Sometimes, when thinking of genius directors, it’s hard not to imagine them as constantly creating and working on their passion — hidden in a bubble of creativity with like-minded individuals always striving towards a vision. In reality, there is a lot of stuff in between. A 1990 documentary titled The Scorsese Machine follows the New York-born auteur through a day-in-the-life look at his work in the film business. The key term is “business”: phone calls, meetings, and general scrambling-around are motifs throughout the piece.
Even when every word cannot be made out through the clipping and grain, it is fascinating to see a seminal director handle day-to-day activities. Directed by André S. Labarthe, it also features a rather ingenious title card, with a long pushing shot that glides through a door, over a television playing Raging Bull, and looks at a desk where Scorsese sits talking hurriedly on the phone. He doesn’t always seem comfortable with the camera on him, though its difficult to tell whether he has stage fright or if that is just his giddy, shy, but extroverted personality. Still, seeing Scorsese, on his birthday, sitting on a couch with a small, fluffy white dog, handling phone calls, and opening presents while his editor spools through footage of Life Lessons feels like a treat.
See the full documentary below.