Based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, Goodfellas is the story of mob associate Henry Hill who is part of a crew as they would rise high and later fall low once he gets himself in trouble and become a target by his own crew. Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Scorsese and Pileggi, the film is a dramatization of Hill’s life as he lived a life of luxury as part of the mob while watching his world fall apart through his own faults and everything else as he is portrayed by Ray Liotta. Also starring Robert de Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino. Goodfellas is an exhilarating and wild film from Martin Scorsese.
Spanning nearly three decades, the film follows the life of a young man who becomes an associate for a mob boss doing small things and later rising up the ranks as a wise guy where he gets involved with a lot of things and live a nice life only to fall big through his own faults and other activities. It’s a film with a simple rise-and-fall scenario from screenwriters Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi where Henry Hill was this teenager who is fascinated by the local mob in his neighborhood as he offers to help them and manages to win their respect and trust. The script is largely told from Hill’s perspective as he worked for the mob boss Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino) and later befriends a truck hijacker in Jimmy Conway (Robert de Niro) and a fellow juvenile delinquent in Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). The first act is about Hill’s young life as he would befriend Cicero and become part of his crew doing small favors and such where he would meet Conway and DeVito. It is also the moment he meets Karen (Lorraine Bracco) would become his wife as she would also have some voice-over narration as it relates to her experience being the wife of a wise guy.
The film’s second act begins in 1970 as it relates to a violent encounter with the Gambino family member Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) over an insult he made towards DeVito. It would lead to all sorts of things relating to Hill’s own affairs with other women, a brief incarceration in prison during the 70s, the Lufthansa vault heist that was organized by Morrie Kessler (Chuck Low), and drugs. It all play into this lifestyle of getting whatever you want and be given special privileges that allow them to get away with what they want but also manage to get some things in prison that would make their stay more comfortable. The second act both begins and ends with a major death as it would lead to this third act that is the fall of Hill and his friends. Notably as it play into the severity of Hill’s drug problems and other aspects in the business that would eventually get him in trouble.
Martin Scorsese’s direction definitely has a flair for style from the opening credits sequence designed by Saul Bass as well as the way the film opens with Hill, Conway, and DeVito driving onto a highway as they hear something bumping in the trunk as it would relate to an incident during the film’s second act. Much of the film is shot on various locations in New York, New Jersey, and parts of Long Island in New York as it play into this culture of Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, and Jewish-Italian Americans who are part of this world that is working-class but these wise guys live a life that can get them whatever they want. There are some wide shots that Scorsese would use to get a scope of the locations yet much of his direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots. Even as Scorsese would use these intricate tracking shots to play into some locations such as a nightclub along with some stylistic shots that play into the violence and drama. Scorsese also infuse elements of humor as it relates to DeVito and the stories he tells as well as his own violent outbursts after he shoots someone who wouldn’t take shit from him.
The Billy Batts scene is one filled with dark humor and some confrontational dialogue that would be followed by a comical moment at the home of DeVito’s mother (Catherine Scorsese) as she, her son, Conway, and Hill eat breakfast as it play into Scorsese’s offbeat tone as Scorsese would focus some attention on the car knowing something is up. The scenes of decadence and excess are heightened that includes this fiery sequence early in the third act where Hill’s cocaine addiction finally catches up with him as he believes someone is watching him with shots of helicopters and all sorts of things. Scorsese also play into this sense of drama that looms during the third act as well as some moments late in the second act that relates to Lufthansa and the players involved where there is a melancholia that would be prominent into its third act and what happens in the end. Overall, Scorsese creates a riveting yet outrageous film about the life of a mob hood and the craziness he endures as part of a crew.
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography where Ballhaus maintains a straightforward look for many of the daytime exterior scenes along with some stylish lights for some scenes set at night. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does incredible work with the editing with its stylish usage of freeze-frames, slow-motion shots, jump-cuts, and other stylistic editing techniques as it help play into the action and suspense as it is one of the film’s major highlights. Production designer Kristi Zea, with set decorator Leslie Bloom and art director Maher Ahmad, does excellent work with the look of the homes that Hill lived in as well as the homes of friends and the places he, Conway, and DeVito go to as well as the prison cell he and Cicero shared.
Costume designer Richard Bruno does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish suits the men wear as well as the clothes and fur coats the women wear to play into the evolving period of the times. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does amazing work with the sound in the way sound effects are presented as well as gunfire, the atmosphere of a club or a restaurant, and other textures as it play into the suspense and drama as it’s a highlight of the film. The film’s tremendous music soundtrack is a highlight of the film as it help play into the evolving period of the times as well as some of the craziness that occurs as it features contributions from Tony Bennett, the Moonglows, the Cadillacs, Billy Ward and His Dominoes, the Chantels, the Harptones, Otis Williams and the Charms, Mina, Johnny Mathis, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Darin, the Rolling Stones, Harry Nilsson, Derek and the Dominos, Muddy Waters, Cream, the Shangri-Las, Bobby Vinton, Betty Curtis, the Crystals, Dean Martin, Donovan, the Who, George Harrison, and Sid Vicious.
The casting by Ellen Lewis is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Tony Sirico as a member of Cicero’s gang in Tony Stacks, Michael Imperioli as a young man handing out drinks during a poker game in Spider, Mike Starr as a trucker friend of Conway in Frenchy, Frank Sivero as an associate of Conway in Frankie Carbone, Samuel L. Jackson as a musician/trucker named Stacks who was part of the Lufthansa heist, Catherine Scorsese as DeVito’s mother, Charles Scorsese as one of Cicero’s cellmates in Vinnie who likes to put a lot of onions in the tomato sauce, Gina Mastrogiacomo as one of Hill’s mistresses in Janice Rossi, Welker White as the Hills’ babysitter Lois who also does drug deal for them, Debi Mazar as another of Hill’s mistress in Sandy who would help him with the cocaine, Illeana Douglas as a mob girlfriend in Rosie, Joseph D’Onofrio as the young Tommy, Christopher Sirrone as the young Henry, Margo Winkler as Morrie’s wife, Vincent Pastore as a coatrack man, Kevin Corrigan as Henry’s younger brother Michael, and Chuck Low as the salesman Morrie Kessler who helps organize the Lufthansa heist.
