Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Most of his films are quite dark and often violent. Their technical excellence is combined with impeccable acting. The films he created are surprisingly realistic. They contain a lot of violence, nudity and swearing. Read more about the genius on queenski.com.
Sickly in childhood
Martin Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942, in Queens to a clothes ironer and a seamstress. In addition, both parents were engaged in acting. Starting from the age of 3, the boy suffered from asthma, which made him stay at home for weeks at a time. To entertain their son, his parents took him to the cinema. He also spent a lot of time watching movies in his room. It was then that Martin developed a love for cinema.
Since the Scorsese family was Catholic, Martin planned to become a priest. To this end, he entered the seminary, but later left it to study at New York University, where he studied English, literature and film. As a student, he created a variety of films, from foreign classics to Hollywood musicals.
Friendship with de Niro
In 1967, Scorsese made his first feature film, a black-and-white film called Who’s That Knocking at My Door. This work was seen and praised at the Chicago International Film Festival by critic Roger Ebert. In 1970, he made a lesser-known documentary about the protests against the Vietnam War, Street Scenes.
While filming Mean Streets in 1973, Scorsese became friends with actor Robert De Niro. This friendship grew into a fruitful collaboration. The actor took the lead role in almost every one of Martin’s legendary films. By the way, it was the drama Mean Streets that made the director famous, becoming the starting point of his successful career.
In general, Scorsese’s films often feature slow motion, a lot of freeze-frames and cameos (short appearances of some celebrities). His works often touch upon the themes of religion and political corruption.
8 best films by the director
- The 1990 film Goodfellas is undoubtedly Scorsese’s best work and one of the best gangster movies of all time. The gangster drama provides an in-depth look at the inner workings of the mafia and the consequences of a life of crime. It is based on the true story of Henry Hill, an American gangster who worked closely with the Lucchese mafia family. Hill participated in two robberies at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
It is interesting that Scorsese used his own life experience to start the movie. In the first minutes, we see young Henry looking out of his window at gangsters. In the same way, as a child, suffering from chronic asthma, the director watched the events on the street.
- Raging Bull is a 1980 biographical sports drama. The film is an adaptation of the memoirs of former world boxing champion Jake LaMotta and tells the story of the athlete’s career and his tumultuous personal life. Interestingly, the idea of its creation belongs to Robert De Niro. When the director was hospitalized, the actor brought his friend the autobiography of the prize-winning boxer Jake LaMotta. Scorsese realized that the future film would not be about boxing, but about a man driven to self-destruction, so he agreed. This is definitely one of the best films of the 1980s. It makes you think about violence both outside the ring and inside it. The movie also provides a kind of algorithm on the way to self-acceptance.
- The Irishman is a 2019 drama about a mafioso Frank Sheeran, nicknamed The Irishman, who killed 25 gangsters. The movie makes you think about the consequences of a life of crime. Watching it causes a long-lasting adrenaline rush. The film was widely recognized by critics, who, among other things, praised Scorsese for his direction.
- Taxi Driver is a 1976 psychological thriller. It tells the story of a taxi driver, Travis Bickle, a former army officer. He finds his taxi job unfulfilling, so he takes solace in his girlfriend Betsy, but their relationship quickly ends. Later, Bickle turns his attention to a young prostitute, Iris, and tries to save her from her pimp. During a meeting with her businessman client, Bickle thinks about violence in order to cleanse the evil. His inner demons provoke him to take revenge for reasons known only to him.
Taxi Driver is a story about a sick man whose mental and emotional state is successfully conveyed by Scorsese, from the opening shot in a taxi to the climactic murder scene. The film was named one of the best films of all time by legendary directors Quentin Tarantino and Asghar Farhadi.
- The Age of Innocence is a historical romantic drama of 1993. Successful lawyer Newland Archer is engaged to a virtuous girl, May Welland. High society is enthusiastically watching this union, but everything changes when May’s cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, arrives. She intends to divorce the Polish count. Over time, Newland realizes that he has fallen in love with this woman. Scorsese was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director. The film was remembered by the audience for the huge number of knife wounds shown.
- Mean Streets is a 1973 drama about the lives of young mafia men in the Italian neighborhoods of New York City. With this film, Scorsese announced himself as a director with an incomparable ability to successfully portray his characters.
- Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western crime drama set in 2023. The film tells the story of an FBI investigation in the 1920s in an Indian settlement where an oil field was discovered. The discovery enriched the locals, but they paid for it with their lives. The FBI sends undercover agents to solve the murders.
Scorsese’s powerful cast (Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro), strong storyline and skillful direction ensured the film’s success. While most filmmakers would have turned the film into a story about the heroism of FBI officers, Scorsese focused on the love story between Ernest Burkhart and his wife Mollie. Killers of the Flower Moon is a mixture of history, violence, romance and drama.
- The King of Comedy is a 1982 black comedy. In the story, Rupert Pupkin thinks he is a brilliant humorous storyteller and decides to become a comedian. One day, he gets into the car of his idol, TV star Jerry Langford. Langford promises Rupert to evaluate his performance. However, when he arrives at the meeting, Langford’s office staff won’t let him in.
Then Pupkin decides on an adventurous plan. Together with his partner, he kidnaps Langford, demanding an opportunity to appear on the show in exchange for his release. The management of the TV company has no choice but to fulfill the villains’ demands. This is one of Scorsese’s funniest films, with jokes that contain elements of humiliation and aggression that are typical of black comedy.
Scorsese’s women
Five official wives, a long list of mistresses and numerous romantic relationships with actresses – a brief account of the director’s personal life. In 1965, Scorsese married Laraine Marie Brennan. The couple had a daughter. The marriage lasted 6 years. In 1976, Scorsese married writer Julia Cameron. She gave birth to the director’s second daughter. The couple divorced after only a year of marriage. Julia left Martin pregnant when he fell madly in love with Liza Minnelli.
Martin’s third legal wife was the actress Isabella Rossellini, with whom he lived for 4 years. This marriage was like a tropical hurricane. The filmmaker was very jealous of his wife, locked her up at home and even hired a detective to keep an eye on her. The next woman Scorsese chose was film producer Barbara de Fina. Their marriage lasted from 1985 to 1991. After 8 years, Martin finally formed a strong union by marrying television producer Helen Morris. They became parents to a daughter and lived together for over 20 years.