Martin Scorsese

[tolbs1010]

It has been several years since revisiting it, but I have always found Wolf to be career-best work for DiCaprio and exhibits the very things you are hoping to see in his characters, but you acknowledge in your post that it doesn’t hit you as such, to which I say to each their own!

Wolf was DiCaprio's project from the start. He owned the rights to Belfort's book and brought it to Scorsese to direct. It felt like Scorsese was trying to give DiCaprio his own GoodFellas--voiceover, hedonistic exploits, relentless pacing, similar music cues, humbled comeuppance ending. The problem is Jordan Belfort is not a very interesting character, despite DiCaprio's manic overplaying trying to make him interesting. What we're left with is a 3-hour film that asks us to find this dime-a-dozen scumbag's hedonistic lifestyle uproarious. The people in the theater I was in seemed to think it was. For me, it's one of Scorsese's worst films and one that I doubt he would even consider making if it wasn't for the relationship with DiCaprio.

[beamish14]

It has been several years since revisiting it, but I have always found Wolf to be career-best work for DiCaprio and exhibits the very things you are hoping to see in his characters, but you acknowledge in your post that it doesn’t hit you as such, to which I say to each their own!

Wolf was DiCaprio's project from the start. He owned the rights to Belfort's book and brought it to Scorsese to direct. It felt like Scorsese was trying to give DiCaprio his own GoodFellas--voiceover, hedonistic exploits, relentless pacing, similar music cues, humbled comeuppance ending. The problem is Jordan Belfort is not a very interesting character, despite DiCaprio's manic overplaying trying to make him interesting. What we're left with is a 3-hour film that asks us to find this dime-a-dozen scumbag's hedonistic lifestyle uproarious. The people in the theater I was in seemed to think it was. For me, it's one of Scorsese's worst films and one that I doubt he would even consider making if it wasn't for the relationship with DiCaprio.

I never understood why Scorsese cast Dustin Hoffman’s son in two of his films. He’s goddamn terrible

[hearthesilence]

I thought Wolf was one of Scorsese’s least interesting films, but it could very well have his greatest and most damning ending. Given how this country’s played out since then and how that decline was enabled by far too many venal and ethically bankrupt individuals, it’s even more powerful today.

[beamish14]

I honestly think Wolf is unquestionably his best film with DiCaprio, and probably his best work in the 21st century.

So many astounding scenes. Synchronized dancing to “Hip Hop Hooray” on the deck of a yacht. Sex in the nursery. Temporary CP.

[Matt]

Jeff Sneider, "Hollywood's most fearless journalist," is reporting that PTA rewrote Patrick Marber's script for What Happens at Night. Of course, this was also said about Killers of the Flower Moon but PTA said he only read it and made some suggestions. One of PTA's longtime producers, Daniel Lupi, is a producer on this film as well.

[domino harvey]

Isn’t he widely believed to be quite prolific as a script polisher? I know there was talk about the Phoenix Napoleon film too (he’s prob grateful to stay anonymous there though!)

[FrauBlucher]

I've read it's suggested he has helped more than Scott's and Scorsese's films but never wants it publicized

[Matt]

Well, now that Robert Towne and Carrie Fisher are no longer with us, someone has to pick up the slack.

[hearthesilence]

Does Elaine May still do script doctoring? She's very old now and obviously it's been a major factor as to whether or not she can direct her final planned film, but at the same time, it's a lot easier to write something at home than direct a whole production.

[beamish14]

Disney produced its first DCP of The Color of Money

[tolbs1010]

Scorsese likes working with the same actors for the most part. It’s a comfort zone I’m sure.

The comfort zone/collaborations between Scorsese and his Directors of Photography is something I've thought about over the years when watching his films. Scorsese's kinetic visual style and editor's mindset probably present unique challenges (and rewards) for a DP. After re-watching Cape Fear last year, I was struck by how great it looked in certain sequences (maybe because I hadn't seen it since early DVD days), yet some of the signature Scorsese camera moves looked a bit different. I found this article where Freddie Francis talks about his challenges getting on the same wavelength with Scorsese on that film: https://www.wideanglecloseup.com/francis.html. It's an interesting read. They never worked together again, which I guess isn't something that should be read into too much. Scheduling, money, union concerns, age, location, and many other things can affect why someone is hired or accepts a job. Still, it seems like they didn't 'click'. It makes me wonder about the relationships with other one and done DPs for Scorsese:

Roger Deakins: Kundun. A beautifully-lit film, even if the compositions and camera movements are more subdued. Deakins has stated his pride in the film and has called it Scorsese's best. I'd love to see them collaborate again.

Fred Schuler: The King Of Comedy. Schuler was a top Camera Operator, including under Michael Chapman on Taxi Driver. His career as a DP is much less interesting. TKoC definitely isn't Scorsese's most visually-appealing film, but the drab, slightly antiseptic look is intentional and maybe a visual commentary on the emptiness of TV and the main characters.

Nestor Almendros: Life Lessons. I love this film and Almendros' work in it. He did work with Scorsese again on the short doc about Armani, but I'm thinking of feature films only.

