WITH 10 OSCAR NOMINATIONS, MARTIN SCORSESE IS ONLY TWO NOMINATIONS AWAY FROM WILLIAM WYLER’S RECORD OF 12, WHICH HAS STOOD SINCE 1965.
One masterpiece:
Taxi Driver
SEVEN near masterpieces:
Mean Streets | Raging Bull | Goodfellas | The Age of Innocence | The Wolf of Wall Street | The Irishman | Killers of the Flower Moon
Seven solidly entertaining movies:
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore | King of Comedy | After Hours |Casino | The Aviator | The Departed | Hugo
Four Below-Average Movies:
The Color of Money | The Last Temptation of Christ | Gangs of New York | Silence
Four outright failures:
Cape Fear (1991 remake) | Kundun | Bringing Out the Dead | Shutter Island
…and a debut feature that gets a C for effort.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
And then, there is “New York, New York” (1977): Initially rated a failure on its release, its reputation has grown over the years, and it is now regarded as one of Scorsese’s better films. It’s also filled with those beautiful songs by Fred Ebb and John Kander, belted out with great style and in great voice by Miss Liza Minnelli. And, of course, that immortal title song and closing number. Overall, I give it a B+
BOXCAR BERTHA
And then there is “Boxcar Bertha” (1972), which is as much a Roger Corman film as it is a Scorsese film, but it does feature Barbara Hershey. Let’s give it a C+.
In addition, Mr. Scorsese has directed several Documentaries, of which I have only seen one; several Short Films, of which I have also only seen one and contributed to one Anthology:
SHORT FILM: ITALIANAMERICAN
“Italianamerican” (short film) (1974) is Scorsese’s gift to his parents, Catherine and Charles, who, over the course of fifty minutes, reflect on their experiences as the children of Italian immigrants in New York City. Charles is sweet, shy and self-effacing, while Catherine is more vivacious. She is proud of her son, her achievements and, above all, her cooking, which looks delicious. It’s a pleasure to spend time with these people. B
DOCUMENTARY: THE LAST WALTZ
“The Last Waltz” (1978), a documentary of The Band’s last concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976. Released to great acclaim in 1978, the lineup of superstars, including Joni, Eric, Neil, and Van the Man, helped make it both a hit and a staple at midnight screenings. Levon Helm is on drums AND gives us spine-chilling renditions of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “The Weight.” I give it an A.
ANTHOLOGY: NEW YORK STORIES
In the anthology “New York Stories” from 1989, Scorsese gives us, by far, the best segment, “Life Lessons,” which stars Nick Nolte as the painter and Rosanna Arquette as his muse. The Coppola segment “Life Without Zoe” is a waste of your time – consider it a filler – while Woody Allen’s “Oedipus Wrecks” is fun in a minor way.
Scorsese B+
Coppola D
Allen C+
| Year | My Rating | Film | Streaming | Screenplay | Cinematographer | Original Score | Distributor | Oscar |
| 1967 | C | Who’s That Knocking at My Door | Not available for streaming. Available on DVD from Amazon | Martin Scorsese (Original) | Nichael Wadley Richard Coll | N/A* | Joseph Brenner Associates | – |
| 1972 | C+ | Boxcar Bertha | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Joyce H. Corrington and John William Corrington (Adapted) | John Stephens | Gib Guilbeau Thad Maxwell | American International Pictures | |
| 1973 | A- | Mean Streets | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Martin Scorsese and Mardik Martin (Original) | Keny L. Wakeford | N/A* | Warner Bros. | |
| 1974 | B | Italianamerican | HBOMAX Criterion collection | N/A* | Alec Hirchfeld | N/A* | Criterion Collection | |
| 1974 | B+ | Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Robert Getchell (Original) | Keny L. Wakeford | N/A* | Warner Bros. | |
| 1976 | A+ | Taxi Driver | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube Criterion collection | Paul Schrader (Original) | Michael Chapman | Bernard Herrmann | Columbia Pictures | |
