Scorsese, Martin

Scorsese, Martin (skôrsā`zē, –sĕz`ē), 1942–, American film director; b. Queens, N.Y. A major figure in contemporary cinema, he grew up in Manhattan's Little Italy, attended film school at New York Univ., made his first feature-length film in 1968, and scored his first success with Mean Streets (1973). Often dealing with violent and obsessive aspects of modern America and focusing on Italian-American characters, Scorsese's films frequently feature a struggling hero and themes of sin and redemption. His major movies include Taxi Driver (1976), a harrowing urban morality tale; Raging Bull (1979), a look into the savage world of boxing; Goodfellas (1990), an exploration of the brutalities of Mob life; and Gangs of New York (2002), a violent epic of life in Manhattan's 19th-century slums. Among Scorsese's other films are Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), New York, New York (1977), The King of Comedy (1983), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), Kundun (1998), The Aviator (2004), and The Departed (2006, Academy Award). His documentaries, A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies (1995) and Il Mio Viaggio in Italia [my journey in Italy] (2001), reflections on great filmmaking in the United States and Italy, provide revealing glimpses into the influences that have shaped his art. He has also made documentaries on The Band (The Last Waltz, 1978), the Delta blues (Feel like Going Home, 2003), and Bob Dylan (No Direction Home, 2005).

Bibliography

See D. Thompson and I. Christie, ed., Scorsese on Scorsese (rev. ed. 2004); P. Brunette, ed., Martin Scorsese: Interviews (rev. ed. 2006); studies by M. Weiss (1987), D. Ehrenstein (1992), L. Keyser (1992), M. K. Connelly (1993), M. Bliss (1985 and 1995), L. Stern (1995), L. S. Friedman (1997), A. Dougan (1998), L. Grist (2000), G. Seesslen (2003), M. T. Miliora (2004), M. Nicholls (2004), B. Nyce (2004), and P. A. Woods, ed. (2005).

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Scorsese, Martin

(born Nov. 17, 1942, Flushing, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. film director. Scorsese earned a graduate degree in filmmaking at New York University. After directing several short films, he won critical attention for his feature film Mean Streets (1973) and was widely praised for Taxi Driver (1976); both films starred his frequent lead actor, Robert De Niro. Noted for his realistic, violent portrayals of New York street life, innovative camera work, classic film knowledge, and a spirited cynicism, he rose to the top rank of American directors with such films as Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), GoodFellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), and Gangs of New York (2002). In 2007 Scorsese won an Academy Award for best director for the Boston mob drama The Departed (2006), which was also named best picture.

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Scorsese, Martin (1942–  ) film director; born in Flushing, N.Y. Small and sickly as a child, he grew up in New York City's Little Italy and entered a Catholic seminary in his early teens; he left after a year to go on to New York University's film school (where he stayed as an instructor until 1970). As a student he made several prize-winning short films; his feature directorial debut was Who's That Knocking at My Door? (1968). He made some television documentaries and another feature film but gained his first broad public with Mean Streets (1973). From then, many of his films drew upon his Italian-American heritage and often deal with masculine aggression, as in Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1979), and Cape Fear (1991). Something of a loner and not really a part of the Hollywood crowd, he showed an ability to balance his critically acclaimed films, which seem to question traditional American values, with more commercially viable movies.