Scorsese. He’s the highest rated living (and active) director on the list! In some ways Scorsese is the easiest to discuss (I’ve seen each of his fiction films twice (aside from Silence) and I’ve written about him and discussed him so often. On the other hand, in some ways, he’s one of the toughest because he is still working and therefore hasn’t been a lot of time to reflect. He’s made 24 feature fiction films by my count and the last 22 have been archievable- prolific and consistent. Remarkable. Scorsese’s case is really two fold—1. Those trio of films at the top—get this—since 1976 (Taxi Driver) Scorsese has made 3 of the best 10 films…. Pause…. 2. The depth of quality- Scorsese is a perfectionist so there’s never a lackluster effort- the images below from his 8-10 best films (Shutter Island, King of Comedy, Aviator) are incredible—but you could grab some from films like After Hours, Kundun and Gangs of New York as well.
Best film: Raging Bull. I’ve really never wavered here but I don’t get angered when someone argues for Goodfellas or Taxi Driver (which gets better every time I see it). I think Raging Bull is now a top 5 all-time film. It’s the best film really since Apocalypse Now (of the 80’s, 90’s and 21st century). It’s masterful and features some of the best editing of all-time (the in-ring editing, camerawork and editing—my god), one of the most beautiful films of all-time (those opening credits), and the best single performance of all-time. Tough to beat that.
Here’s a snip I found from De Palma
“And during the shooting of ‘Scarface,’ ‘Raging Bull’ comes out. And so he goes and sees ‘Raging Bull’ at the theater, and it just starts off with that opening credits shot. Of that classical music playing and the big, wide shot of the ring and Jake Lamada there just bouncing in slow motion in his robe. ‘No matter what you do, no matter how good you are, there’s always Scorsese. There’s always Scorsese challenging you right there.”’
total archiveable films: 22
top 100 films: 3 (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver)
top 500 films: 7 (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Casino, The Departed, The Age of Innocence)
top 100 films of the decade: 10 (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Casino, The Departed, The Age of Innocence, King of Comedy, Shutter Island The Aviator)
most overrated: New York, New York according to TSPDT is Scorsese’s 8th best film and #773 of all-time. I think I’d have it around his 15th slot at best.
“priest’s eye view” ceiling tracking shot at the end of Taxi Driver
most underrated: The Leo era— Are they as good as the De Niro films (which Pesci had a big hand in 3 of)? No. But they are officially underrated at this point. Scorsese has 9 in the top 1000 of all-time on TSPDT and not one from the brilliant collaborations with Leo? Shutter Island is the most underrated of those. Robert Richardson’s work as DP with Scorsese here makes for some of the best photography in the 2010’s decade.
gem I want to spotlight: Mean Streets. Without the proper context you’ll see all the flaws here and nothing but. It’s not Scorsese’s debut (it’s his third film), and it doesn’t have the polish of The 400 Blows or Breathless but the American New Wave of the 70’s is real and this film is a landmark. The best points in this film (the wonderful opening voice-over by Scorsese himself, the pop/rock soundtrack, the triple-editing technique (same image zoomed-in with short ellipsis), the “rubber biscuit” song scene with the reverse POV) are all breathtaking. Scorsese is throwing 100 mph and even if it doesn’t all land it’s superior to almost everything else out there before and after. How about the lighting in the bar? The slow-motion track in on Keitel at the bar? This film, stylistically and thematically (Keitel is Liotta, De Niro is Pesci) is a rough draft of Goodfellas. For the longest time I held this against Mean Streets but don’t make that mistake like I did- it’s a masterpiece- it’s just not a top 20 film of all-time like Goodfellas. So what.
stylistic innovations/traits:
This feels really dumb to try to put into a paragraph. Scorsese is a brilliant stylist as I said and is also a great student of film so he not only has his own voice but borrows from some of the best of cinema. In Goodfellas alone he has one of the greatest single uses of freeze-frame (hello Truffaut and the French New Wave), open narration (Jules and Jim again), The Great Train Robbery (final shot of Pesci pointing at the camera), a pop/rock soundtrack that is second to none and amongst the great tracking shots of all-time (Copacabana scene)—and a rival of that is the “priest’s eye view” ceiling tracking shot at the end of Taxi Driver. His films are directed with stylistically motivated energy. Taxi Driver borrows form Bresson and The Searchers. The Departed recreates the beautiful finale from The Third Man. The signature triple-edit is from Varda’s Cleo From 5 to 7. Scorsese’s influence with slow-motion tracking shots set to pop/rock can been seen in everyone from PT (Boogie Nights) to Wes (Royal Tenenbaums) and how about that cutaway in Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs that matches the one from Scorsese cutting away from Travis Bickle on the phone to show an empty hall? So Scorsese has influenced Wes, PT (PT takes the high and low musical peaks and violent breakouts from Taxi Driver and puts them in Punch-Drunk Love as well) and Tarantino. Scorsese’s subjects and themes are ruminations on masculinity and morality.
top 10
- Raging Bull
- Goodfellas
- Taxi Driver
- Mean Streets
- Casino
- The Departed
- The Age of Innocence
- Shutter Island
- King of Comedy
- The Aviator
By year and grades
| 1973- Mean Streets | MP |
| 1974- Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore | R/HR |
| 1976- Taxi Driver | MP |
| 1977- New York, New York | R |
| 1980- Raging Bull | MP |
| 1982- King of Comedy | |
| 1985- After Hours | R |
| 1986- The Color of Money | R |
| 1988- The Last Temptation of Christ | R |
| 1990- Goodfellas | MP |
| 1991- Cape Fear | R |
| 1993- Age of Innocence | MS |
| 1995- Casino | MS |
| 1997- Kundun | R |
| 1999- Bringing out the Dead | R |
| 2002- Gangs of New York | HR |
| 2004- The Aviator | MS |
| 2006- The Departed | MS/MP |
| 2010- Shutter Island | MS |
| 2011- Hugo | R |
| 2013- The Wolf of Wall Street | R/HR |
| 2016- Silence | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
Gangs of New York (2002)
Notes:
Starts with Liam Neeson character name Vallon addressing his young son and then comes a tracking shot set to a drumbeat as Vallon, head of a gang called The Dead Rabits, makes his way to the outside
4:45 Brendan Gleeson character kicks open door
4:50 nice use of door frame and zoom out as Vallon
6:05 Daniel Day Lewis makes his first appearance as a gang leader named “Bill the Butcher” who leads “The Natives”
7:36 Bill’s crew face off with Vallon’s “Dead Rabbits” which consists of Irish immigrants
8:42 brutal battle with meat cleavers, knives, wooden clubs, etc.
9 min rapid edits, slow motion shots, low and high angle shots during intense 2 min scene
10:40 Bill delivers fatal blow to Vallo as his son watches on, color palette thus far heavy use of shades of gray and blue
14:56 slow zoom out until overhead shot of NYC followed by title card 1846 and we see Vallon’s son, Amsterdam, now played by DiCaprio
16:40 beautiful use of fireworks in background during low agnel shot of Bill the Butcher walking into the city
18:38 William Tweed
24:52 camera floating around as Johnny Sirocco (played by Henry Thomas) catches Amsterdam up on the local gang politics
35 min camera moving around capturing atmosphere in gambling house
38:48 heavy fog with blue/gray palette as Amsterdam now working with Johnny for Bill
42:36 nice shot with huge meat splitting the frame as Amsterdam and McGloin prepare to bareknuckle box following a series of insults directed at Amsterdam
45:30 reverse tracking shot with Bill bringing Amsterdam into his crew
47:47 split diopter shot
56:31 Bill in right side foreground and opened up pig on left side foreground, American Flag in background behind Bill. This leads to great scene with Bill teaching Amsterdam “this is a kill” “this is a wound” “this is a kill”
1:11:38 boxing match ends with KO in the 75th round
1:12:42 zoom out
1:18:00 “I’m going to teach you to speech English with this knife” Bill after assassination attempt fails
1:19:24 canted angle
1:20:15 Brendan Gleeson’s character Monk literally overpowers DiCaprio’s Amsterdam
1:25:36 shot of Bill wrapped in American flag, this shot, and the following scene is most indelible moment of the film for me as it’s the first image I remembered from this film which I had not seen in over 10 years
1:36:16 orange/red tint throughout frame matches the intensity of Bill manhandling Johnny
1:36:58 pan across room with primary colors worn by Asian performers a contrast to the yellow/orange tint throughout the frame
1:41:01 Bill knife throwing exhibition
1:44:53 tension finally boils to surface with Bill taunting Amsterdam’s father Vallon upon Bill’s discovery of Amsterdam’s true identity
1:46:34 slow motion knife throwing mixed with series of low angle shots
2:03:50 quick cut from Johnny’s death to Bill sharping knives
2:04:48 quick cut from inside Church to Bill and the Natives marching in the street
2:05:32 face to face Natives vs everyone else
2:16:19 nice composition with 3 depths of field
2:16:27 camera zoom through opening doors
2:17:45 “challenge accepted”
2:19:30 great back and forth acting with the casual manner of negotiating the gang fight
2:28:05 drum noise from opening sequence
2:28:42 gangs come face to face in the street
2:31:27 overhead shot with Bill and Amsterdam only two people in the frame
2:33:53 extreme close up on Bill’s glass eye shutting during his death
2:37:05 dissolve edit with change to modern day NYC
Thoughts:
Scorsese with an ambitious film that has tremendous highs and an all time great Daniel Day Lewis performance
I really do love most of DiCaprio’s work but this one is an exception, I think Matt Damon or Colin Farrell would have been superior here, especially Damon
There is a hilarious spoof in Anchorman (2004) of this film
Perhaps the best scene in the film features no physical violence, it occurs about halfway through as DiCaprio’s Amsterdam wakes up in whorehouse and look’s over to Bill who is wrapped in an American flag, the following conversation ramps up the tension subtlety. Bill is usually surrounded by his crew, so this quiet scene stands out with DDL immaculate acting. There Will Be Blood is the clear # 1 but this might be Daniel Day Lewis’s 2nd best performance, it’s between this and Phantom Thread in my opinion. It’s been a while since I have seen Lincoln so I will need to revisit that one. Bill the Butcher
The DiCaprio performance is better than I remember but still one of his weakest performances, Cameron Diaz is a strange choice, I do like her in Vanilla Sky (2001) and some 90s comedy’s but not sure she is the best fit here although the performance is not as bad as I remembered it being, too bad Amy Adams was not well known yet
The run time is not entirely justified, this story could be told in 25-30 less minutes
The last 30 minutes were a disappointment, an abrupt ending, a bit of a mess. In some ways closer to a Spielberg film than Scorsese. The fading of that era to modern day NYC was an odd choice
Despite its flaws DDL is so good he practically makes it worth watching just for his performance alone. The 1st half was much stronger with a brilliant opening 15 minutes setting up the narrative and revenge story
Verdict: HR
DiCaprio is worse than Diaz in this film. Strange to say that. But I think true. For most of the run time he has this angry desperate look. His work in Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can released in the same year is leaps and bounds better.