| 1977 | B+ | New York, New York | Not available for streaming Available on Blu-ray from Amazon | Mardik Martin and Earl Mac Rauch (Original) | Laszlo Kovacs | John Kander Fred Ebb | United Artists | |
| 1978 | A | The Last Waltz | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | N/A* | Michael Chapman Vilmos Zsigmond Laszlo Kovacs | The Band (and others) | United Artists | |
| 1980 | A | Raging Bull | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin (Adapted) | Michael Chapman | N/A* | United Artists | Best Director Nomination Number One |
| 1983 | B | King Of Comedy | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Paul D. Zimmerman (Original) | Fred Schuler | Robbie Robertson | 20th Century Fox | |
| 1985 | B+ | After Hours | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Joseph Minion (Original) | Michael Ballhaus | Howard Shore | Warner Bros. | |
| 1986 | C+ | The Color of Money | Amazon AppleTV+ | Richard Price (Adapted) | Michael Ballhaus | Robbie Robertson | ||
| 1988 | C+ | The Last Temptation of Christ | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Paul Schrader (Adapted) | Michael Ballhaus | Peter Gabriel | Universal Pictures | Best Director Nomination Number Two |
| 1989 | (B+) | Life Lessons (New York Stories anthology) | Amazon AppleTV+ | Richard Price (Original) | Nestor Almendros | N/A* | Buena Vista | |
| 1990 | A | Goodfellas | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese (Adapted) | Michael Ballhaus | N/A* | Warner Bros. | Best Director Nomination Number Three |
| 1991 | D+ | Cape Fear | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Wesley Strick (Adapted) | Freddie Francis | (Adapted and conducted by Elmer Bernstein from Bernard Herrmann’s Original Score for the 1962 movie) | Universal Pictures | |
| 1993 | A | The Age of Innocence | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese (Adapted) | Michael Ballhaus | Elmer Bernstein | Columbia | |
| 1995 | B | Casino | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Nicholas Pileggi (Adapted) | Robert Richardson | N/A* | Universal Pictures | |
| 1997 | D+ | Kundun | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Melissa Mathison (Original) | Roger Deakins | Philip Glass | Buena Vista | |
| 1999 | D | Bringing Out the Dead | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Paul Schrader (Adapted) | Robert Richardson | Elmer Bernstein | Paramount Pictures | |
| 2002 | C+ | Gangs of New York | Amazon AppleTV+ Paramount+ | Jay Cocks and Steven Zallian and Kenneth Lonergan (Original) | Michael Ballhaus | Howard Shore | Miramax Films | Best Director Nomination Number Four |
| 2004 | B+ | The Aviator | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | John Logan (Original) | Robert Richardson | Howard Shore | Warner Bros. | Best Director Nomination Number Five |
| 2006 | B+ | The Departed | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | William Monahan (Adapted) | Michael Ballhaus | Howard Shore | Warner Bros | Best Director Nomination Number Six (ONLY WIN) |
| 2010 | D+ | Shutter Island | Amazon AppleTV+ Paramount+ | Laeta Kalogridis (Adapted) | Robert Richardson | N/A* | Paramount Pictures | |
| 2011 | B | Hugo | Amazon AppleTV+ Paramount+ | John Logan (Adapted) | Robert Richardson | Howard Shore | Paramount Pictures | Best Director Nomination Number Seven |
| 2013 | A- | The Wolf of Wall Street | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Terence Winter (Adapted) | Rodrigo Prieto | N/A* | Paramount Pictures | Best Director Nomination Number Eight |
| 2016 | C+ | Silence | Amazon AppleTV+ Paramount+ Criterion collection | Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese (Adapted) | Rodrigo Prieto | Kim Allen Kluge Kathryn Kluge | Paramount Pictures | |
| 2019 | A- | The Irishman | Netflix Apple TV+ | Steven Zaillian (Adapted) | Rodrigo Prieto | Robbie Robertson | Netflix | Best Director Nomination Number Nine |
| 2023 | A- | Killers of the Flower Moon | Amazon AppleTV+ YouTube | Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese (Adapted) | Rodrigo Prieto | Robbie Robertson | Paramount Pictures Apple Original Films and Apple TV+ | Best Director Nomination Number Ten. |
- Diegetic sounds and music.
