Wow. No matter how many times I looked at this, I doubt I would ever have noticed the alternate title or made a correlation to the America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Actually, that’s not true. I saw the title and didn’t think anything of it. So cudos to you for making that connection. :)
The Big Shave or Viet ‘67
The Big Shave starts out fairly harmless with several shots of an empty, spotlessly white bathroom before a silent man makes ready for a shave— all to a campy tune playing in the background. However, as he proceeds to shave it takes a much darker turn when a hint of blood appears under his ear and he rinses his razor of blood under the facet. The red drops stand in sharp contrast with the stark white bathroom. Soon it becomes apparent that the wordless man is, in fact, purposely mutilating himself. His face remains expressionless as he slowly and precisely continues to harm himself, until finally he shaves off a line of skin under his neck before replacing the razor on the sink—all to the same campy tune.
This film is eerie, and not just because of its subject matter. The opening shots of the still, empty bathroom along with the music create a calm, but lonesome scene. The apathetic lead beginning his daily shave in the white, saturated bathroom carries the same mood. This feeling is more pronounced as he begins shaving away at his own skin with his drops of blood sharply contrasting with the white sink they’re dripping into. The music still plays in its slow tone, and the man carries out his work as if he were still merely shaving his hair. The overall tone is unfeeling— the music still plays, the water keeps running, and the man continues on expressionless.
The Big Shave says a lot. Seeing as it was filmed in the sixties and the alternate title for it was Viet ‘67 the film could definitely be taken as a commentary on America’s involvement in the Vietnam war. However, the title and year are really the only things that suggest this, the film itself doesn’t actually have to be about war to get its point across.
