What I love about Scorsese is that he will talk to someone in an interview like this in a casual way the he would talk to a friend or pretty much anyone, no guardedness.
One of the single most insightful interviews with Martin I have ever seen. You let him speak and asked him incisive questions that he could just roll with. Love these interviews!
He was also merely in a good and talkative mood that morning, which shows. Sometimes creatives can be very moody and insular but this was fortunate. Agreed, this is an exceptional interview!
wow..the last 4 minutes when he says "who am i" "who are we".....fuckin brought a tear to my eye. This guy is one of the most down to earth men on the planet.
As for legacy, it's true that Scorsese's impact on film language, on film form, cannot be compared to that of Godard, Antonioni, Tarkovsky, Jancso etc, but in terms of his impact on pop culture, and on narrative cinema, he will definitely be remembered for his vital contributions.
***** Don't agree they are 'boring', but yes their appeal is obviously limited.They are more intensely focused on film form and less concerned with narrative and character, although they aren't completely unconcerned with it, in the same way that Scorsese isn't unconcerned with film form. They just use aspects of the medium to achieve totally different ends. I wouldn't argue that Scorsese is inherently inferior because he isn't a formalist, but when it comes to talking about film language, he isn't a person i would bring up in a discussion unless the subject was about modern narrative film.
***** Your comment makes me wonder just how much film knowledge you actually have. I'm sorry. Godard was a pretentious blowhard. Antonioni was chic for a while but then lost influence. Tarkovsky was a true poet and visionary. I've only seen one of Jansco, probably only he is truly "boring" out of the group.
John Molina Was your comment directed at me or Peeeons? Because if you are questioning my film knowledge, bring it on! As for Antonioni losing influence, i don't think so. Antonioni's use of space to convey alienation is still a common technique used today, even among some commercial directors like Michael Mann.
***** Peeeons, some of those older film makers take time to appreciate. Their appeal isn't necessarily instant. Don't rush it. I suggest just going through their films slowly. One film isn't enough to judge Tarkovsky in my view, but at least you have taken the plunge.
dios bananos i have hard time with godard. Kurosawa is a god, hitch is hitch, Tarkovsky is fine all the way through, but godard. good lord. i feel like wrapping myself to a kilometre of tinfoil and rolling myself off of a staircase, all the the way down. why? i have no idea, but after seeing socialisme, that tinfoil thing feels somehow more sensible than forming a coherent thought about socialisme
Every time someone ever mentions Scorsese, the first thing I think off is that long take in Goodfellas. Such a great film maker and seems really down to earth.
That noise he makes with his mouth at 25:53 gets me eveytime. No wonder how much he likes fast transitions, narration and a bunch of dialogue in his movies.
Scorsese seems like one of the nicest "big name" directors in the business. He still seems like a regular guy after being lauded and praised for so many years. He's a genius, but that hasn't effected his personality. I think it's sad to see him acknowledge that he's getting old and that he'd really like to make more films, but such is the nature of human life. One day you wind down and you have to accept that you need to be picky about what you want to make; you don't have the highest amount of energy to make those huge pictures anymore and undeniably each one could be your last
i love when he talks about Ebert, God rest him. if anyone is fascinated by Scorsese's films and likes Ebert's reviews - read the book that Roger Ebert wrote about Scorsese. really fascinating to read as an aspiring writer/director.
I came here to check out a couple of minutes from the powerful Martin Scorcese and ended up watching the entire interview. Thanks for uploading. This is one of my favorite recent interviews with the master. Question for you: During the interview, how many people are in the room? Feels very intimate and closed, the set. On a separate note, would love it if Scorcese would do a Directors series documentary on his favorite directors. Listening to that man speak about film is a treat.
Ditto. I love to listen to him as well. You should check out "A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies" It's a book and a documentary based on the book- both of which I've seen & read. He touches on the history of American cinema and some of his favorite directors place in that story. Definitely worth checking out. There's a chance your local library may have it (if you live in the US) or you can buy it on amazon like I did. I think it might even be uploaded here on RU-vid. There's also cool interviews worth watching he did with Charlie Rose about Fellini and also an interview he did with Coppola etc.
I love scorsese. He deals with the nastiest characters in the most gentle and empathetic way. He can see into the mind of why the most awful actions are understandable in a certain situation
I love that Scorsese mentioned Imamura in that list of great directors. A favourite Japanese director of mine, but not really well know like Kurosawa or Ozu.
Good interview. I think we're lucky that Scorsese gives so much time and thought explaining his process. He could easily make a movie every 5 years and not talk to anyone. He's a great teacher. This channel and RU-vid is a valuable resource for filmmakers.
Just recently watched WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR. Now he's the big Hollywood insider (or at least perceived as such). But watching his first feature, you really get a sense of somebody who was an outsider totally pushing the envelope in terms of narrative, editing, use of music, likability of the protagonist, etc. The true artists break the rules.
The problem with WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR was that it was filmed over a period of two years, thereby losing continuity. ! (See commentary.) The problem with early Scorsese in general was the weak narrative structure: WHO'S THAT KNOCKING, BOXCAR BERTHA, MEAN STREETS.
I agree about the narrative structure. But again, that's one of the ways Scorsese was breaking the rules. Granted, it's not accessible like yer typical Hollywood fare.
Lynn Turman My understanding it was suppose to be or was his master's thesis under the tutelage/production of Haig Manoogian. The young and enthusiastic Scorsese was obviously influenced by Goddard, but five years later he's still doing the same in MEAN STREETS. It wasn't until ALICE that he had a more structured narrative.
