Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese (pronounced as Scor-SEH-see) (born November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American film director.

Career: 1990 to present

With Goodfellas, Scorsese returned to his native New York and reunited with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci (whom he had previously directed in Raging Bull). This motion picture of life as a gangster has been called the greatest "Mob movie" since The Godfather, and it secured Scorsese a place among the greatest motion picture directors of all time. He earned his third (and, some would argue, most deserving) Best Director nomination but again lost to a first-time director, Kevin Costner.

Related Topics:
The Godfather - Kevin Costner

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Scorsese went on to direct a remake of the 1962 thriller Cape Fear, which proved to Hollywood that he could make a box-office hit. However, Scorsese's projects have continued to cast him as a figure who can make critically acclaimed pictures (The Age of Innocence, Kundun) that only turn in modest box-office revenues. He continued to be intimately involved in filmmaking through the 1990s, making cameo appearances in movies like Quiz Show and Search and Destroy and working to help up-and-coming filmmakers (Mad Dog and Glory, Clockers). He re-visited the world of Taxi Driver in 1999 with Bringing Out The Dead, while critics said that his 1995 movie Casino looked and felt like a re-hash of Goodfellas.

Related Topics:
1962 - Cape Fear - The Age of Innocence - Kundun - 1990s - 1995 - ''Casino''

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In 1990, Martin Scorsese acted in a cameo role as Vincent Van Gogh in the film Dreams by legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. In 1999 he produced a documentary on Italian filmakers entitled Il Mio Viaggio in Italia (my trip into Italy). The documentary was produced by Giuliana Del Punta and Bruno Restuccia. Editing and printing has been made in Cinecitta Studios (Rome), color timer was Paolo Verrucci.

Related Topics:
Vincent Van Gogh - Dreams - Akira Kurosawa - Cinecitta Studios - Rome - Paolo Verrucci

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Scorsese's 2002 production of Gangs of New York was seen as his biggest and most risk-taking venture to date. Originally filmed for a release in the winter of 2001 (to qualify for Academy Award nominations), Scorsese delayed the final production of the film until after the beginning of 2002; the studio consequently delayed the film for nearly a year until its release in the Oscar season of late 2002. With a production budget said to be in excess of $100 million, this was Scorsese's most expensive work. Critical reaction to the film was moderately positive (movie critics familiar with Scorsese's work felt it was flawed), and while the movie wasn't a smashing box-office blockbuster, it wasn't a dismal failure in theatrical revenue. In February of 2003, Gangs of New York received ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis. This being his fourth Best Director nomination, many thought it was finally his year to win, but the award went instead to the "overseas-based" Roman Polanski.

Related Topics:
2002 - Gangs of New York - 2001 - Academy Award - February - 2003 - Daniel Day-Lewis - Roman Polanski

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Scorsese's latest film The Aviator, is a biopic of director, producer, legendary eccentric, multi-millionaire and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes. It was released in December 2004 and met mostly with critical acclaim. The film was nominated for six Golden Globe awards, including Best Picture - Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor - Drama for Leonardo DiCaprio. It won three, including Best Picture - Drama. In January of 2005, The Aviator became the most-nominated film of the 77th Academy Award nominations, nominated in 11 categories including Best Picture. The film has also garnered nominations in nearly all of the other major categories, including Best Picture, a fifth Best Director nomination for Scorsese, Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett), and a surprise nod for Alan Alda for Best Supporting Actor. Despite having a leading tally, the film ended up with only five Oscars: Best Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing and Cinematography. Scorsese lost out (again), this time to director Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby (which also won Best Picture).

Related Topics:
The Aviator - Biopic - Pioneer - Howard Hughes - December 2004 - Leonardo DiCaprio - Best Director - Cate Blanchett - Alan Alda - Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby

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Scorsese is currently in pre-production of an action thriller set in Boston, Massachusetts, based upon Infernal Affairs, a trio of Hong Kong action pictures centered upon battles between the Asian police and the gangs in the area. The film is tentatively entitled The Departed. The film will once again unite Scorsese with Leonardo DiCaprio, an actor he has now been working with for three consecutive films. 'The Departed' will also bring Scorsese together with Jack Nicholson, whom he has never worked with before.

Related Topics:
Boston, Massachusetts - Infernal Affairs - Jack Nicholson

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Scorsese is president of the Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to film preservation and decaying motion picture film stock.

Related Topics:
Film Foundation - Film preservation - Film stock

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At a ceremony in Paris, France on January 5, 2005, Martin Scorsese was awarded the French Legion of Honor in recognition of his contribution to cinema.

Related Topics:
Paris, France - Legion of Honor

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