I Call First (1967) watch online HD

"Who's That Knocking At My Door?" (1968) is the kind of film where you see it once you'll want to see it again, just to see what you didn't understand. The protagonist is played by Harvey Keitel as J.R., an autobiographical role based loosely on Scorsese's strict Catholic upbringing. And many symbolic Catholic references there are such as the Virgin Mary mini statue reflection in the mirror watching Harvey Keitel's JR as he embraces "The Young Girl" played by Zina Bethune.

Scorsese is so intelligent and inventive with his scenes here; crafty artsiness at its best (like the one where J.R. is having sex with the "broad" in a dream fantasy, but then afterwards flips his cards towards her rejecting her as a sin; she's not a nice virgin who would be a good wife and mother for J.R.; she's just a whore, a "broad", as we listen to The Doors' song 'The End' finish). Marty's own personal style was established in this early film.

Harvey Keitel was 29-years-old when Martin Scorsese's [who was 25] "Who's That Knocking At My Door?" debuted in 1968. This was a full-length feature debut for both actor Keitel and director Scorsese. It was interesting to see this for the first time recently after I had already seen most of Scorsese's later films. His classic trade marks such as the "freeze frame, slow-motion, and classic rock tracks playing on the soundtrack" are all utilized effectively in this early gem. ("Easy Rider" is always the film that is credited as being the originator of playing classic rock tunes on the soundtrack, but "Who's That Knocking At My Door?" wasn't seen by many until it received wide release in 1970, almost three years after it was made.)

For any film school student or aspiring director/screenwriter this is a must see. Mr. Scorsese financed this film on a tight budget. I read somewhere that his film professor from NYU helped him finance it. From the beginning somebody somewhere knew Marty had the talent and could make a good picture. He created a wonderful film; using his own life experience for the story he was able to concoct a great, interesting and personal film. His "Mean Streets" (1973) is a much greater and even more personal film. But "Who's That Knocking At My Door?" was the beginning.

I'm not Catholic but I certainly learn a lot about Catholicism when I watch a Scorsese flick. For instance, take the scene where "The Young Girl" is making dinner at J.R.'s place, she lights up what appears to be just a candle. But to J.R. it is a "Holy Candle" and makes her put it back and replace it with another one. There are many classic scenes in this film, but I don't want to spoil it for you.

Directed by Martin Scorsese. Edited By Thelma Schoonmaker (who would go on to edit almost all of Scorsese's later films). Starring Harvey Keitel as J.R. 90 minutes.

Martin Scorsese is undoubtedly one of my all time favorite directors. He has a consistently great string of movies that span his entire career and Who's That Knocking at My Door is the very first one of them all. The movie itself is very good, but looking at it in relation to the career and development of Scorsese's aesthetically unique style of directing makes it even better. When you break it down it is sort of a movie about nothing, and it focuses more on aesthetics and visual nuances to give it a very unique feel that fits right in with Scorsese's body of work. But if you have to assign a storyline to the film it is about J.R., an Italian American living in New York, who meets a girl and falls in love with her. They have their ups and downs and the movie essentially just follows J.R. through his life as a city slicker, hanging out with his foul mouthed buddies at bars and trying to balance that with his love life. The story more or less takes a back seat to the unique visual exploration that is way ahead of its time.

If you're familiar with Scorsese, then this film would be what you would expect from his directorial debut. It is very raw, unpolished, and experimental. Thankfully, a lot of what Scorsese plays with in this film would actually carry through to his later films that were obviously much bigger successes. This film is essentially a gigantic lens into what would later develop into Scorsese's very specific style of directing. It mixes up a little bit of everything and almost feels like a rough mixing of all of Scorsese's unique visual elements that he has trademarked since then. Who's Knocking at My Door employs all kinds of techniques that we've grown to love from Scorsese. It deals out some long static shots, long tracking shots, and its fair share of strangely quick cuts. The dialouge has a very unpolished Scorsese-esquire cadence to it. It can't even compare to some of the dialouge of his later films, but you can definitely see the early formations of Scorsese's vulgar and quick paced dialouge.

You also have to give a lot of credit to Scorsese and the people who signed on to help him produce this film because of just how experimental the film was for a directorial debut. The film is far ahead of its time in content and style, and for Scorsese to take this risk with his very first film is something that is very respectable in any filmmaker. He didn't try to do anything on a large and flashy scale. Instead he creates a very small scale story with small scale characters and he does a surprising lot artistically with the little he has to work with. And it's also incredible that, to me at least, it works. Trying something so bizarre and different from conventional filmmaking styles of the time could easily crash and burn. But Scorsese pulls it off with his first film and makes something that is actually watchable.

