Today marks the 70th birthday of Martin Scorsese, an event any cinephile worth their weight in reel cans would deem a cause for celebration. We figured the same and, in lieu of a long, textual retrospective, we’ve opted to bring you a unique rundown of his 45-year (and counting) career, from 1967’s grainy, off-the-cuff Who’s That Knocking at My Door to last year’s beautiful and meticulous Hugo. Paired with each film are interviews, documentaries, behind-the-scenes photos, essays, or other fun bits that, all told, should only lend a greater insight into all 22 pictures.
Now, as much as we love The Last Waltz, No Direction Home, Living in the Material World, and so on, it’s been decided to only focus on the narrative output. If you’ve never seen any of what’s listed above (including the “so on”), however, please make an effort to seek them out. It’s what Marty would want. Check out the rundown over the next four pages, with each title equipped with a behind-the-scenes photo of the legendary director on his respective set.
Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967)
Kartina Richardson takes a look back at Who’s That Knocking at My Door in a video essay. [Mirror Film]
Adrian Danks‘ Who’s That Knocking at My Door analysis for Cinémathèque Annotations on Film. [Senses of Cinema]
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Boxcar Bertha (1972)
Writer Chris Wilkinson looks back at Boxcar Bertha in video commentary.
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Mean Streets (1973)
Scott Foundas hosts 50-minute Q&A with Martin Scorsese for Mean Streets at Lincoln Center.
John Greco looks back on Mean Streets thirty six years later. [Twenty Four Frames]
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Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
Lorraine LoBianco looks back on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore for Turner Classic Movies. [TCM]
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Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver storyboard to video comparison.
Taxi Driver audio commentary from Martin Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader.
Martin Scorsese‘s Taxi Driver cameo.
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New York, New York (1977)
Dan Callahan looks back on New York, New York for Anthology Archives. [Alt Screen]
Raging Bull (1980)
Screenwriter Paul Scrader’s outline for Raging Bull. [Cinephilia & Beyond]
Brutal Attraction: The Making of Raging Bull. [Vanity Fair]
Raging Bull audio commentary from Martin Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
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The King of Comedy (1983)
David Ehrenstein‘s essay on The King of Comedy. [David Ehrenstein]
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After Hours (1985)
Deleted scenes from After Hours.
Martin Scorsese‘s cameo in After Hours.
Two-part documentary on the making of After Hours.
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The Color of Money (1986)
Martin Scorsese interviewed for The Color of Money‘s release.
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The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
David Ehrenstein’s essay for The Criterion Collection release of The Last Temptation of Christ. [Criterion]
TV special on the controversy surrounding The Last Temptation of Christ, featuring Martin Scorsese.
Goodfellas (1990)
Martin Scorsese and Roger Ebert choose the best films of the 1990s; Ebert includes Goodfellas at #3.
Michael Powell writes letter to Scorsese after reading the Goodfellas script. [Quixotando]
PBS American Masters one-hour documentary on Martin Scorsese, featuring Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Robert De Niro, released during Goodfellas.
The three-part documentary on the making of Goodfellas.
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Cape Fear (1991)
On the set of Cape Fear with Martin Scorsese. [Los Angeles Times]
Aaron Aradilla looks back at Cape Fear twenty years later. [Press Play]
Terri Murray on the battle of moralities in Cape Fear. [Philosophy Now]
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The Age of Innocence (1993)
HBO’s documentary Innocence & Experience:The Making Of The Age of Innocence, featuring interviews with Martin Scorsese and the rest of the cast and crew.
Andrew Gilchrist on his favourite film, The Age of Innocence. [The Guardian]
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Casino (1995)
Interview with Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi discussing Casino.
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Kundun (1997)
PBS interview with Martin Scorsese for Kundun. [PBS]
Martin Scorsese interviewed by Gavin Smith for Kundun. [Film Comment]
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Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
Charlie Rose interview with Martin Scorsese ahead of Bringing Out the Dead‘s release.
M. C. Zenner‘s in-depth analysis of Bringing Out the Dead. [Senses of Cinema]
Gangs of New York (2002)
Michael Ballhaus discusses the cinematography of Gangs of New York. [ASC]
Martin Scorsese visits Inside the Actors Studio around the release of Gangs of New York.
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The Aviator (2004)
Robert Richardson talks the cinematography of The Aviator. [ASC]
Paul A. Cantor‘s article Flying Solo: The Aviator and Libertarian Philosophy. [Mises]
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The Departed (2006)
Rahul Hamid‘s in-depth analysis of The Departed. [Cineaste]
Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg present Martin Scorsese with the Oscar for Best Director for The Departed.
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Shutter Island (2010)
One-hour Berlin press conference with Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and more following the world premiere of Shutter Island.
The Culture Show interviews Martin Scorsese on his influences for Shutter Island. [YouTube]
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Hugo (2011)
One-hour interview with Martin Scorsese conducted at Lucasfilm for Hugo. [YouTube]
Paul Thomas Anderson interviews Martin Scorsese, Thelma Schoonmaker, Robert Richardson, Howard Shore, Robert Legato and Dante Ferretti for Hugo. [HitFix]
Producer Michael Coleman sits down with Hugo sound team Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman for a 40-minute interview.
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[1967-1979][1980-1989][1990-1999][2000-2011]
What are your favorite films from Martin Scorsese? Chime in below.