Essay

Martin Scorsese

Introduction

Martin Scorsese is an American film director, producer, writer, and prize-winner of the Oscars. He is a winner of more than 100 all kinds of film awards and prizes. Martin Scorsese is a director who has become a true legend in the world of American cinema. His movies have been translated into many languages. Many of them have acquired a legendary status. Without hesitation, many of his works can be called true masterpieces. His films are characterized by expressive cruelty and violence. In film circles, Martin Scorsese is known as a master of gangster films. “Martin Scorsese is the greatest director alive”. Currently, Martin Scorsese is a living legend of world cinema.

Biography

Ancestors

Ancestors of Martin Scorsese immigrated to America from Sicily Province of Palermo. They came to the US in 1910. They spoke only Italian. In fact, they did not become real Americans. Martin’s parents were born, grew up, and spent most of their life in Manhattan. Charles Scorsese was a burnisher. Catherine Scorsese was a seamstress. Martin was born on Long Island. However, in the fifties, parents went back to the native Elizabeth Street in Little Italy. It is considered one of the most criminal areas of New York. The future filmmaker grew up surrounded by drug dealers and criminals. Martin’s parents spoke a burning mixture of Italian and English. However, Martin never managed to overcome the mental barrier and speak Italian.

Childhood

The future star of world cinematography was a sickly child suffering from asthma. “As a kid, he suffered from severe asthma and was therefore blocked from participating in sports and other common childhood activities”. He spent much time in cinemas with his parents or older brother. Thus, the future director began interested in cinematic art. Religion was an important aspect in the life of Martin Scorsese. Nevertheless, until the case in 1978, the future director did not pay it enough attention, despite the Catholic parents. In 1978, Scorsese was on the balance of death due to internal bleeding caused by drugs. He survived four the most terrible days in his life and decided that experienced a rebirth. Martin’s parents sent him in a Catholic school where for several years he studied for the church priest. However, Martin was not interested in such prospects. Later, Scorsese left the parish school and went to the New York College of Arts and Sciences. He began to study literature, cinema, and other important subjects. In this period, his favorite directors were Satyajit Ray, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Michelangelo Antonioni, and others. Subsequently, a great director repeatedly mentioned about their significant influence on his creative views.
In 1964, Martin received a bachelor’s degree. Leaving college, he went to the army. Martin Scorsese decided to return to cinematic art only after demobilization. In 1966, he entered New York University. There, he began to create short-length films. Later, Martin Scorsese proceeded to the creation of more serious works.

A Debut

In the second half of 1967, the great master began working on his first feature film – I Call First. It is noteworthy that the main role in the film was performed by a young and unknown actor Harvey Keitel, who later starred in many films of the Italian-American master. The film tells the love story of Jay R. and his girlfriend living on the streets of New York. It touches the problem of the Catholic guilt. J.R. is the first of the gallery of the obsessed characters of Scorsese. In one degree or another, his characters are always the author’s alter ego. J.R. is torn by conflicting attitudes toward the opposite sex, which he divides into two categories – girls & broads. The first category is a decent girl, a respectable future wife, and a loving mother, and the second – whores. Education prescribes communication with the first category. However, J.R. hallucinates about the whores that are heroines of his obscene scenes.
By the end of filming, Scorsese decided to rename the movie in Who’s That Knocking at My Door? The film was the winner of Chicago Film Festival in 1968. Many critics reacted positively on the feature-length debut of Martin Scorsese. Despite some structural flaws, critics were convinced that Scorsese mustered directorial experience would shoot better films.

