#27 - Boxcar Bertha

This marks the last movie in the Martin Scorsese boxed set, and its unique from any other Marty S movie I have seen. It's one of his earlier ones and clearly has no budget. But that didn't stop him from making an intriguing and in some ways experimental film. There are a number of shots and angles that were not "traditional" in any way. The nice thing about them is that they don't distract from the story. There isn't any moment in which you see something that looks good, but is unnneccessary. The innovative shots are not done in the usual independent film way of trying to get more story out of less resources. Its pure directorial vision.

The movie is based on the stories of an actual woman who used to ride boxcars around the south during the depression era. Along the way she meets a number of people and sees the honest kindness and the cruel nature of human beings. She becomes somewhat of a Robin Hood of the depression as she and her companions begin to rob trains, banks, and rich old bastards. Its a tale of whimsical innocence in the midst of a social commentary. I think a large budget in the wrong hands would have overdone things. Most of the time in this film is spent in empty places, such as the woods, abandoned houses, and of course, boxcars. This bareness, this emptiness is a reflection of what these people have in terms of worldy possesions, but the vibrancy and movement of the film expresses what the life that exists on the inside. There is your social commentary.

After seeing these four movies by Martin Scorsese, I feel that my theory of intimate epics still has some validity. I came up with this theory after New York, New York and Raging Bull, but I think it pertains to The Last Waltz and Boxcar Bertha as well. The Last Waltz is intimate in its look at The Band, but the film is ultimately about music on a much larger scale. Boxcar Bertha is mainly about Barbara Hershey's character who is shy, soft spoken, and innocent, but her tale is anything but small. I have more of an appreciation of the Martin Scorsese's films I have seen now that I have seen these films because I now see a style of film making. I see a mode of expression, even though the subject matter may be different in each one. I want to see some of his more recent films to see if this is still the case.