Laszlo Kovacs: New York New York. It's interesting that Scorsese's most extravagant, old Hollywood-looking film was shot by a DP that made his name shooting lower-budget on-the-road films. It was an exhausting, troubled shoot and a commercial failure which maybe doomed any future collaborations (Kovacs' contributions to The Last Waltz, notwithstanding)

The three biggies in Scorsese's career are Michael Ballhaus (7 films), Robert Richardson (5 films), and Rodrigo Prieto (5 films, counting the one in production). Their styles are very different, but clearly they all 'clicked' with Scorsese's way of working. Overall, I like the look of the Ballhaus-shot films best, but the most visually dazzling film of Scorsese's career has to be Casino. Richardson's hotter, more stylized lighting is the perfect fit for the setting, and he and his team execute some of Scorsese's most imaginative (and probably difficult) camera movements. It's a filmmaking clinic. I'm amazed every time I see it.

Disney produced its first DCP of The Color of Money

Bring on the 4K release! The old blu ray is crap.This is a top 5 Scorsese for me. The first collaboration with Ballhaus.

[Stefan]

Bravo, FrauBlucher, for your splendid comments on Scorseses DPs!

@beamish14 No, "The Color of Money" was not his first collaboration with Ballhaus, "After Hours" (still underrated!) was.

[FrauBlucher]

Thanks for that Stefan but it wasn’t me it was tolbs1010 that made those insightful comments

[tolbs1010]

@beamish14 No, "The Color of Money" was not his first collaboration with Ballhaus, "After Hours" (still underrated!) was.

Ahh yes. My bad. Had it in my mind that Color Of Money was '85 and After Hours was '86, but it is the reverse. Both are testaments to Ballhaus' tremendous skill and economy. He commented that working with Fassbinder taught him to work fast and be tough out of necessity (I'm paraphrasing).

I was just looking at his credits and didn't know that he also shot Baby It's You. I'm now wondering if Griffin Dunne and Amy Robinson brought him on board for After Hours or if Scorsese requested him based on his work with Fassbinder. It's probably mentioned in the Criterion special features that I still haven't watched. I might use the long Easter weekend to catch up on those and the ones on Last Temptation. Fitting Easter viewing for a lapsed Catholic.

[Stefan]

A book on "Goodfellas" is coming out this year. Good effort. But the cover artwork is absurd. To have Liotta and Bracco "walking off into the sunset" as the center totally misses the point of the film.
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/goodfellas-9781805750505/

[Drucker]

Well they said to never judge a book by it's cover....

I'll see myself out.

[Brian C]

A book on "Goodfellas" is coming out this year. Good effort. But the cover artwork is absurd. To have Liotta and Bracco "walking off into the sunset" as the center totally misses the point of the film.
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/goodfellas-9781805750505/

I dunno, kinda seems like that’s exactly what they did! Just not in the usual heroic/romantic way.

[nowhereisaplace]

I think they are walking into the Copa.

[Noiretirc]

I like the Hitchcock - All The Films book. It's not highly academic, but it serves it's purpose very admirably.

They also did one for Scorsese. But he's not dead yet. The damn thing will be incomplete by 2028.

So, no thanks.

(But I'm always quick to check this thread when it bumps.)

[Stefan]

(But I'm always quick to check this thread when it bumps.)

Me too. So here it comes up again.

But really, what is desperately missing in the english filmbook-sphere is a translation of the splendid autobiography of Michael Ballhaus, "Bilder im Kopf" (google it; I don't know how to insert links here). It's ... mind-opening. Just like his camera work was. So ... find a publisher that pays for the translation or learn how to read German.

[Mr Sausage]

(google it; I don't know how to insert links here).

There are two ways.

Bare URL:

Code: Select all

[URL]url here[/URL]

Hyperlink:

Code: Select all

[URL=url here]text[/URL]

[yoloswegmaster]

Martin Scorsese’s Pope Francis Film to Launch With Private Vatican Screening One Year After His Death

[FrauBlucher]

Oddly New York, New York is getting a UHD release from MVD

[hearthesilence]

I finally saw Mr. Scorsese and it's pretty good - not definitive or the last word on him, but invaluable. Miller said it wasn't originally meant to be a five-part series, but it soon became apparent that there was far too much that they wanted to show. Honestly, I can't imagine condensing what they have into, say, two hours because as thorough as it is, it moves briskly and comes close to skimming the last 30 or so years despite having about 90 minutes dedicated to it. So even though certain things are missed, it's probably fortunate Apple didn't resist the idea of making this a multi-part series.

In terms of what's missed: I wish they covered Life Lessons - it may be a short that was part of an omnibus film, but it's a great film that directly addresses art and relationships, a topic that comes up repeatedly already albeit mostly in terms of marriages/family life rather than romantic love. Also Hugo is completely missed and I would've preferred that over the generous amount of time devoted to The Wolf of Wall Street (and especially Casino, but that's in an earlier episode). Also, given the nature of films like this, it's probably not surprising that there's only so much that's discussed about Scorsese's past marriages, but at the same time, his participation and his children's participation give the critical and less flattering parts more heft. That is, it doesn't become questionable or come off as dubious gossip, it's raw honesty. (FWIW, two of his ex-wives are interviewed, with Isabella Rossellini getting more time in the film.)

The film is clearly more interesting up until the early '90s, partly as a reflection of the work discussed but also a reflection of how much turmoil was going on at the time. The first episode is the strongest because it focuses on his upbringing and how he became a filmmaker, and that's probably less familiar territory for most people. For anyone wishing to dip their toe in, definitely watch the first episode/hour. I won't spoil anything, but if you know little about Mean Streets beyond watching the film, it's very startling how much of it is drawn from people Scorsese knew growing up - I already figured that, but not to the extent that's revealed.

[domino harvey]

Shout out to Scorsese appearing in both the new Star Wars movie and the cover of Charli XCX’s new album