Martin Scorsese Films

[g.d.h]

Hello, I am a fan of Martin Scorsese films and I think his films often focus on psychological issues. Do you agree?

[Steve Crook]

Hello, I am a fan of Martin Scorsese films and I think his films often focus on psychological issues. Do you agree?

"Psychological issues" is a very broad area. Can you be more specific?

What "psychological issues" does Goodfellas focus on? Or Kundun or Gangs of New York?
What psychological issues can be applied to those films that can't be applied to just about every other film ever made?

Steve

[g.d.h]

Thank you for your reply Steve. I am focusing on the psychological issues that Scorsese presents in Shutter Island, King of Comedy and Taxi Driver because I have noticed that the main characters are all mentally imbalanced and I was wondering if you have any views on this? I have also noticed that the camera angles Scorsese uses reinforces the characters' sense of mind in these three films, such as high angles to make the characters appear powerless. Do you think Scorsese is an Auteur director by introducing these psychological issues or do you think they can be applied to every other film ever made?

[Steve Crook]

Thank you for your reply Steve. I am focusing on the psychological issues that Scorsese presents in Shutter Island, King of Comedy and Taxi Driver because I have noticed that the main characters are all mentally imbalanced and I was wondering if you have any views on this? I have also noticed that the camera angles Scorsese uses reinforces the characters' sense of mind in these three films, such as high angles to make the characters appear powerless. Do you think Scorsese is an Auteur director by introducing these psychological issues or do you think they can be applied to every other film ever made?

I suspected that might be the case. It does apply to some of his films, but by no means all of them.
If you're looking for people in Scorsese films who are unbalanced or who have psychological issues then don't forget Howard Hughes in The Aviator and Max Cady in Cape Fear

Personally I don't like the term "Auteur". I thought that "Auteur Theory" had been dismissed as nonsense years ago. Are they still teaching it?

Film making is the most collaborative of all art forms. It's very rare, almost impossible, for any one person to imprint their authorship on every piece of work they do. Especially in such a way that they can always include a unique trademark which nobody else ever uses and which a viewer can use to identify the work as being by that particular Auteur.

The style of a film depends so much on all the other collaborators, designer, composer, editor, cinematographer. The Auteur theory dismisses all of their work as valueless in the face of the all-powerful Director. It's also quite insulting to the director, saying that all of their work is so very similar.

Steve

[g.d.h]

Yeah I didn't think it applied to all of them because Goodfellas and Gangs of New York doesn't deal with psychological issues, which is why I thought the similiarities in Shutter Island, Taxi Driver and King of Comedy is interesting.
They are still teaching the Auteur Theory and I agree with you because it reduces a director to only focus on one thing throughout his/her films and surely a director should have the freedom to include all characteristics of filmmaking into their films.

[Steve Crook]

They are still teaching the Auteur Theory and I agree with you because it reduces a director to only focus on one thing throughout his/her films and surely a director should have the freedom to include all characteristics of filmmaking into their films.

Just because they're teaching it doesn't mean that you have to go along with it.

Ask your lecturer why they are still referring to a 60 year old idea that has been dismissed and rubbished by many people

See Criticism of Auteur Theory

Steve

[moonfleet]

What I like so much is the humour and the irony in Goodfelas and Casino, there are many "high violent" scenes but it also shows how horrible it is, I mean Scorsese also says: those men are crazy and dangerous ... but such characters they are !!
The direction, le montage (don't know the english word), the quality of photography, the choice of the actors made them masterpieces IMO

[Steve Crook]

What I like so much is the humour and the irony in Goodfelas and Casino, there are many "high violent" scenes but it also shows how horrible it is, I mean Scorsese also says: those men are crazy and dangerous ... but such characters they are !!
The direction, le montage (don't know the english word), the quality of photography, the choice of the actors made them masterpieces IMO

The real gangsters that Scorsese saw out of his bedroom window were very much like the ones portrayed in Mean Streets and Goodfells - except that they weren't as good looking as Ray Liotta, Bobby De Niro, Harvey Keitel and the rest

But they were certainly as crazy, as glamorous and as dangerous

Steve

[moonfleet]

... and don't forget the most uncontrolable Joe Pesci (or how could to kill a man with a pen/Goodfellas) characters in the two films ... but don't throw the stone on him, his ending in Las Vegas desert/Casino is pretty hard ... but deserved, definitly!!

[Mr Sloane]

The real gangsters that Scorsese saw out of his bedroom window were very much like the ones portrayed in Mean Streets and Goodfells - except that they weren't as good looking as Ray Liotta, Bobby De Niro, Harvey Keitel and the rest

But they were certainly as crazy, as glamorous and as dangerous

Steve

De Niro and Keitel good looking

[Steve Crook]

De Niro and Keitel good looking

Compared to the people they played in those films - yes

Steve

[moonfleet]

De Niro and Keitel good looking

[g.d.h]

Well thank you for your input :)

[Freddie Freeloader]

Hello, I am a fan of Martin Scorsese films and I think his films often focus on psychological issues. Do you agree?

