Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese

For my final project, I chose to learn more about my favorite director, Martin Scorsese. From as far as I can remember, Martin Scorsese’s films have always intrigued me like no others have. There are many reasons why I am drawn to his type of films and his style of directing. Martin Scorsese has directed films that support his ethnic background. He has revolutionized the motion picture industry with the films he has directed. Scorsese has a unique approach in directing his films. Lastly, Scorsese’s favorite actor to star in his films is Robert DeNiro, who is by far my favorite actor of all time. This topic holds much value to me because movies are an escape from reality that I enjoy. I do not believe many people realize how influential movies and all other media are. We already know that watching a movie is what people do to relax, when they are bored, its something to share with a friend or loved one, or when the movie just plain appeals to you or draws your interest. The main reason why this topic is so important to me is because one of my favorite things to do is just kick back, relax, and watch a great movie.

Almost all of Scorsese’s films relate to his Italian descent. They reflect his life and how things were growing up in New York City’s Little Italy neighborhood throughout the 1950s and 1960s. What I like about this is that he is staying true to himself and background. He does not forget where he came from and even exploits it for us the viewers, which was an immediate success because of the realism. He portrays early Italian American life like no other. He displayed a side of culture that many people had never been exposed to. I wish that I could create films relating to my childhood, the environment around me, and at the same time be successful. That is exactly what Martin Scorsese has done since he started directing.

Martin Scorsese built an empire of films that changed the way people view directing. Scorsese created a path for other new and experienced directors to explore their creativity. His first success was Mean Streets in 1973 about life in Little Italy, which was the first of many movies to come starring Robert DeNiro. In 1976, he directed a success with Taxi Driver, a graphic movie about a loner who learns he is disgusted with society and decides to do something about it. He used a variety of different camera angles and shots to emphasize a scene. This is definitely one of my favorite movies that I can watch at any given time. Another one of my favorite films he has directed is Raging Bull in 1980. It is about the life of former middleweight boxing champion Jake La Motta again played by Robert DeNiro. DeNiro won the Academy Award for best actor, and Scorsese was nominated for best director. The next film I love that he directed is possibly my favorite of all time. Goodfellas released in 1990 is a gangster film based on a true story that again stars Robert DeNiro, another common Scorsese recruited actor Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta. This movie won and was nominated for many awards including an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. I have literally watched this movie hundreds of times. I know almost every word in the movie and this movie can only be described as a classic film. Then in 1995, he directed Casino, again starring the fantastic duo of DeNiro and Joe Pesci who headline the star-studded cast. Casino is also one of my favorite movies that I enjoy every time I watch it. It is very long but never loses my interest. This movie uses much backlighting, a variety of high angle shots, close-ups, and many props that keep this movie so appealing to the eye. Other movies he directed that I love are Cape Fear with Robert DeNiro, Bringing Out the Dead starring Nicholas Cage, and