Cinema Study I: Martin Scorsese

[Johann]

Martin Scorsese is a living legend.
Born Nov. 17, 1942, Queens New York.

His parents took him to the cinemas when he was a kid and it really put the hook in him. Read any bio on the man and you'll see how deeply affected he was by those early filmgoing events.

He has said that there are only two things that interest him: religion and cinema. He was all set to become a priest when he decided to become a film director. His early films are raw little works that clearly have an interesting mind behind them.

In 1959 at age 17 he made Vesuvius VI, a film I'm assuming has religious undertones-I haven't seen it, who has?- and his 1963 What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? and 1964's It's not just you, Murray! are clearcut examples of his emerging talent. His 1967 short film "The Big Shave" is an incredible shocking movie of a guy bleeding to death while shaving. I love it. You can see it on the vhs release with 1974's ItalianAmerican- a doc on his mother and father. You get to see Catherine Scorsese making her famous spaghetti sauce!
His most famous early film is Who's That Knocking At My Door? a great movie with kinetic energy and a snappy soundtrack- it's available on Warner Bros. home video and most "good" video stores carry it.

He then helped make the landmark Oscar-winning documentary Woodstock with Michael Wadleigh and Thelma Schoonmaker (his long-time friend and editor). I liken Marty's work on Woodstock to be the equivalent of Kubrick's "on the fly" shoot of Day of the Fight- loading cameras and trying to get the best shot.Woodstock was probably a better film education than
anything he'd done up to that point.
He had stints as a film professor at NYU (where Oliver Stone was his student-check out THE DOORS- Oliver plays Marty as UCLA prof, goatee and all!) and he completed the great New York film Street Scenes in 1970. Around this time he landed a job in Los Angeles at Warner Bros. as an editor.

Boxcar Bertha is an accomplished, focused film that got him some more notice in the film community, but he was still "unknown". It could be said that Scorsese didn't "arrive" until 1973: The year of Mean Streets, the kick-ass, balls-to-the-wall masterpiece that put himself, Robert DeNiro & Harvey Keitel into the books of film history. This is one aggressive motherfucker of a movie. The soundtrack is the first great Scorsese soundtrack: 50's & 60's hits spliced with gliding tracking and swift edits. You got a turf war here: hints of a dark underground (New York seems mysteriously sinister in Marty's hands) and the "You callin' me a mook?" scene is the best example of Marty's intent: to make a real movie about real inhabitants of a real city. Mean Streets indeed.

Everyone from Marlon Brando to Stanley Kubrick acknowledged that Marty was a blazing new talent.

[JustaFied]

Will there be a part 2, Johann? I feel bad about interupting a work in progress here.

It's amazing that neither Scorsese nor Altman has won an Oscar. And Ron Howard has. I remember laughing a couple of years ago when Howard ("A Beautiful Mind") beat out both Altman ("Gosford Park") and Lynch ("Mulhollound Drive"). There was a shot of Lynch going over to talk to Altman, I can him imagine him saying something along the lines of "Don't worry, this is all bullshit anyway". Same thing with Scorsese last year with "Gangs of New York". He may not have deserved it for that movie, but they should have given it to him anyway.

I really like "Raging Bull", "King of Comedy", and "Taxi Driver". Never seen "Age of Innocence" nor his first films you mentioned.

I'm not a big fan of "Goodfellas" or "Casino", not real sure why. Maybe it's the voiceover narration with the non-stop music. I don't like that much music in a film, it seems to be cheating in a way, trying to create a mood w/o the necessary dialogue or settings or whatever. "Taxi Driver", on the other hand, creates the mood with no music. It's just the image of Travis Bickle staring at himself in the mirror saying "you talking to me?". Silence. That's scary shit.

Give the man an Oscar this year, even without a film out. Make up a reason later.

[Johann]

Scorsese has cast a big shadow and my subsequent posts will be longer (and more violent) ha ha.
I'll discuss Scorsese more "loosely" after I've finished the 3 parts.