Yes, I do.

[g.d.h]

Why do you agree? :)

[christoph404]

"Taxi Driver" is certainly full of characters with "Psychological" issues, Scorsese himself appears in the film as possibly the most deranged character of all, as he sits in the back of Travis' cab ranting about what he is going to do to his wife with a Magnum revolver, Travis watches him in his rear view mirror and looks alarmed at what he is hearing!!

[g.d.h]

Yeah thats true, he certainly is deranged. I also think Travis is very deranged because he is suffering from post-traumatic stress from being in Veitnam and he becomes really paranoid with New York City by thinking everyone is after him which is also interesting. De Niro also plays the part of Rupert Pupkin well in King of Comedy and he is certainly mentally imbalanced by being obsessed with Jerry Langford and actually turning into him by having the same hair cut and everything, so I think Scorsese deals with psychological issues in these films.

[Rowdon]

I think Scorsese's characterizations are huge caricatures of psychological 'issues'. I don't think he focuses on real psychological issues or tries to deal with them because that's not what he's there for. He paints enormous primary colour cartoon portraits of damaged, deranged and dangerous characters, and throws them in among cartoon portraits of ordinary folk, and shows what damage gets done. But he does it all without the "Hey look at me and my crazy buddies but particularly at me" attitude of Quentin Tarantino. His films are thoughtful and thought-provoking perhaps, but they aren't meant to focus on an actual psychological issue in any helpful way. The examples you give above (the psychopathically obsessed characters in Taxi Driver and King of Comedy) can't be classified as "dealing" with an "issue", they are showing a dramatic, unusual and thrilling reality (thrilling if you're watching it on a film, not being driven round New York by it in the back of a cab) and then what happens when it comes up against a more staid reality. Look at how he pumped up De Niro's Max Cady compared to Robert Mitchum's laid back cruelty in the original Cape Fear. Scorsese wants the psycho state up front so we have to see it, but I don't think that's 'dealing' with it, really.

[TimR]

I think Scorsese's characterizations are huge caricatures of psychological 'issues'. I don't think he focuses on real psychological issues or tries to deal with them because that's not what he's there for. He paints enormous primary colour cartoon portraits of damaged, deranged and dangerous characters, and throws them in among cartoon portraits of ordinary folk, and shows what damage gets done. But he does it all without the "Hey look at me and my crazy buddies but particularly at me" attitude of Quentin Tarantino. His films are thoughtful and thought-provoking perhaps, but they aren't meant to focus on an actual psychological issue in any helpful way. The examples you give above (the psychopathically obsessed characters in Taxi Driver and King of Comedy) can't be classified as "dealing" with an "issue", they are showing a dramatic, unusual and thrilling reality (thrilling if you're watching it on a film, not being driven round New York by it in the back of a cab) and then what happens when it comes up against a more staid reality. Look at how he pumped up De Niro's Max Cady compared to Robert Mitchum's laid back cruelty in the original Cape Fear. Scorsese wants the psycho state up front so we have to see it, but I don't think that's 'dealing' with it, really.

Very well said, and comprehensive as well.

[Steve Crook]

Yeah thats true, he certainly is deranged. I also think Travis is very deranged because he is suffering from post-traumatic stress from being in Veitnam and he becomes really paranoid with New York City by thinking everyone is after him which is also interesting. De Niro also plays the part of Rupert Pupkin well in King of Comedy and he is certainly mentally imbalanced by being obsessed with Jerry Langford and actually turning into him by having the same hair cut and everything, so I think Scorsese deals with psychological issues in these films.

I think Scorsese's characterizations are huge caricatures of psychological 'issues'. I don't think he focuses on real psychological issues or tries to deal with them because that's not what he's there for. He paints enormous primary colour cartoon portraits of damaged, deranged and dangerous characters, and throws them in among cartoon portraits of ordinary folk, and shows what damage gets done. But he does it all without the "Hey look at me and my crazy buddies but particularly at me" attitude of Quentin Tarantino. His films are thoughtful and thought-provoking perhaps, but they aren't meant to focus on an actual psychological issue in any helpful way. The examples you give above (the psychopathically obsessed characters in Taxi Driver and King of Comedy) can't be classified as "dealing" with an "issue", they are showing a dramatic, unusual and thrilling reality (thrilling if you're watching it on a film, not being driven round New York by it in the back of a cab) and then what happens when it comes up against a more staid reality. Look at how he pumped up De Niro's Max Cady compared to Robert Mitchum's laid back cruelty in the original Cape Fear. Scorsese wants the psycho state up front so we have to see it, but I don't think that's 'dealing' with it, really.

Different usages of the phrase "dealing with"

Yes, Scorsese deals with psychological issues in those films, but he doesn't deal with them

He references them and includes them but he doesn't try to analyse them

Steve