NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (April 2020): Criterion have transferred five Martin Scorsese short films to produce their  Scorsese Shorts to Blu-ray package. It is cited as being a "Director Approved - New 4K digital restorations of all five films". These films are housed on a dual-layered disc with each transfer having high bitrates. They look like 16mm with a printed 35mm format. I see heavy, consistent, grain and the image is very clean, for the most part. All the films are in 1.33:1 aspect ratio - and the first two shorts are in black and white, the final three in color.  

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use linear PCM mono track (24-bit) audio transfers in the original English language. The first two shorts - What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1963) and It's Not Just You, Murray! (1964) - have scores composed by Richard H. Coll. The audio is suitable to the production limitations, but through the uncompressed everything is clean and clear. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' / 'B' (depending on geographical region) Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a new 3/4 hour conversation between director Martin Scorsese and film critic Farran Smith Nehme where she immediately brings up Marty's aspirations for acting and Scorsese detailed his asthma as a child which affected much of his expression. He discusses filmmakers who impacted him, seeing Citizen Kane for the first time on television, being exposed to Italian neo-realism and much more. It was conducted in February 2020 in New York City. I found it very honest and revealing. There is also a new, 25-minute, discussion among filmmakers Ari Aster and Josh and Benny Safdie who talked about how Scorses's early short were obviously dealing with topics that were very important to him - from his world. The subjective documentary, Italianamerican, is up there with Pennebaker or Maysles films, and Catherine Scorsese (Marty's mom) is in many of his films from Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, After Hours, Casino and more. They see Truffaut in these early shorts and others. I found it highly interesting. There is also a 23-minute Public-radio interview with Scorsese (audio-only). As part of the WNYC radio series Artists in the City, host Doris Freedman interviews a twenty-seven-year-old Martin Scorsese about curating New York City's first Movies in the Park series, as well as the direction in which the New American Cinema movement of the time was heading. The interview was originally broadcast July 26th,1970. The package has a liner notes booklet featuring an essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri and storyboards, treatments, and correspondence from Scorsese’s archive.

Described as "A portrait of the young artist: Five early works from one of our greatest living directors", Scorsese Shorts gives a rare glimpse into the blossoming storytelling of Martin Scorsese. You can see repeated scenes/shots in many of his later films as well as references to directors like Bunuel or Bergman. It is both fascinating and satisfying to see these shorts.

Aside from having a dozen films in my top 100, Martin Scorsese always seemed restless, challenging himself by moving from the humor of After Hours to the formalist drama of The Age of Innocence, from the biographical Kundun and The Aviator to the darkness of Taxi Driver or Shutter Island, as varied as the distance from The Last Temptation of Christ to that of Goodfellas. You'd think it would be enough to be the one of the greatest living filmmakers, but Marty also champions world cinema and lost classics to be seen by wider audiences. Bless him. Our cinematic world would be a far poorer without Mr. Martin Scorsese. If you are curious, THIS was his top 10 from years ago. I always remember him on his birthday of November 17th... because it is also my birthday :) This Criterion Blu-ray gets our highest recommendation!

Gary Tooze