@James Trapp- Keep up the good work. Hard to put into words how pumped I was to see this in theater in 2002
Bringing out the Dead (1999)
Notes:
Starts with man named Frank played by Nic Cage narrating as he drives an ambulance in NYC, flashes of neon colors
8:24 Taxi Driver atmosphere with drug infested city
10:16 comedic atmosphere changes mood/tone a bit
15:07 nice use of intense orange flashing
16 min Frank see’s ghosts of those he failed to save
25:48 long shot of ambulance moving at night, set to rock song that seems tonally inconsistent from the action on screen
28:08 Tom Sizemore, great cast
31:40 religion iconography in mise en scene
43 min bizarre sequence with man brought back from near death after drug OD
46:36 shallow focus from Frank POV
54:28 nice writing in scene similar to Taxi Driver with Frank and Marcus (Ving Rhames) driving around city at night, Frank narration on city obviously Travis Brickle similarities
1:07:52 solid red wall in apartment room, down the hall is another room with a wall that is solid green color
1:13:49 low angle shot of Frank isolated in dream like state with everything around him in slow motion; so far this is the standout sequence of the film, Frank sees Ghosts who appear on screen when disappear with dissolve edits
1:21:28 blue tint frame
1:23:46 Frank riding along with Sizemore character, Scorsese speeds up the shot here
1:24:30 great camera tilt as ambulance accelerates down the street with 90 degree angle change
1:27:49 again the film speeds up considerably when Frank drives with the Sizemore character, Scorsese himself is voice over radio
1:29:45 nice use of blue lighting as spotlight
1:42:16 nice split diopter shot with Cage and Sizemore
Thoughts
Scorsese and Schrader team up with a sort of Taxi Driver redux
I have never been shy in my dislike of Cage, the only film I ever liked him in was John Woo’s Faceoff (1997) and that is mainly because his persona works perfectly for Woo’s ridiculously over the top style, perhaps there are a few other roles I don’t mind him in but I am not exactly his biggest fan, he is serviceable here but that’s it. Thankfully there are some great performances from the supporting cast, I love Sizemore and Ving Rhames does solid work here and of course the great John Goodman who never lets me down
Comedic atmosphere mixed in with semi-dysfunctional hospital staff
The comedy infused into the drama does not always work as the film does feel totally inconsistent at times although I do love Scorsese using The Clash songs (London Calling is one of my go to wakeup songs on my alarm)
Impressive use of lighting in much of the film, white lighting often used in some of the scenes with Marcus played by Ving Rhames
Rescue Me is a terrific comedy/drama that ran from 2004 to 2011; the basic premise focuses on a NYC firefighter who sees and speaks with the ghost of his best friend who died on 9/11. He sees and speaks to other victims during the show, I can’t help but wonder if this film served as an inspiration
There are some strong moments but overall is a lesser Scorsese film, this might have been stronger as a 90 min film
Verdict: R
The Color of Money (1986)
Notes:
Starts with voiceover from Scorsese himself leading to opening credits
3:25 camera pans along shot glasses in bar and Paul Newman’s Fast Eddie Felson character revived from The Hustler
4:46 John Turturro
5:18 Tom Cruise as Vincent Lauria, young hot shot pool player
6:52 Vincent with some martial art movements with his pool stick, showing off with his girlfriend , played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, watching along
13 min great acting from Newman
15:51 nice use of close up
17:36 nice use of close up
19:36 shot reverse shots with several over the shoulder shots
30 min nice camera movements with low angle shots of Eddie dancing with his girlfriend Janelle
37:29 close up on pool balls followed by zoom out
39:22 nice composition with overhead shot of Vincent in pool room as Eddie watches from above on foreground on far left side of frame
45:00 slow zoom in from Carmen POV
49:12 series od close up shots back and forth between Eddie to Vincent, each isolated in the frame in these shots
55:15 nice 360 degree pan going counterclockwise during Eddie showing off in front of the pool room
57:55 two shot with Vincent blurred in foreground on left side of frame, this shifts to Eddie blurred in foreground on right side of frame
1:02:48 close up on Eddie advising Vincent on hustling players
1:04:52 more back and forth between Vincent and Eddie in frame without the other
1:06:42 nice triangle composition with Carmen literally in the middle of Vincent and Eddie
1:07:35 pool montage with Vincent beating all comers
1:13:13 extreme close up
1:13:26 profile shot of Vincent in foreground and blurry Carmen in background of frame
1:14:21 series of dissolve edits and superimposed images of Eddie over the pool tables
1:18:28 Forest Whitaker makes appearance as “Amos” playing Eddie in pool and beating him over and over, making Eddie feel embarrassed
1:25:55 intense sequence following Eddie losing to a “Hustler” in Amos
1:27:31 freeze frame
1:33:10 nice overhead shot and pan of the pool room of “9-Ball Classic”
1:33:29 beautiful shot from behind Eddie’s head in foreground to close up shot on face
1:39:05 instead of triple edit we get quadruple edit of sorts, only with four characters breaking in succession
1:43:12 another rapid paced montage of close up shots of pool balls moving
1:50:30 Eddie himself with reflection off pool ball he’s about to hit
1:52:20 line about character from original
1:54:52 beautiful composition with symmetry, use of mirrors, and décor
1:55:59 ends with freeze frame on Fast Eddie breaking “I’m back!”
Thoughts:
Initially I skipped over this one for Study, just for the purpose of time constraints but decided to go back and I am happy I returned to it, more impressive than I remembered but then again it was so long ago
This can’t really compete with The Hustler (1961) in terms of emotional power; in particular the ending as well as iconic status, and even with the impressive star studded cast and acting in this film, the performances in The Hustler are simply more impressive. With all that said Rossen is not Scorsese, and this film has some really impressive compositions
Paul Newman and Tom Cruise with a mentor/mentee relationship that works on a meta level as I could not help but think of it as a sort of passing of the torch so to speak, Paul Newman played cocky
Some great close up shots throughout the film, usually on characters faces on hands while they are playing pool, there are several sequences with shots alternating between Vincent and Eddie in the frame by themselves
Impressive lighting in several scenes in pool rooms, often green or blue tint
Verdict: HR/R
Will you be able to see Killers of the Flower Moon(2023) before updating this Scorsese page?
@Anderson- Quite confident I will be able to see Killers of the Flower Moon before updating the Scorsese page – yes.
Casino (1995)
Notes:
Starts with De Niro entering car as bomb goes off leading to tremendous opening credits from none other than Elaine & Saul Bass. Saul Bass might be the best ever at this, he’s the genius who did the opening credits for some of Hitchcock’s best working including Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho
3:20 low angle shot of De Niro’s character Sam “Ace” Rothstein narrating
3:55 Joe Pesci’s character Nicky Santoro narrating
4:32 pan over open desert, full of bodies
6 min camera track flow of money
12:40 overhead shot of Ace walking through Casino
16:15 brutal violence from Nicky with the pen
20:58 shallow focus as camera zooms in on Ace to close up
22:18 Sharon Stone’s character Ginger makes appearance
23:50 freeze frame on Ginger and then reaction shot to Ace who soon falls in love with her
26:56 James Woods as slim ball pimp Ginger is in love with
35:07 great sequence as Ace catches cheating card players
36:12 camera floating through Casino capturing atmosphere
40:50 De Niro is so on top of his game at work, interesting to see his struggles with his relationship with Ginger
45:28 “What a Difference a Day Makes” by Dinah Washington plays as Ace shows new house to Ginger
48 min bright yellow suit worn by Ace
49 min zoom in toward Ace smoking cigarette at club, flashy green suit, Ace narrating through all this
51:51 split diopter shot as Ace talks to Nicky on phone
58:43 nice two shot with Ace in foreground smoking cigarette and Nicky reading his ban letter, left side of frame smoke filled and blue lighting
59:57 great pan with Nicky narrating and introducing his new crew featuring several new characters including Frank Marino, played by the great Frank Vincent; all this to Rolling Stones’s song “Can’t Hear You Knocking”
1:03:08 a QT truck POV shot
1:06:19 Nicky scenes with his young son humanizes him a bit
1:06:52 nice composition back in Midwest with lighting peeking into otherwise dark room with the Head Boss Remo and other Midwest Mob Bosses talking business
1:08:55 brutal sequence involving human head and vice
1:09:30: Ace firing incompetent Casino worker
1:11:20 “equal amount blueberries in each muffin” Ace is a true perfectionist
1:14:00 Ginger put under surveillance
1:15:02 camera quickly pans showing Lester realizing he’s in trouble
1:20:34 Ace with blue shirt, continuing his penchant for flashy suits
1:24:02 wide screen, opposite ends of frame showing marital strife as Ginger is already having issues with drugs
1:25:23 canted angle as Sam tries to comfort his depressed wife, I had not noticed this angle before
1:27:00 I love the darkness surrounding the Midwest Bosses as they talk shop
1:29:28 low angle shot with bosses again in dark room
1:32:16 frame in frame in frame with blue lit background as Nicky talks in code on the phone with Sam
1:34:00 Nicky threatens poor Charlie the Banker
1:36:32 Nicky calls out Same’s pink robe and cigarette holder, hilarious
1:37:47 great montage set to Gimme Shelter starting with rapid zoom out to god’s eye view shot at night, great composition with shadows of police at crime scenes then shot of wealthy couple dead while camera moving 360 while zoom out
1:39:52 Nicky brilliantly purchases counter surveillance equipment to handle all the cops and Feds watching him including hilarious scene where Nicky and buddies hit golf balls at helicopter driven by FBI Agents watching over Nicky when the helicopter runs out of gas
1:48:58 slow zoom in on Ace with neo lights in background as Ace creates a show being denied a gaming license by the corrupt committee
1:50:50 back and forth between Ace and Nicky talking on phone using coded language while Feds listen in
1:51:29 literal spotlight on Nicky
1:52:34 phenomenal score from Godard’s 1963 masterpiece Contempt, high angle shot of Nicky traveling in car
1:52:48 brilliant shot using the reflection off of Sam’s sunglasses captures Nicky’s car driving fast and leaving dust
1:55:02 long shot of Ace in middle of desert
1:55:25 god’s eye shot of Ace’s crew entering the club while Nicky sits at the club with his crew
1:57:47 two-shot with Nicky and Frank of right side of frame as Nicky plays blackjack
1:59:18 two-shot with Ginger in foreground and Ace in background as they are at office with divorce lawyer, surrounded by darkness
2:00:47 extreme close up of Sam’s face taking up 50 % of frame
2:00:48 impeccable lighting in shot of Sam in dark garage with green
2:00:05 despite their issues Nicky shows some compassion for Sam and his personal issues regarding his family
2:07:35 the score from Contempt (1963) returns as Sam and Ginger get dinner in public
2:17:28 Ginger and Nicky start affair, nice series of brief freeze frames as FBI Agents who are performing surveillance on Nicky take pictures
2:22:18 freeze frame on Frank Marino as he talks to the big boss Remo, Frank lies for Nicky about his relationship with Ace’s wife Ginger as this is bad for business and thus dangerous for everyone
2:23:20 again with “Gimme Shelter”, this time during montage of Nicky’s Crew falling apart in Vegas due to drugs, booze, etc.
2:23:39 close up on cocaine moving through rolled up money
2:24:20 overhead shot after killing guy after mistaking his “hero sandwich” for a gun
2:26:30 slow pan in the club
2:33:33 brief silence for a few seconds which does not sound like that long but Ace waits inside for Ginger
2:40:00 arrests begin as it all starts to fall apart
2:42:00 “House of the Rising Sun” begins as Feds show Sam pictures of Ginger and Nicky
2:42:45 Remo and high up bosses meeting in Courthouse after being arrested Remo “Why Take a Chance?” leads to montage of murders
2:44:58 camera floats through seedy hotel as Ginger exits room and dies from overdose
2:46:24 high angle shot of Sam in Flamingo Red Suit walking to his car, this is scene from the film’s opening
2:47:00 double edit as Nicky’s narration is cut off along with music; Nicky and brother are beat to a pulp by Nicky’s own crew with metal baseball bats out in a cornfield then Nicky is buried alive next to brother
2:48:48 god’s eye view of bodies in cornfield
2:49:40 another overhead shot, this one of Ace surviving assassination attempt via car bomb
2:50:15 Opera music playing as Tangiers blows up and crumble as Ace narrates the destruction of that era of Vegas and laments on the bygone era
Thoughts:
This film is unfairly underrated by some who seem to hold against it the fact that it is not as great as Goodfellas (1990) which is a ridiculous standard
I love the high level of detail regarding how “The Skim” works, Scorsese does this tracking the flow of the cash and the hierarchy of and innerworkings of the Casino
The camera is incredibly active and extremely effective in capturing the atmosphere of a casino. The heavy use of character narration is also effective in that Scorsese can keep up the active camera as well as the heavy use of pop/rock music even by Scorsese’s standard
It’s interesting watching the evolution of Joe Pesci over his 3 Scorsese Gangster films; Goodfellas, Casino, and The Irishman. His character in this film is similar but far from a carbon copy of Goodfellas (1990) yes, the violence and brutality is present here but his character is a much higher ranking mobster and a much more intelligent character than Tommy from Goodfellas. His violence here is more calculated than impulsive aside from the brutal pen scene. In the Irishman he does not have a single outburst, in fact, on the contrary he is calm, observant, and never once even threatens someone.
