I've been going through some of the films of Martin Scorsese as of late, which is a little project I've been wanting to do all summer since I read a book about Scorsese not long ago. Some of the films I've seen over and over again, some I've only seen once, others I haven't seen at all.
I think I'm beginning to have a further appreciation with Scorsese's films, not just with his heralded classics like "Taxi Driver", or "Raging Bull" but also his less popular films like "New York, New York", or "After Hours". Scorsese's films have become more important to me as I grow older, before I couldn't quite understand his world. Scorsese was raised in Little Italy, he was attracted to characters with loose morals, that was a world I was unfamiliar with. Yet as I watch them now, I can understand these films a bit more, I find myself getting into the heads of the protagonist, and it's as if Scorsese is daring us to follow him into these dark realms.
But the one thing that does set Scorsese apart from his contemporaries is his need to tell a personal story every time. Even when he makes a presumably money making film such as last years "Shutter Island", it becomes a personal statement. The character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in that film is a deeply disturbed individual who is ridden with guilt. The film isn't so much about the mystery he has to solve, but about how he can reconcile the demons inside of him. The decision the character makes at the end of the film is the reason I think Scorsese made the film in the first place.
Also let's not forget, Scorsese is also a teacher, he has instructed film classes at NYU almost as long as he has been making movies. He's made some very in depth documentaries about film, and film history. One such documentary is entitled "A Persnal Journey Through American Film", which was a three part series he made in 1995. The series can currently be shown in its entirety on You Tube. I just finished watching the whole thing. In it Scorsese makes his passion for film into a personal look into the making of movies. He discusses different kinds of directors dating from D.W. Griffith all the way to his mentor John Cassavetes.
I have often been asked why I love to go and watch old movies, there are many reasons. People argue that old movies are there purely for nostalgic reasons, and they can't compete with the movies made today. In "A Personal Journey", Scorsese shows the importance of classic films, the dark themes hidden inside of them, the poetry of there shots, and what each director was trying to get to.
You get the feeling after watching the documentary that old Hollywood films had a lot more depth and personal stamp than the films we see today. For me it's pretty much sums up why I think these films are so important and why they have lasted.
For those of you interested I've embedded the first part of the documentary below, you can catch the the other two parts on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWEXIWlX4NY
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