For the last four decades, the director’s name on the tip of everyone’s tongue has been none other than Martin Scorsese. The renowned director has built up an unparalleled repertoire, from his devilishly entertaining Wolf of Wall Street (2012) to one of my all-time favorite crime movies, The Departed (2005). Why has Scorsese been hailed as a patron saint of filmmaking, and what makes his movies so successful? In this post, I will be exploring his beginnings, his signature style, and his lasting influence on the industry for decades to come.

Martin Charles Scorsese was born in 1942 to a family of Sicilian immigrants in the heart of the Queens borough of New York City. His upbringing plays a key role in all of his films, and is reflective of several experiences from his youth. For one, Scorsese was born and raised in New York City. Consequently, many of his films take place in major cities, from the pulsing heart of Manhattan to the dynamic, crime-filled streets of south-side Chicago. This commonality in setting can not only be lent to Scorsese’s influential childhood and affinity for urban scenes, but also his notion that using real cities adds a layer of relatability and relevancy to every scene.

Scorsese’s work is also deeply influenced by the classic rock/blues genres, and most of his films incorporate songs from artists like Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones into the soundtrack. One reason for this is explored in Vice’s 2016 article on the director: “Rock and roll would blare out of the jukeboxes and radios in the Lower East Side

bars he grew up around, and he found it intoxicating. When he saw violence on the streets, there was always music coming from somewhere, seemingly orchestrating it” (Godfrey). As shown through his setting, his themes, and his musical scores, each of Scorsese’s films draws heavily from his experiences and makes for some truly relatable and beautiful pieces of art.

In addition to his geographical influence when directing his films, Scorsese was raised in a traditional Catholic household; because of this, most if not all of his movies center on key themes of religion, conscience, and morality in worlds increasingly full of depravity. When considering the impact of the “Catholic imagination” on Scorsese’s films, the 1973 classic Mean Streets comes to mind. In the film, Charlie’s–played beautifully by Harvey Keitel–newfound sense of morality is in direct conflict with the world of crime and secrecy around him. Throughout the movie, Charlie is shown relying on religion and his sense of conscience to navigate his environment, showcased especially in the iconic opening lines of the film (“You don’t make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home”). Scorsese is also known to use overhead shots when displaying a character’s death, and this shot has often been compared to the eyes of God looking down on the sins of humanity.

Scorsese’s camera work and use of cinematography has led him to be hailed unquestionably as one of the greats. The cinematography in each of his films is realistic and raw, from the gritty inner city landscape of Taxi Driver (1976) to the unbridled emotion encapsulated in the black-and-white film Raging Bull (1980). The color schemes and visual elements are often tied to characters’ emotions as well. For example, Scorsese’s use of the color red in many scenes throughout his movies is often used to signify danger or peaking tension, while bright colors in general are typically used to draw attention to these immoral worlds often hidden from the public eye (this idea is encapsulated in Wolf of Wall Street as a whole, with Scorsese using a saturated color palette to show the artificiality of Jordan Belfort’s world). Scorsese prefers to use practical lighting–or actual working lights placed in a scene, such as a lamp or lantern–to add authentic and naturalistic elements to each shot.

Additionally, Scorsese uses highly stylized shots and kinetic motion to convey different emotions in his films. If a scene is full of tension and he wishes to maximize on its suspense and dread, for example, he may use a slow, creeping shot, while scenes that tend to be more fast-paced and action-filled in nature rely on quick pans and rapid kinetic motion. In paying extra attention to these details concerning cinematography and camera work, Scorsese maximizes the impact of every shot and displays his true talent as a director and an artist.

For these reasons and many, many more, Martin Scorsese is hailed as a talent and a visionary. Since his debut with the 1967 film Who’s That Knocking at my Door, Scorsese has taken the Hollywood industry by storm and has revolutionized the way we look at filmmaking. With his latest release of The Irishman in 2019, the world waits with bated breath to see what he does next.

Works Cited:

Godfrey, Alex. “How Martin Scorsese Used Punk and Rock Music Throughout His Career”. Vice, 11 February 2016. https://www.vice.com/en/article/689bjk/how-martin-scorsese-used-rock-and-punk-music-throughout-his-career.

Mean Streets. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Warner Brothers Studios, 1973.