It's Not Just You, Murray!
| It's Not Just You, Murray! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Martin Scorsese |
| Written by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Richard H. Coll |
| Edited by | Eli F. Bleich |
| Music by | Richard H. Coll |
Release date |
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Running time | 15 mins |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
It's Not Just You, Murray! (1964) is a short film directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Ira Rubin and Sam De Fazio. The film focuses on Murray, a middle-aged mobster reminiscing about his career without realizing that his success is not all it seems to be. The film premiered at the New York Film Festival in 1966.[1] It's Not Just You, Murray! won various awards including the Producers Guild Award for Best Student Film, and Jesse L Lasky Intercollegiate Award.
Plot
[edit]Materialistic middle-aged mobster Murray (Rubin) looks back at his life. He attributes many of his successes to the support and companionship of his friend Joe (De Fazio), claiming that Joe helped him get a job with the Mob and is the reason he met his wife. Murray is overly careful to not reveal his job, but in a way that leaves no doubt he is a mobster. His recollections, delivered in voiceover, are frequently contradicted by memories shown on screen.
Over the course of the film, it becomes clear that Joe has repeatedly backstabbed Murray over the years. The two started out as bootleggers together, but when the cops stormed their distilling operation, Joe fled and left Murray to take the fall. Although Murray revived his Mob career after his release from prison, Joe makes Murray the public face of the operation, and Murray publicly embarrasses himself. In addition, Joe has been sleeping with Murray's wife for years.
One day, Murray mentions that his kids look like Joe. The audio cuts out while Joe and Murray argue. Eventually, Murray declares that Joe's explanation satisfies him. He settles back into his materialism and resumes bragging about how rich and happy he is.
Cast
[edit]- Ira Rubin as Murray
- Sam De Fazio (credited as DeFazio) as Joe
- Andrea Martin as Murray's wife
- Catherine Scorsese as Murray's mother
Robert Uricola, Bernard Weisberger, Victor Magnotta, Richard Sweeton, and John Bivona also received acting credits.
Production
[edit]The film was made at New York University.[2] The film is 15 minutes long, shot in 16 mm film as black and white film.[3][4] While working on the film, Martin Scorsese met Laraine Marie Brennan, whom he married.[5] Much of the film was shot in Scorsese's apartment.[6] The story of the film is based on his uncle.[6] Scorsese co-wrote the script with Mardik Martin.[7] The film marked the debut for Scorsese's mother Catherine Scorsese.[8] It later premiered at the New York Film Festival in 1966.[9]
Reception
[edit]In 1964, It's Not Just You, Murray! won the Producers Guild Award for Best Student Film.[9] Later, the film won the Jesse L Lasky Intercollegiate Award.[10]
Patricia Cooper and Ken Dancyger wrote that the film is "among the best student films ever made".[11] Mark Asch of Reverse Shot wrote, "The celebration of one's influences—a constant in Scorsese's career—is a characteristic It's Not Just You, Murray! shares with innumerable other student films".[12] Christopher Campbell of Business Insider wrote that the film "features a few more parallels and even seems like a template for a number of later works, including Goodfellas, Casino and now The Wolf of Wall Street."[13] Nora Sayre of The New York Times wrote, "What's pleasing throughout is the way that the narration contradicts what's taking place on the screen".[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Villa, Daniele (2015-12-22). Terrence Malick: Rehearsing the Unexpected. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-27804-6.
- ^ MacDonald, Scott (2008-01-02). Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25087-1. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ Wernblad, Annette (2014-01-10). The Passion of Martin Scorsese: A Critical Study of the Films. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-6232-2. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ Monaco, James (1984). American Film Now: The People, the Power, the Money, the Movies. Zoetrope. ISBN 978-0-918432-64-3. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ Biskind, Peter (2011-12-13). Easy Riders Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-And Rock 'N Roll Generation Save. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-2661-5. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ a b Keyser, Lester J. (1992). Martin Scorsese. Twayne. ISBN 978-0-8057-9315-4. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ "Screenwriter Mardik Martin (Mean Streets, Raging Bull) Dies at 84". www.wga.org. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ Hamlin, Suzanne (1997-02-19). "Remembering an Italian Mother Just as She Would Like". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ a b Casillo, Robert (2006-01-01). Gangster Priest: The Italian American Cinema of Martin Scorsese. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-9113-0. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ Mugler, France; Landbeck, Roger (2018-10-10), "It's Just You and the Books", University Teaching, Routledge, pp. 113–136, doi:10.4324/9780429459092-5, ISBN 978-0-429-45909-2, S2CID 197991723
- ^ Cooper, Patricia; Dancyger, Ken (2012-09-10). Writing the Short Film. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-136-04857-9. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ "Scorsese's NYU Shorts". Reverse Shot. Archived from the original on 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ "Watch Martin Scorsese's 1964 Student Film That's Like A Template For 'Wolf Of Wall Street'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ Sayre, Nora (1974-01-15). "Film: 'Sticky My Fingers' and 4 Other Early Works:The Program". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.