8 Classic Movies That Influenced Martin Scorsese
Alongside his old friends Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, director Martin Scorsese has made some of Hollywood's most iconic films of the last fifty years.
He has captured life on the gritty streets of Little Italy in Mean Streets, delved into the dark psychosis of a would-be vigilante with Taxi Driver, exposed the animalistic violence of middleweight champ Jack La Motta in Raging Bull, and depicted the rise and fall of wiseguy Henry Hill in Goodfellas.
Many of Scorsese's films have influenced countless filmmakers from his generation and beyond. But what movies influenced him as a young moviegoer? Here are just a few that have been the source of Scorsese's inspiration.
Scorsese has been associated with gangster movies ever since directing his explosive crime drama, Mean Streets (1973), so it’s no surprise that this William Wellman classic was an early influence. Starring James Cagney as ruthless bootlegger Tom Powers, The Public Enemy – aside from its obvious focus on the criminal underworld – first taught Scorsese the idea of using music as counterpart, particularly in the final scene where Cagney arrives home dead with the lighthearted “Forever Blowing Bubbles” playing in the background. Scorsese has been known to use this same technique throughout his career, most notably with the piano coda from “Layla” in Goodfellas, as the audience sees all the gang members who were whacked by Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro).Buy from Amazon »
Perhaps no list of influential films would be complete without Orson Welles’ groundbreaking fictional biopic. A bold and technically brilliant examination about the rise of an idealistic newspaper publisher (Welles) who evolves into a ruthless businessman with grandiose political ambitions, Citizen Kane has no doubt served as inspiration for countless filmmakers across the globe. Scorsese was amazed by Welles’ revolutionary technique – deep-focus photography, low-angle shots, multiple points-of-view – and first became aware that there was a vision behind the camera. Scorsese has shown that same visual mastery with his use of slo-motion in Taxi Driver (1976), stark black-and-white cinematography in Raging Bull (1980), and his ever-fluid camera motions in Goodfellas.More »
As a child, Scorsese suffered from asthma and was often confined inside the house while his friends played outside. In order to find some form of entertainment for their son, his parents routinely took him to the movies and this racy Western from director King Vidor made a distinct early impression on him. Starring Jennifer Jones as a half-Native American girl gone to live with her Anglo relatives and Gregory Peck as an evil ne’er-do-well who falls for her, Duel in the Sun was full of stark imagery, nightmarish music and edgy sexuality that terrified the young Scorsese. Look no further than Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Shutter Island for those same elements.More »
Of all the films that have influenced Scorsese, it was Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s elegant musicalThe Red Shoes that had the greatest impact. One of the most successful British films in the United States, the film focused on an impoverished young ballerina (Moira Shearer) who becomes an understudy with a famed dance troupe, only to reach new heights when she dons a pair of magical red shoes. The film’s lyrical choreography, vibrant colors and seamless movement taught the young Scorsese a great deal about how to assemble images and movement through the editing process, an influence that was all-too-apparent in numerous scenes from Goodfellas and Casino.More »
While admitting that this historical epic was not the greatest movie ever made, Scorsese saw Howard Hawks’ Land of the Pharaohs at just the right moment in life. At the time, Scorsese was obsessed with ancient Rome and was just starting out as a filmmaker by directing films with an 8mm camera. His ambition at this stage was as grand as it ever would be, as he had fully storyboarded a Roman epic of his own. While he may not have made a film about ancient Rome in his professional life, Scorsese did direct several large-scale epics like Kundun, Gangs of New York and The Aviator.More »
Starring Marlon Brando in one of his most iconic performances, Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront may not have influenced Scorsese’s stylistic approach to filmmaking, but he did learn a great deal about acting. In fact, Scorsese has cited Kazan’s body of working as being his acting school, and certainly this classic drama served as an advanced level course. Scorsese has allowed his own actors to flourish and has drawn Oscar-winning performances out of Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, Paul Newman in The Color of Money, and Cate Blanchett in The Aviator.More »
He has captured life on the gritty streets of Little Italy in Mean Streets, delved into the dark psychosis of a would-be vigilante with Taxi Driver, exposed the animalistic violence of middleweight champ Jack La Motta in Raging Bull, and depicted the rise and fall of wiseguy Henry Hill in Goodfellas.
Many of Scorsese's films have influenced countless filmmakers from his generation and beyond. But what movies influenced him as a young moviegoer? Here are just a few that have been the source of Scorsese's inspiration.