Who's Knocking at My Door is a really good movie by itself, but it becomes so much more interesting when you put it in the context of Scorsese's body of work. When you do this, the film becomes a fascinating study of the beginnings of Scorsese, and for that I absolutely loved it. Being such a small scale movie without a lot of purely escapist entertainment value it's hard to recommend this film to just anybody, but if you are a Scorsese fan then it is a must see.

I am an unabashed admirer of Martin Scorsese's work, and his first feature did not disappoint. Filmed on practically no budget, this movie uses a nonlinear approach to storytelling that predates "Pulp Fiction" by some 25 years. One can also see a precursor of Scorsese's later cinematic technique, and just a hint of his nightmare-world view of New York that is so apparent in his later works "Taxi Driver," "After Hours" and "Bringing Out the Dead." Scorsese's trademark—finding the perfect piece of contemporary music for each scene—is also quite apparent here.

As the traditionally-minded J.R., the young Keitel turns in a riveting performance in his first film appearance, as a working-class New Yorker torn between his cultural norms and his love for an intelligent, independent woman. Bethune is today better known as a dancer and humanitarian, but as "The Girl" she is utterly convincing and nothing short of ravishing, with a presence both ethereal and self-assuredly erotic. The meeting of the two characters is really a meeting of the traditional with the modern--something much on people's minds in 1968 when this film was made. It's interesting that in some places this movie was retitled "I Call First"—the gist of the conflict between the lovers. J.R. receives a piece of information about The Girl's past, one that he cannot put into perspective given his macho set of social norms. Scorsese throws in a dash of the Catholic morality and male-centeredness current at the time, and we have a memorable exploration of the place of culture and religion in determining who and how much we love.

If you're a Scorsese fan, this film is a must-rent. If you're uninitiated, see a couple of his later films first, then go back to this one for a look at two future giants—Scorsese and Keitel—on their first project, as well as an excellent performance by Bethune, who should certainly have had more featured roles following this one.

WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR? (3+ outta 5 stars)

Early feature film by the now-legendary Martin Scorsese... it sort of sprawls all over the place... melding all kinds of weird artsy gimmicks and camera styles... but the central relationship between Harvey Keitel and the pretty blonde girl he meets and falls in love with on the Staten Island Ferry (Zina Bethune) keeps the movie's momentum going, even when it veers off into interesting but sometimes pointless tangents. If you thought Quentin Tarantino invented the character of the movie geek who seeks to impress the woman of his dreams by rambling on with movie trivia... well, this movie will set you straight. You will also see hints of Scorsese's later masterpieces ("Mean Streets", "Goodfellas") in embryonic form. I hadn't seen this movie in years... but just saw the new DVD version and was amazed at how good it was.

A well-dressed but feckless young man (Harvey Keitel, in his acting debut) on the streets of New York meets a lovely single girl reading a foreign magazine and strikes up a conversation about movies; soon after, they begin dating, however she volunteers more about her past than he is able to handle. Striking if aimless debut from writer-director Martin Scorsese, alternately titled "I Call First", began life as a short feature from the young film student. His sexual montage, featuring Keitel and his 'broads' (and set to "The End" by the Doors), is a fabulous example of cinematic sound and fury: the perfect marriage between silvery black-and-white cinematography, kinetic editing, great music and lusty bodies. Unfortunately, Scorsese as a writer had not developed a true ear for canny dialogue, and the characters fail to emerge as a result. Still, an almost-dynamic first try, and a must-see for film historians. Keitel, marvelously youthful and muscular, is more callow than expressive, though he gives the picture its pulse; the cinematography from Richard Coll and Michael Wadley is a major asset as well. **1/2 from ****

a definite must for all scorsese fans. runs much like a student film. Use of music is still very ruff in this film. Not nearly as effective as in mean streets. Many of the same ideas scorsese will later work out in mean streets. Harvey Keitel's performance is powerful. Filmed mostly on Elizabeth St where scorsese grew up and his childhood apartment. highly recommended

"Who's That Knocking at My Door" is Martin Scorsese's first feature, and what looks and feels like an exercise in style, so typical of students' works gradually turns into an impressive work with a powerful intensity and very promising sensitivity, something I found lacking in Godard's acclaimed 'New Wave' opener "Breathless". (Godard never made me care about his characters, and for me, always personified the 'all flash and no substance' director' syndrome.)

