Boxcar Bertha (1972)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written by Joyce H. Corrington & John William Corrington, based on the novel Sisters of the Road by Bertha Thompson and Ben L. Reitman
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Barbara Hershey, David Carradine, Barry Primus, Bernie Casey, John Carradine and Victor Argo

Released by: MGM
Rating: R
Region: 1
Anamorphic: Yes.

My Advice: Rent it.

Bertha Thompson (Hershey) was the daughter of a crop duster pilot who was killed because his boss wouldn't give him a little bit of time to fix his airplane before he finished the field he was working on. She hooks up with union man Big Bill Shelley (Carradine) who teaches her more than a few lessons in life and they start a life of crime riding the rails from small southern town to small southern town.

This was Martin Scorsese's first motion picture, and according to the back of the DVD case, he was given free reign to do whatever he wanted to as long as he didn't go over his tiny budget of $600,000. This movie has its good moments, but for the most part, it's a rough cut of a movie from an obviously young and somewhat inexperienced director. Granted, it's supposed to look "rough" in places, but in this case, the editing and camera work looks rough for the whole film. As the movie starts, it seems to be a series of scenes out of Bertha's life, but as we get further into the film, a plot seems to get more defined.

You really have to look hard to tell that it is, in fact, Hershey who is playing the lead role in this movie. She looks nothing like herself. She is wonderful in the role, and seems to have had a very...ummm...close relationship with David Carradine in the movie. According to the IMDB, both Hershey and Carradine claim that their sex scene was, in fact, real and not "acting". Indeed, on screen, it borders on the pornographic; pushing every boundary that it can and still retain its "R" rating. On the whole, though, the movie is only worth watching because it is Scorsese's first feature film.

So, given the "historical" nature of the film, you'd hope that there would be at least something in the way of supporting material for this movie on the DVD, right? Well, unfortunately, you'd be wrong. There's nothing here at all. There are a couple of little "factoids" about the movie on the back of the DVD case, and that's all we get. I would have thought that they would have at least gotten an interview with Scorsese, Hershey, and/or Carradine about this one, but for whatever reason, they did not. I don't even think that a commentary track from Scorsese would have been too much to ask for, especially since this was his directorial debut.

So, if you see this one sitting on the shelf, pick it up at least as a rental, but I don't think the movie is worth owning. Some bonus features might make me change my mind...might.