1. ‘The Public Enemy’ – 1931
Scorsese has been associated with gangster movies ever since directing his explosive crime drama, Mean Streets (1973), so it’s no surprise that this William Wellman classic was an early influence. Starring James Cagney as ruthless bootlegger Tom Powers, The Public Enemy – aside from its obvious focus on the criminal underworld – first taught Scorsese the idea of using music as counterpart, particularly in the final scene where Cagney arrives home dead with the lighthearted “Forever Blowing Bubbles” playing in the background. Scorsese has been known to use this same technique throughout his career, most notably with the piano coda from “Layla” in Goodfellas, as the audience sees all the gang members who were whacked by Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro).Buy from Amazon »
2. ‘Citizen Kane’ – 1941
Perhaps no list of influential films would be complete without Orson Welles’ groundbreaking fictional biopic. A bold and technically brilliant examination about the rise of an idealistic newspaper publisher (Welles) who evolves into a ruthless businessman with grandiose political ambitions, Citizen Kane has no doubt served as inspiration for countless filmmakers across the globe. Scorsese was amazed by Welles’ revolutionary technique – deep-focus photography, low-angle shots, multiple points-of-view – and first became aware that there was a vision behind the camera. Scorsese has shown that same visual mastery with his use of slo-motion in Taxi Driver (1976), stark black-and-white cinematography in Raging Bull (1980), and his ever-fluid camera motions in Goodfellas.More »
3. ‘Duel in the Sun’ – 1946
As a child, Scorsese suffered from asthma and was often confined inside the house while his friends played outside. In order to find some form of entertainment for their son, his parents routinely took him to the movies and this racy Western from director King Vidor made a distinct early impression on him. Starring Jennifer Jones as a half-Native American girl gone to live with her Anglo relatives and Gregory Peck as an evil ne’er-do-well who falls for her, Duel in the Sun was full of stark imagery, nightmarish music and edgy sexuality that terrified the young Scorsese. Look no further than Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Shutter Island for those same elements.More »
4. ‘The Red Shoes’ – 1948
Of all the films that have influenced Scorsese, it was Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s elegant musicalThe Red Shoes that had the greatest impact. One of the most successful British films in the United States, the film focused on an impoverished young ballerina (Moira Shearer) who becomes an understudy with a famed dance troupe, only to reach new heights when she dons a pair of magical red shoes. The film’s lyrical choreography, vibrant colors and seamless movement taught the young Scorsese a great deal about how to assemble images and movement through the editing process, an influence that was all-too-apparent in numerous scenes from Goodfellas and Casino.More »
5. ‘Tales of Hoffman’ – 1951
Another elegant British film had a major effect on Scorsese, Tales of Hoffman was another operatic musical fantasy from British directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger that turned into a hit in America. As with The Red Shoes, the film is a simple tale elevated to great heights by its stunningly photographed ballet sequences. In fact, it was the film’s worldless swordfight atop a gondolier that served as a blueprint for Scorsese's famous scene in Goodfellas, where Robert De Niro stands at the bar smoking and deciding who he’s going to kill while Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” plays over it.Buy from Amazon »
6. ‘Land of the Pharaohs’ – 1955
While admitting that this historical epic was not the greatest movie ever made, Scorsese saw Howard Hawks’ Land of the Pharaohs at just the right moment in life. At the time, Scorsese was obsessed with ancient Rome and was just starting out as a filmmaker by directing films with an 8mm camera. His ambition at this stage was as grand as it ever would be, as he had fully storyboarded a Roman epic of his own. While he may not have made a film about ancient Rome in his professional life, Scorsese did direct several large-scale epics like Kundun, Gangs of New York and The Aviator.More »
7. ‘On the Waterfront’ – 1956
Starring Marlon Brando in one of his most iconic performances, Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront may not have influenced Scorsese’s stylistic approach to filmmaking, but he did learn a great deal about acting. In fact, Scorsese has cited Kazan’s body of working as being his acting school, and certainly this classic drama served as an advanced level course. Scorsese has allowed his own actors to flourish and has drawn Oscar-winning performances out of Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, Paul Newman in The Color of Money, and Cate Blanchett in The Aviator.More »
8. ‘The Searchers’ – 1956
John Ford’s classic Western starring John Wayne as a hateful Civil War veteran who searches for his niece (Natalie Wood) after his entire family is murdered by a gang of Comanches made Scorsese aware for the first time that a director’s job is translating ideas into images. From the bleak long shots of Utah’s Monument Valley to the close-ups of an enraged Wayne seeking bloody revenge at every turn, The Searchers has no doubt influenced the imagery of Scorsese’s most visually arresting work like Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, Casino and Shutter Island.More »
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