There’s really no doubt that Goodfellas, Raging Bull, and Taxi Driver are Scorsese’s best 3 films in whatever order so the more interesting question to me is what his 4th best film is. Unless there is a huge surprise later in this Study, I have to imagine that the contenders in some order would have to be this film along with Age of Innocence, Mean Streets, The Departed, and The Irishman. Will have to seriously think about this throughout the Study
The performances are tremendous, I used to think De Niro’s performance was on par with Pesci’s and it is very good, but Pesci is superior although Pesci does not give the film’s best performance either, that belongs to Sharon Stone as Ginger. Stone is incredible as a dynamic character who is ultra confident on the surface but is vulnerable and broken in ways that become exposed over the course of the film. I will admit that the constant fighting between Ace and Ginger, the marital strife, does feel repetitive at times but that has nothing to do with the acting which is excellent, none the less its an overall very minor critique
Best Performances
# 1 Sharon Stone
# 2 Joe Pesci
# 3 Robert De Niro
# 4 Frank Vincent – he does not talk all that much despite a fair number screen time but gives an effective performance none the less and is great in the final brutal ending
# 5 James Woods – his character Lester you want to punch in the face every time you see him on screen, when you hate a character that much its usually indicative of a great performance
Ace makes for an interesting character study; the flashy suits are interesting because his character does not really seem like someone flashy as they seem contrary to his personality and demeanor. He is a perfectionist and holds his employees to high standards, I love the scene with the Blueberry Muffins “an equal amount of in each Muffin” hilarious. He is quite stubborn at times, but he is so good at his job that Midwest Mob Bosses don’t get rid of him even when he’s doing things like going on TV and publicly challenges committee members
One aspect of this film that I did not really pickup on before was the use of lighting in many scenes, I love the shot of the Midwest Mob Bosses sitting at a table surrounded by complete darkness, the lighting in several other scenes matches the secretive nature of the scene
The House of the Rising Sun, playing during the montage of murders segues into the cornfield scene which is so brutal that you almost feel bad for Nicky despite all of the many evil things he does in the film. The way he says his brother’s name is rough. There is a great Scorsese trademark here with the “god’s eye view” of Nicky and his brother in the hole they are buried in
The energy in this film is incredible, especially considering that it’s a 3-hour film, the opening credits from the great Saul Bass is impeccable with its grand images and music. The narrative never lets up start to finish leaving us with an all-time great film
Verdict: MP (Top 100 Film All Time)
@James Trapp – love the praise for Saul Bass’ credits – and love this “# 5 James Woods – his character Lester you want to punch in the face every time you see him on screen, when you hate a character that much its usually indicative of a great performance”
Agreed, easy MP, the filmmaking is undeniably great in Casino. I used to actually hate it because of how much narrating is in it, but on a rewatch changed my mind on it. 1995 is an insane year, because in my opinion this is the third best film of that year behind Heat and Seven. Heat is on another level, in my opinion
@Dylan – The multi-narrator approach is interesting but in a way fitting to this particular narrative. Goodfellas (1990) used Ray Liotta as the primary narrator with occassional narration from Lorraine Bracco. Goodfellas had a smaller scope telling the story of Henry Hill, its more intimate whereas Casino (1995) is a story with a larger scope, telling the story of the Mob involvement in Las Vegas, even its a semi-fictionalized version. The first hour of the film plays out like a documentary drama so the multiple narrators feels appropriate. This narration heavy approach blends nicely with the heavy use of rock and pop songs (even by Scorsese standards), and the frequently moving camera (even by Scorsese standards).
The multiple narrators also pays off in the legendary Corn Field Scene as the narration from Joe Pesci’s Nicky is interrupted mid-sentence as Frankie hits Nicky in the back with a baseball bat leading to the brutal murders and burial.
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Notes:
Starts with gorgeous opening credits, superimposed images of flowers and other beautiful images
The 2:40 to 1 aspect ratio stands out immediately
The 3 lead performances:
The great Daniel Day Lewis plays Newland Archer
Winona Ryder as May, Archer’s fiancée
Michelle Pfeiffer as Countess Ellen Olenska
3:10 Set in New York in the 1870s, starts in Opera House
Incredible cast with Daniel Day Lewis playing Archer
5:52 high angle shot from back of heads in Opera House
8:18 narrative voice over
9:39 low angle shot of characters entering ballroom switches to high angle shot as characters walk toward camera
10:33 great tracking shot as Archer moves through mansion
11:25 tracking shot
15:18 God’s Eye Point of View at dance
16:36 camera slowly panning through house capturing its grandiose appearance
19:03 shot of town which consists of several huge properties
24:52 fade to red similar to Bergman’s Cries and Whispers
26:30 Countess Ellen in stunning red dress
27:10 slow zoom on extravagant dinner table
32:38 frame divided
33:33 back and forth shots of Archer and Ellen isolated in frame speaking to one another
36:16 gorgeous shot inside flower shop
36:39 dissolve edits and shots of Archer writing on small cards
37:07 frame fades to solid yellow color
40:36 nice dissolve on left side of the frame while right side remains unchanged
44 min extreme closes ups on faces of Archer and Ellen who are presumably to talk business
49:39 two shot during Opera and then Archer walks out leading to great pan and dissolve edits showing Archer on the move then working
50:53 long shot, first of the film
55:10 Archer tries but tunes out much of conversation with May who senses he may not be as committed as he wants her to believe
1:00:55 red flowers and red background on wall, camera moving in circular motion
1:03:14 conversations are all subtext
1:06:00 Archer and Ellen finally speak direct and honestly to one another
1:16:22 this red Lighthouse shot with Ellen standing at the end of the boardwalk is not only the most beautiful shot of the film so far but perhaps the most gorgeous shot of any Scorsese film so far, at least in terms of this type of painterly image, it is truly a museum worthy image
1:17:03 medium shot of Ellen near the water
1:18:00 camera moving clockwise capturing Newland stressed out during meal
1:31:15 frames created from candles on dinner table, symmetrical shot
1:45:32 dark blue and black clothing is a noticeable contrast from earlier scenes
1:46:04 May in white dress attending Opera similar to opening scene of the film only the upper section where Ellen was seated in opening was empty
1:51:43 pan over table during desert and then pan in opposite direction followed by a slow zoom out
1:55:15 the back of Archer’s head isolated in frame surrounded by solid red, this during Ellen’s final meal before departing from New York
1:57:44 Archer isolated in far-left side of the frame as he sits in his study by the fireplace after the dinner
2:05:00 significant jump in time with Archer now a father
2:07:35 excellent deep focus shot inside Museum
2:08:18 Archer learns from his son that May, who recently passed away, was aware of his love for Ellen
2:11:39 flashback to sailboat scene in middle of the film before Ellen leaves New York
Thoughts:
Scorsese switches up here, on the surface anyways. I love how he explores various cultures/sub-cultures with high level of details almost like an anthropologist
This may be Scorsese’s most beautiful film with stunning imagery and Museum painterly shots that would seem in place in a Visconti film, in particular The Leopard or Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon
The mise en scene in this film is awe inspiring between paintings, intricate interiors of mansions, tables, chairs, flowers, candles, and extravagant meals
Scorsese’s use of color, specifically associating May with green and Ellen with red is consistent throughout the film. Several times Scorsese fades the screen to a solid color including red similar to Bergman’s Cries and Whispers (1972) although this is not used consistently throughout the film like it is in Cries and Whispers
One of the elements that impressed me was the framing of Archer throughout the film, while Archer’s emotions come close to boiling over several times, he usually composes himself well enough though he still shows more emotion than pretty much any other character aside from Ellen. In several scenes throughout the film, he is able to (barely) suppress his emotions during meals, parties, etc. and Scorsese shoots him isolated in the frame in a number of these sequences as a way to show his frustrations
Like Casablanca (1942) and In the Mood for Love (2000), this is a great film about unrequited love although that phrase is a little misleading as it implies one way love. In this film and the two films referenced in the previous sentence there is two-way love, but with particular circumstances preventing the love from being realized. So perhaps unrealized love is more accurate but that’s just semantics
Because these characters live in a world where direct conversations and showing emotion is looked down upon, for many of the conversations it is all about the subtext, this is what matter. Much of the time what is NOT said in a conversation is more important than what is said
Scorsese is known for amazing camera movements amongst many other things, but he moves the camera 360 more often in this film than others in the Study so far or at least this is the first film I noticed it. As usual with Scorsese there are great pans, in this film capturing the intricate interiors of the lavish mansions and the and a very strong tracking shot around the 10 min mark where Archer walks through the mansion during a ballroom dance
The performances are excellent all around, but Daniel Day Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer are especially great, Ryder is solid and plays her role well, but it is not quite as complex a role as the DDL and Pfeiffer characters; DDL plays Archer as a morally upstanding man conflicted by circumstances, in particular societal norms of the time, preventing with from openly pursing Michelle Pfeiffer’s character despite the mutual attraction, the scene where they finally do speak to each other openly is an emotional crescendo and perhaps the best acting in the film from both DDL and Pfeiffer
The red infused Lighthouse shot is one the most beautiful painterly images in any Scorsese film or really any film for that matter, it is impeccable
Verdict: MP
@James-Scorsese borrowed a lot from Visconti’s L’Innocente(1976) for Age of Innocence. If you haven’t seen that film make sure to watch it.
@Anderson – had not heard of it before, thanks for the suggestion. After Scorsese I am planning on doing Cronenberg or Fritz Lang, perhaps Visconti after that. Rocco and His Brother’s is my favorite Italian film
My favourite Italian film is The Conformist(1970)
@Anderson – yeah i finally got around to that one in the last year or so, amazing visuals of course, also interesting thematically, so many great political thrillers in the 1970s. Its not on the same level cinematically but Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970) is a fascinating film that would make a good double bill with The Conformist, both came out the same year, 1970, and share thematic similarities though Citizen Above Suspicion is lighter in tone and is partly satirical as the story revolves around a high ranking police captain who murders his mistress and then intentionally leaves clues that lead back to him in an attempt to test out the limits of his power in the corrupt poliltical establishment of the time.
I will look out for this one.