Frank Vincent is brilliant in his one-scene performance as Billy Batts as a revered mob figure who insults DeVito at a bar on the night he returns to Jersey as he is just trying to have fun and relax. Paul Sorvino is fantastic as Paulie Cicero as a mob boss who is trying to run his crew as he also ensures that Hill gets his shit together while they also share a prison cell together while disapproving about Hill’s fascination with drugs. Lorraine Bracco is excellent as Karen as Hill’s wife who meets him at a blind date and then confronts him when he stands her up for a second date as she becomes bewildered by the mob culture yet also enjoys the lifestyle and its perks only to realize the dangers of the lifestyle that includes a terrible cocaine addiction.
Joe Pesci is marvelous as Tommy DeVito as a fast-talking, confrontational mob figure who says a lot of shit but has a short fuse where he can get really violent as it’s Pesci being extremely funny but also scary at times as it’s really one of his most iconic performances. Robert de Niro is remarkable as Jimmy Conway as a mob hood who works for Cicero yet is someone who can get things done and make more money while running small operations including the Lufthansa heist as he helped run that heist and ensure that no one gets way over their heads with the success of the heist. Finally, there’s Ray Liotta in a phenomenal performance as Henry Hill as a Jewish-Italian man who becomes fascinated by the world of the wise guys as a kid as he later becomes a man that gets things done but never kills anyone yet doesn’t mind giving someone beatings or live a good life only to endure a terrible cocaine addiction as it’s Liotta displaying a ferocity and vulnerability as a man who puts himself and his family in great danger only to realize what he must do to save himself but a terrible price.
Goodfellas is a magnificent film from Martin Scorsese. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a compelling rise-and-fall story, striking visuals, top-notch editing, and gripping music soundtrack. It's a film that explores the life of a mob hood trying to live a lifestyle of excess and vast riches only to get caught up in some bad shit as it’s told in an offbeat yet exhilarating fashion. In the end, Goodfellas is an outstanding film from Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha - (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence (1993 film) - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – The Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman (2019 film))
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Mardik Martin and Earl Mac Rauch from a story by Rauch, New York, New York is the story of a jazz saxophonist and a saxophone singer who meet on V-J Day in 1945 as they fall in love where they endure a turbulent relationship onstage and off-stage. A tribute to the old Hollywood films from the 1930s to the 1950s, the film is a musical drama set in the aftermath of World War II where two people try to maintain a relationship through love and music. Starring Robert de Niro, Liza Minnelli, Lionel Stander, Mary Kay Place, Barry Primus, Frank Sivero, Dick Miller, and special appearances from Clarence Clemons, Casey Kasem, and Jack Haley as the master of ceremonies. New York, New York is a lavish though uneven film from Martin Scorsese.
The film revolves around a jazz saxophonist and a USO singer who meet at a party on V-J Day where they become a couple, join a big band jazz group, form a band of their own, and deal with all sorts of things in their tumultuous relationship. It’s a film with a simple premise that is told in the span of nearly a decade from 1945 to the mid-1950s as focus on this couple who bring out both the best and worst in each other. The film’s screenplay by Mardik Martin and Earl Mac Rauch does play into the elements expected in a romantic drama with music yet there is an element of intense drama as it relates to the relationship between singer Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli) and jazz saxophonist Jimmy Doyle (Robert de Niro).
Their relationship starts off with Doyle trying to woo and win over Evans as the two prove that they learn they were supposed to meet on a blind date and their relationship develops slowly. Yet, once Evans gets a gig singing for a band where Doyle would find and follow her. He becomes part of the band and eventually form his own band but tries to control Evans’ fate as well as her career. Even when he tries to be the one with the glory and talent while Evans is just the voice but who has so much more to offer. While Doyle prefers to play with other musicians who he felt could match his talents as well as socialize with. It is Evans who is poised for stardom as things get complicated when she becomes pregnant with Doyle’s child.
Martin Scorsese’s direction is definitely extravagant for the world he is creating as it’s set from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s to reflect a period of old Hollywood where musicals were the thing. Shot largely at the MGM soundstages in Hollywood as well as parts of New York City and Los Angeles, Scorsese would create a setting that is lavish and filled with a lot of grand set designs to play into a world that was rich and innocent. Scorsese would create some unique wide and medium shots to get a scope of the nightclubs and places the characters go to while using stock footage to create that world of post-war New York City. Scorsese’s compositions do have elements of style that play into the way Scorsese would frame Evans and Doyle in a scene and the few moments where they are equal such as a scene of the two rehearsing with the band as they both share critiques on the drummer as well as a scene of the two arguing with a couple who are trying to park who were interrupting their own argument. Still, Scorsese also play into the craziness of their relationship such as their first meeting of Doyle trying to use his pick-up lines on her only to fail constantly unaware that they’re each other’s blind dates.
For all of the visual tricks and compositions that Scorsese creates in the film, it is clear that Scorsese is trying to make a film that is a homage to old Hollywood as some of the set backdrops do have that sense of artificiality that was prevalent from the past. Yet, to match it with some of the drama and the infighting between Evans and Doyle for some reason doesn’t mesh. Even as the attempts to blend both end up meandering the film a bit at times while Scorsese would be able to create some entertaining musical numbers though its attempts to infuse some drama ends up feeling messy. Still, the film’s climatic musical number that involves Evans in this massive set piece with top-notch dance choreography by Ron Field is a joy to watch as it play into what Evans could achieve that Doyle couldn’t deal with. Despite the shortcomings in its attempts to blend genres as well as wanting to be a homage to classic Hollywood films of the 1940s and 1950s. Scorsese still manages to create an enjoyable but uneven film about a tumultuous romance between a singer and a jazz saxophone player in the post-war era.
Cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs does amazing work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of some stylish lights for some of the interiors including a hallway scene as well as creating moods for some of the exterior scenes in day and night as it’s a highlight of the film. Editors Irving Lerner, Marcia Lucas, Bert Lovitt, David Ramirez, and Tom Rolf do terrific work with the editing as it some elements of styles including transition wipes, montages, and a few jump-cuts. Production designer Boris Leven, with art director Harry Kemm plus set decorators Robert De Vestel and Ruby R. Levitt, does incredible work with the set design as play into the look of the nightclubs and homes of the characters including the backdrops for some of the exterior sets.
Costume designer Theadora Van Runkle does fantastic work with the period costumes of the times from the blue shirt Doyle wears in the film’s opening scene to some of the dresses that Evans wears. Hair designer Sydney Guilaroff does nice work with the different hairstyles that Evans would sport throughout the entirety of the film. Sound editor Kay Rose does superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the clubs and venues that the characters go to. The film’s music by John Kander and Fred Ebb is brilliant for its big-band jazz score with some woodwinds and big sound along with songs that Evans would sing while music supervisor Ralph Burns would provide that mix of different jazz sub-genres as well as vocal pop and other styles of music that was around in those times.
The casting by Lynn Stalmaster is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Casey Kasem as a jazz radio DJ, Jack Haley as the master of ceremonies for the film’s big climatic number, Dick Miller as a club owner, Clarence Clemons as jazz trumpeter Cecil Powell, Adam David Winkler as Doyle and Evans’ son late in the film, Frank Sivero as Doyle’s friend Eddie DiMuzio, Harry Northup as an agent named Alabama, George Memmoli as a friend of Doyle in Nicky, Georgie Auld as the musician Frankie Harte, and Mary Kay Place as Evans’ replacement in Doyle’s band Bernice Bennett who later sings for another band. Barry Primus is superb as musician Paul Wilson who is a pianist for the band that Doyle is also in as he would later lead his own band with Bernice as the singer. Lionel Stander is fantastic as bandleader Tony Harwell who leads the band with Evans as the singer and Doyle as one of his saxophone players where he knows how talented both of them are but sees Evans as something special.
Robert de Niro’s performance as Jimmy Doyle has its moments where he displays a lot of charm and energy into the role as well as showing he can play saxophone. Yet, his character is unfortunately one of the vilest individuals on film as he doesn’t have many redeeming qualities often thinking more about himself where he can be possessive and selfish. He also tries to maintain his sense of pride and thinking he knows what Evans wants as it’s a performance that doesn’t give de Niro enough to show the good qualities in his character. Finally, there’s Liza Minnelli in a phenomenal performance as Francine Evans as a USO singer who falls for Doyle and sings for a band with Doyle as it’s a performance that is filled with a lot of comic timing and charisma. Although there’s moments that will make anyone wonder why she is still with Doyle as there’s moments where de Niro and Minnelli don’t really click. Minnelli still gives it her all when she sings and dances as she is the best thing in this film.
New York, New York is a good but messy film from Martin Scorsese. Despite its great visuals, amazing set design, incredible music soundtrack, and Liza Minnelli’s radiant performance. It’s a film that wants to be all sorts of things including this love letter to old Hollywood of the post-war era yet struggles to be intense and engaging yet it has a lot of faults in its execution. In the end, New York, New York is a terrific yet extremely flawed film from Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha - (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence (1993 film) - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – The Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman (2019 film))
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the book Sister of the Road by Ben L. Reitman, Boxcar Bertha is the story of two train robbers/lovers who become fugitives when the titular character is charged with the murder of a gambler while they deal with the plight of railroad workers in the American South. Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Joyce H. Corrington and John William Corrington, the film is a low-budget crime drama produced by Roger Corman that play into the exploit of two lovers who rob trains while wanting to maintain a life without complications. Starring Barbara Hershey, David Carradine, Barry Primus, Bernie Casey, John Carradine, Harry Northup, and Victor Argo. Boxcar Bertha is an exciting and compelling film from Martin Scorsese.
The film is about a young woman who meets a union organizer as they fall in love and later rob banks with a couple of friends following the murder of a gambler. It’s a film that is a dramatic take of the real life criminal who gets involved with crime accidentally as she has a resentment of those who control the railroad and the rich who didn’t suffer as it all takes place during the Great Depression. The film’s screenplay by Joyce H. Corrington and John William Corrington is largely straightforward in its narrative and how the titular character (Barbara Hershey) was brought into crime after her brief encounter with the union organizer Big Bill Shelly (David Carradine) who helps her settle matters relating to her father while later meeting up with a gambler in Rake Brown (Barry Primus) as she accidentally kills another gambler in defending Brown. Bertha, Brown, Shelly, and a friend in Von Morton (Bernie Casey) would start a gang to rob trains and banks though they would get the unwanted attention of H. Buckram Santoris (John Carradine) who wants to stop the gang.
Martin Scorsese’s direction is largely simple in its approach to the direction while he would make some unique compositions throughout the film. Shot on location in Arkansas, the film does play into a period of time during the Great Depression in the American South where everyone is struggling as Scorsese uses a lot of wide shots to get a look at the surroundings that the characters venture into. Scorsese’s direction emphasizes more on close-ups and medium shots to get to know the characters and their situation while using some stylized moments in the compositions. Notably in some of the film’s violent moments where it has bits of style in the way characters are killed but there’s also a sense of drama into the situations that happen. Even in the third act where Santoris’ power starts to come into play where things get serious but there is also moments where Bertha endures not just loss but also uncertainty as she tries to figure out a life after crime and chaos. Overall, Scorsese creates an exhilarating and captivating film about a young woman who takes part in a series of robberies as a way to stick up for the railroad workers.
