Boxcar Bertha
Based on the strength of his first film, Martin Scorsese was hired by producer Roger Corman to direct his next project, Boxcar Bertha, the story of a southern girl turned criminal who goes on the run with her boyfriend and his gang of fugitives. They hop trains and rob rich people blind, donating the money they steal to railroad unions as they go.
This is an odd film. It sounds good enough. However, in execution it is left wanting. It was very hard for me to get through. Most of the scenes were completely unnecessary, adding nothing for the character or story. I also found the editing to be quite disjointed. As much as I wanted to like this film, I could not.
The film was, maximum pun intended, a trainwreck. There’s not much positive to mention besides its cast, which does a good job with what they are given. The two leads, Barbara Hershey and David Carradine, prove they have acting chops and are compelling as two lovers on the run from the cold hand of the law.
I went in expecting this to have a lot of trains in it. While it certainly does have a lot of trains in it, their importance to the story is almost zero, so even going in expecting a train movie will not save you.
Marty kept his themes of crime and religion going in this, although not very subtly (one character is literally crucified for their crimes).
Scorsese Ranked:
This… was a tough watch. All-in, this was a pretty big misfire from my perspective. Making movies is hard, and I think Marty took some valuable lessons from this experience.
- Who’s That Knocking at My Door
- Boxcar Bertha
Next Friday, join me for Mean Streets, as we get the first of ten collaborations between Scorsese and Robert De Niro. I am very excited for this one.