In "Who's That Knocking", the substance is here and carries the very essence of what would define the best of Scorsese's body of work. The film is not perfect of course, it has some technical flaws on the editing and narrative structure, but there is a heart beating inside, a sense of nervousness perfectly conveyed by a tormented 25-year old student and magnificently embodied by a young Harvey Keitel, as J.R., a New York Italian-American. This nervousness is very palpable in the editing, during some introspective close-ups where you could almost read in the mind of J.R., torn apart between his religious beliefs, his street-wise friends, his passion for John Wayne and Western movies, and his love for the Girl, played by Zina Bethume. Marty doesn't intend to make his film a sort of existential cry, but by depicting a realistic slice of Italian-American male youth's life, it's a part of himself that he reveals through the character of J.R. And Harvey Keitel, instead of taking his first acting job for granted, and sort of act according to a script, transcends his character and provide him a sort of boyish hidden innocence.

That's the conflict that invades the soul of J.R., he is a kid who tries to act like a man, and unaware that there is a profound immaturity that undermines his transition to the adult age. When he meets the Girl in the ferry, it's interesting that their first discussion deals with John Wayne. J.R. and his friends idolize John Wayne and all the masculine archetypes of the Western genre: Monty Clift, outlaws, antiheroes etc. This fandom echoes Belmondo's character in "Breathless" who was a fan of Humphrey Bogart. Being a fan is essential to understand the roots of youth's behavior, and as a 30-year old guy, I remember myself talking about Michael Corleone from "The Godfather" with the same passion as J.R., when I was his age. We all need models, and it seems that anti-heroic figures are the most likely to ignite the passion in youth's hearts, as a way to reconcile them with their status in life. They feel like men, just because they bring a gun or girls in the house. It's all about accessories, never behavior, all about imitation, never action.

J.R., as the hero, is more detached from his friends, more likely to 'get off the car'. His interaction with the Girl is very sweet and could lead to a beautiful romance, until she reveals that she was raped before. J.R. 's doesn't believe her, victim of the cruel dichotomy that put girls either in the 'nice' or 'broads' category, something that, as a Mediterranean, I could relate to. The Girl leaves J.R. with dignity, the rest is left unsaid, but thanks to Scorsese's intimate directing, we understand everything that goes in J.R.'s mind. The episode with the girls who come at the house plays a pivotal role in his psychological journey, with the famous "I Call First" moment (which gave its second title to the film). I could relate to this childish reaction, because it's so typical of young male behavior, mixing game (then childhood, immaturity) to adult situations (kissing girls). J.R. refuses to play any selection game because he knows he's going to lose, which happens, and then in the most childish way, sabotages the whole party. This scene is shocking and real to its core, like when J.R.'s buddy reacts violently toward the girl when he see his neck bleeding.

The incident with the girl highlights the fact that he rape might have happened and that the Girl is not a broad. After knocking at her door, she opens, she's visibly glad to see him, so is he. They kiss, they're tender and sweet, he asked her for marriage, and says he forgives her. The rest of the scene reveals that the road is still long for J.R to grow some maturity, and he still handles what could be a beautiful relationship with the same immaturity that made him say "I Call First" and the violence that inspire such words as 'whore'. But this violence hides deeper insecurities, these guys are lost, and need models only to forget their own mediocrity, incapable to get over their devotion to the Mother's sacred figure. Their Oedipal condition prevents them to be real men by 'killing the father'. J.R. needs these models too, God, the Virgin Mary, a mother, therefore a wife. He needs to marry the Girl not because he's a man who wants to be a man, but a son who needs a maternal figure. The scene where he can't have sex with the Girl while he's more relaxed with 'broads' (a scene far from being gratuitous) shows that there is a thin line between marriage and sexuality in his mind.

Like his buddies, J.R. can't admit that he's castrated by his own background and can only become a man by rejecting a deep part of his macho culture, by stopping to idolize their mothers so much that they would vent their anger on girls, for not being like their mothers. That's the irony of J.R. condition and Marty's dilemma that would inspire a never-ending feeling of guilt. Or maybe the quest for redemption just started? After all, J.R. could as well be a younger Charlie from "Mean Streets". "Who's That Knocking at My Door?", made after 4 years of struggle, is the birth of a new talent that would finally implode its soul to the face of the world.

Filmed over years apparently, this early M. Scorsese New York tale involving young dudes being typically out of it is interesting in the scenes with Keitel and the girl (Z. Bethune), but the buddy scenes tend to drag on and semi-bore. A 5 out of 10. Best performance = Zena Bethune.