Cinematographer John Stephens does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward in terms of the visuals with its usage of natural lighting for many of the daytime exteriors with some low-key lighting for the interior/exterior scenes set at night. Editor Buzz Feitshans does nice work with the editing as it does have some stylish moments in a few jump cuts for some of the action while maintaining some rhythmic cuts for some of the drama. Sound mixer Donald F. Johnson does terrific work with the sound as it’s straightforward in capturing some of the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sounds of gunfire. The film’s music by Gib Guilbeau and Thad Maxwell is fantastic for its mixture of folk, blues, and country music to play into the period of the times as it has elements of traditional music and contemporary pieces.
The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Harry Northup as a gambler that Bertha and Brown encounter whom the former would kill, Victor Argo and David Osterhout as a couple of law enforcers trying to go after Bertha and her gang, and John Carradine in a wonderful performance as the lawman H. Buckram Santoris as a man who is trying to protect the financial interests of the railroad and uphold the law where he would have his own encounters with Bertha and her gang. Barry Primus is fantastic as the gambler Rake Brown as a gambler from the north who befriends Bertha as he is reluctant to take part in robberies only to see the financial benefits of the trade. Bernie Casey is excellent as Von Morton as a friend of Bertha who is loyal and cunning where he helps out Shelly in getting out of jail and take part in the robberies.
David Carradine is brilliant as Big Bill Shelly as a union organizer struggling to help the railroad workers as he endures abuse from the law prompting him to venture into crime while falling for Bertha whom he wants a good life with. Finally, there’s Barbara Hershey in an incredible performance as the titular role as a young woman who is trying to find her way following her father’s death where she finds herself becoming a criminal to support herself as well as go after those that was doing some injustice towards those trying to make a decent living.
Boxcar Bertha is a marvelous film from Martin Scorsese. Featuring a great cast, a compelling story, nice visuals, and a superb music soundtrack, it’s a film that has Scorsese exploring the world of crime but in a different setting while using the limited resources he has to stray from some of the conventions of the B-films that producer Roger Corman is known for. In the end, Boxcar Bertha is a remarkable film from Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York – American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence (1993 film) - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo (2011 film) - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – The Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman (2019 film))
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Martin Scorsese and treatment by Mardik Martin and Julia Cameron, American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince is a documentary film about the life of the young man who is known as a raconteur with a lot of professions including being a tour manager for Neil Diamond. The film has Prince discuss many things in his life that are considered out of the ordinary as well as the things he’s encountered. The result is a fascinating film from Martin Scorsese.
The film is a profile of Steven Prince who had a brief role as a gun salesman in Taxi Driver as he arrives at the home of George Memmoli where he talks with a few people and Martin Scorsese about his life. It’s a film with a simple premise where Scorsese interview Prince who discusses the many events of his life and how he had become a tour manager for Neil Diamond in the early 70s as well as his childhood through Super 8mm film footage of his life as a child. Shot at Memmoli’s home on January 13, 1977 in Los Angeles, Scorsese as well as Memmoli, writers Mardik Martin, and Julia Cameron invite Prince to the home where Prince has a wrestling fight with Memmoli in a playful manner to kick things off.
With the aid of cinematographer Michael Chapman, Scorsese would maintain a simplicity in the direction by using hand-held cameras to shoot Prince as he’s talking about his life. Particularly his own issues with heroin addiction and other issues as well as stories about other people and encounters he met including moments of violence. Prince himself is a unique personality as he is relaxed in his interviews but also filled with a lot of intrigue and pain into the things he had done. The home movie footage that comes in between some of the stories that Prince is saying as he would make commentaries on his family life as they’re shown to play into an air of innocence in Prince’s life through the editing of Amy Jones and Bert Lovitt. The film’s sole music comes from a song by Neil Young in Time Fades Away as it play into the craziness that Steven Prince had endured in his life.
American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince is a brilliant film from Martin Scorsese. At only 55 minutes, it’s a compelling film about an individual as he talks about his many adventures and misadventures along with the ideas that inhabit the idea of growing up in America as someone innocent into someone who been through a lot and is trying to come out of that darkness. In the end, American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince is an amazing film from Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha – (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York – (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear - The Age of Innocence - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo (2011 film) - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – The Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman (2019 film))
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Lawrence D. Cohen and Mardik Martin, Italianamerican is a documentary short film that has Scorsese’s parents Charles and Catherine Scorsese talking about their experiences as immigrants while showing what they do on a day in their life. The film is an intimate that has Scorsese wanting to learn about himself and his roots where he turns to the people who brought him into the world. The result is an exhilarating and engaging film from Martin Scorsese.
Shot at the loft-apartment home of Charles and Catherine Scorsese with just a small crew, the film has Martin Scorsese talking to his parents about their life in Italy and how they arrived in America and what was it like back then. During the course of the entire film, the couple talk about so much more as the questions Scorsese wanted to ask ended up getting more than just answers but also insight into who he is as well as his family. Even as Catherine is cooking dinner for the family as well as the crew members that consist of cinematographer Alec Hirschfield and his brother Marc as a cameraman and the sound man in Lee Osborne. Particularly as Catherine would talk about how she got recipes from her mother, mother-in-law, and other relatives while talking about what it was like back then in Italy and why many went to America.
