:
Barbara Hershey,
Barbara Hershey,
David Carradine,
more...
:
Martin Scorsese,
Martin Scorsese
see all cast/crew...
: 
: MGM
: Quest, Road Movies
: 88 min.
: English, French
: English, Spanish, French
see additional details...
|
|
Produced by Roger Corman and directed by Martin Scorsese, Boxcar Bertha is a Bonnie and Clyde-like yarn set during the Depression. The title character, played by Barbara Hershey, links up with union organizer David Carradine (Hershey's real-life lover at the time) after the death of her father. Running afoul of anti-union forces, Bertha and Carradine are forced into a life of crime. Whereas Bonnie and Clyde robbed banks, Boxcar Bertha's specialty is trains. A story of this nature can only end in tragedy, and wait until you see Carradine's symbolic demise! For the record, there really was a Boxcar Bertha Thompson, and it is her autobiography, Sister of the Road, that serves as the basis for Joyce and John Corrington's screenplay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
|
| "Life Made Her An Outcast...Love Made Her An Outlaw"
by RussMeyer
October 4, 2004 - 10:31 PM PDT
|
|
|
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
|
I LOVE that tagline.
Anyway...
Scorsese displays remarkable ability and talent in this, his directorial debut for legendary producer Roger Corman.
Personally born, raised, and living in the south, I usually shy away from titles set deep in the south. Regardless of the southern state that Hollywood movies typically portray, they do so by providing everyone with Georgian accents while constructing characters in a way that is patronizing. It's no wonder really, that the Studio system passed on this project. It is an incredible portrait of the counterculture of the Depression set in Reader, Arkansas (a small community very close to Pres. Clinton's hometown of Hope, Arkansas). Boxcar Bertha genuinely documents the hobo jungles, bughouses, whorehouses, Chicago's Main Stem, Union meeting halls, skid rows and open freight cars of the time (the punk life if you will)
That's one of the reasons I was so impressed with Boxcar Bertha. Though Scorsese is from Little Italy in New York, he displays a firm grasp of Depression-era Arkansas, its nuances, and its people. How he acheived such authenticity amazes me.
Boxcar Bertha should be required viewing in all filmmaking courses. The patience in the pacing of the movie, determined in part by the editing and the almost "lazy" framing in the film's cinematography, I believe is a direct reflection of Scorsese's contribution. Especially the editing, as Scorsese was a working "editing supervisor" in the Studio system at this time (e.g. the documentary "Woodstock").
Hershey's performance is almost inspired. Her screen presence is massive, considering her youth and short resume in 1972.
The team of Corman and Scorsese was really a perfect fit for this movie. Corman, the "avant-garde" exploitation-maker, and Scorsese with his penchant for subtlety, and violence.
This DVD is a must rental. Additional features, such as commentary, would have been very welcome (especially considering this is the directorial debut of one of cinema's most skilled directors). Appropriate features would have merited a "10" rating from me.
Rent it. Watch it. Return it. Remember it. |
|
|
GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 5.27)
45 Votes
add to list 
|
|
|
Your cart
Eoliano
© 2006 All Media Guide, LLC. Portions of content provided by All Movie Guide®,
a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.