey Keitel's Mean Streets-lite time-wasting with the boys from the old neighbourhood with his failed romance with Zina Bethune that offers the possibility something better. There's more energy than insight and the passage of time has dulled it's edge, but it's not without interest, especially in the way that at times Keitel seems to be playing Scorsese, never more so than in the scene where he picks up Bethune by talking about The Searchers after seeing a picture of the Duke in her copy of Cahiers du Cinema.

Scorsese's first feature film is by all standards a remarkable debut. The movie starts out charming and playful, as we watch J.R. (Keitel) first meet the young woman who is never given a name (simply christened, the girl). Within the first 15 minutes it is apparant that Scorsese is a real talent in the making, with a unique, stylistically ambitious way of sharing his vision. Just as quickly he tips his hand as a born and bred cinephile; as the young couple makes small talk, J.R. raves about John Wayne and iconic Western dirctor John Fords The Searchers. To say that this film is, among other things, an audatious debut would be a fair assessment. But even in this early work, Scorseses passion for cinema is contagious, and it isn't long before we are infected and attentively caught up in his world. The movie quickly asserts itself as something far more bold and powerful than I'd have imagined as a central theme involving religious guilt emerges(the Catholic complex would reappear in Mean Streets). The inner spiritual conflict that J.R. faces is smartly (if at times too obviously) depicted visually throughout the picture by way of set design, costuming (look at Keitels neck and shirt collar in his mothers bedroom scene) and music. Already Scorsese is creating a masterful visual language seperate and complimentary to dialogue and traditional story-telling devices. The movie falters a bit about two thirds of the way through, as the story begins to feel a bit disjointed. Luckily this early performance by Keitel is strong enough to carry audiences through to the films conclusion-- one that is as tragic and heartbreaking as it is thought provoking. Keitel combines youthful exuberance with a kind of old-soul seriousness and solemnity in such a perfectly nuanced way that it's no surprise he's grown into the accomplished actor that he's become. For anyone that is a film-lover this movie really is an important and rewarding one to go back and watch.