Much of Scorsese’s direction with the aid of cinematographer Alec Hirschfield is straightforward as it maintains an intimacy throughout the film in this apartment filled with plastic-covered furniture. Notably as Scorsese let his parents take over the film in their discussion over the family background as well as the family history that include some pictures that they show that would be inter-cut by editor Bert Lovitt with some stock footage of early 20th Century life in New York City. The pictures that include early photos of Scorsese as a child show a life that was simple but also loving and full of life including recent vacation photos Scorsese’s parents showed during their recent trip to Italy. While Charles Scorsese doesn’t talk as much as Catherine, he still provide some insight about the family and their roots with Catherine being someone who always has a lot to say and is this incredible presence onscreen even during the moments when she is unaware that she’s being filmed.
Italianamerican is an incredible film from Martin Scorsese. It’s an intimate documentary film that has Scorsese filming his parents where he learns about himself and his entire family as well as their roots. It’s a film that is full of life and energy as well as moments that are touching to display on the identities of those and who they are. In the end, Italianamerican is a phenomenal film from Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha – (Mean Streets) – Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince – (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo (2011 film) - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – The Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman (2019 film))
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Martin Scorsese, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan is a documentary film about the life and career of Bob Dylan from his early life and impact on popular culture until the 1966 motorcycle accident that would nearly kill him and put him into a temporary retirement. The film would feature footage of Dylan in those times including archival interviews with Dylan talking about those events as well as a look into the folk music scene of the times. The result is an engrossing and evocative film from Martin Scorsese.
In the 1960s during a period of social change, folk music was considered the soundtrack to express these changes during the Civil Rights movement as well as with what was happening politically in those times. The biggest voice of that music scene was Bob Dylan whose songs would be covered by many in the world of folk, pop, and rock music as he was seen as the voice of a generation whether he liked it or not. The film is about Dylan’s time in the spotlight until a motorcycle accident in July of 1966 put him into seclusion where he rarely made public appearances for eight years until he toured again in 1974 with the Band. Dylan is interviewed from a 2000 conversation with his manager Jeff Rosen about these events as Rosen allowed the interview to be used in the film as many of the interviews with individuals involved such as Allen Ginsberg, Peter Yarrow, Pete Seeger, Mavis Staples, Al Kooper, Joan Baez, Bob Neuwirth, filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker, and Dylan’s former girlfriend from the early 1960s in Suze Rotolo are dated as far back as the mid-1990s.
Using a lot of archival footage including material and outtakes from documentary films such as D.A. Pennebaker’s Dont Look Back and Murray Lerner’s Festival plus the rarely-seen documentary about Dylan’s 1966 tour in the film Eat the Document. Martin Scorsese would create a narrative that play into Dylan’s early life and his ascent into stardom that is inter-cut with footage from the 1966 tour in Europe where he is getting a polarized reaction for playing rock n’ roll. Scorsese play into not just Dylan’s early life living in a small town of Hibbing, Minnesota where it was an ordinary town yet he would discover different kinds of music late at night from the early ideas of rock n’ roll, blues, folk, and country music. Dylan also talked about the folk music scene of the early 1960s where it wasn’t about people getting famous but rather create a community of art and music without any kind of complications and create some kind of commentary about what is happening in America.
Through the interviews with Baez, Staples, Neuwirth, and several others that was shot by several cinematographers led by Mustapha Barat with contributions from Maryse Alberti and Ellen Kuras, Scorsese manages to get an idea of how Dylan coped with his fame as Scorsese would do an audio re-enactment of the 1963 Emergency Civil Liberties Committee ceremony where Dylan received the Tom Paine award as it was a moment that had Dylan display his discomfort of being a voice for any kind of movement. With the help of sound editor Philip Stockton, Scorsese would use that moment to play into a moment that would mark a change in Dylan from being this folk singer into wanting to be something else. Even as Baez and Rotolo discuss how their relationship with Dylan would change and fall apart in that time of his growing fame as it would force him to do other things while Baez would continue to create protest music as a way to speak about what is going on.
With the help of editor David Tedeschi, Scorsese would compile various concert footage including rare footage from Dylan’s 1966 tour that includes the infamous show at the Manchester Free Trade Hall where a fan screamed “Judas” at him for betraying the folk movement. It all play into Dylan’s refusal to be labeled for other people while he would admit that he was arrogant into the way he treated himself as a major figure. Even as the tour would serve as the peak of his public persona as this unlikely spokesman of a generation who was becoming increasingly difficult and didn’t care about what his audience thought.
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan is a sensational film from Martin Scorsese. It’s a sprawling documentary film in a near-4 hour running time that chronicles Dylan at his most famous as well as his most controversial with the man getting the chance to talk about that period. Even as it showcases rare footage and insight into the period of the times including Dylan’s early background. In the end, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan is a spectacular film from Martin Scorsese.
Related: Dont Look Back - I'm Not There - Trouble No More
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha – (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican – Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York – American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – The Silence - (The Irishman (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Shusaku Endo, Silence is the story of two Jesuit priests who travel from Macau to Japan to find their mentor who had renounced his faith in his attempt to spread Christianity in 17th Century Japan. Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Scorsese and Jay Cocks, the film is the third film in an unofficial trilogy of films exploring the ideas of faith that Scorsese had done with The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun where two young men travel to a world that is isolated from everyone as it showcases two men trying to hold on to their ideals at a time when anything foreign in Japan is forbidden. Starring Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano, Ciaran Hinds, and Liam Neeson. Silence is a ravishing yet haunting film from Martin Scorsese.
