Cinema Revisited: Mean Streets (1973)
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel, David Proval, Amy Robinson, Richard Romanus, Cesare Danova, George Memmoli, David Carradine. Released October 14, 1973. Running time: 112 minutes.
The importance of a film like "Mean Streets" has grown over the years, mostly because it is a harbinger for several different careers. Most of all, it set the template for Scorsese's other crime dramas, including what is likely his masterpiece, "GoodFellas" (1990). It was also Scorsese's first time working with Robert DeNiro, and it features David Proval, who would make quite an impact during the second season of HBO's classic mob drama "The Sopranos."
At the time it was produced, cinemas were exploring urban dramas with mostly African American actors, and producers (including Roger Corman) suggested that Scorsese work with an all black cast. He was intrigued by the idea, seeing it as an artistic challenge, but since this was only his third film as a director, and first where he was given full creative control, Scorsese chose to work with Italian actors and characters, being more familiar with the ways and mores of his own ethnic group. Much of what happens in "Mean Streets" was inspired by events Scorsese actually witnessed growing up, and about real people he had known. The DeNiro character was said to have been inspired by a wayward uncle who was frequently in trouble with the law.
There are Italian anti-defamation leagues that have been chagrined by Scorsese's presenting Italians as gangster stereotypes, but he artfully examines each individual within a loosely episodic structure. It really can be seen as the clear inspiration of later crime dramas, especially those with Italian characters, even moreso than the Godfather films. In fact, Sopranos star James Gandolfini cited this film as the greatest influence on his interpretation of the Tony Soprano character.
Scorsese also explores Italian Catholicism, using the Roman Catholic religion to add another layer to the Harvey Keitel character, Charlie, an up and coming gangster who is conflicted by his religious upbringing. DeNiro's small time gambler character, Johnny Boy, is a quick-thinking, fast talking guy who appears on the surface to be a bumbler, but in fact owes most of the loan sharks in town and manages to talk his way around them as he stalls paying them back. Charlie tries to oversee and protect him, which becomes more difficult as the film progresses. Charlie's relationship with a woman suffering from epilepsy (Amy Robinson), who is Johnny's cousin, is a temporary distraction from the life, but soon can no longer be separate from that which has taken over his world.
Scorsese's vision as a filmmaker is established here, with his succession of medium shots, use of darkness, carefully chosen closeups, and compelling tracking shots. It is also the first film to use a steady stream of recognizable songs on the soundtrack, from opera to rock and R&B numbers from the 50s and early 60s (did The Blues Brothers first hear the original version of "Rubber Biscuit" on the soundtrack of this movie?). Getting clearance rights to use the songs took up half of the movie's budget.
An interesting bit of trivia -- David Carradine, who had worked with Scorsese on the Roger Corman production "Boxcar Bertha," has a cameo as a drunk shot to death in a bar by a teenaged hired gunman. The gunman is played by Robert Carradine, his real-life brother, who became a noted actor in his own right.
"Mean Streets" was made on a low budget, but was picked up for distribution by Warner Brothers, which pleased Scorsese who recalled that studio's classic gangster sagas of the 1930s with James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Edward G. Robinson. It was a box office hit, grossing more than five times its production costs, and was also critically acclaimed. It has lived on as an enduring classic from an exceptionally brilliant decade for cinema.