[Johann]

The 4th feature from the man from Queens, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, is one of the most delicate in his canon.
Ellen Burstyn is Alice, an aspiring singer who faces great problems in life. This film was the inspiration for the tv sitcom "Alice". The movie shows a side of Scorsese that few people realise he has: human compassion. It's the only Scorsese film you'll see with a female lead and if I say so myself it's one of his best.

Taxi Driver is the Palm d'Or winning slice of gritty American pie that is arguably the man's masterpiece. Roger Ebert named it the best film of the 70's and it ain't no mystery why: it's a true original that influenced a hell of a lot of new filmmakers and remains an entrenched part of film-lovers' psyches.
Travis Bickle is the achetypical "disgruntled layman". He's not particularly intelligent, but he knows what has meaning. He's like a wolf who's wandered into a city. He hates the status quo, he hates apathy, he's in his own world.
Add Bernard Herrman's final score and you got a fucking classic.

New York New York gets a lot of heat from film buffs because it doen't live up to the Scorsese name. It does lack punch, but in all fairness the film is ambitious and it's not bad.
It helps to be a Scorsese fan if you plan to see it. It's a three hour tour of old-time New York with DeNiro and Liza Minnellli (Marty's wife at the time). There are some stunning musical numbers in the film, and I recommend it for that. Overall the film leaves you cold because DeNiro (who is great as always) and Minnelli don't create any sparks. It's just a lavish, cocaine-fuelled project that almost cost marty his career. He got into a deep funk after the box-office failure of the film, and he wondered if a studio would ever give him money again to make another movie.

When he was making New York New York he got an offer to make a film of The Bands' final concert. He jumped at the chance. It had to be made under the radar: "New York New York wrapped in Oct. 1976, the concert was to be in November"- M. Scorsese.

Praise the gods he did it: The Last Waltz is the best concert film ever made. Marty is the "interviewer" of The Band, and we see the group bowing out after 16 years on the road at the height of their powers. It's clear that Bob Dylan thinks he's the star- he forbid Marty from shooting his performance, but he and Bill Graham shot him anyway. The band played on every song with every guest performer for 5 Hours on Thanksgiving Night, 1976. My personal favorite song is "Caravan" by Van Morrison. He brings the house down if you ask me. It's a cinematic crime that the footage of Van & Richard Manuel's rendition of the Irish Lullaby "Tura Lural Lural" was lost.
Scorsese wanted to put it back in the film for the special edition DVD, but they couldn't find the footage! A travesty! You can listen to the song on the soundtrack, tho.

I would like to point out now that Gangs of New York has been in the cards and "on the table" for a few years at this point in Marty's career. Search the net and you'll find a poster for the film that was made up in the late 70's. It wouldn't get made until the new millenium, as we all know.

Marty spent the years after The Last Waltz and NY NY hanging out with Robbie Robertson. They "were like vampires" Marty said, watching scores of films together and getting high on coke. But he did manage to make a documentary called American Boy about a kid named Steven Prince.
After a near-nervous breakdown, he mustered the strength to go on making movies. "I didn't know how to do anything else" he has said.
Robert DeNiro confronted him one day and said "Are we gonna do this or what?" (make Raging Bull)
We must thank the cinema gods they did.



Raging Bull needs no explanation from me. Ebert named this film the best of the 80's (gotta bias for Scorsese, Roger?)
and the story of Jake LaMotta is one hell of a cinematic experience. DeNiro was more than worthy of the Best Actor Oscar he claimed. It's the crime of the century that the director got snubbed for Best Picture or Best Director. Ordinary People is a fine film, but for fucks sakes, Raging Bull destroyed it that year.
All of the actors are outstanding. Joe Pesci needs to be appauded more loudly than he was for his work. He is AWESOME. Just as awesome as DeNiro. Let's not forget the black and white camerawork, which is absolutely breathtaking. Add the best boxing scenes in film history and Scorsese is BACK.