Set during a period in Japan where Christianity is forbidden in the country due to the belief that it would corrupt its ideals, the film revolves around two Jesuit priests from St. Paul’s College in Macau who travel to the isolated country where their mentor had been in the country in an attempt to spread the ideas of Christianity to the Japanese. Yet, they would arrive into a country where the practice of Christianity is kept in secret as it would lead to this revelation about what Japan is trying to do to suppress ideas outside of Japan forcing these two young priests to face major challenges. The film’s screenplay by Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks opens with images of torture towards not just these Jesuits priests but also followers where Father Cristovao Ferreira (Liam Neeson) watches in despair as he is unable to do anything to help those being tortured. It would lead to this main narrative where Father Ferreira’s pupils in Father Sebastiao Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver) travel to Japan to find their mentor and confirm these rumors that he had committed apostasy.
The film’s first act is about Rodrigues and Garupe learning about their mentor in Japan and their desire to find him knowing that Japan is not easy to enter as they’re aided by a troubled alcoholic guide in Kichijiro (Yosuke Kubozuka) who was a former Christian as he is also trying to seek some salvation. There, they would meet several villagers who practice Christianity in complete secrecy as some would be caught by samurai working for a mysterious inquisitor. The second act has Rodrigues and Garupe take on different paths to help Japanese Christians as much of the film’s narrative is told through the perspective of the former who would endure immense challenges of faith. Throughout the course of the film, Rodrigues would ponder these ideas of faith as well as why there’s a number of high officials of the Japanese consulate that are resistant to Christianity as there are a lot of fallacies to the idea of Christianity. Even as Rodrigues would have to see followers be tortured to death as some would apostatize but others would refuse leading to their own death.
The character of Kichijiro is someone who would continuously stay alive knowing he’s caused trouble as he constantly goes to Rodrigues to confess as it would play into some of the things Rodrigues would see. He would try to appeal to a revered governor in Inoue Masashige (Issey Ogata) who is a unique individual that has this slimy persona as a man that mocks the idea of Christianity yet is also willing to listen to what Rodrigues has to say. The film’s third act is about what has happened to Ferreira and the challenge that Rodrigues faces. Especially as Rodrigues is forced to face his own faults in his devotion as well as what his followers were willing to do to maintain the idea of Christianity.
Scorsese’s direction is definitely rapturous for capturing a moment in time that was intense as far as how Japan was willing to protect itself from outside forces and isolating itself from the rest of the world. Shot mainly in Taiwan, the film has Scorsese going into a world that is mainly set in forests and villages to play into something that is exotic and removed from what is happening in Europe. There are a lot of wide shots of the various locations and settings in the film including some unique high and low camera angles to play into the idea that God is watching yet he remains silent in his action. Scorsese’s usage of medium shots and close-ups play into the struggles that Rodrigues and Garupe would face in the film’s first act as well as the sense of doubt that loom in the latter as he endures some frustration over the living situation in Japan as he and Rodrigues have to hide. The film’s second act has Scorsese take on some imagery that play into the idea of God’s existence such as this shot of Rodrigues drinking water and sees a picture of Jesus Christ in front of his reflection as it’s modeled by this portrait by El Greco.
It’s a moment that play into Rodrigues’ determination to help many as well as continue this mission to spread the Christian faith in Japan but it’s also a moment that forces him to see what this Japanese council will do to prevent that from happening. Even as there’s these intense moments of violence that Rodrigues would have to witness as Scorsese doesn’t shy away from the brutality of the tortures and such that is happening to these Japanese Christians. The film’s third act that relates to the reveal of what happened to Ferreira as Scorsese would showcase not just this sense of humility that Rodrigues has to endure but also the harsh reality over what he had to do for the survival of those who count on him. The film’s ending is over-drawn as it is told from the perspective of an outsider who watches Rodrigues in the choice he makes as it shows what he would do for the remainder of his life. It does play into the role he has to play for Japan at a time where few outsiders are allowed into the country while contemplating into why he and so many others had suffered for their beliefs. Overall, Scorsese creates a riveting yet evocative film about two Jesuit priests traveling to Japan where Christianity is forbidden as they deal with God’s silence.
Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography for the usage of low-key lights and filters for some of the exterior scenes at night to the more naturalistic look for some of the scenes in the daytime as well as the usage of fire for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does amazing work with the film’s editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, dissolves, and slow-motion to play into the drama as well as some of the things that Rodrigues would see. Production/costume designer Dante Ferretti, with set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo and supervising art director Wen-Ying Huang, does excellent work with the look of the houses and places in the villages and small towns in Japan as well as the interiors at the church in Portugal along with the look of the robes that many of the characters wear.
Special effects supervisor R. Bruce Steinheimer, with visual effects supervisors Pablo Helman and Jason H. Snell, does fantastic work with a few of the visual effects such as the image of Jesus Christ that Rodrigues would see in a watery reflection as well as a few pieces of set-dressing for some of the location. Sound editor Philip Stockton does superb work with the sound as it play into the natural atmosphere of the location as well as this idea of silence in an otherworldly environment that is enchanting to hear. The film’s music by Kim Allen Kluge and Kathryn Kluge is terrific for its low-key approach to ambient music mixed in with traditional Japanese music while music supervisors Randall Poster and John Schaefer would create a soundtrack that feature a lot of the traditional Japanese music of the times.
The casting by Ellen Lewis is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Ryo Kase and Nana Komatsu as a couple of Japanese Christians whom Rodrigues tries to help, Bela Baptiste as the Dutch trader late in the film, and Ciaran Hinds as Alessandro Valignano as a Jesuit leader who is expressing concern over Ferreira as he wonders what has happened in Japan. Issey Ogata is superb as Inoue Masashige as this grand councilor that has this unique presence whenever he appears while he is also kind of slimy in the way he says things as he represents someone that is willing to challenge Rodrigues’ views. Yosuke Kubozuka is fantastic as Kichijiro as an alcoholic Christian who guides Rodrigues and Garupe to Japan as he is also someone full of pity into the things he’s done. Shinya Tsukamoto is excellent as Mokichi as a village leader who is also a Christian that does whatever he can to hide Rodrigues and Garupe where he would endure punishment that is just brutal to watch.
