Boxcar Bertha (1972)
Boxcar Bertha (1972), directed by Martin Scorsese.
A poor young woman falls in with gamblers, labor organizers and bandits. The movie has light and whimsical bits, but also brutal scenes, culminating in a rail-car crucifixion and bloody shotgun revenge.
It's a small, pretty inconsequential film, but often nicely photographed. The plot and editing seem rough by today's standards when everything is super-smooth and more formulaic.
It's worth seeing if:
You like the actors.
You want to see early Scorsese.
You are a student of quick, low budget film-making as managed by producer Roger Corman.
You are exploring that strangely effective 70s genre: the grubby, realistic Great Depression picture.
Barbara Hershey and David Carradine perform their own nudity; neither has a butt to speak of. They were a couple at the time and I see they staged a reenactment of the love scenes for Playboy.
Inspired by a real character, they say.