[Johann]

Yes, he was back, but he got slammed again by the filmmaking gods. Raging Bull was a disaster in terms of box-office success.
Marty had just made a masterpiece but he was still ignored by the ivory-tower powers that be and the movie-going public.

His next film (which contains DeNiro's best performance in my opinion) was a film that he didn't have his heart in, and he says now that The King of Comedy is a film he's not particularly proud of. He should be. I love The King of Comedy. It's an outstanding film full of offbeat humour and strange situations. DeNiro & Scorsese is one of the great screen teams like Mifune & Kurosawa, Mastroianni & Fellini, Kinski & Herzog, & Depp & Burton. If you ask me The King of Comedy is their best teaming.
People will disagree (I can hear them now: "fuck off Johann- Taxi Driver is the best, you idiot") but if you really examine King of Comedy you'll see that Marty and Bobby were a well-oiled creative machine in this overlooked, great film.


After Hours is a cult classic and deservedly so. It was an unexpected career move for Marty. Good for him. After Hours is hilarious and it shows Scorsese's not-so-serious side. It's his Good Morning. Griffin Dunne is perfect, Rosanna Arquette is perfect, shit, even Tommy Chong is perfect. Pick up a six-pack and rent After Hours. You'll have a great time in front of the tube.

At this time he was asked by his buddy Steve Spielberg to direct an episode of his TV series Amazing Stories. His chapter is Mirror Mirror, a creepy little film about paranoia in which the protagonist is confronted with a Phantom-of-the-Opera/Darkman type character who keeps popping up in the mirrors of his house.
It's one of the best episodes made for this series.

The Color of Money re-established Paul Newman's reputation in 1987. (He won the Best Actor Oscar for his return as "The Hustler"), Tom Cruise and Forest Whittaker are great in what I call "Newman's Coda". (Yeah, he starred in more films since, but I think he was effectively "out to pasture" after Color of Money. Anyone who'd rather make salad dresssing than be the acting icon he is SHOULD retire).
The DVD release is severely lacking. Rent the vhs or wait for a special edition, which I have to assume is in the cards soon.

During the shooting of the video "Beat It" Michael Jackson said his real desire was to make films. Coppola and Scorsese responded to the call. Marty helmed the video for BAD, which is a total 80's west side story-type of "short film" which is OK, but my feelings about Jackson force me to say that Scorsese has been insulted. His name is marred now because he worked with a freak who could have been the greatest entertainer the world had ever seen, but he chose to live in a psycho circus with Macaully The Chimp and Bubbles Culkin. MJ is a disgrace to himself, his fans, and most of all to Scorsese and Coppola, who gave him films he doesn't deserve. Rot in hell, Jacko.

The Last Temptation of Christ is Scorsese's best film in my opinion. I love all of his films and on an "enjoyment" level, The King of Comedy and Bringing Out The Dead are my true faves, but in terms of artistic and technical achievement Last Temptation is the ultimate film statement from the man. Criterion put out a beautiful edition of this epic, emotional masterpiece. anduril says he felt challenged by Last Temptation of Christ. I'm sure Marty would be happy to hear that, as I'm certain he intended to do just that: shake the foundations of Christianity, but in a GOOD way. The fundamentalists were abhorred. You have suggestions that Jesus and Mary were lovers, beginning scenes have Jesus as a carpenter making crosses! (thanks for pointing that out to me, Ken- I would never have given that point any consideration) and the sexuality seemed to be too much to take for God-fearing folks. Theatres were BOMBED, Protests outside theatres turned violent, screenings were sabotaged by everything from trucks being driven into lobbies to knives being thrown at the screens. People were ANGRY.
I must again apologize for my french, but those morons were FUCKING ASSHOLES. Anyone who gets angry over FICTION, gets indignant at having their beliefs challenged by FICTION, have a fucking cow over FICTION needs a brain enema. Bravo, Marty. This film is your 2001. Fundamentalists can be some of the most ignorant cocksuckers....
*sorry, I had something in my spleen again..*

New York Stories is a 3-film series on stories about the big apple. Woody Allen and Coppola did one and Marty did the universally acknowledged best film, Life Lessons. Great rental, a must-see, but I'm not sure if it ranks high in Marty's filmography. If anybody can comment more let me know, as I've only seen it once, and that was 5 years ago.

