Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese (Photo from Wikipedia)

Martin Scorsese is the definition of a motion picture director. While not a very tall man Scorsese makes up for any lack of height with an overflow of energy and vision. Known for researching every single detail of a shot, he probably knows every lens and camera ever built, and is famous for mastering the cinematic art like very few have ever been able to.  As time passes Scorsese's films remain current, and although many are violent they are also meaningful. Scorsese's Italian heritage is also a strong influence in his movie making.

The director's connection with his roots seems to be very strong and perhaps was never more so than during his marriage to Isabella Rossellini. Rossellini of course is not only a beautiful and accomplished actress but also the daughter of Roberto Rossellini, an inspiring director that Scorsese learned a great deal from, and the legendary Ingrid Bergman. Scorsese's talent is such that he has become a star in his own right, a feat accomplished by very few directors. In general, when people go to the movies they are drawn in by the stars and not the director. In the case of Martin Scorsese many people go to see a movie just for the fact that it was directed by him. 

An interesting aspect of Scorsese's filmography is the proliferation of violence in his movies. The Scorsese pictures that lack such violence and bite have been, in many cases, his weaker works. Take, for example, The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun or The Age of Innocence. All of these were beautifully shot but seem to be missing the energy present in other pictures. There are some exceptions, such as The Aviator, a film that starred Scorsese favorite Leonardo DiCaprio. If in the past Scorsese preferred to work with Robert DeNiro, these days he likes to cast Leonardo DiCaprio as his leading man. DiCaprio has starred in a variety of other Scorsese pictures, among them Shutter Island, Gangs of New York and The Departed.

The Departed, which was a reworking of a 2002 movie from Hong Kong, also starred Jack Nicholson, Mark Whalberg and Matt Damon. The movie won Best Picture and Scorsese finally took home his long awaited Best Director Oscar. Many have argued that there were better movies in Martin Scorsese's history, but no one could deny that he deserved at least one of the Best Director statuettes on his mantle.

Three other great, non-violent Scorsese films come to mind, namely New York, New York (which starred an extraordinary Liza Minnelli), The King of Comedy (one of the director's few comedic efforts, which starred a very dark Jerry Lewis and a brilliant Robert DeNiro) and, of course, The Color of Money. The latter was the sequel to The Hustler and starred a young Tom Cruise alongside legendary Paul Newman, who took home an Academy Award for his role in the film.

 "Shutter Island" Interview with Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese - 2010 Cannes Film Festival

It can safely be said that Martin Scorsese is one of the great directors of our generation. Although such pronouncements are always open to opinion and debate it is largely accepted that, along with Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg, Scorsese is one of the best in the business. While it can also be argued that Coppola is the best at storytelling and Spielberg the one with the magical vision who can make us all dream. Scorsese, on the other hand, finds his talent on leading us right into the middle of the action, showing us the reality of his made up world in a way that is second to none.

Scorsese has even tried his hand at acting with a few memorable parts. Two of the most significant are his monologue as the passenger in Taxi Driver (starring DeNiro and a young Jodie Foster) and, of course, his portrayal of Van Gogh in Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. These are two moments of very powerful cinema that make one wonder why the director hasn't chosen to act more often.

Besides his film and artistic achievements, in recent years Scorsese has begun promoting and actually sponsoring the restoration of classic films, among which many are Italian movies that have been brought back to their original splendor. Scorsese has been said to have a place in his heart for these films as he sees great inspiration in Italian neorealism. The activity of restoring and preserving old film and negatives is very important if we hope to pass on the great films of our time to future generations. These movies, like so much of what Martin Scorsese has created, are a testimony to our culture.

 Martin Scorsese gets honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2010 Golden Globes