Mean Streets (Special Edition)

Description
Harvey Keitel plays Charlie, working his way up the ranks of a local mob. Amy Robinson is Teresa, the girlfriend his family deems unsuitable because of her epilepsy. And in the starmaking role that won Best Supporting Actor Awards from the New York and National Society of FIlm Critics, De Niro is Johnny Boy, a small-time gambler in big-time debt to loan sharks. This is a story Martin Scorsese lived, a semi-biographical tale of the first-generation sons and daughters of New York's Little Italy.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:by Martin Scorsese
Featurette:"Back on the Block"
Theatrical Trailer

Split in da family
My moll thinks this is the best cinema ever to have been put up on a movie screen, if you know what I mean. She should know; when she was younger she was a movie critic for a major Washington, DC, newspaper.

I think this movie is garbage: a total showcase of every kind of moral depravity, and there is nothing in this movie to uplift you or to teach you. Because I think this is true I am requiring my ol' lady to screen this only when I am not physically present in our house, or when I'm at least out of the TV room and listening to Greatest Hits from Disney Soundtracks on my iPod. Or my Joni Mitchell albums.

--Mark

Great early work from Scorcese, DeNiro, and Keitel
Martin Scorcese's film is a slice of life drama about small-time hoods in New York's Little Italy. Charlie (Harvey Keitel) collects debts for his uncle and waits for his opportunity to take ownership of a rinky-dink little restaurant. He is conflicted and guilt-ridden over the immoral lifestyle he must lead and the small-minded prejudices he must endure in order to maintain such a life of mediocrity. He is pressured to turn his back on a woman he cares about (Amy Robinson) because she has epilepsy (which makes her "crazy" in the eyes of his family), and he feels a responsibility to protect his childhood friend Johnny Boy (Robert DeNiro), an erratic hoodlum who has doom written all over him. Charlie's care of Johnny Boy is like a penance he must pay.

Scorcese, Keitel, and DeNiro at the start of their careers show the greatness they would maintain for decades. This film has a gritty, documentary feel that really communicates the way these people live. Although the world it presents is not one I would want to live in, Scorcese (who did grow up in it) presents it with clear eyes and a sympathetic mind.

a beautiful map of the streets
Wow, a period piece made during the time of the period in question (early 1970's)! And don't we just about all know what a great decade that was, where people were trying to make a difference and being radical etc....experimenting in just about every way imaginable, making movies that weren't censored, explored endlessly intriguing concepts etc....a time that brought us the immeasurably provocative A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971), the brooding and haunting THE GODFATHER (1972), the soul-purging THE EXORCIST (1973), and of course all the independant horror films, even the crappy ones, had some element of atmosphere to engage in. And music! Grateful Dead, Genesis, Tangerine Dream (although very outdated they were rather radical at the time), countless other "weird" bands/artists, and one of the bestselling writers of our time, Stephen King, was cast upon the general public in 1974, even though I don't think his recent work, or most of his books published after 1986, is/are anything to shout about (bearing in mind i haven't got around to testing out DUMA KEY or UNDER THE DOME...).

So, basically, if you like the "70's look" in regards to film, this is a sight to behold, although the plot, if you can say that it has one, is minimal and kind of strung out, so if you can't stand FANTASIA (1941), you probably won't agree with my 5-STAR assessment...

Several story lines running concurrently in Italian barrio
Mean Streets (1973) is an ambitious project, for which a lot of
filming talent, energy and acting talent was expended. To a certain
degree, it comes up short in architectural aspects (the story) and
is somewhat unfocused in terms of what it's about.

There's several story lines running concurrently: a story about the
mob (revolving around Harvey Keitel's character and his uncle, with
a night club, loan sharking, a collector of illegal debts), a story
of a total fool, (a character played by De Niro), and also that of
a nostalgic recounting of young men exploring the limits of night
entertainment, bearing in mind cultural, social and religious
limitations. Brawls, drinking, profanity, confrontations occur.

The entertainment value as well as the time expended (2 hours) is
questionable, in terms of exposing a compulsive gambler, who is
irrational, heavily indebted, and wreckless, defined as a mook.

Further, over 2/3 of the soundtrack is with the Supremes, from the
Beatlemania era, thereby dating the move. The music works and
helps enhance it's American-ism and counter its ethnocentrism.

Conversely, the mixture of reminescing about one's youth, pals,
nightclubs, and antics in between a backdrop of the mob and
nightlife is valid for many.

The film is deep with Italian American aspects, such as the San
Gennaro parade in Manhattan in the 2nd week of September,
neighborhood clubs, restaurants, pool halls and venues that the
locals cherish, characterizing individuals who don't adhere to the
straight-and-narrow. It shows some controversial moments as the
ethnic Italians judge, and filter anything and everything that is
not from their close-knit neighbood, such as people and business
relations, with their own value system.

The presentation is wide-screen, with subtitles, with a very good
filming quality, considering the numerous night and indoors scenes.

The film suggests a habit of the street being the rightplace to
acquire cheap commodities, either smuggled or obtained through
some other means, such as tobacco, narco substances, etc.

Loan sharking, the misery of debtors and the actions of the
collectors of illegal debts, culminating in shootings, is laid out
in plain view. Keitel's character, and others, are well aware of
social etiquette, and their own religious values when face-to-face
with fellow human beings, which is a challenging paradox to resolve
in face of violence and daily stuggles.

At no time does the budget or lack thereof, become noticeable over
duration of the work.

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