Cape Fear (1991)
Notes:
Starts with a thumping score during the opening credits which features a series of stunning shots on the surface of a body of water, possibly a lake. It is Saul Bass who does the visuals for the opening credits, he is the same person who did the legendary opening for Vertigo
3:10 lake becomes solid red and then transforms to a face of a teenage Juliette Lewis playing Danielle Bowden, the daughter of Sam and Leigh Bowden
3:54 pan down wall with books that is revealed to be a prison cell of Robert De Niro’s Max Cady
Nick Nolte as Sam Bowden, a lawyer who represented Cady in the past
Jessica Lange as Leigh Bowden, Sam’s wife
4:54 shot of Max Cady exiting prison, painterly image with gray clouds in the upper background of the frame above the prison fence in the lower background of the frame that resembles shots from a film in Scorsese’s future with Shutter Island (2010), the frame is held as Max Cady walks toward the camera increasing in size
12:28 “you’re going to learn about loss” Max Cady threat
13:24 series of nice split diopter shots
14:10 fireworks outside bedroom with flashes of night
15:07 nice compositions with mirrors and screen fades to solid red
15:45 spectacular shot of Max Cady sitting on fence with fireworks in background of frame
28:38 camera pans Max Cady’s body tattoos which contain series of religious and philosophical quotes
30:22 God’s Eye Point of View and thumping score
36:24 brutal rape scene is hard to watch
38:10 two shot of Sam and Robert Mitchum character, Lieutenant Elgart, in hospital room
43:18 references to film noir PI like Sam Spade
53 min Max confronts Leigh just outside her house
56:16 zoom out on pink telephone in Danielle’s room as Cady talks to Danielle using the ruse of being a teacher leading to an eerie scene between the two
1:09:58 screen split with Sam on right side of frame, his family blocked off by wall on left side of frame
1:14:50 Max Cady takes brutal beating before turning the tables on the 3 men, several strong zooms and quick edits in this scene
1:19:35 Cady turns table again by hiring a top criminal career before Sam Bowden can
1:24:12 extreme close up on Sam’s face showing the anguish Cady’s putting him through
1:25:30 low angle shot of Cady watching on in airport with bright pink color in back of frame
1:27:03 painterly image with a reddish-brown sky as Sam’s family returns to residence
1:34:50 great shot capturing dream sequence with Cady in a blurry black and white night vision
1:37:51 aftermath of brutal violence
1:38:09 Sam slips in puddle of blood
1:39:52 Max Cady holds on to the underside of the Bowden’s car
1:40:05 shot of water similar to opening credits, a blurry “Cape Fear” sign visible
1:42:02 painterly image with red/purple sky and Bowden family on their boat
1:44:38 of course Max is on the boat
1:47:00 more than human speech from Max as bright red light illuminates the frame
1:52:00 Danielle sets Cady on fire
1:54:00 Max sets bizarre trial forcing Sam to admit he buried a report that could have helped Cady get off on his charges
2:00:05 Max floats away and presumably dies; he goes out speaking in tongues and then starts singing
Thoughts:
Scorsese with a remake of 1962 film. The Scorsese version is far superior in my opinion, De Niro is near equal to Robert Mitchum in my opinion, its close anyways but the Scorsese version is clear cut better in every other way although to be fair I have only seen the original one time so perhaps a rewatch is necessary at some point
Saul Bass, who did some of the visuals for Hitchcock opening credits including possibly the greatest opening credit scene ever with Vertigo does a splendid job
This is a very over the top film with the thumping score, accelerated pacing in the 2nd half, and most importantly De Niro’s performance, Max Cady almost seems like a Supervillain at times; he is extremely physically imposing from his 14 years of working out in prison but also cunning as he continually gets the best of Sam and anyone who works with Sam as Cady is always a step ahead. There is a scene where he follows Sam’s family, who is getting out of town, by holding on the underside of their car for a long-distance drive. The final 20-25 min on the boat push the bounds of plausibility of courses but it is fitting given everything that comes before it
Some great split diopter shots with Sam and Leigh, their marriage has some issues unlike the original version, and Scorsese’s film is better for it as Sam is a flawed albeit sympathetic individual
Some beautiful shots, the firework scene with Cady sitting on fence, Spanish Moss Trees, and there is an impressive painterly image when Cady exits the prison, Scorsese holds the frame as Cady walks toward camera getting progressively bigger and bigger, it’s a sort of twist on breaking the 4th Wall as it’s like Max Cady is coming after you (the viewer)
Verdict: MS
Goodfellas (1990)
Notes:
Starts with Pesci, De Niro, and Liotta driving in car with red lighting
1:48 insane brutality
2:07 freeze frame “as far back as I could remember I always wanted to be a gangster” the story goes back in time with Henry Hill as a teenager
6:21 freeze frame
7:28 freeze frame
9:51 freeze frame “out of respect”
10:52 pan across room showing all the food and card tables
14:58 “hey you broke your cherry” hilarious line
15:17 final freeze frame for this timeline
15:50 jump in time to 1963 with Ray Liotta now playing Henry Hill as adult in his 20s
16:50 Scorsese’s camera floating through the red lit room while Henry Hill voiceover introduces the numerous wise guy characters including some hilarious nicknames like “Jimmy two times”
20 min Pesci amazing monologue leading to “how am I funny?” scene
29:20 zoom out and change in narrator from Henry to Karen (Lorraine Bracco)
31:10 close up and zooms used when Henry picks Karen up for date
31:33 famous Copacabana tracking shot
42:35 camera pans across the room in the Wedding scene, the room is much brighter than some of the earlier sequences that consisted of camera panning through room while introducing characters, Karen has become more frequently the voice over narrator
49:27 Tommy firing shots into sky after hijacking truck, he really is like a cowboy as Pauly warns Henry earlier, Tommy later calls himself the “Oklahoma Kid” after a James Cagney film
51:02 photos as narrative
52:08 thumping score as camera slowly zooms in from exterior and then inside the bar where Billy Batts (played by the great Frank Vincent) has his coming home party after getting out of prison
54:33 “get your shine box!”
55:55 red tint in frame increases in noticeably leading to Tommy attacking Billy late at night
57:27 Tommy, Henry, and Jimmy stop at Tommy’s mother’s house, funny enough it is Scorsese’s actual mother playing Tommy’s mother in this scene, they have a nice sausage and peppers meal before disposing of Batt’s body
1:05:33 intense red color as Henry, Tommy, and Jimmy dig up Batt’s body to move, Scorsese loves to use red but this image has to amongst his best use of color
1:08:06 great use of lighting and silhouette in card room with Spider as the bar tender
1:09:10 Tommy shoots Spider in the foot for not getting his drink order fast enough
1:11:16 Spider stands up for himself saying fu*k you to Tommy leading to Tommy killing him
1:13:18 POV shot from Henry with Karen standing above him with loaded gun, cut back and forth between Henry and Karen POV
1:20:04 prison scene starts with extreme close up of Paulie chopping garlic extra thin to liquefy in pan with little oil, Vinny makes tomato sauce with veal and pork; wise guys lived in own section of prison; they bribe the guards to sneak in good food, liquor, and wine
1:22:47 nice composition with Henry in far background on right side of the frame where there is dim lighting as he is positioned to look in secretive manner which makes sense as we soon learn he’s starting to sell drugs which is something he knows Pauly will not approve of
1:28:18 Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” this song never will get old
1:33:27 Jimmy in nightclub livid as all the gangster’s idiotically make large purchases immediately after the heist
1:39:37 low angle slow motion shot of Tommy shooting Stacks multiple times
1:42:26 perfect song choice here with Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” as Jimmy inhales cigarette at bar as Henry deduces Jimmy’s inner thoughts
1:45:25 Maury’s death is quick but brutal even by this film’s standards
1:47:30 camera pan reveals two dead bodies inside the Pink Cadillac purchased by one of the members of the Lufthansa Heist, other murders connected to the Heist are revealed during montage
1:49:49 Tommy’s mother see’s him off to his ceremonial as he is supposed to be made
1:51:10 great composition great 3 depths of field with Henry in foreground inside diner, Jimmy at phone booth in parking lot and random character in background entering an apartment building
1:51:27 Tommy being “made” walking into room with Tommy facing camera and then a quick cut to Tommy POV shot as room in actually empty and Tommy is executed
1:52:52 God’s Eye Point of View
1:53:38 noticeable change in camera movements as Henry is a full-on addict by this point and “paranoid” although its not really paranoid if they are actually out to get you
1:55:27 Henry slamming on break and E-Break as his mental state is collapsing
1:56:40 camera panning faster than any other point in film
2:01:15 fast zoom in on Henry’s face after snorting cocaine
2:03:17 extreme close up on Henry Hill’s face “I knew they were cops, only cops talk like that, if they had been wise guys I would not have heart a thing I would have been dead”
2:12:50 “your murderer’s come in smiles” great line from Henry
2:19:09 Liotta breaks the 4th Wall in the court scene leading to the final shot of Hill complaining about the mundane new life he lives in Witness Protection
Thoughts:
The weak points of this film are…………nothing, nothing at all
Scorsese’s 3rd film that is a legit contender for greatest film ever made along with Taxi Driver and Raging Bull
Scorsese’s camera seems to never stop moving, certainly can see the influence on PT Anderson’s Boogie Night’s
There are no cinematically quiet stretches in this film, it is 145 minutes full of brilliant camera work from slow pans across rooms introducing characters, tracking shots, freeze frames, red infused into the mise-en-scene, rock and pop music seamlessly worked into sequences that match the mood/atmosphere, voiceover narration from Liotta and Bracco, and breaking the 4th Wall at the end
The narrative is seamless, it just moves along without a single bump, it’s a rollercoaster ride that never lets up. This is easily one of the most rewatchable films of all time given that there are absolutely no narrative lags and it has plenty of humor to balance the film’s dark subject matter resulting in a film with a atmosphere/tone that is very accessible
The erratic camera movements and zooms in the last 30/40 min is used brilliantly to convey Henry Hill’s increasing paranoia and stress level as he has an almost comical number of tasks to do in a single day
I love all the scenes and references to food throughout the film, in particular the prison scene where the wise guys bribe people to get quality food and wine for dinner
I have previously written about what I call “You Tube” movies which basically means a great film that is composed of many great individual scenes vs great films that are more “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” which would be a film like Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979) which in an all timer but does not have a lot of individual brilliant scenes. Goodfellas might be the ultimate “YouTube Movie” so many great sequences
The first 15 minutes are practically a short film itself. I posted this on the page for Goodfellas about 2 years ago:
“Good call on the early part of the film functioning as a film within a film. A Bronx Tale (1993) is similar, obviously it is not at the level of Goodfellas (although I think it’s a great film). So many great freeze frames, like the one where they throw the mailman into the oven for bringing Henry Hill’s family letters from his school. I think the early section works so well in setting up not only the narrative but for establishing the world Henry Hill in entering the gambling, scams, stealing, booze, and good food. The appeal of this world to the young Henry Hill character is obvious even without the voiceovers. Obviously, the film still works without the opening 15 minutes, but I think it definitely takes it to another level.”
With respect to Tarantino and PT Anderson no one is better at infusing rock and pop music into film than Scorsese
A who’s who of Soprano characters, I think there’s like 20 or 25 actors/actresses who played in both
The performances are all top notch but if forced to rank (and the top 2 are really close):
# 1 Joe Pesci
# 2 Ray Liotta
# 3 Lorraine Bracco
# 4 Robert De Niro
# 5 Paul Sorvino
Verdict: MP (my # 4 all time)
Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Notes:
Starts with a quote and a fade to a red screen
Willem Dafoe as Jesus
3:45 Jesus facing away from camera with arms spread on a cross
5 min Harvey Keitel as Judas
8:35 Jesus brought out on cross and beaten and whipped
11:08 great split diopter shot
14:35 drawing of snake in mise-en-scene
18:08 Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene lying naked in brothel
23:03 low angle shot in tent
24:24 overhead shot of man (Roberts Blossom) carried through desert
25:17 long shot Jesus and Jeroboam sitting over cliff in desert
27:58 image of snake slithering to surface, an orange glow over Jesus
30:06 two-shot on Jesus and Judas facing each other with blue in background of frame
35 min strong acting from Defoe, “who here has not sinned?”