Harvey Keitel has always been interesting and believable and it's great to see him in a lead (pre-MEAN STREETS) and Ms. Bethune is very touching and human. All Scorsese fans should track this down even though it's not that great. The DVD has a semi-commentary from Marty which is unusual! It comes in the recent DVD set of Martin Scorsese and worth a look! Harry Northrup has a small role (MEAN STREETS, TAXI DRIVER).

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.

"Who's that knocking at my door" is along with "Boxcar Bertha" the most unknown picture of the Italian-American genius Scorsese. Make no mistakes: it's nothing like a masterpiece and it's no surprise that almost no one know about this movie, but here we got some of the constants in Marty's cinema: the street talking, the violence, the outsiders... Those things that "mean streets" dealt about... This was Martin Scorsese's debut and so it was for his friend Harvey Keytel who plays a chauvinist-bad tempered young man.

So, this is a movie that I recommend to those who really love Scorsese's work and wanna know about his origins.

*My rate: 6/10

This is a hard movie to review because it's essentially an amalgam of several different shorter student films, and some work better than others.

That said, at the crux of "Who's That Knocking at My Door" (the final mass-released version) is a complex character-study laden with Catholic guilt and burdened by all the inherent stigmas and traditions of growing up Italian-American.

Obviously Scorsece knew his source material very well. More than half of the players and virtually all the locations come straight from his own life. What's really cool about the film, though, is how honestly he portrays these sociological nuances. He doesn't tell you Keitel's character's views and attitudes are good or bad, they just "are" --- and it's obvious how the character developed them from a peek into his everyday world.

This bracing honesty is the most appealing thing about the film, along with some drop-dead gorgeous camera work and editing featured here. The first scene where Keitel meets Bethune on the ferry has got to be one of the most imaginatively-shot and enthrallingly staged boy-meets-girl moments on celluloid. Throughout the film, Scorcese overlays soundless scenes from the past and future, creating interesting juxtapositions, always engaging and challenging your perceptions.

With a lot of debuts there are missteps. I don't think that fairly characterizes this movie however. There are definitely parts that drag and don't work well but seen in the context of a shorter film, they would have been more effective. As they're all blended together here, the pacing sometimes suffers.

It's hard to imagine any of the fans of Scorsece's later works, which rely so heavily on hyper-real camera-work and tightly-structured story lines, to have the patience for "Who's That Knocking." But for those who really enjoy the thoughtfulness, subversiveness, and subtext of Scorcese's films, it's a treat to see their origins so prominently displayed.

Set in New York, JR (played by Harvey Keitel) falls in love with a local girl (played by Zina Bethune). He wants to marry her and settle down but discovers that she was once a victim of rape. This raises all sorts of issues with JR.

Martin Scorsese's first feature film. Not great - low production values, confusing jump-style direction, convoluted story that ultimately goes nowhere. Harvey Keitel, also making his feature film debut, is irritating in the lead role.

Yet it bares some semblances of the later Scorsese trademarks. A degree of style, and story-building.

Only worth watching from an historical perspective though.

'Who's That Knocking at My Door' (sometimes known as 'I Call First') - this gritty drama filmed on the streets of New York marked both Harvey Keitel's acting debut and Martin Scorsese's directing debut. Neither one disappoints and Scorsese experiments with an extensive array of filmic techniques, from lethargic dissolves to high camera angles that look down on the characters, all of which makes the film feel very much alive. Especially effective are some shots that voyeuristically track and pan between Keitel and co-star Zina Bethune as he chats her up. The film is far less enticing in the story department though. The basic premise is decent, with Keitel having to overcome some religion-based prejudices regarding the purity and innocence that he expects of Bethune, however, the movie was originally expanded from a short film and it very much shows with precious little else narrative-wise other than overload of scenes of Keitel associating with his friends. Keitel does have quite a curious character though, even if his character is not given the strongest story to work with. He seems unable to talk about anything but western movies with his girlfriend and many of his views on life (whether a woman is a 'girl' or a 'broad') seem dictated by western tropes. There is also a fascinating bit in which still photographs are inserted to show how he imagines himself as a western movie hero, shooting kitchen glasses. Without doubt, there is quite a bit going on in the film, which makes it one of the more interesting directing debuts out there, if not the most satisfying one by far.

was so intrigued to see one of my fav directors first foray into the media... OK perhaps one turns the sound off, it more closely resembles an artsy home movie... BUT the themes, conflicts, dialogue, anguish, and dilemmas definitely compensate with this overwhelmingly emotional experience... and the MUSIC! had no idea Marty started with that quintessential element so early, and being disappointed because his g/f has no clue about Percy! priceless....

related well to the experience with the b/f rage and the helplessness of being raped, still exists to this day unfortunately... seeing the game of SHOOT being played brought back a lot of memories... so many of the characterizations of Roman Catholic Italian American homelife was well captured...

