A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)

Premise: Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese shares his personal view and knowledge of the films, directors and actors that have shaped the world's most popular art form.

I stole that from Zip, but it was close enough for me.

It's hard to say exactly when Scorsese transitioned from known to me to my favourite director - just like it's hard to say if Pacino or Lemmon will win the grand battle for Best Actor at the Elfin April Oscars.

There's a reason that something like this seems perfect to me. A few reasons, I suppose. For one, its simplicity. Scorsese sits in a director's chair and talks to you about a movie. Then you see a clip from the movie, perhaps with some Scorsese voiceover. Then, if available and relevant, maybe a bit of an interview with the director* or an actor from the picture. Then back to Scorsese, sitting there in his little suit jacket and tie, legs crossed, bushy eyebrows waggling - a bit like my grandfather that way. And then he moves on to the next picture, the next idea, the next section. All smoothly and beautifully done.

Another, perhaps the most important reason, is how truly personal it is. Scorsese isn't going to comment on the big movies - there's no talk about Gone with the Wind or Ben Hur. He opens with Duel in the Sun, a picture his mom took him see when he was four years old. He talks about Cat People. And he stops talking when the movies catch up with him. He has to then.

But it's more than that. It's not a laundry list of movies that he viewed in his formative years; it's a look back on them through the director's lens. When I hear him talk about his pictures now, when I watch them, I see all these little nods to those he feels to indebted to. It's one of those rare instances where filmmaking comes across as a craft passed down instead of the money-grubbing mediocrity that poses in its place. Scorsese invites you to sit at his feet as he tells you all the secrets that make up the difference.

*Seriously, guys, three of them have eye patches. One has an eye patch and a monocle. It's awesome.

The documentary's divided up into three parts, each a little over an hour long. You can watch it all in one sitting or pace yourself, as I did. On the other hand, I probably would have watched it all in one go if I had been able to. And that's when I thought it was six hours long.

As for my new blog description, I quoted it directly from the last two sentences of Scorsese's closing monologue, which, I admit, moved me to tears. I have more of it written down somewhere else, just for me. It's an elegy, a lament, a praise, and a hope for the future. It's why I go to the movies, and why those who care take the time to craft them. A+