Martin Scorsese has always tried to give each picture a
vivid visual and auditory profile. Although he’s often praised for his realism
Whether making gangster films, period films or biopics,
Scorsese explores aspects of masculinity, identity and violence. His
protagonists are often loners in a chaotic world trying to make sense of the
madness around them, grappling with issues of guilt, penance and spiritual
enlightenment. Nostalgia plays a big part in Scorsese’s films, but so do regret
and loss. Many of his films end ambiguously, with a sense of irony or with the
main character on the decline. Frequently working with the same crew, including
editor Thelma Schoonmaker on almost every film, and the same actors (such as
Robert De Niro and, more recently, Leonardo DiCaprio), Scorsese is one of the
few American auteurs, as his films can be regarded as a personal expression of
his author-like direction.
Scorsese is notorious for constantly moving the camera
around on tracks, gips, crane’s, steadicam’s etc, for several minutes before
cutting. The most famous of these is ‘Goodfellas’ however a simmiler technique was
done before this film by Chapman in ‘Raging Bull’
raging bull- Filmed in high contrast black and white
Scorsese developed his style and technique further by using extensive
slow-motion sequences, complex tracking shots, distortions of perspective (the
ring changes its size with every fight) and shaky camerawork designed solely to
echo the brutality of a boxing match. With an Academy-Award winning performance
by De Niro, Scorsese visited some of his familiar themes – guilt, sin and
redemption. The scene where Jake pounds his fists against the prison walls
suggests a violent “exorcism” of his sins and a consequent “repentance.”
Raging Bull received eight Oscar nominations including one
for Scorsese – his first and undoubtedly not his last. Snubbed by Robert
Redford’s directorial debut Ordinary People, Scorsese went off empty handed –
something which he would get plenty of in the future.
Scorsese collaborated
with de Niro once more in The King of Comedy. It was an obvious departure from
his previous works and featured none of the typical Scorsese trademarks. The
use of the long shots and the static camera suggests a type of surrealism,
however it was still very much Scorsese: a loner who ironically achieves fame
by committing a kidnapping.
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