The next project he did was the gangster masterpiece Goodfellas. It boasts a deadly soundtrack, an Oscar-winning acting job by Joe Pesci and one of the greatest tracking shots in film history. Ebert called it one of the ten best films of the 90's.

If you haven't seen it then you need a kick in the cunt.

Get your ass to a fucking video store, you fucking loser! Do you think I'm funny? How am I fucking funny?

Cape Fear is Marty's shamelessly commercial
remake of a Robert Mitchum classic. He has said that "your film should make money" and I think he wanted a taste of the huge success that his friends Lucas and Spielberg enjoyed. No matter. He maintained integrity with this hugely entertaining thriller which I saw at age 16 (and was blown away). DeNiro is arguably scarier in this than Taxi Driver! Max Cady is not a dude you wanna meet in a dark alley....

The Age of Innocence is a jewel in his filmography. Absolutely gorgeous moviemaking. He proves that he can handle the period epic (a la Barry Lyndon- there are direct quotes of Kubrick's film in it). Wynona (thief!) Ryder and Daniel Day-Lewis are stunning. Give yourself an evening to really get into it. (Period epics require your attention!)

Casino is one of the greatest excercises in acting cinema has ever seen. I watch it about once every two months for the immaculate acting. Sharon Stone (an actress I hate) should have won an Oscar. I hate her as a person, but lord almighty is she incredible in this movie. And DeNiro and Pecsi once again chew scenery. I think Casino is just as good as Goodfellas. Goodfellas may be more entertaining, but Casino is just as taut.

Sorry, I can't comment on Kundun. Haven't seen it. I'll rent it this week and post a review.

After Kundun Marty the film lover bestowed his Personal Journey Through American Movies, which members here have mentioned before is one of the best film courses you'll ever take.

Next is a personal fave: Bringing Out The Dead.
I don't like Nicolas Cage. But again, like Sharon Stone, he is INCREDIBLE in this movie. The soundtrack is absolutely KICKIN'.
I saw it on the big screen when it came out and hearing Van Morrison's T.B. Sheets blaring from the speakers clued me in that this movie was gonna be wicked.
Nicolas is an ambulance worker for the city of New York. He's tired of being a "grief mop"- he wants out, but like Pacino "they pull him back in". He has bizarro partners like Ving Rhames: a big, black bible thumper and John Goodman, who is always looking for places to eat when he's in the ambulance. Patricia Arquette (Cage's wife at the time) is the daughter of one of the people he rescues, and their relationship is one of the most interesting I've ever seen in the movies. This film is so good-looking! Robert Richardson (Kill Bill's DP) washed the streets and used his "halos of light" so well that this is a film I'll dip into for years to come.
Genius film.

I'm watching Gangs of New York again to give it fresh perspective. I'll post about it later.

Marty's next film The Aviator stars Leo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, Jude Law as Errol Flynn, Cate Blanchett as Kate Hepburn, Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow and Willem Dafoe.
Should be interesting....

[cinemabon]

Reading the Justified post, almost made me laugh. Does he really believe that "Taxi Driver" would be the same without the great composer Bernard Herrmann? (who also penned "Psycho" for Hitchcock. The score was finished by saxaphonist, Tom Scott. Herrmann died before the film was completed). "Cape Fear" was an actual homage to Herrmann, who wrote the original score which was used in the remake.

Marty should thank his lucky stars that, like the Hitch/Burks connection, he found and used on Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, cinemaphotographer Michael Chapman. Chapman's contribution to Raging Bull is often overlooked. Not trying to take anything from Marty, he is a consumate filmmaker, with a long track record to prove it. Thanks, Johann for bringing this filmmaker into the spotlight.