38:20 low angle shot of Jesus isolated in frame as he speaks before group of people
44:40 great acting from Defoe and Keitel
48:30 pan capturing the people
53:35 tracking shot of Jesus walking alone in the desert
54:33 overhead shot as Jesus sits alone in desert
1:07:38 Jesus literally rips heart out
1:08:00 the color of the frame becomes progressively more orange and then red
1:20:00 cave opening used to frame shot with Jesus facing camera looking into dark cave followed by shot of camera over Jesus’ shoulder and slow zoom in on pitch black cave
1:26:18 low angle shot, nice blocking with Jesus in center of frame
1:34:37 reverse tracking shot through desert
1:42:27 strong blocking with faces of Jesus and Judas taking up most of frame
1:53:53 painterly image with beige in mise-en-scene
1:54:50 David Bowie as Pontius Pilate
1:56:44 strong composition with Jesus and Pilate in different depths of field facing opposite direction
1:57:50 close up on Jesus wearing woven crown of thorns on his head
1:58:58 God’s Eye Point of View shot as Jesus carried on cross
2:02:55 strong composition with high angle shot from behind Jesus nailed to the Cross which appears suspended in midair
2:05:37 impressive composition as image of Jesus nailed to Cross is moved 90 degrees clockwise
2:06:48 music suspended, only voice is of a young girl speaking to Jesus in conversational tone
2:22:52 low angle shot of Paul, played by the great Harry Dean Stanton, who is preaching to a crowd about the resurrection of Jesus
2:29:29 screen fades to a solid red color
2:29:53 door used to frame Apostle entering room with red in background of door frame
2:32:10 Judas shown in another door frame shot
2:37:48 strong use of camera movement with zoom in on Jesus on the Cross, Scorsese holds frame which is final shot of the film
Thoughts:
Scorsese fulfills a longtime goal in directing a film about Jesus, unsurprisingly this was controversial subject matter upon being released
Not that it matters for the purpose of evaluating film, but I am not religious, I imagine for some people certain subject matter, especially those related to religion, race, culture, etc. can be quite emotionally taxing
This film has some strong moments with the sequence of Jesus ripping heart out and frame increasing in intense red color. There are some really strong shots during the Crucifixion sequence
The continuation of Scorsese’s use of red in mise-en-scene
The performances are really strong in my opinion, particularly from William Dafoe and Harvey Keitel
Verdict: R/HR
After Hours (1985)
Notes:
Starts with aggressive zoom in on the Griffin Dunne character, Paul Hackett, who works a dull office job
3:35 zoom out from Paul who is reading a book sitting inside a Diner, Paul moves to the background of the frame with the Rosanna Arquette character named Marcy moving into the foreground of the frame
5:22 close up on Marcy, shot reverse shot close up on Paul as they strike up conversation
8:18 shot of clock
8:58 soft focus shot
11:22 Scorsese triple edit
11:38 deep focus with Paul at bottom of stairs in background of the frame
16:56 a two shot with Paul and Marcy’s roommate
18:48 red background in frame
19:15 Marcy in angelic white clothing, surrounded by red throughout the frame
21:41 ticking noise as camera floats through apartment
23:50 two-shot of Paul and Marcy in foreground and a reflection of them in the background via mirror, shortly after Marcy tells Paul horrific story about sexual assault, dimly lit room with shade of red
26:24 low angle tracking shot as Paul and Marcy walk into a Diner
31:40 dim red lighting
33:28 reverse tracking shot through street
34 min green/blue tinted frames
34:36 police officer appears out of nowhere the second Pal tries to get on subway without token since he’s 3 cents short
39:49 cash register won’t open of course
41:13 Paul enters dark apartment building, shadows that look like prison bars in background of frame
43:33 low angle shot repeated from earlier
51:43 high angle shot of empty street
54:55 yellow and pink in mise-en-scene
57:50 ridiculous coincidence as bar tender is boyfriend of Marcy
1:06:01 Paul enters club that has a rave like environment
1:14:02 Paul chased by mob of people after Gail tricks him walking into street
1:14:40 shadow over Paul looks like prison bars, he feels trapped and hunted
1:20:10 Paul runs again in streets after trying to take down Burglar signs with his face on it
1:22:50 beautiful use of lighting in bar
1:23:50 nice foreground/background work
1:26:16 camera moves counterclockwise in bar
1:31:11 hidden in newspaper sculptor
1:34:30 Paul returns to his desk for the opening scene and the camera flies though the office
Thoughts:
Several reviews have described this as Kafkaesque, and that is true to a certain degree though I tend to associate that term with a bleak and repressive atmosphere. For me this is more like a bizarro NYC version of Alice in Wonderland; you have an array of colorful characters. Griffin Dunne’s Paul serves as the narrative vehicle playing the “straight man” so to speak while constantly running into a multitude of characters who are neurotic, bizarre, or just flat out crazy. This feels quintessential to the 80s with punk rock culture, rave party scene, mohawks, etc. Interestingly the film still has the gritty NYC atmosphere even though overall the film could be labeled as surreal, I love the reference to Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”. There is some expressionism at work with shadows in a couple of scenes including a shot where Paul enters a dark apartment building, and the shadows resemble prison bars
The film is an odyssey of sorts, the Streets are often empty and eerily quiet in many of the sequences while the Griffin Dunne character desperately tries and fails to get home due to a bizarre series of unbelievable events and coincidences. The film is structured with a series of vignettes. It is atmospheric and ideal to watch late at night, in fact I would not watch it at any other time. I have had issues with insomnia before, so I know that strange feeling when you find yourself wide awake in the middle of night
It’s funny the way Paul becomes a wanted man after a vindictive Julie draws his face and distributes throughout the neighborhood on yellow poster paper. Paul is not really presented as a bad guy exactly maybe a little rude here and there and you could maybe argue he displays cowardice in leaving Marcy although from his perspective he just wanted a possible casual encounter and a little excitement to his life and all of the sudden he’s become a Hitchcock like wrong man on the run
Scorsese’s obsession with the color red continues, especially in the first half of the film with sequences in Marcy’s apartment. In fact, the use of color in the mise-en-scene is impressive throughout, there is a segment with yellow and pink, another with green and blue tint near the subway. I love the yellow “Burglar Signs” that have a picture of Paul and are posted throughout the neighborhood which adds to Paul’s feelings of paranoia although its not paranoia if they really are out to get you
The film has inspired many different interpretations, some believe it has a connection to Scorsese’s career at that point in time as he tried continually to make a lifelong passion project with Last Temptation of Christ (1988) that he would eventually release 3 years later but at the time Scorsese apparently was feeling like a failure as it looked like Temptation would never be completed
This film shows offs Scorsese’s underrated range and depth
Verdict: MS
Love love LOVE seeing an MS here (and seeing such well-written notes, of course)! I’d personally go as far as to say After Hours was cleanly better for me than King of Comedy due to it featuring more scenes of impressive visual direction and more impactful editing. That said, I’ve only seen both once and KoC’s depth and thematic work may mean that after rewatch it will improve substantially in my estimation. Either way though, love seeing this movie praised. Keep up the good work!
@ga – appreciate it, sorry just noticed the comment now. Its definitely close between close 2, I am getting close to end of the study so will think more on it when I do the final rankings but for now After Hours and King of Comedy are basically neck and neck. But I agree with your general breakdown. King of Comedy has some very impressive shots but After Hours overall is probably more visually accomplished.
* sorry I meant to say “cringe comedy” not “fringe comedy”
King of Comedy (1982)
Notes:
Starts with Jerry Langford Show (played by Jerry Lewis)
De Niro as Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring comedian with mental health issues
2:50 Jerry attacked by a crazed mob of fans as he makes way into the back of a limo
3:18 great freeze frame with Sandra Bernhard’s hands pressed up on window with blue tinted frame during opening credits
6:36 Rupert weasels his way into the Limo
10:10 Rupert is utterly relentless
11:12 to 12:12 Rupert and Jerry talk over lunch; it becomes obvious this is pure fantasy
15:25 Rupert walks into bar, green and red are dominant in mise-en-scene so far,
15:35 Rita the bartender played by Diahnne Abbott who was Robert De Niro’s wife in real life at the time, she was also in Taxi Driver as the concession stand worker that Travis tries to strike up a conversation with (and miserably fails of course)
22:55 Rupert’s continued delusion
26:04 Rupert in background of frame leaning against payphone in busy NYC street with people walking by in the foreground of the frame
28:15 nice composition, symmetrical as Rupert leans in waiting area for Jerry in middle of frame
30:15 Sandra Bernhard as Masha, an equally insane Jerry die-hard fan
31 min Rupert and Masha are equally delusional
32:24 slow zoom in on Rupert in his mother’s basement, this room replicated after The Jerry Langford Show, leading to a spectacular slow zoom out starting around 34:16, Rupert stands back to camera and gradually moves from foreground to background standing in front of black and white photograph of an audience
35:55 Rupert takes the phrase “can’t take a hint” to an extreme
36:32 slow zoom out from shot of Jerry to reveal Rupert in room, this is obvious back to fantasy
41:20 Rupert returns to the same area of the lobby upon trying to get meeting with Jerry
47:00 Rupert on far-right side of frame with noticeable gap between him and receptionist who is on left side; Rupert is cluelessly waiting for Jerry
51:06 door frame in frame as Rupert chased off screen by security
56:27 Rupert casual demeanor upon Jerry walking into his vacation home
56:54 triangle composition with Rupert, Jerry, and Rita standing in living room of Jerry’s vacation home with Rupert on left side of the frame, if you did not know better it would seem like Rupert’s house
58:20 Jerry finally tells Rupert he’s a moron, merge of reality and fantasy
1:01:14 “you did good Mr. Langford” “thank you” hilarious
1:01:28 nice use of framing as the pillar of the car divides the frame
1:03:30 casual abduction of Jerry using fake guns
1:14:30 Scorsese’s trademark “God’s Eye Point of View” as Rupert puts tape over Jerry’s mouth
1:17:53 payphone booth divides frame in half with Rupert on left side
1:19:00 immaculate composition with apartment illuminated solely by candlelight a la Barry Lyndon which is Scorsese’s favorite Kubrick film apparently
1:26:40 FBI Agents surrounding Rupert as they try to negotiate to speak with Jerry
1:28:38 deadpan interrogation is hilarious
1:32:06 title reference as Rupert Pupkin finally gets his chance for standup
1:35:48 Rupert watches his own standup in the bar Rita works at with FBI Agents watching along
1:36:36 Rupert is shockingly quite good in his standup
1:42:00 FBI arrest Rupert
Thoughts:
Scorsese really switches up here, this is fringe comedy at its finest, aside from Steve Carrell’s character Michael Scott in The Office, there is perhaps no fictional character who creates this type and amount of awkwardness and embarrassment, I know people who cannot handle this type of comedy and I get it
The most impressive visual for me was between two moments: the first occurs a little past 30 min there is a slow zoom in on Rupert in his mother’s basement, this room replicated after The Jerry Langford Show, leading to a spectacular slow zoom out starting around 34:16, Rupert stands back to camera and gradually moves from foreground to background standing in front of black and white photograph of an audience. The other occurs at the 1:19:00 when Jerry is tied at Masha’s apartment which is illuminated solely by candlelight a la Barry Lyndon which is Scorsese’s favorite Kubrick film apparently
The film certainly works as a critique of so-called celebrity culture and fame, Jerry is of course hounded and stalked non-stop throughout the film by fans who are not capable of setting reasonable boundaries and lash out when they are not given what they deem to be adequate attention. In today’s 24/7 social media work Rupert might be a YouTube Superstar
