Mean Streets (1973)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

Martin Scorsese (screenplay) and
Mardik Martin (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 October 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets...

Plot:

A small-time hood struggles to succeed on the "mean streets" of Little Italy.

Plot Keywords:

Little Italy | Epilepsy | New York City | New York | Bar

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Johnny Boy
Harvey Keitel	...	Charlie
David Proval	...	Tony
Amy Robinson	...	Teresa
Richard Romanus	...	Michael
Cesare Danova	...	Giovanni
Victor Argo	...	Mario (as Vic Argo)
George Memmoli	...	Joey
Lenny Scaletta	...	Jimmy
Jeannie Bell	...	Diane
Murray Moston	...	Oscar (as Murray Mosten)
David Carradine	...	Drunk
Robert Carradine	...	Boy With Gun
Lois Walden	...	Jewish Girl
Harry Northup	...	Soldier
Dino Seragusa	...	Old Man
D'Mitch Davis	...	Cop
Peter Fain	...	George
Juli Andelman	...	Girl At Party (as Julie Andleman)
Robert Wilder	...	Benton
Ken Sinclair	...	Sammy
Jaime Alba	...	Young Boy #1
Ken Konstantin	...	Young Boy #2
Nicki 'Ack' Aquilino	...	Man On Docks
B. Mitchel Reed	...	Disc Jockey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Catherine Scorsese	...	Woman on Landing (uncredited)
Martin Scorsese	...	Jimmy Shorts (uncredited)

Directed by
Martin Scorsese

Writing credits
Martin Scorsese		(screenplay) and
Mardik Martin		(screenplay)
Martin Scorsese		(story)

Produced by
E. Lee Perry	....	executive producer
Jonathan T. Taplin	....	producer

Cinematography by
Kent L. Wakeford		(director of photography) (as Kent Wakeford)

Film Editing by
Sidney Levin		(as Sid Levin)

Production Management
Paul Rapp	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ron Satlof	....	second assistant director (as Ron Satloff)
Russell Vreeland	....	first assistant director
Paul J. Crossey	....	dga trainee (uncredited)

Art Department
Bill Bates	....	property master
Doyle Hall	....	assistant visual consultant
David Nichols	....	visual consultant
William Sandell	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Walter Goss	....	sound re-recording mixer
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Bud Grenzbach)
Donald F. Johnson	....	sound mixer (as Don Johnson)
Kenneth Schwarz	....	boom operator (as Kenny Schwarz)
John Wilkinson	....	sound re-recording mixer (as John K. Wilkinson)

Special Effects by
Bill Balles	....	special effects (as Bill Bales)

Stunts
Bill Catching	....	stunt coordinator (as Bill Katching)

Camera and Electrical Department
Norman Gerard	....	additional photographer
John Murray	....	key grip
Pat O'Mara	....	assistant camera
Bobby Petzoldt	....	gaffer
Gene A. Talvin	....	camera operator (as Gene Talvin)
Bill Young	....	best boy
Harry Young	....	second assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Norman Salling	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
George Trirogoff	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Joe Cupcake	....	assistant to producer
Peter Fain	....	production coordinator
Cornelia McNamara	....	clothing consultant
David Osterhout	....	production coordinator: second unit
Neil Rapp	....	assistant to producer
Bobbie Sierks	....	script supervisor (as Bobby Sierks)
Chris Thompson	....	production secretary
George Toth	....	animal trainer
Sandra Weintraub	....	pre-production and post-production coordinator
Pamela Williams	....	assistant to producer

Thanks
Paul Almond	....	special thanks
Frank Aquilino	....	special thanks (as Frankie Aquilino)
Nicki 'Ack' Aquilino	....	special thanks
Frankie Bananas	....	special thanks
Dale Bell	....	special thanks
Mitchell Block	....	special thanks
Dean Bojorquez	....	special thanks
Larry the Box	....	special thanks
Hooter Brown	....	special thanks
Jay Cocks	....	special thanks
Brian De Palma	....	special thanks
Norman Garey	....	special thanks
Jenny Goldberg	....	special thanks
Alec Hirschfeld	....	special thanks
Dr. Robert Kahn	....	special thanks
Richard Katz	....	special thanks
John Krauss	....	special thanks
Angelo Lamonea	....	special thanks
Jim McCalmont	....	special thanks
Bill Minkin	....	special thanks
Michael Mislove	....	special thanks
Nancy Nigrosh	....	special thanks
Lee Osborne	....	special thanks
Sally Red	....	special thanks
Bill Saluga	....	special thanks (as Billy Saluga)
William Sandell	....	special thanks (as Bill Sandell)
Catherine Scorsese	....	special thanks
Brad Shattuck	....	special thanks
George Smith	....	special thanks
Edward Stable	....	special thanks
Dita Sullivan	....	special thanks
Brian Swain	....	special thanks
Harry J. Ufland	....	special thanks (as Harry Ufland)
Anna Uricola	....	special thanks
Dominic Vaccaro	....	special thanks
Fred Vaccaro	....	special thanks
Roger Vreeland	....	special thanks
Barbara Weintraub	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Taplin - Perry - Scorsese Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1999) (Australia) (theatrical) (new 35mm re-issue print)
• Aquarius TV (1998) (Greece) (TV)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Encore Entertainment (1994) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Manga Films (2002) (Spain) (DVD)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Angel Editorial  sound effects