[oscar jubis]

Herrmann's last two major scores, for Obsession and Taxi Driver, give the films so much formal, emotional, and thematic shape that the usual rule of music serving as accompaniment often seems reversed, and the images, dialogue, and sound effects seem to accompany the music scores.

Jonathan Rosenbaum
The Chicago Reader

[JustaFied]

I said "music"; I should have said "soundtrack".

It's the non-stop use of pop song after pop song (usually from whatever time period they're in) in Goodfellas and Casino that I don't like. He didn't do that in Taxi Driver. That was the difference I was trying to point out. The music in TD is certainly memorable, but also more sparse and more subtle.

As far as I can remember the only song lyrics we hear in Taxi Driver are the ones Cybil Shepard quotes from a Kris Kristoferson song: "...partly truth and partly fiction". Travis had never heard of Kristoferson.

Not that I'm against songs with lyrics, per se, but I just think it's overdone in some of Scorsese's movies.

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Johann
His next film (which contains DeNiro's best performance in my opinion) was a film that he didn't have his heart in, and he says now that The King of Comedy is a film he's not particularly proud of. He should be. I love The King of Comedy. .
People will disagree (I can hear them now: "fuck off Johann- Taxi Driver is the best, you idiot" but if you really examine King of Comedy you'll see that Marty and Bobby were a well-oiled creative machine in this overlooked, great film.

I'm surprised Marty feels that way and glad you and JustaFied like The King Of Comedy. It's the only one I like more now than when it first came out. Twenty years ago I couldn't see a single crack or flaw in Taxi Driver or Raging Bull and thought of KoC as a serviceable but minor work. I was wrong.

[Johann]

The King of Comedy is a gem. Seriously. And it's just been repackaged on 20th Century Fox home video- gorgeous DVD transfer. Not too many extras, tho. I wonder what the studios are waiting for-Scorsese is a film icon and his films should be delivered to film fans in serious style- Criterion style.
Rupert Pupkin is a fascinating character. I don't know why Marty says it's not great- I'm guessing he just has bad memories of the shoot and it's poor reception. This is the only film I can say I love starring Jerry Lewis.

Sandra Bernhardt is even good in KOC. She annoys me, but she was really good and she reminded me of a girlfriend I had way back when, so..

[anduril]

Originally posted by Johann
The Last Temptation of Christ is Scorsese's best film in my opinion ... The fundamentalists were abhorred. You have suggestions that Jesus and Mary were lovers, beginning scenes have Jesus as a carpenter making crosses! (thanks for pointing that out to me, Ken- I would never have given that point any consideration) and the sexuality seemed to be too much to take for God-fearing folks. Theatres were BOMBED, Protests outside theatres turned violent, screenings were sabotaged by everything from trucks being driven into lobbies to knives being thrown at the screens. People were ANGRY.
I must again apologize for my french, but those morons were FUCKING ASSHOLES. Anyone who gets angry over FICTION, gets indignant at having their beliefs challenged by FICTION, have a fucking cow over FICTION needs a brain enema. Bravo, Marty. This film is your 2001. Fundamentalists can be some of the most ignorant cocksuckers....
*sorry, I had something in my spleen again..*

I love your penchant for over-reaction; it's almost parallel to the fundamentalists. :-) BTW, for a reasoned defense of why Fundamentalists opposed this film, read "Last Temptation of Christ Denied". NOTE: I am not endorsing this essay so please do not take it as my opinion. I've just provided the link in order to foster mutual understanding.

In any case, I agree that Last Temptation of Christ is Scorsese's best. Great movie.

[Johann]

Hey, when in Rome...

The gratuitious language was intentional in the spirit of the man I write about...

[anduril]

Would that be the spirit of Jesus or Scorsese?

[Johann]

Did Jesus ever use the words "ignorant cocksucker"?

Scorsese swore a lot in Taxi Driver...

[anduril]

Hey, you've been known to put words in Jesus's mouth...