In May 2020, it was made available on DVD/Blu-ray by
The Criterion Collection as part of a collection of his short films from the 60s and 70s.[5]
Synopsis
Peter Bernuth[6] stars as the recipient of the title
shave, repeatedly shaving away
hair, then skin, in an increasingly bloody and graphic bathroom scene. Prompted by the film's alternative title, many
film critics have interpreted the young man's process of self-mutilation as a
metaphor for the self-destructive involvement of the
United States in the
Vietnam War.[7]
American Dad!: In "
The Best Christmas Story Never", Stan travels back in time to 1970 and meets a young Martin Scorsese. When Stan tells the director that he's a big fan, Scorsese says, incredulously, "You saw my six minute film about a guy shaving?!"[citation needed]
Dave Hause, singer of
The Loved Ones, released a video for the song "Time Will Tell" from his debut solo album Resolutions that pays homage to "The Big Shave".[11]
PEARLIES A two-minute short horror film directed by Jonathan Gularte Ramirez starring as himself as he brushes his teeth in an increasingly bloody and graphic fashion. The short is directly inspired by "The Big Shave".[12]