Marty your Mom was absolutely beautiful and am delighted that you have continued to include her in your films, adorable! was most shocked to see such a young Harvey in a sensual role, and the splurge on the revealing dream sequence with that level of passion in a first major film role was jaw dropping... apologies but really quite enjoyed that and guess that makes me a bad girl? lol

kudos my dear for your level of entertainment throughout my life... xx oo

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.

The fact is, Who's That Knocking at My Door put Martin Scorsese on the map. Sure his big breakthrough was with Mean Streets (look at the tagline), but this film is a stunner for which Scorsese deserves (and gets) big props. The film has a typical Italian-American guy named JR (Harvey Keitel, also his first film along with Scorsese's) who falls in love with a nice girl (Zina Bethune), and the film shows they're relationship, while JR hangs with his friends, contemplating his life. Simple plot which actually gets tangled sometimes, but this if the only minor flaw this film has.

It is a triumph of style over substance, though the substance comes damn near close to the style of Scorsese's direction that is later seen in his other triumphs (you get the feeling you've seen every type of shot before in this film if you've seen other Scorsese pictures). A must see. Extra note: in the scenes with sex and violence (crude for that time, but still a little suggestive) have little or no sound of the people actually saying anything; music takes over the scene just like in Mean Streets, GoodFellas and Casino (by the way, the sex scene is one of the most exhilarating scenes I've seen in a movie). That's Scorsese's mother in the beginning. A

This was one of Scorcese's earlier works,, and well i just had a very hard time following this one,, for the most part it was well kinda weird,, some of the music is great like the end by the doors,, the you had this god awful chanting music that was horrible,, Martin what were you thinking,, this movie follows a character named J.R. who falls for this girl,, and well that's about as much as i gather,, story say's she was raped,, they show that scene,, there are very few outside shots,, the movie is in all b/w. which ain't bad,, i guess i'm used to lots of action , gunplay,, something,, although there is a lot of good ole fashioned nudity in here, i just i would call this movie very disjointed at times and that is being kind, this movie took a few years to make,, and now i think i see why.

"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".

John Wayne fan J.R. (Harvey Keitel) and his friends are local Italian petty ruffians on the streets of New York. He meets and gets engaged to a girl. When she tells him about being raped, he is disbelieving, angry, and heartbroken. With his religious conviction, he can't marry a non-virgin and returns to his old thug life.

The actors are all amateurs. This is Martin Scorsese's feature debut. It's a black and white indie. Harvey Keitel is still a student actor. Despite that, one can see the inherit skills of these guys. Scorsese is trying various camera moves. He's an artist playing with his paint. There is a real unpredictable sense of violence and there is his music sense. It's not polished by any means but one can see Scorsese trying something in almost every scene. There are scenes that ramble on but those have a visceral sense of uncertainty. The technical aspect varies and it can feel disjointed especially the dream sequences. The sexual dream comes out of nowhere which doesn't fit the rest of the movie. There is the ambient noise which may be deliberate but probably the byproduct of guerrilla student filmmaking. Keitel is exuding energy as the lead. He's the focus even at such a young age. I do wonder why the female lead has no name. To be fair, most characters do not have names. One would expect JR call her by her name at least once. Is it a continuing Scorsese limitation with female characters? I can only call up one strong female lead in his writing. There are a few more in his other works. It's probably a limitation of simply being a dude. It's hard to write what one doesn't know. Overall, this is a crystal ball that predicts Scorsese's rise as one of the great American directors.

All of the classic Scorsese preoccupations (masculinity, fraternal bonding, religion, movies, music... ) are already here, and touched upon to quietly devastating effect.

Heresy as it may be to say this, this film makes me wish that Keitel had swapped places with De Niro, as Marty's primary leading man, before Leo came along...

It's refreshing in 1967 to see Scorsese wrestling with the treatment of women. The idea that everything goes back to 'blame', and that it's somehow the woman's responsibility to 'repent', instead of requiring a man to deal with his own insecurities. The subject presents perhaps a necessary reminder for some, that females have been getting a raw deal for a long time... even if fewer people were addressing it, back then.

