When it comes to talking about who the greatest modern director is, usually Martin Scorsese’s name is mentioned. Scorsese has decades worth of films that have received large amounts of awards and critical acclaim. When his name is attached to a film, people will feel the need to see a film for that name alone. Of course, his success did not happen overnight. Scorsese had to work hard in the movie industry to get to where he is now. In addition, while he has made many fantastic films, that does not mean they have all been fantastic. He has dealt with some flops in his career. However, he has always managed to pick himself back up, turn things around, and make something great. So how did Martin Scorsese become the man that he is? What is he doing now? Here is everything you need to know about Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese.
Scorsese’s Beginnings
Martin Scorsese did his early film studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. His earliest work was short films, like What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? And The Big Shave. His first feature film was made in 1967, entitled Who’s That Knocking at My Door?, which starred classmate and current long-time collaborator Harvey Keitel. The second feature film he directed was Boxcar Bertha, which he was hired to do after the success of his first film. His Breakthrough then came with Mean Streets, which was a critical and commercial success. It was only up from there for Scorsese.
Reaching His Peak
After Mean Streets, Scorsese was chosen to direct the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. This film turned out to be a big success and it earned Ellen Burstyn an Oscar and Diane Ladd a nomination. Scorsese then made the thriller film Taxi Driver, which was nominated for Best Picture. It allowed Scorsese to make his musical film, New York, New York, which, unfortunately, did not do well financially. He then switched up his style a bit to direct The Last Waltz, a concert film of The Band, along with guest performers. It is often seen as one of the best concert films ever made. He then made many more successful films including Raging Bull, which got him a Best Director nomination, The King of Comedy, and The Color of Money, which got Paul Newman his first Oscar. He also made The Last Temptation of Christ, a passion project for him. During the 1970s and 1980s, Scorsese moved his way up and showed the world his greatness.
Riding the Success and His First Oscar
Scorsese then made Goodfellas, which some people consider to be the best mob movie and really established what Scorsese was best at. He later did Casino to confirm this style. His first big film of the 2000s was Gangs of New York, which was one his more expensive films at the time. The expenses did pay off and the film earned 10 Oscar nominations. He then made The Aviator, which had the most oscar nominations for its year. Soon after that, Scorsese made The Departed, which received large acclaim. This was also the film that finally won Scorsese an Oscar for Best Director after decades of successful films. The film itself also won Best Picture. Even though Hollywood was already giving Scorsese plenty of respect, the solid recognition is nice.
Scorsese’s Current Career
In 2013, Scorsese made The Wolf of Wall Street, which became a smash hit amongst critics and audiences alike. Some people have even called it one of the greatest films of the 21st century. After that, Scorsese made the religious drama Silence. Even though it did not get as much mainstream attention as some of his other films, it was still enjoyed by many people. Years later, he made The Irishman, which was a return to Scorsese’s roots of mob films. It is three and a half hours long, but it still enthralled many audiences, mostly critics. Scorsese’s most recent project, which is currently in theaters, is Killers of the Flowers Moon. This film had been heavily anticipated for months and it looks like that anticipation has paid off due to all of the positive reception. Oscar nominations aren’t coming out for a while, but it looks like everything will go Scorsese’s way once again.