Characteristic Features of Martin Scorsese’s Films

Martin Scorsese is one of the pillars of modern cinema. He was able to lift the concept of aggression and sex to a new, higher level. Martin Scorsese is not the agitator of violence. He just exquisitely adorns it. The scene of the boxing fight in the film Raging Bull has become one of the most spectacular and exciting in the history of cinematography. Martin Scorsese prefers to fill his films with drama and life’s trials. “Martin Scorsese is an extremely spiritual man and filmmaker who has been concerned with moral issues since childhood”. His movies are often based on real events. The director always tends to use his favorite actors and assistants. Scorsese prefers not to change the creators of his projects. He constantly works with Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and a film cutter Thelma Schoonmaker.
Martin Scorsese’s name is associated with the new Hollywood. It is a direction, ideologists of which aim to unite fun and a serious research in the field of ethics and philosophy in one film. The subject of the first films of Martin Scorsese became a life on the streets. Most films were shot in the state of improvisation and the author’s reflection. However, very soon, the protagonist’s point of view no longer reflected the views of the director.
In many films, there is the permanent obsession of Martin Scorsese with the themes of sin and redemption, unpredictable guises of holiness, the High Court, and a modern urban hell. The director often adverts to the Christian themes. Such films as The Last Temptation of Christ and Boxcar Bertha indicate a distinct Catholic worldview of the director. However, these films were highly criticized by the whole Catholic world.
Martin Scorsese prefers to use wide-angle lenses. His shots are often filmed in the uniform rectilinear motion. Unlike constructivism of de Palma and immersive of Spielberg, Scorsese is characterized by less canonical and bolder shooting skills. Martin Scorsese creates extremely energetic video series using cutting of brief shots, shooting from the intriguing angles. He often uses zooming, which allows attracting the viewer and excite the mind.

The Most Famous Films

During his career, Martin Scorsese created many outstanding works. All of them have different themes – religion, relations, crime, and many others. Raging Bull is an iconic work of a famous director. It is the story of the life of a real person. It is a film about the famous American boxer of the Italian origin, world champion Jake LaMotta. At first, the story of a boxer Jake LaMotta did not interest the director. After the Oscars received by Rocky, Hollywood launched not only a sequel to the film of Stallone but also a few movies about boxers. Scorsese decided that his film would be different from all these projects. According to Martin’s idea, the film should be black-and-white. Shooting of Raging Bull began in April 1979. The scenes in the boxing ring were planned to shoot in five weeks. However, the process was delayed. The final version appeared in 1980. For six months, sound producers worked on the sound. It was particularly difficult because of the need to synchronize all actions of boxers in the ring with the surrounding noise. Critics praised the work of Scorsese and De Niro. Raging Bull was nominated for eight Oscars. For the first time in his nearly twenty-year career in the movie, Martin Scorsese was nominated for the Oscars for Best Director. In total, Scorsese was nominated 10 times for this award – as a director, a screenwriter, and a producer.
The Last Temptation of Christ is the film that caused many contradictions. It is one of the most significant films in the work of Martin Scorsese. It is a shocking film. It is a story of the Son of a man through the chain of temptations and traps. It is driven by ecstatic fear. Viewers watch it with a heavy heart because it is a thriller of faith. Martin Scorsese depicts followers of Jesus as completely earthly people. They desired the revolution. However, He accepted the Crucifixion. He went to the cross and plunged their hopes of an earthly kingdom in the dust and likened their earthly existence to ashes. However, the subsequent crotch strikes the viewer. Crucified on the cross released by the mission, he would have a wedding, a house, children, and the road from joy to joy, from son to son. His choice will be the most important in the history of the world. It seems that filmmakers deliberately refer to the topics that are heavy and contradictory for most Christians. The human and flesh side of the image of Jesus is a subject, which is difficult to mention. The main theme and mood of the film is doubt. The film touched on topics sensitive for the Church and incurred the massive criticism from religious organizations and believers of different Christian denominations. It was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

Conclusion

Martin Scorsese is one of the few contemporary American directors, whose films have caused many contradictions. In his films, he touched upon the problems of religion, death, crime, and many others. Martin Scorsese is a prize-winner of the Oscars. His career began with the film Who’s That Knocking at My Door? After this film, the director shot many outstanding films that were brilliantly accepted by the critics and public.