(and just in case anyone is tempted to say anything... I'm a social justice pacifist, not a social justice warrior... It means you can hold a contrary opinion, and I won't fight you over it... but I still think you're wrong!) :-)

The main takeaway from this is: Don't expect the mere existence of suffering and pain to be the factor which repairs something that is broken... because sometimes, it can't.

They should have kept "I Call First" as the title, by the way!

This is a fabulous film, and despite having seen it for the first time today, is already up there with "Raging Bull" as my favourite Scorsese work (it's probably a coincidence that they're both in black and white!)

Scorsese's first feature film was already packed with the trademarks and themes that he'll be known for throughout his lengthy and prolific career – contemporary music, quick edits, slow-motions, machismo, male bonding, goddess-whore complex, faith and Catholic guilt. Playing the lead role is his long-time collaborator and friend, Harvey Keitel, alongside TV star Zina Bethune. This film also marks his first collaboration with film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, on what would become a historic partnership between the two, resulting into three Oscar trophies for Thelma. This early Scorsese black-and-white film is both inventive and ragged, influenced clearly by the famous French cinematic movement of the 60s and other films Scorsese adored while growing up. Originally titled as "I Call First" in 1967, Scorsese was asked to insert nude scenes in the film to get it more distribution and eventually called "Who's That Knocking at My Door" and advertised as some sort of sex exploitation film – though those spliced nude fantasy scenes were shot terrifically, if not reasonably. This may not be the best example of the director's work and style, but we can see here the genesis of his genius. A debut film worth a look.

It's definitely not one of Scorsese's favorites, and probably for good reason. Who's That Knocking at My Door sees Scorsese in his debut without much polish or knack for how to effectively structure a feature debut.

The problem with the film mostly falls on inexperience. Much like his second film, you see flashes of his greatness in camera movements and poise in developing likable character dynamics. Heck, he even showed promise in his screen writing abilities in a few scenes, and that's not even something he does all that often anymore. But with a low budget, sometimes sloppy editing, and a narrative that lacked substance, there isn't a whole lot to ride home about here.

Certain aspects of the film reminded me about Richard Linklater's Before Trilogy, in that a good portion of the film just walking and talking. That, I found interesting. But I wasn't as invested in the story when it falls into the trap of gratuitous sex scenes and unnecessary yelling. Something, that Scorsese has been harped on later in his career, but it seemed really out of place in what was otherwise, a calm romance-drama.

This is Scorsese's first feature, however. So perhaps certain narrative mishaps and editing issues should be forgiven, considering it underwent many changes during its production. It's also a far more artistically structured film than his subsequent movies, so by default it's more divisive. The characters just didn't connect with me. It plays more as an experiment than an experience, if that makes any sense. In all, there's flashes of the great Scorsese everyone loves, but not enough narratively here to make for a worthwhile viewing.

+Interesting directing choices

+Plenty of Scorsese staples

-Narratively flawed

-Not much substance

-Gratuitous at times

4.6/10

I doubt very much that if both the director and the star had not gone on to very substantial careers Who's That Knocking At My Door would get too many viewings. But as cheap as it is, it does portend bigger things for Martin Scorsese and Harvey Keitel.

Actually the biggest name associated with this project is Zina Bethune who already had a television series The Nurses to her credit at the time she was Keitel's co-star. The advice given writers is also given filmmakers, start with what you know. Scorsese sure knew Little Italy in Manhattan.

Keitel is your typical kid from the hood, a lot like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever who takes up with Zina Bethune. But later she confesses an incident in her past and Keitel reacts badly. Remember in Saturday Night Fever how Donna Pescow was treated after Travolta's pals had their way with her. Very similar here.

Not sure why she opened her mouth other than Bethune wanted to keep things open and honest. Sometimes discretion is better than honesty.

I did love the scene at the beginning where Keitel is actually Scorsese himself dissecting the film they had just seen which happened to be John Ford's The Searchers. That film hadn't achieved the status it has now so Scorsese was a prophet in that regard.

I can't say this was a masterpiece, but it sure shows what potential the creator had.

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.

Good movie. It's about male double standards and the role of the Catholic church in encouraging them. This theme is dramatised powerfully in the relationship between Italian-American J.R. (charismatic Harvey Keitel, making his film debut) and his unnamed beloved (Zina Bethune).

Martin Scorcese's first feature, it is fizzing with inventive photography, and notable for its editing - the first collaboration of many between the director and Thelma Shoonmaker.

The seeds of TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL and GOODFELLAS are clear to see here. But this is a fine piece of work in its own right.