Tadanobu Asano is brilliant as the interpreter to Masashige as a man that is fascinated by Rodrigues’ views yet he remains devoted to Japan’s need to maintain its identity as he is a complex individual that is trying to make sense of the situations that Rodrigues is in. Adam Driver is amazing as Francisco Garupe as a young Jesuit priest who copes with the harsh environment of Japan as well as the frustration of not doing anything where he and Rodrigues would separate to find Ferreira as well as spread Christianity to Japan. Liam Neeson is remarkable as Cristovao Ferreira as Garupe and Rodrigues’ mentor who traveled to Japan to spread Christianity to the country only to disappeared in the belief that he had renounced his faith where he appears briefly for much of the first act and again in the third. Finally, there’s Andrew Garfield in an incredible performance as Sebastiao Rodrigues as a young Jesuit priest that is determined to find his mentor and carry on in the mission to spread the word of Christianity in a country that is resistant to the idea where he is forced to see what happens to Christians in Japan as well as wonder why God hasn’t done anything to help them or say something.
Silence is a phenomenal film from Martin Scorsese. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous images, top-notch editing, and compelling themes on faith and some of its fallacies. It’s a film that explores a moment in time where men’s ideals are being challenged by resistance as well as ponder the existence of God. In the end, Silence is a sensational film from Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha – (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican – Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York – American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence (1993 film) - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home – The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – (The Irishman (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Joseph Minion, After Hours is the story of a man who goes out in New York City where he would have a series of misadventures during the course of an entire night. The film is a look into a man trying to get back home when a planned date with another woman doesn’t go as he hoped it would be as he would meet various strangers during the course of this night. Starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Linda Fiorentino, John Heard, Verna Bloom, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Teri Garr, and Catherine O’Hara. After Hours is a wild and exhilarating film from Martin Scorsese.
Set in the span of 24 hours, the film follows a computer word processor who meets a woman at a diner and later asks her out late one night and then everything goes into complete chaos due to a series of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, loss of money, and all sorts of fucked-up shit. It’s a film that is a misadventure set in the Soho section of New York City where this man is in a world that is very spontaneous and unpredictable which is foreign to him as he spends much of time working. Upon meeting this woman on a night after work as she notices a book he’s reading, he thinks he gets a chance to break from his monotonous life. The film’s screenplay by Joseph Minion, with contributions by Martin Scorsese, plays into this 24-hour time span where it begins at an office where Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) is showing a new employee what to do as he copes with the outcome of how the rest of his life would be at work.
In meeting Marcy Franklin (Rosanna Arquette), he feels like this is someone who might want to go out with but things start to go wrong when he rides a cab and loses a $20 bill that he was supposed to be for the cab driver. During his date with Marcy, he learns about some things about her that disturbs him while he also meets Marcy’s sculptor roommate Kiki (Linda Fiorentino) whose paperweight sculptures is something that Paul wants. The night would only get worse when he meets a bartender (John Heard), an oddball waitress (Teri Garr), a woman that is part of a vigilante group, and other assortment of characters where Paul is later accused of burglary and gets himself into these horrible situations.
Martin Scorsese’s direction is definitely stylish in the way he would present the film as it is shot on location in New York City with much of it shot in the Soho section of the city. While there are some wide shots of the locations as well as scenes that play into the suspense and paranoia that Paul would go through for much of the film. Scorsese would utilize some close-ups and medium shots to play into Paul’s interaction with the people he would meet during the course of the film as it is shot on some actual locations as well as a few sets that are created. Scorsese wouldn’t just create this world that is unpredictable which is far removed from the world of clean and spacious apartments and work places that Paul is known as it’s not just the diners and bars he would go to but also a club that is quite arty and chaotic.
Notably for the fact that some of the characters he meet are either from the world of art or are part of this sub-culture that is Soho. The direction is also stylized for some crazy scenes such as scene in the cab where it’s sped-up to play into the maniacal world that Paul is about to embark. Even as there are elements of repetition that play into the suspense and paranoia that include encounters with a couple of burglars as well as local vigilante group who believe he is a burglar. The element of humor is key to the film as it add to the craziness that Paul endured all because he wanted to go on a date with a person he doesn’t know. Overall, Scorsese creates a thrilling and exciting film about a man’s bad night in Soho.
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography for the way many of the exteriors at night look and in how some of the interiors are lit while the few daytime shots outside of Soho are presented in a more naturalistic look. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does amazing work with the editing as it has a lot of style in the usage of dissolves, different frame speeds, jump-cuts, and other stylized moments to play into the humor and manic suspense. Production designer Jeffrey Townsend, with set decorator Leslie Pope and art director Stephen J. Lineweaver, does fantastic work with the look of the art-punk club known as Berlin as well as the loft apartment Kiki and Marcy live as well a diner and a bar that Paul would go into.
Costume designer Rita Ryack does nice work with the costumes as it is mainly straightforward to play into the different sub-cultures of Soho from the art-punk look of Kiki to the more 60s-inspired look of the waitress Julie. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound in maintaining a lively atmosphere to some of the locations as well as how music sounds in a location. The film’s music by Howard Shore is excellent for its eerie electronic score that play into the suspense and drama while the film’s soundtrack would feature an array of different musical styles at it include some classical pieces from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach as well as jazz pieces from Cole Porter and the Gershwin brothers plus contemporary music from Joni Mitchell, the Monkees, Peggy Lee, and Bad Brains as well as some classic blues and rock music.
