Making of the Greatest: The Thrilling Stories Behind Martin Scorsese’s Life and Career
Photo Illustration by Victoria Sunday/The Daily Beast/Apple TV+Martin Scorsese’s reputation is that he makes gangster epics. Yet Rebecca Miller’s stellar five-part docuseries Mr. Scorsese illuminates that, no matter the genre in which he’s operating, the American auteur has, in fact, consistently made movies about himself. Be it the “underground man” of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, the rage-aholic Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, the frazzled office worker of After Hours, the conflicted Jesus of The Last Temptation of Christ, the mad genius of The Aviator, or the blustery financier of The Wolf of Wall Street, the legendary director has spent his career telling stories about male resentment, anger, self-loathing, doubt, and loneliness.Read more at The Daily Beast.
Martin Scorsese. The name conjures images of smoky backrooms, sharp suits, and iconic gangster epics. But a new docuseries, "Mr. Scorsese," is shedding light on a different side of the legendary director, revealing that his films, regardless of genre, are deeply personal explorations of the human condition.
Rebecca Miller's insightful five-part documentary, highlighted in The Daily Beast, argues that Scorsese's work is, at its core, a reflection of himself. From the gritty streets of "Taxi Driver" to the opulent excess of "The Wolf of Wall Street," the director consistently delves into the complexities of male experience, dissecting themes of resentment, anger, self-loathing, doubt, and profound loneliness.
The docuseries challenges the common perception of Scorsese as solely a master of the gangster film, prompting viewers to reconsider his entire filmography through a new lens. Think of Travis Bickle, the disturbed protagonist of "Taxi Driver," or Rupert Pupkin, the desperate comedian in "The King of Comedy." These characters, deemed "underground men" by Miller, are not simply fictional creations but rather embodiments of inner turmoil, magnified and projected onto the screen.
Even in seemingly disparate films like "Raging Bull," with its portrayal of the volatile boxer Jake LaMotta, or "After Hours," which follows a hapless office worker through a nightmarish descent into the New York underworld, Scorsese's signature exploration of male angst remains a constant thread. The conflicted portrayal of Jesus in "The Last Temptation of Christ," the obsessive genius of Howard Hughes in "The Aviator," and the unbridled ambition of Jordan Belfort in "The Wolf of Wall Street" – all are facets of a complex and often troubled male psyche that Scorsese relentlessly examines.
"Mr. Scorsese" promises a deeper understanding of the man behind the camera, suggesting that his cinematic achievements are not just masterful works of storytelling, but also intensely personal explorations of the human heart, revealing the vulnerabilities and complexities that lie beneath the surface of even the most powerful figures. The docuseries encourages audiences to look beyond the surface and recognize the recurring motifs that define Scorsese's unique and enduring artistic vision.