Isn't that the guy he dedicated RAGING BULL to? And I think Scorsese was influenced by a lot of people. You could spend a lifetime finding shots or setups or transitions, etc, that he "stole." But I agree with you that Scorsese (like many of the filmmakers of his generation) was heavily influenced by post WW2 European Cinema. He's said himself that that was the kind of movie he felt compelled to make as opposed to Hollywood classic cinema made during the Studio System (in spite of how much he loves those movies). That might've changed the last 10 or 15 years. As great as his later movies are (I LOVED Shutter Island & the Departed & the Aviator), they do feel more traditional in terms of the narrative/journey of the protagonist. Or again, maybe it's just my perception of him as the insider.
Lynn Turman He wasn't really breaking the rules. He was just doing what most of those New Hollywood guys were doing at the time: distilling--and occasionally dumbing down--their European influences and applying them in an American setting.
Really great interview. It's frustrating that a master of cinema like Scorsese aren't allowed to make films HIS way, without studio execs getting in the way of the creative process. I hope that Marty keeps finding the energy to make films for many years to come.
I'm gonna' wait to see the movie (it hasn't been released where I am yet) before I watch this, but I'm very pleased you got this interview. Lookin' forward to it...
Sorry I'm commenting on all your videos, I just got sucked into the blackhole. Anyhow, thanks for the beautiful interviews. Your questions are absolutely spot on, incredible work!
+wattamutt I agree with you in the Godfellas and Raging Bull argument, but I disagree with you on The Wolf of Wall Street. 12 Years A Slave won in 2013 and deserving so. It deserves to be in discussion with The Godfather, On The Waterfront, ect. A "man amongst boys" type of film in my opinion. It was robbed of Best Actor, Best Director and Best Cinematography as well. With that being said, I love The Wolf of Wall Street, but they made the right choice that particular year.
Glad you got Scorsese. Even though you get variety from people who work on a film, you deserved this one. Love your interviews, it really is something to hear these people uncut and honest. Thank you for doing this.
Ya, he is surprisingly humble. Even his films that don't speak to me as much, the attention to detail and clarity of his vision remains undeniable. My favorite thing about Marty is, when he does huge budget films, the money all goes to the marrow. It doesn't go to the pointless frills that many huge studio films indulge in.
I love the moment where he tells the camera man to stop messing around with the lens. Every other interview you can see others getting a little annoyed with it yet Scorsese just flat out tells him to stop. Good interview.
man he is so knowledgeable not only about films in general but the industry in a whole, I could listen to him for ever talk about movies and the business. WOW.. awesome.. such a cool calm relaxed guy
8:52 - 9:17 - what he’s discussing here in a sense is the manner in which the auteur theory decentralized and thus disrupted the canon of the time. But note what he says toward the end of this statement: “That (decentralizing) made us appreciate the others. And over the years we came back to the ones that were supposedly ‘hit’.” In other words, the canon was augmented, not ultimately destroyed. Sadly, that’s no more. Now, a student can take a film class - even a survey class - and never hear about the great masters because of the political agendas that have crept into the humanities. The canon has it seems been permanently “hit”. And we’re supposed to be shocked by the lack of visual literacy and film history knowledge among film students.
Yeah I have to agree. It's so rare but so important that the person doing the interview is as good at their job and has put as much thought into it as the person they are interviewing. VERY rare these days. So much of it is "answer this same question again you've been asked a million times but to my camera and to me." Good questions are very hard to come by being asked. Really nice.
It was his first time shooting for me. Last minute. I flew in to NYC at the last minute and my regular shooters were booked. Nighttime shoot in a hotel room on the upper east side. It gave him a good story for dinner parties.
Great interview, shame about the sound quality, it's never normally an issue with these things, but yeah I could listen to him talking for much longer, can't wait to see this film too
I'm an aspiring filmmaker of 15 years of age and Scorcese talks about how it's different because kids are narratively and visually influenced by the films of today but I disagree, the films that I love, that I've learnt from are films of the last generation, his films, Lumet's and Coppola's and more - Deer Hunter, The Graduate, Alien. So I don't thinks we're products of the problematic story telling of 'modern' movies. I think the ones of us that will succeed are the ones who are now what the master before us have done for us and we're gonna build from that not bam, bam, bam media we get from our phones and tablets.
We are a low budget operation. So when I drop in to NYC, for instance, I am hiring a shooter I probably haven't worked with before. And they are figuring out the sound, since they are usually image-first talent. I would love to have a sound person, 2nd camera, etc. Also, we shoot on location, often on the run. All these are excuses, of course. We do our best. And I would love to upgrade some of it, though when we recently kickstarted, the most common response was that people didn't want us doing anything more elaborate. Go figure. Nothing hurts my soul professionally than, say, mic pops... just not necessary. But I'd rather be doing the wide range of things we do than spend over $10k (or more) on each interview and do 20 a year.
It also surprises me that Scorsese still has to struggle for artistic freedom on his films. Do they not want quality pictures that will bring them awards? Do they still not understand that controversial press makes money, or that a quality film may not make as much on opening day, but will continue to make money much longer as it becomes a classic. And we're not even talking about an art film. We're talking about a film starring DiCaprio about a lifestyle many want a taste of.
Your videos are terrific, insightful interviews with some of the most talented filmmakers ever. With that said...it's time to up your game in the audio department, for pete's sake. You're interviewing Martin Scorsese (Martin Scorsese!!!) and I can barely here your questions, which are an important part of the whole equation.
i like how there's a cross fade between the moment scorsese starts naming directors that affected him as if he really did do a massive list of people haha