Also Known As:

Season of the Witch (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

112 min | Spain:107 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | Argentina:18 | Iceland:16 | Canada:R (DVD rating) | Brazil:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 (re-rating) | France:-16 (original rating) | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:16 (1977) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (re-rating) (1993) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Belmont, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Taplin - Perry - Scorsese Productions

Trivia:

The title change from SEASON OF THE WITCH to MEAN STREETS was inspired from a Raymond Chandler line, "Down these mean streets a man must go." Film critic Jay Cocks suggested the change to Martin Scorsese, who thought it pretentious at first but eventually came to agree it was effective.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Charlie and Johnny Boy are walking (after the bar shooting), in one shot it is nighttime, and in the next the sun is up. The dialogue continues as if no time has passed.

Quotes:

Johnny Boy: Y'know Joey Clams...
Charlie: Yeah.
Johnny Boy: ...Joey Scallops, yeah.
Charlie: I know him too, yeah.
Johnny Boy: ...yeah. No. No, Joey Scallops is Joey Clams.
Charlie: Right.
Johnny Boy: Right.
Charlie: ...they're the same person!
Johnny Boy: Yeah!
Charlie: 'ey!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: The Departed: Facing a Loaded Gun (#13.15)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

SHIP OF LOVE

Quintessential early Scorsese, and one of De Niro's most convincing and varied roles.

The first time that Robert De Niro appears up-close in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets is to the tune of the Rolling Stones' Jumpin' Jack Flash. It's from this point forward that the movie leaves the realm of being a 'good film' and becomes 'one of the greatest films of all time.' Simply put, the energy of Mean Streets is fantastic. De Niro's flamboyant entrance is one of many iconic moments in the film, which has influenced just about every crime film made since – for good reason.

And yet ironically Mean Streets is rarely acknowledged as the masterpiece that it is, perhaps because a number of people actually forget about it. Everyone remembers Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and GoodFellas in particular, but Scorsese's breakthrough remains one of his most important and honest pieces of work, given little recognition apart from the praise by movie critics who do remember it.

Harvey Keitel, giving one of his most realistic and three-dimensional performances of all-time, plays the lonely and worried Charlie, a 20-something New York City Catholic who is haunted by his friend, Johnny Boy (De Niro), the local loner who has to jump off the sides of streets in order to dodge the local Mafia thugs he owes money to.

Mean Streets has been accused of lacking a point, and one critic calls it 'too real,' but I'd take this over most recent films any day of the week. Mean Streets doesn't have a dynamic arc like most motion pictures do – sure, there's the rising action leading up to the climax, but it doesn't move from one frame to another trying to figure out the easiest way to end the movie while managing to stress all its points in such a manner so blatant that a four-year-old could pick up the themes.

It respects its audience enough to study its characters in such a way that they are given ten times as much depth as those seen in modern films released through Hollywood. As Johnny Boy, De Niro paints the ultimate portrait of a typical street loner – a dumb kid who 'borrows money from everyone and never pays them back.' Charlie, much smarter and wiser, takes Johnny under his wing and tries to help him get a job, so that he can pay back what he owes to a local kingpin. However, Johnny is so irresponsible and stupid that he doesn't show up for work and begins fighting with the mob – leading up to an inescapable conclusion that features some very ancient themes colliding together. It's the classic tale of redemption and escaping one's past, and if the film has a point it is that some people can't change and you'll get what's coming to you, even if you've got other people helping you out.

The film does have its technical flaws, such as poor dubbing, inconsistency, and the occasional goof. It's a raw movie, filmed on a low budget by a young and far more naïve Martin Scorsese. But all his typical elements are in place, to be expanded upon later in his career.

Keitel and De Niro are superb, particularly De Niro who shows great range very early on in his career. Almost unrecognizable in shabby clothing, hats and a scrawny figure to boot, this is a role that would typically be more suitable for Christopher Walken or other charismatic character actors – but De Niro pulls off the role with intense talent, proving once again that he can handle any type of role. He's known for his psychotic roles, but in Mean Streets, he plays the opposite of Travis Bickle. Johnny Boy isn't unstable or psychopathic – he's just wild and stupid.

Keitel channels all the thoughtful consciousness of an older child, considering Johnny Boy to be a brother of sorts. He feels that if he fails Johnny, he will somehow fail himself.

Mean Streets is a careful character study that never resorts to cardboard cutout caricatures or the standard clichés of the genre. Dialogue does not exist to move action forward towards the next adrenaline-packed sequence; Mean Streets focuses on its inhabitants with such strong emotional power that it's impossible not to be caught up in its grasp. A true classic from start to finish, and undeniably a very moving film.