The casting by Mary Colquhoun is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Bronson Pinchot as an employee Paul is trying to teach, Larry Block as the cab driver, Dick Miller as a diner waiter, Rocco Sisto as an odd coffee shop cashier, Clarence Felder as a punk club bouncer, Will Patton as Kiki’s boyfriend Horst, Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin as the two burglars who constantly steal things, and Verna Bloom in a terrific role as a woman at a club named June that Paul meets very late in the film. Catherine O’Hara is superb as a woman named Gail who helps Paul at first until she suspects him as a burglar while Teri Garr is fantastic as Julie as a bar waitress who hates her job while wanting to be an artist due to the drawings she makes. John Heard is excellent as Tom Schorr as a bartender who offers to help Paul out in getting a subway token as he would cope with sudden news that would shape his life.
Linda Fiorentino is brilliant as the oddball sculptor Kiki who dresses in punk clothes as she is also someone who has an abstract view on art. Rosanna Arquette is amazing as Marcy as a woman that Paul meets and goes on a date with as she is someone with some secrets as it relates to her past which disturbs Paul. Finally, there’s Griffin Dunne in an incredible performance as Paul Hackett as a man who works at an office who goes on a date only to endure the craziest night of his life as he deals with all sorts of shit as it’s a very manic and energetic performance from Dunne.
After Hours is a sensational film from Martin Scorsese. Featuring a great cast, a thrilling and offbeat premise, a killer music soundtrack, and stylish visuals, the film is definitely a wild yet fun film that explore what happens when a date night goes horribly wrong. In the end, After Hours is a phenomenal film from Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha – (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican – Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York – American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear - The Age of Innocence (1993 film) - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home – The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – Silence (2016 film) – (The Irishman (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Susan Lacy, Spielberg is a documentary film about the life and career of one of the key figures in cinema in Steven Spielberg. The film chronicles many of the films Spielberg made including some of his rarely-seen student and home movies he made when he was a kid as well as the themes of the films he made told by the man himself as well as many of his collaborators as well as film critics, filmmakers, and members of his family. The result is a fascinating and lively film from Susan Lacy.
The name Steven Spielberg is often synonymous with populist cinema as some claimed that he started the Blockbuster era with 1975’s Jaws and would continue to give the film industry a jolt in the arm financially through films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones film series, E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, and Jurassic Park. While he had been criticized from moving American cinema away from personal and more serious subject matter that had dominated in the 1970s. There are those that disagreed with that sentiment including Spielberg himself as he states that many of his films are personal. The difference is that they’re big personal films as his parents Arnold Spielberg and Leah Adler as well as sisters Anne, Nancy, and Sue will agree to that as there’s scenes from his films that is based on his own life and the life of his family.
Among the themes Spielberg often explored is family as it relates to the dysfunctional family life he had when he was young when his parents split up as well as his own growing pains as a child and teenager. Part of his reasons in making Schindler’s List had to do with his own issues about his Jewish faith as he felt ashamed of being a Jew when he was young and had ignored until he married actress Kate Capshaw in 1991 who got him to come to terms with his Jewish faith. Capshaw would be at his side when he made the film as he also chose not to profit from any financial success of the film in order to create a foundation that allowed Holocaust survivors to give their testimonies. It’s among the one of many stories Spielberg would tell as well as why he would make films outside of his comfort zone like The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, and A.I.: Artificial Intelligence as a way to challenge himself but also know his limits as a storyteller.
The film also explore some of the business ventures he did such as founding Dreamworks with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen as well as producing other films for other filmmakers while remaining friends with filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Brian de Palma who are also interviewed in the film. Even film critics/historians such as A.O. Scott, Annette Insdorf, David Edelstein, J. Hoberman, and Janet Maslin talk about why his films endure and still matter as well as revealing why Spielberg has had a polarizing relationship with critics despite being championed early in his career by the famed critic Pauline Kael. Collaborators such as cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and screenwriter Melissa Mathison are both interviewed in the film before their respective deaths in 2016 and 2015 as well as Spielberg’s mother who died in February 2017 as the film is dedicated to her as they all talk about Spielberg’s gift in telling stories as well as stories about children. While films such as Always, Hook, The Terminal, and The Adventures of Tintin aren’t mentioned with the other films that are discussed in the documentary at the time Spielberg was in production for his 2015 film Bridge of Spies. Susan Lacy does provide a great insight into his body of work with the aid of editor Deborah Peretz in compiling footage from those films as well as some rare making-of footage.
Cinematographers Ed Marritz and Samuel Painter would film many of the interviews what were filmed which would feature many of the actors who worked with Spielberg along with collaborators who are often part of Spielberg’s filmmaking family. Sound editor Steve Borne would compile some of the audio from other interviews including clips from other films as much of the music that is played on the film is from many of Spielberg’s films which is mainly the music composed by John Williams.
Spielberg is a marvelous film from Susan Lacy. Not only is the film essential for fans of the filmmaker but also an engaging documentary that explore many of the filmmaker’s methods in making films as well as the kind of stories he want to tell. Even as it offers some rare footage of his personal life without revealing too much and give the man the chance to speak for himself as he’s still a vital force in the film industry. In the end, Spielberg is a remarkable film from Susan Lacy.
Steven Spielberg Films: (Duel (1971 TV film)) – (The Sugarland Express) – (Jaws) – (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) – (1941) – (Raiders of the Lost Ark) – (E.T.: The Extraterrestrial) – (Twilight Zone: the Movie-Kick the Can) - (Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom) – (The Color Purple) – (Empire of the Sun) – (Always) – (Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade) – (Hook) – (Jurassic Park) – Schindler's List - (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) – (Amistad) – Saving Private Ryan - (A.I. Artificial Intelligence) – (Minority Report) – Catch Me If You Can - (The Terminal) – (War of the Worlds (2005 film)) – (Munich) – (Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) – (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) – (War Horse) – (Lincoln) – (Bridge of Spies) – (BFG) – (The Post (2017 film)) – (Ready Player One)
© thevoid99 2017