One of the formal aspects of the film that impressed me was the merging between fantasy and reality that occurs toward the middle of the film, there are a number of fantasy sequences early on where Rupert imagines Jerry and him talking shop and sharing meals but the back and forth between fantasy and reality finally merges about halfway through when Rupert takes Rita to visit Jerry at his vacation house, the first time watching this I assumed it was just Rupert’s imagination
It’s a great performance from De Niro, so different from any of his other roles and like I said above cringeworthy to the put that some people I know cannot get through this film, I like De Niro’s comedic abilities; funny enough Meet the Parents (2000) is actually the first film I saw De Niro in. I was 11 or 12 and watched in hotel room during family vacation, my parents were amused by De Niro’s performance and really just his presence in a film like that, naturally I did not get why they were amused by it until years later
Verdict: MS
Raging Bull (1980)
Notes:
Starts with slow motion shot of De Niro as Jake LaMotta shadow boxing, this is set to Intermezzo from the opera ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’, composed by Pietro Mascagni. This version is performed by the Orchestra of Bologna Municipal Theatre, conducted by Arturo Basile
3:30 older Jake LaMotta reciting in 1964
4:33 the film goes back to 1941 and LaMotta is in the ring in Cleveland
4:54 camera gliding through the ring
The black and white photography is incredible and editing
5:37 LaMotta’s opponent is knocked down, cameras recording the fight create the sensation of a freeze frame
6:18 low angle shot of LaMotta with his arms up after knocking his opponent down
6:58 crowd thinks LaMotta was robbed in decision loss after being saved by the bell
7:34 camera with rapid movements capturing riot
9:45 wife burns steak leading to fight
10 min Joe Pesci as Jake’s brother Joey and Frank Vincent as Salvy
11:18 Jake violent arguments with wife followed by Joey trying to talk sense into him, this is a pattern repeated throughout the film
12:50 I ain’t never going to fight Joe Louis
15:33 boxing ring used to create frame in frame
17:40 camera pans up apartment building and then to neighborhood pool
18 min LaMotta sees Vicky (Cathy Moriarty) sitting around pool near neighborhood wise guys
26:00 frame split down the middle as Jake takes Vicky on date to play miniature golf
31:57 rapid zoom in when LaMotta attacks Sugar Ray Robinson
32:39 slow motion low angle shot of LaMotta circling ring after knocking down Sugar Ray
34:22 close up on Jake and Vicky about to be intimate
39:09 smoke filled through frame
40:16 Pesci is hilarious, giving off a preview of what is to come later in his career with Goodfellas and Casino
40:58 extreme close up as Jake examines his face after fight in mirror
41:30 slow zoom in on hand in ice water
41:40 montage in color of Jake and Vicky looking happy intercut with short clips of fights in black and white but the personal non boxing scenes in color
44:19 montage over back to black and white, Jake complaining about his weight to Joey
49:49 Copacabana comedian cracking jokes
51 min Jake looks at Salvy with distain
53:29 Jake talks to local mob boss
55:58 religious iconography in mise en scene, cross in background behind bed
57:54 Jake gives Janiro savage beating including slow motion shot of blood falling off Janiro’s face
58:44 thick cloud of steam as Jake exercising in sauna to lose a few extra pounds
1:02:10 Joey and Salvy brutal fight ending with Joey slamming his face with taxi door
1:08:42 camera floating through tunnel reminds me of shot from The Third Man (1949)
1:09:25 reverse tracking shot
1:17:51 composition captures multiple levels of field
1:18:47 LaMotta pre-fight warm up with Joey as his punching bag, then comes out in Leopard robe
1:21:19 slow motion water pours on Jake in between rounds
1:22:03 photographers capturing fight ringside
1:23:40 Jake paranoia and sexual jealously been building for a while and starts to break @ 1:26:38
1:31:29 tension breaks even more here
1:32:17 Jake in foreground profile shot sitting in dark by himself
1:39:50 brutal beat down by Sugar Ray Robinson in their 6th and final fight leading to “you never got me down Ray”
1:40:15 slow motion straight right from Sugar Ray
1:40:50 “you never got me down Ray” as LaMotta’s face covered in blood
1:41:39 slow zoom in on rope and slow blood dripping
1:41:51 time jump to 1956 with LaMotta in Miami with Vicky and his three kids
1:43:12 exterior shot of Jake LaMotta’s club
1:46:00 stark black and white in Jake’s club
1:48:02 “prove your 21”
1:48:50 incredible composition with smoke invading left side of frame and Jake in middle pouring liquor into 5 wine glasses stacked together
1:54:32 Jake manhandled into prison cell with his gut hanging out of his shirt
1:55:40 LaMotta starts hitting wall in solidary cell features incredible acting as he breaks down in fit of rage “I’m not an animal”
1:57:25 LaMotta performing standup in NYC club
1:59:29 Jake makes peace with Joey
2:01:38 Jake reciting scene from On the Waterfront
2:03:52 “I’m the boss”
2:04:16 the perfect quote to end the film with leading to the iconic music
Thoughts:
This might be the greatest film ever made, it is so intense and heavy emotionally that there are dozens of films more rewatchable, but it is perfect in every single way and when I do watch it there might be nothing better
In a way this is not actually a sports movie, apparently Scorsese does not even like Sports, but he views the boxing ring as a sort of allegory for a man’s life. Still as an avid boxing fan since I was 13 or 14, I have watched a lot of older fights on YouTube including some of LaMotta’s fights which are surprisingly good quality. Like with any other film I have watched and graded the actual subject means little in the way of judging quality, but I would be lying if I said the actual subject matter is not especially exciting for me as a boxing fan
The actual boxing scenes are not realistic nor are they intended to be, the cameras ringside create the sensation of freeze frames, the editing and rapid changes in angles create an experience different from any other boxing film
Robert De Niro’s performance is rightfully regarded as one of the best ever, LaMotta is a man tortured by his insecurities, inadequacies, and suspicions that his wife is cheating on him despite there being zero proof. It’s a dynamic performance despite LaMotta’s complete lack of likable traits. Its part of my Mount Rushmore male performances with Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood (2007), Pacino in Godfather II (1974), and Brando in On the Waterfront (1954). It seems fitting that LaMotta recites the Brando speech from On the Waterfront in the films bookend
The opening sequence with LaMotta shadow boxing is absolutely mesmerizing, this elevates the film from the start, you can feel something special about it
The black and white photography is gorgeous, the camera movements and editing make the fight sequences spectacular, I love the use of slow motion in several of the fight sequences, there are no cinematically quiet stretches in the film
The boxing sequences are beautiful from an aesthetic standpoint, but they also serve a formal purpose as they capture the mania that is the life of Jake LaMotta. Unlike almost any other boxing film, there is little rhythm or patterns established in portrayal of the boxing sequences. In other boxing film they might show a little of each round of a fight of establish a particular visual style of rhythm, in this film the speed of the fights in sped up and slowed down throughout, Scorsese uses various angles and will use rapid zooms and go from shaky camera to steady. The fight sequences mirror LaMotta’s unpredictable and erratic behavior throughout the film
Joe Pesci is so good playing Jake’s brother Joey, obviously De Niro is incredible, but Pesci’s performance is amazing in its own right, he serves as the voice of reason for the most part although he is prone to violent outbursts as well plus frequent profanity
Cathy Moriarty as Vicky is excellent as well; she is tasked with a difficult role given the magnitude of the performances from De Niro and Pesci but she more than holds her own giving a great performance even if it’s clearly the 3rd best in the film. The build up of LaMotta’s unbearable jealousy and insecurities leads to an explosive verbal and physical fight when Vicky finally fights back. Frank Vincent is excellent as always and so are the supporting performances though it is definitely the top 3 that are the most memorable
The score, in particular the opening and closing sequences might be my favorite in any film as it captures the films the equally mesmerizing image of De Niro’s slow motion shadow boxing
Verdict: MP (my # 2 all time)
@James Trapp- keep up the good work- really like this- “The actual boxing scenes are not realistic nor are they intended to be, the cameras ringside create the sensation of freeze frames, the editing and rapid changes in angles create an experience different from any other boxing film”
@Drake – thanks, I try to do an especially thorough review for the towering Masterpieces
Taxi Driver (1976)
Notes:
Starts with taxi drive through cloud of smoke with drumming playing along from Bernard Hermann hypnotic score
1:13 extreme close up on Travis Bickle’s eyes, frame is saturated with red
1:30 distorted POV shot from inside cab with kaleidoscopic neon lights which appear through the windows which are dripping from the rain
2:30 De Niro as Travis Bickle, a 26-year-old former Marine is applying for a job as Taxi Driver, the film gets right to the story
5:30 camera pans counterclockwise in Travis Bickle’s modest apartment
6:04 “all the animals come out at night…” Travis Bickle narrates
7:27 over the shoulder shot as windshield wiper goes to into overdrive
8:20 Travis drinking liquor in middle of the day while walking into a adult movie theatre
9:15 funny tidbit as the Concession Girl, who seems to find Travis repulsive is played by Diahnne Abbott (Robert De Niro’s first wife)
10:36 slow motion shot of Cybill Shepard making her first appearance as Betsy, a young woman, who works for Charles Palantine, a fictional politician
11:54 Betsy and her colleague Tom, played by Albert Brooks
13:38 Travis driving through the streets with green and red lights in background
14:30 green and red neon lights frequently visible
16:16 Travis awkward even with other taxi drivers
16:50 camera pans slowly lingering on several black men, brilliantly establishes his racism
17:23 Travis dumps Alka-Seltzer into glass of water, this is followed by a slow zoom in on the water bubbling while the reaction noise is accentuated
20 min quick succession of close ups starting with Tom (Albert Brooks) and then to Betsy and finally to Travis right before he exits his cab and makes his move on Betsy
20:27 I like the way the camera zooms in on Betsy until she is the only one in the frame, a couple seconds later there is a triangle composition with Betsy in the middle of Travis and Tom
21:52 despite Travis being a little odd he actually comes across as confident and a little mysterious or at the very least strangely captivating and despite his awkwardness, he actually seemed to size her quite accurately
27:20 Reference to Kris Kristofferson song, I only saw Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) for the first time yesterday so did not know he was in any of Scorsese’s films as an actor, I like Betsy referencing the walking Contradiction lyric to describe Travis
28:08 beautiful shot of city street at night with the red and green neon signs
28:40 Senator Charles Palantine riding in Travis’ cab
33:14 shallow focus as Travis walks through a crowd
33:47 Native American reference
34:42 even if I pondered it for 25 min straight, I don’t think I could come up with a worse place to take a girl on a first date or any date for that matter
36:00 what’s especially disturbing is that Travis actually thinks taking a girl to a porn movie is a normal thing as he noted about a minute ago “lots of couples come to these”
37:07 Travis calling Betsy from pay phone trying to patch things up
38 min camera pans from Travis on the pay phone to the empty hall
38:40 the stomach cancer line comes from Paul Shrader’s Cinematic Hero, Robert Bresson
39:27 Travis confronts Betsy at campaign headquarters
40:34 I actually did not realize this was Martin Scorsese the first time I watched this film
41:27 frame in frames
41:44 camera pans up then across the exterior of an apartment building as the man played by Scorsese watches his wife who is having an affair
46:33 red tint throughout most of the frame as Travis and Wizard talk outside the Diner, the hangout spot for the cab drivers. Wizard might not be the ideal person for wisdom, but to his credit he tries
51:45 Travis sees Jodi Foster character for the 2nd time as he nearly hits her with his cab, sudden change in score as the hypnotic rhythm is interrupted by an emphasized trumpet sound
57 min Easy Andy, a darkly humorous character, sells Travis guns
57:52 Travis starts working out like a maniac and announces he plans on changing diet
