Martin Scorsese: a Breakdown

In the world of films and cinema, not one person is more important than the director. There are hundreds of directors throughout Hollywood, with huge names such as Christopher Nolan or Steven Spielberg. Being a big movie fan myself I have my personal favorites, but the one above all would be Martin Scorsese. The New York native is renowned as one of the greatest and most successful directors of all time. Scorsese has directed such world renowned and award winning movies such as “Taxi Driver” and “Goodfellas”. I personally love all of his movies and his directing style and so I wanted to do a little dive or breakdown into some of my favorite films of his, his background, and his techniques that set him apart from the bunch.

Martin Scorsese has been known for directing some of the best films ever. He is more of a slow burn movies, also most famously known for mobster movies with Goodfellas , Casino, The Irishmen, and The Departed all being centered around mob or mafia relations. Fans and critics alike sure love his directing as much as I do , Scorsese is a 2 time Academy award winner and 6 time nominee.

Scorsese has such an extensive and quality filmography under his belt, ranging from hits from the 70’s to the Irishman in 2019. Even though he’s produced some classic movies such as The Departed, Shutter Island, or Wolf of Wall Street, I would have to say that my two favorite Scorsese films would have to be Goodfellas and Taxi Driver, Goodfellas being my favorite movie of all time. These movies are somewhat similar but Taxi Driver is much more  slow burn phycological conversation piece about a taxi driver who suffers from insomnia , while Goodfellas is a narrated story about the Italian Mafia from the 50-80’s, revolving around infamous gangster Henry Hill. The one thing these films have in common are that I think that they are the most Scorsese-esque of all the Scorsese films. Scorsese is known for his use of slow motion and freeze frame to convey emotions and enhance scenes.

In Goodfellas, there is a scene that displays this masterfully, without describing this entire movie ill give a little bit go context. Robert De Niro’s character Jimmy Conway, is the leader of the gang that pulled off the biggest heist in US history at this point in time. The scene takes place in the bar after the heist has taken place and all the members have gotten their money. Jimmy gave the gang strict orders to be conservative with their money as not to draw attention to them and get them investigated by the IRS or the FBI. In the scene we see all the gang members pull up in extravagant new cars and fur coats, as the scene progresses Jimmy gets more and more frustrated, until one last gang member pulls up In a pink Cadillac he bought for his wife. This is the breaking point, we cut to Jimmy smoking a cigarette at the bar looking at the gang, the scene goes into slow motion and “sunshine of your love” starts to play. This is the catalyst for what will eventually be the falling apart of the gang. Jimmy kills everyone so that there is no loose ends left. This slow motion pan out and the look in De Niro’s eyes PERFECTLY captures the intenseness and gravity of the scene. It’s Scorsese’s iconic slow motion that gives this scene its weight , without it I think that this scene falls flat and fails to convey anywhere near the amount of pressure and intensity that Scorsese pulls off.

Another perfect example of this is in Taxi Driver. The main character, Travis Bickle who is a mentally ill cab driver in New York, lays in bed narrating his journal that he has written in. He saw this woman in the streets of NYC, he describes as “like and angel she appeared out of this filthy mess”. He hates the city and thinks its full of filth, but after seeing this woman he becomes obsessed with her and begins to fantasize about her, seeing her as hope in the dirty city. As he describes this woman footage of her walking into her place of work plays, in slow motion as Travis says ” They Cannot Touch her” in a sort of yelling manner, he has become so attached that he feels he must protect her from the filth of the city that he sees. The footage of her, in slow motion, plays and once again Scorsese has struck gold, this scene is a classic in film making, perfectly conveying Travis’s  decent into madness that continues throughout the movie.

Martin Scorsese has unbelievable film making abilities, ones way beyond just his iconic slow motion, but if I were to talk about all of his techniques and skills, we would be here all day. The Scorsese film legacy is one of great talent and classiness, one that I hold very dear and that I think is one of the best portfolios in all of film history. By using his techniques and skills Scorsese has become not just my favorite director, but a critically acclaimed and world renowned one.