CINEMATOGRAPHY.
Scorsese has worked with some of the world’s greatest cinematographers:
Michael Ballhaus on seven (1985-2006)
Robert Richardson on five (1995-2011)
Rodrigo Prieto on four (2013-2023)
Michael Chapman on three (1976-1980)
Laszlo Kovacs on two (1977/1978)
Vilmos Zsigmond (1), Nestor Almendros (1), Freddie Francis (1) and Roger Deakins (1).
EDITING
American editor Thelma Schoonmaker started working with Scorsese on his debut feature film “Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967) and has edited all of Scorsese’s films since “Raging Bull”. She has received seven Oscar nominations and won three times, exclusively for her work on Scorsese films.
Thelma Schoonmaker’s Nine Oscar Nominations for Best Editing – A Record. All, except Michael Wadleigh’s “Woodstock,” are for Scorsese films.
1970; Woodstock (with Martin Scorsese)
1980: The Raging Bull (Win)
1990: Goodfellas
2002: Gangs of New York
2004: The Aviator (Win)
2006: The Departed (Win)
2011: Hugo
2019: The Irishman
2023: Killers of the Flower Moon
With nine Academy Award nominations, Schoonmaker has now surpassed Michael Kahn as the most-nominated editor in Academy Awards history. With Daniel Mandell and Ralph Dawson, she also holds the record for the most wins in the category of Best Editing, with three.
Schoonmaker married legendary British director Michael Powell (“Black Narcissus”) from 1984 until he died in 1990.
Diegetic or Source Music vs. Incidental Music or Underscoring
Like Sidney Lumet, Scorsese often uses diegetic sounds and music in his films, opting not to use an original score. However, when he chooses to use incidental music or underscoring, Scorsese’s most trusted composer is Canadian Howard Shore, who has scored five of his movies and earned an Oscar nomination for “Hugo” in 2012. Following Shore is fellow Canadian and former member of The Band Robbie Robertson with four. Robertson won a posthumous nomination for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Also Oscar-nominated was Elmer Bernstein’s gorgeous score for “The Age of Innocence,” Philip Glass for “Kundun,” and Bernard Herrmann’s final masterpiece, “Taxi Driver,” which turned out to be his final score.
SCREENPLAYS: ADAPTED AND ORIGINAL.
Seventeen of the 26 features listed are adapted screenplays, with nine from original screenplays. The Richard Price screenplay for the “Life Lessons” segment of “New York Stories” is also an original work.
Scorsese receives writing credits on six of his films: “Who’s That Knocking at My Door,” “Mean Streets,” “Goodfellas” (his first Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay), “The Age of Innocence” (his second Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay), “Silence” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
His most trusted collaborator is Paul Schrader, with one Original (“Taxi Driver”) and three Adapted Screenplays (“Raging Bull,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” and “Bringing Out the Dead”).
The Writers Branch of the Academy has nominated a Scorsese film ten times with NO wins.
John Logan has the distinction of being nominated for both an Original (“The Aviator”) and an Adapted (“Hugo”) screenplay, as does Steven Zailian with “Gangs of New York” and “The Irishman,” respectively. Scorsese, himself, has been nominated twice for Best Adapted Screenplay.
SCORSESE MOVIES WHICH HAVE BEEN NOMINATED FOR BEST SCREENPLAY
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (Robert Getchell: Original)
The Color of Money (Richard Price: Adapted)
Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi: Adapted)
The Age of Innocence (Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese: Adapted)
Gangs of New York (Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan: Original)
The Aviator (John Logan: Original)
The Departed (William Monahan: Adapted)
Hugo (John Logan: Adapted)
The Wolf of Wall Street (Terence Winter: Adapted)
The Irishman (Steven Zaillian: Adapted)
https://thebrownees.net/the-42-most-honored-directors-in-cinema-history/
