PLOT: From acclaimed filmmaker Rebecca Miller. “Mr. Scorsese” offers an intimate and richly layered examination of one of cinema’s most influential and enigmatic figures, featuring never-before-seen footage and in-depth interviews with those closest to him. The trailer offers a thrilling glimpse into the emotional heart of the docuseries, as Scorsese explores his perspective on human nature and the eternal struggle between good and evil throughout his life and career.
REVIEW: There is no question that Martin Scorsese is one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. The fact that the director of Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, The Departed, and more is still helming films is something we are fortunate to witness, as a new project hits screens every few years. At 82, we will hopefully have over a decade more time with him, but Mr. Scorsese feels like a perfectly timed reflection on Martin Scorsese’s six decades of films. Centered on a new interview with Scorsese, filmmaker Rebecca Miller, Mr. Scorsese examines the ups and downs of his work as a director, as well as the personal challenges he has faced along the way. A fascinating portrait for cinephiles, Mr. Scorsese serves as a fitting tribute to a filmmaker who has created films and documentaries that are just as reverent of their subjects.
Told across five hour-long episodes, Mr. Scorsese follows the career of Martin Scorsese from his youth through his most recent films. The first episode, “Stranger in a Strange Land,” revisits the filmmaker’s youth in New York City and utilizes family photos, as well as interviews with friends who inspired characters in movies like Mean Streets. There is a substantial amount of archival footage of Scorsese’s mother and father, filmed by Martin for his 1974 documentary Italianamerican. While Scorsese himself reflects frankly on his youth and growing up in an area of New York populated by gangsters. The footage from Scorsese’s early short films is fascinating to watch, especially for those unfamiliar with his work before his feature films, including Who’s That Knocking at My Door, Boxcar Bertha, and Mean Streets. The second episode, “All This Filming Isn’t Healthy,” centers on Scorsese meeting Robert De Niro, who is also interviewed, and directing the films Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Taxi Driver, New York, New York, and the documentary The Last Waltz. Interviews with friends, including The Band’s Robbie Robertson and director Steven Spielberg, lend some interesting firsthand experience to the mix.
Episode three, “Saint/Sinner,” opens with Scorsese’s struggles with drug addiction and the span of films that include Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, After Hours, The Color of Money, and The Last Temptation of Christ. The ups and downs of Scorsese’s career, both personally and professionally, are interesting to revisit alongside the critical perspective of his long-time editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, and his girlfriend, Isabella Rossellini. Scorsese’s daughters also provide interviews about their sometimes complex relationships with their dad during that era. Still, the analysis of Scorsese’s contemporaries, such as Spielberg, Paul Schrader, and Brian De Palma, along with current filmmakers like Spike Lee, Benny Safdie, and Ari Aster, offers an insight into how other directors perceive Martin Scorsese’s work. The fourth episode, “Total Cinema,” devotes its entire time to Scorsese’s work on Goodfellas, Cape Fear, The Age of Innocence, and Casino, with brief references towards the end to Kundun and Bringing Out the Dead. Some films receive more attention than others across the first four episodes. Still, the most famous films that Scorsese has helmed are given a thorough examination, without overlooking some of his smaller-scale projects and documentary work.
The final episode of the documentary, “Method Director,” covers the nine most recent films of Scorsese’s career, beginning with 2002’s Gangs of New York. The collaborations between Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio form the center of the last episode, with the chronology continuing to The Aviator, The Departed, and The Wolf of Wall Street, while skipping Hugo entirely. There is reflection on Scorsese’s relationships with his three daughters and his caring for his fifth wife, Helen Morris, who suffers from early-onset Parkinson’s Disease, as well as his work on projects like his George Harrison documentary, Living in a Material World, and his production company. Focus is given to his efforts to preserve world cinema, as well as his other endeavors. The exclusion of Hugo is strange since there are interviews shown that feature the film in the background. Given the considerable attention paid to Scorsese’s adult fare, particularly the level of violence and profanity in it, I was somewhat disappointed not to learn about his thoughts on Hugo, especially since it is a love letter to cinema, much like The Aviator.
Subtitled as “A Film Portrait by Rebecca Miller,” the film was initially developed as a feature documentary, similar to Miller’s documentary about her father, titled Arthur Miller: Writer. With unrestricted access to Scorsese and his extensive library of film materials from all his projects, as well as contact with friends, family, and numerous cast members and industry friends, Miller’s film is a love letter to Martin Scorsese that focuses on specific aspects of his life more than others. Scorsese’s Catholicism becomes a thread connecting his films The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun, and Silence, while his New York upbringing factors into many others. The film was produced over the last several years, giving Miller access during the production of The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon. While The Irishman receives about five minutes of consideration, there is little mention of Killers of the Flower Moon, with only a couple of set photos appearing in the final minutes of the last episode and some brief behind-the-scenes shots, indicating that the movie was early in production at the time. The oversights are somewhat unusual for such a comprehensive documentary, but they are minor compared to the overall compelling and exhaustive nature.
Taken as a five-hour documentary, Mr. Scorsese is reverential of the director while still giving attention to his vices and the lows of his career. Hearing contemporaries tell stories about working with Scorsese and what he was like during the various phases of his career provides a unique insight into how he has evolved as an artist. Scorsese himself is not shy about the mistakes he has made, nor is he apologetic about the decisions he has made on his films. Mr. Scorsese is one of the most fascinating portraits of a filmmaker I have seen. He is a testament to Rebecca Miller as a documentarian who chronicles everything about one of the best directors we have. At the same time, he is still able to share insights about his life and filmography. Aside from the occasional exclusion of Hugo, I learned a great deal about the three dozen feature films that Martin Scorsese has directed and am eager to revisit them all with a new perspective on the man who made them.
Mr. Scorsese premieres on October 17th on Apple TV+.
Source:
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