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Parents' Guide to

Who's That Knocking at My Door?

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Early Scorsese film has rape, nudity, sexism.

Movie R 1968 90 minutes
Who's That Knocking at My Door? Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Who's That Knocking at My Door? Movie: Scene #1
  • Who's That Knocking at My Door? Movie: Scene #2
  • Who's That Knocking at My Door? Movie: Scene #3

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age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

Avery B.
Avery B. Adult
February 15, 2021
age 14+
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR focuses on three low-life New York wise-guy wannabes who drink, smoke, party, and sleep with prostitutes (sex scenes feature full nudity), but have no qualms about setting higher standards for the behavior of others. J.R. (Harvey Keitel) seems to be the one guy who has the potential to be better than the idiots he hangs out with. When they take a trip to the countryside, Joey (Lennard Kuras) complains nonstop, but J.R. appreciates the beauty of nature, and he's a film buff with good taste. He falls for a far more refined girl (Zina Bethune) than the prostitutes/"loose" women he usually hangs out with, and when he stands in her studio apartment filled with jazz records and books, including Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night," he seems both interested and fearful that he doesn't measure up. When they finally have a sexual encounter, he refuses to go any farther than kissing and touching, but won't explain that he's serious about her and, as a Catholic, won't have sex with her until after marriage. When she later reveals that she was date-raped (shown in a disturbingly violent flashback), he's angry, accusing her of lying to him to cover up the fact that she's already had sex. She's clearly ashamed that she was raped and understands that he would see her as tainted goods. After their breakup, he returns to her, hesitatingly apologizes, and tells her that he's still willing to marry her despite her second-class status. She stands up for herself, and says "no," explaining that he would always "find a way to bring it up." He says "damn right," and calls her a whore. He goes to church to confess, surrounded by jump cuts of religious statuary depicting the crucifixion, Christ's wounds, and the Virgin Mary's grief.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Here's an unusual look at the early work of a director who would soon after show enormous skill and ability, making it fascinating for students of film and far less interesting for anyone else. Scorsese uses non-actors and employs a little too much improvisation. Teens used to quick-paced, polished, color, expertly-edited blockbusters may view this slow, grainy character study as a lot of boring parts surrounding a bit of soft-core-porn.

That said, Scorsese's visual skills, ingenuity on a low budget, and ability to make the most of raw young acting talent is unmistakable. And note that tWho's That Knocking at My Door? is edited by Thelma Schoonmaker, who has remained a close collaborator through decades of his great films, including Raging Bull, The Age of Innocence, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Goodfellas. Here Scorsese is already tackling a lifelong theme regarding the hypocrisy of church adherents who sin but set strict standards for the behavior of others, as well as Catholic guilt. Interestingly, although nudity and sex and sexual violence are fully on display here, language is tame by today's standards.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the explanation about the difference between "broads" and "girls." Why do you think the male lead, and others both at that time and now, make a distinction between women Keitel's character can have sex with and those he would only have sex with after marriage?

  • How do you think attitudes in Who's That Knocking at My Door? about women and sex related to ideas at the heart of women's movement?

  • Do you think the sexual attitudes on display here make this movie seem dated, or do such attitudes still come into play socially among teens and adults today? Are girls called sluts? Is there a comparable word for boys? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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