58:42 Travis still with insomnia becomes increasingly obsessed with violence including his “finger gun”
59 min Travis standing in front of his mirror while practicing his “quick draw” skills
1:01:50 secret service man in foreground working at Palantine campaign event, Travis standing along with the crowd in background before striking up conversation with secret service
1:06:44 Travis talking to himself with the famous “are you talking to me” scene
1:07:30 Travis mental decline is accelerating
1:07:52 great silhouette work, part of frame obstructed by fog similar to opening
1:09:04 Travis kills armed robber
1:09:50 slow motion shot of Travis waving gun toward TV
1:12:18 camera slowly pans through crowd at Palantine Campaign Event
1:13:30 Travis narrates letter to his parents which includes lies and/or delusions
1:15:48 Iris’ pimp Matthew aka “Sport” played to Harvey Keitel
1:20:32 Travis pays for Iris but does not want sex, instead he ends up setting up date for later
1:24:23 over the shoulder shot in narrow dimly lit graffiti hallway where Travis pays a man for the room, this same man turns around and literally walks into the dark which is in the background of the frame
1:28:00 Travis and Iris bond at Diner, start to form a genuine connection that is not based on sex
1:29:50 Sport and Iris in bedroom with red lights over both characters
1:35:16 Travis in mohawk look watching Palantine
1:36:48 assassination attempt fails
1:39:08 “suck on this” as Travis shoots Sport in stomach and leaves him to suffer a painful death
1:39:49 Travis kills several other men working in building who are a part of this vile business before rescuing Iris
1:42:50 close up on Travis’ face as he uses the “finger gun” against his own head (this was also done in Joker) and shoots twice as police entered building
1:43:33 Scorsese’s trademark “God’s Eye Point of View” aka overhead shot which shows the aftermath of all the violence
Final 2 Scenes are debatable if they are a dream or not
1:46:08 camera moves in on Newspaper Story while narration from Iris’ father who narrates the letter he and his wife write to Travis as a letter of gratitude for saving Iris and an open invitation to visit if he ever is in Pittsburgh
1:48:12 Travis, apparently mended from his injuries is back to driving a Taxi and it happens to be Betsy in the back; they catch up a bit with Betsy mentioning she saw the article in the paper about his brave saving of Iris, Travis does not charge Betsy
1:51:02 ending credits play with distorted POV shot from inside cab with kaleidoscopic neon lights which appear through the windows
Thoughts:
I would not object to someone claiming this to be the greatest film ever made, for me it’s in the top 20 and sems to get better every time I watch, it is endlessly fascinating, it has everything, and I mean everything
– Amazing acting performances, I would not object to someone claiming De Niro’s performance to be the best in Cinema History, for me its in the top 20 maybe even top 10
– Bernard Hermann hypnotic score
– Stunning use of color, Scorsese’s obsession with the color red continues
– Its paced perfectly, a lean 113 minutes and much of that is to the credit of Paul Schrader who structures the film around Travis struggles to form connections with people
– Almost no cinematically quiet stretches
– Amazing camera work, effective camera pans, often slow pans that immerse viewer into world of the film, POV shots as Travis looks on in disgust at the City he hates but cannot bring himself to leave, and of course Scorsese’s “God’s Eye” Shot
The opening 2 min of credits display incredible artistic ambition that is only topped by Vertigo (1958), the next film of this study, Raging Bull (1980), and maybe a few others but not many
Shallow focus is used effectively to display the loneliness of Travis even when surrounded by large groups of people, very different film but Lost in Translation (2003) uses this effectively
The narration gives the viewer access to the mind of Travis Bickle, but Scorsese finds other ways to communicate Travis’ mind as well, for example his racism which is implied by slow motion POV shots of several of the black characters in the film
This is a huge achievement for Scorsese of course but also Paul Schrader and Bernard Hermann, I mentioned Bernard Hermann’s score above, but I will emphasize further because it is so effective in setting the films atmosphere something I consider crucial
The film is set during a hectic time in New York City with high crime rates, Todd Phillips’ 2019 film Joker is largely inspired by two Scorsese films: Taxi Driver and King of Comedy. Like Travis Bickle, Joaquin Phoenix’s character Joker is a miserable loner with a lot of built-up anger, there are many differences between the films of course, but it is clear which aspects of Taxi Driver, Phillips incorporated into Joker
I have read so many interpretations of the ending and debates about whether or not what the viewer is seeing is real, that is real within the world of the film. Some believe its Travis’ dream or possibly even his dying thoughts, like many of the best open to interpretation film ending, the actual debates they create are more important than determining exactly what the filmmaker was going for. It annoyed Stanley Kubrick to no end that for the last 30 years old his life people constantly hounded him for an explanation of the ending for 2001 A Space Odyssey
Whatever one’s beliefs about the ending, Martin Scorsese delivers a perfect film
Verdict: MP (top 20 all-time film)
I decided to watch Who’s That Knocking at My Door and swapped it with New York New York (1977) which I intended to watch with the study
Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967)
Notes:
Starts with woman (played by Martin Scorsese’s real life mother Catherine) in the kitchen making food for 5 children sitting at table
1:38 Harvey Keitel character J.R. gets in fight with a few other young men from the neighborhood
7:08 John Wayne reference
7:32 J.R. talks about Italian movies being dubbed
8:30 conversation about The Searchers
14:40 J.R. and his buddies hanging out
16:26 J.R. on date with same woman
20:46 contrast lighting
21:37 Jenny Take a Ride song plays again
24:39 camera pans slowly across the apartment
27 min another pop song
33:14 extreme close up before J.R. abruptly stops before sex with his new girlfriend
37:44 dissolve edit while camera pans through J.R. and his buddies hanging out
40:50 J.R. and his girlfriend go to see Rio Bravo (1959) montage of images from the movie
44 min bizarre dream sequence set to The Doors song “The End”
53:08 J.R. and two buddies make it to top of mountain during their hike, contrast lighting
58:38 brutal rape scene from past depicted using frequent edits and varying camera angles depicting the overwhelming powerlessness of it
1:01:00 J.R. does not take it well
1:04:56 J.R. drinking heavily with his buddies, this is intercut with his imagined depiction of his girlfriend’s sexual assault
1:14:56 J.R. walking down empty hallway apartment to try to make up with girlfriend
1:21:00 J.R. “forgives” her although she did nothing wrong
1:23:53 J.R. calls her a whore and is told to leave her
1:25:38 religious iconography and J.R. in confession booth is intercut with him spending time with his girlfriend
1:26:32 “who’s that knocking” song plays during final sequence
Thoughts:
Scorsese’s debut film is rough around the edges, this film precedes Mean Streets by 6 years and Scorsese obviously improves drastically over those 6 years
Scorsese ever the cinephile, there are many conversations about films, in particular one of Scorsese’s favorite films The Searchers (1956) and truth be told a few too much conversation about films
Scorsese is a Catholic and that is an essential aspect of who he is, this film examines guilt and shame effectively
This film establishes Scorsese’s love of rock/pop music which he incorporates into the film
The dream sequence is surreal, some nice dissolve edits
Despite its flaws and limitations, I still think it is worth a viewing but is no doubt minor Scorsese
Verdict: R
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
Notes:
Opening credits with a female singing voice off screen while credits roll with red cursive lettering over a sky-blue background
1:47 gorgeous image with Ruby Red frame
2 min camera slowly pans and then slowly zooms in on a shot of a house followed by a young Alice called in by her parents, all this seems inspired from The Wizard of Oz
3:42 zoom out, camera pans over California neighborhood
6:56 Alice (Ellen Burstyn), a young boy, and her husband Donald (Billy Green Bush) sit at table eating dinner
8:17 panoramic shot of town
14 min Donald dies off screen in car accident
20:48 emotional departure as Alice hugs her best friend before setting out on the road with son
22 min car rapidly moves from foreground to background of frame
27:06 nice color is mise en scene; red carpet, Alice with green dress
30:08 nice use of white lighting in background of frame as Alice enters bar
32:39 white lighting again as sunlight seeps into dark bar room during daytime
39:39 nice use of curtains creating frame in frame as Alice happily eats with son just after landing a job singing at a Piano Bar
42:30 profile shot of Alice singing in Piano Bar
43 min Harvey Keitel as Ben introduces himself with low angle shot, she slowly warms up to him
48:34 Alice sleeps with Ben
50:47 camera moves counterclockwise as Ben’s wife comes to speak to a surprised Alice who did not know that Ben was married
53:30 Ben turns out to be violent maniac
56:38 Alice and son are on road again
1:03:03 Kris Kristofferson as David, customer in Diner that Alice is now working at
1:03:15 funny but disturbing announcement from Flo (Diane Ladd) who tells entire restaurant its Alice first day
1:09:18 Tommy makes friend
1:10:36 nice blocking in this frame
1:16:27 David builds relationship with Alice and Tommy
1:20:30 great blocking as Alice and Flo’s faces takes up most of the frame, they have become friends now
1:22:08 camera moves to long shot with the two women now in background of the frame
1:24:22 extreme closeup as Alice and David kiss for the first time
1:31:54 David hits Tommy leading to a fight in which David points out (correctly) that Tommy has been spoiled and has no discipline
1:38:30 I cannot believe Audrey is placed by Jodi Foster, unrecognizable, though she looks far different in Taxi Driver which is only 2 years later
1:45:20 David comes back into Diner and tries to make amends with Alice
1:48:18 Alice and David makeup and everyone in Diner starts clapping
1:50:10 end credits in pink cursive lettering and on the far left of frame Alice playing piano
Thoughts:
This was actually my first viewing of this film
It is one of Scorsese’s few female centric films, Ellen Burstyn gives an amazing performance as Alice. She is a complex character and Burstyn really makes the role her own
Scorsese’s opening 3 and ½ minutes contains some stunning imagery and use of color, ruby red specifically. After that spectacular opening the rest of the film is lite on impressive visuals so that hurts the film a bit, however… the performs are phenomenal; Ellen Burstyn is just tremendous as I noted above, I loved Diane Ladd as wise cracking Flo and Kris Kristofferson was solid, the only other film I’ve ever him in was Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid which was a very different role
This is a version of a road film, with Alice and her son travelling around meeting new people throughout the film, her son’s presence adds another dimension than if she were travelling by herself
A forementioned lack of visuals does limit the films ceiling but the acting and writing are done so well moving it beyond a simple R
Verdict: HR
@James-Wow. Have you never seen Heaven’s Gate(1980)? Plus didn’t watch Who’s that Knocking at My Door(1967) as part of this Scorsese study?
@Malith – yeah that’s an oversight on my part, I skipped Boxcar Bertha intentionally due to its reputation. I will do that occasionally during these studies, I have 24 total films listed to watch including the 2 I have seen so far and including Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) when it comes out. I know some people are but I do not mind not being a completionist. Perhaps I will come back to it.
I have not caught Heaven’s Gate (1980) yet I will get to it at some point
You definitely need to get to Heaven’s Gate (1980) ASAP. It’s a fantastic film. Bizzarely enough given the reviews you’d think this is a flawed film. But it was quite perfect for me. Maybe critics at the time were concentrating on things like animal violence or the absurdity of the roller skate sequence which is ahead of its time and fantastic. Great score as well.
@Malith – excited to check it out for sure. How do you think it compares with Deer Hunter?
Strangely enough. I haven’t seen The Deer Hunter
@James – I have Heaven’s Gate in my top 15, far ahead of The Deer Hunter.
@Harry – that is very high praise indeed, I think very highly of Deer Hunter (1978) which is one of the most haunting films I have ever seen.
@Malith – Would you recommend Who’s that Knocking at My Door? As I said above I have 24 films listed for the study so still have 21 to watch until Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). And those 21 films include about several 3-hour films. If I have some time left over before Flower Moon I’ll come back to it.
I have not seen Who’s That Knocking At My Door. But if you are watching all of his other films you should see this one as well. It maybe not essential Scorsese but Kundun isn’t either.
@Malith – I probably will come back to it if I have enough time. Killers of the Flower Moon has a release date of October 20, 2023; that should be enough time to get through everything. Afterward I am doing a David Cronenberg Study to align with Halloween (I did this last year with Dario Argento)
Mean Streets (1973)
Notes:
Starts with Scorsese voice over as Keitel’s character wakes up and looks into mirror
1:05 triple edit followed by pop music and title sequence which consists of home video montage
3:40 red dimly lit bar
5:30 Robert De Niro as Johnny Boy
5:55 tracking shot Keitel as Charlie walking into an empty Church
6:25 camera rapidly pulled back to long shot
7:20 camera pans through red lit bar
8 min Charlie works his way through to stage with strippers
9:20 camera moves in on transfixed Charlie
Richard Romanus, David Proval,
15 min Johnny Boy double talking is hilarious
20:48 camera moving around restaurant
22 min tracking shot through Little Italy
26:40 the 3 friends watching The Searchers (1956) one of Scorsese’s favorite films
32 min brawl at the pool hall, started by minor insults and escalates
35:56 fight almost starts up again
38:30 another tracking shot into red lit bar
39:23 low angle shots as they shoot pool
41:37 nice composition with the guys scattered throughout frame
45 min shooting sequence in bar leads to fleeing the area and turning off the neon lights
48:36 oversized gun in mise-en-scene
52:50 Charlie in bed with Teresa
53:32 Charlie finger gun pointed at Teresa who is facing away from camera, this followed by rapid series of shots; interesting editing here
55:56 triple edit followed up with overhead shot of crowded streets of Little Italy
58:11 Charlie and Teresa walking along beach
1:04:00 Charlie dining with some of the higher ups in the neighborhood
1:04:34 close up on Charlie’s face as soon as the uncle mentions Johnny Boy; its clear Charlie feels obligation to Johnny Boy
1:04:50 “honorable men go with honorable men” Charlie’s Uncle
1:05:12 the uncle advice to avoid Teresa
1:05:35 change to wider angle shot, showing the restaurant to be mainly empty aside from their table
1:16:06 Charlie disoriented as close up shot on his face is maintained while the camera pans all over the place with shallow focus d in background
1:19:09 Michael’s patience running out
1:22:00 red, white, and blue in mise en scene
1:24:14 rare misfire on music, thankfully its brief
1:25:00 Johnny master of redirecting all his failures as other people’s fault
1:28:05 zoom in on Michael yet again pressing Charlie to get Johnny Boy to pay his debts
1:29:30 nice use of lighting in frame
1:30:30 Johny Boy shot in disorienting sequence with fight in street
1:39:32 Michael and Johnny Boy finally face to face in the red lit bar
1:39:38 Johnny Boy is so utterly shameless here that it actually ends up being hilarious; Johnny Boy was supposed to give Michael $30 (which is minuscule given he owns $2,000) but Johnny Boy tells him he used $20 of those to buy drinks while he waited
1:40:40 Johnny brags and taunts Michael, everyone has their breaking pointd
1:46:10 great use of streetlamp lighting
1:46:46 rock soundtrack picks up
1:47:24 Michael drives up next to Charlie, Teresa, and Johnny Boy; hitman played by Scorsese himself shoots Johnny, great use of editing to depict the chaos in this final sequence
Thoughts:
Mean Streets is essentially Scorsese’s coming out party, the production quality is not near his later works, but it gives the film a gritty documentary style
It would probably sound like an insult to refer to as MP level film as a dress rehearsal, but you could argue this as a dress rehearsal for Goodfellas, much common between narrative and visual style
Harvey Keitel is excellent start to finish, between him and De Niro it’s really close for the film’s best performance; similar to Goodfellas which is a tossup for best performance between the lead protagonist played by Ray Liotta and the flashier role of the out-of-control character played by Pesci. I found Keitel’s portrayal of Charlie to be refreshing as he is actually a decent man and loyal friend (to a fault at times). Charlie is a complex character, so often in Mob films every character plays over the top tough guys
Religious iconography and crosses are used in mise-en-scene throughout the film
The music choices are phenomenal, with one exception
Many themes that Scorsese would revisit throughout his career, loyalty and obligations to family, redemption and guilt
The late great James Gandolfini, who portrayed Tony Soprano, cited this as his favorite film as he supposedly watched it 10 times in a row
De Niro is so good here as Johnny Boy, you really want to punch him in the face from basically the first time you see him, he nails the deadbeat leech role to absolute perfection, his character is key to narrative and rising tension between Michael and Charlie and by extension Johnny Boy
I love the use of red lights in the bar which serves as their headquarters of sorts, they are small time crooks which is quite different from many of Scorsese’s later gangster/mob films
Impressive editing in the final car sequence, all the chaos following the shooting is captured with frequent and disorienting edits and change of camera angles
Verdict: MP
Just wrapped up my Scorsese study last night, probably my favorite study I’ve ever done. I think bar Kubrick, you’re looking at the greatest American director of all time in Marty. He’s got everything you’d want in a director, extremely distinct and instantly recognizable style, incredible depth, and his best films are among the best films in cinema history.
Here’s how I ranked him out:
1) Raging Bull – MP
2) Goodfellas – MP
3) Taxi Driver – MP
4) Mean Streets – MP
5) The Age of Innocence – MP
6) Casino – MS/MP
7) The Departed – MS
8) The Aviator – MS
9) The Irishman – MS
10) The King Of Comedy – MS
11) Shutter Island – HR/MS
12) Cape Fear – HR/MS
13) New York, New York – HR
14) After Hours – HR
15) Gangs of New York – HR
16) Hugo – HR
17) The Wolf of Wall Street – HR
18) The Last Temptation of Christ – HR
19) Silence – R/HR
20) Bringing Out the Dead – R
21) The Color of Money – R
22) Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore – R
23) Kundun – R (close to not being archived)
@Chase – awesome stuff, I am starting one myself funny enough soon, trying to line it up with the release of Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
@James – That’s why I did the study as well, absolutely cannot wait for that film to release. It’s probably silly to make predictions like this before the film is even out, but based on the trailer, the reception on Cannes, and Marty’s quotes on feeling more invigorated recently with his filmmaking and storytelling, I think it has serious potential to land somewhere in the top 10.
@Chase – While The Wolf of Wall Street is not a MP it felt like a possible last major film for Scorsese with its go-for-broke grandeur. Scorsese was 70 years old when it was released 10 years ago and with the 3 hour runtime and just the sheer energy involved it seemed like it might be if not a final film for Scorsese a last major one. That’s how I felt anyone, maybe others did not.
But then Scorsese releases a 3 1/2 hour film the quality of The Irishman at 77 years old! Unbelievable, I have it as a MP most seem to regard it as at least MS on this site. And frankly I would have been more than satisfied with it as Scorsese’s final major effort. But now with Scorsese at 80 years old releasing another 3 1/2 hour film with reviews that indicate it may be even better than The Irishman. This is crazy!
It’s a MS for me because of the DeAging, not gonna lie. It’s best film since Aviator or even Casino.
@Chase- Excellent work Chase! Thanks for sharing.
@Chase – Were there any major changes for you in terms of comparing your grades for the study with your pre-study grades? Or even if you did not have an official grades before the study, any major changes or surprises?
@James – In truth, I hadn’t actually seen that many Scorsese films before I started the study. The only major change that I had was The Departed going from around an HR to a very high MS, I guess it had been so long since I’d seen it and was too focused on how engaging the narrative was to really notice how detailed the mise-en-scene is and how good the parallel editing is as well. I also found that I was slightly overrating The Wolf of Wall Street (HR/MS to HR), and slightly underrating Taxi Driver, which I still had as an MP but was around my 85-90 spot and is now at #31.
I think for the most part though, Scorsese’s films get better once you can connect them back to the rest of his filmography and spot his stylistic and thematic traits and obsessions, so I don’t see a situation where a film would get a significantly worse grade on revaluation unless one were significantly overrating it.
97 on Rotten Tomatoes so far on 64 reviews but more importantly is that the praise seems to focus on its ambition and scope. The reviews also seem to indicate that it fits within Scorsese’s worldview with thematic similarities with many of his best films; all great signs so far.
@James Trapp Yep, hard to ask for much more than that
Early reviews are coming in: 9 minute standing ovation. 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. 92% on Metacritic. Shaping up to be a possible MP.
@Christopher – very exciting – looks like a strong Cannes with this and Jonathan Glazer’s film yesterday https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-zone-of-interest – and more to come from Todd Haynes, Wes Anderson and others. Can’t wait
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tclQ1W1dLZk&pp=ygUia2lsbGVycyBvZiB0aGUgZmxvd2VyIG1vb24gdHJhaWxlcg%3D%3D
@KidCharlemagne – very exciting
That 200$ million dollar budget is tangible. I can feel it. Also good on Scorsese to get the same production designer that PTA used for There Will Be Blood (Jack Fisk), the period detail and the scope that Scorsese appears to be capturing it in looks soo promising. It was already my most anticipated film of ‘23, but this just confirms it
@Matthew- Good share here- I did not realize Jack Fisk worked on this. Good for him – can’t go out with Causeway and Song to Song with the last things on your resume
Could Killers of the Flower Moon being a huge success (MP, MS/MP, or even MS) take Scorsese to GOAT (#1) status?
Just looking at this page here, notable changes/additions to his resume since the last update:
– The addition of The Irishman which is a MS
– Cape Fear from a R to HR/MS
– The Age of Innocence from MS to MP
– Casino from MS to MS/MP
– Wolf of Wallstreet from R/HR to HR
– Shutter Island from MS to HR
– The Color of Money, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Hugo from R to R/HR
New York New York from R to HR/MS as well
The top 2/3 is hard. I think he could ends in the top 5. Maybe 4 if he gave us 2/3 HR/MS/MP movies.
@Matthew – I think he already has a Case for being the GOAT but that would obviously strengthen the argument. Just for the record my top objective top 4
1. Stanley Kubrick
2. Alfred Hitchcock
3. Martin Scorsese – my personal favorite director of all time
4. Akira Kurosawa
@James Trapp He’s in my top 2 (Kubrick number one) and he’s my favourite of all time.
@Matthew- should start seeing early reviews for Killers of the Flower Moon this weekend as it premieres at Cannes
Have you ever caught Boardwalk Empire? Scorsese directed the pilot, and he’s an exec producer on the show, it’s one of my favorite shows, and the 3rd best HBO show in my opinion (The Leftovers, The Wire, Boardwalk Empire)
I haven’t seen Boardwalk in a long time, but it’s an incredible show with Buscemi in the lead role
@Dylan- I have, not the entire thing but I’ve seen the pilot and some of the show. I think Scorsese has done this a few times with different shows
https://brobible.com/culture/article/leonardo-dicaprio-killers-of-flower-moon-masterpiece/amp/
Obviously it won’t touch the big 3, but how awesome would it be to get another MS or MP from Scorsese?
@LeBron Smith- It certainly would be awesome- thanks for sharing this
Did you have a another director with 10 MP/MS ?
Scorsese : Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Age of Innocence, Casino, Aviator, Departed & Irishman.
@KidCharlemagne- I have not re-racked the director’s rankings or pages in awhile but I think Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Ozu and Bergman are there or very close.
Thanks for your answer.
@KidCharlemagne- Visconti is close with 4 MPs, 3 MS and 2 HR/MS on this site
I think Godard is also close