As of: February 21, 2024 1:05 a.m
The 81-year-old filmmaker Martin Scorsese has made milestones for US cinema. His most recent film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” was nominated for ten Oscars. He received the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlinale on Tuesday, and director Wim Wenders gave the laudatory speech.
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The German director talked about his long-standing friendship with Martin Scorsese, whom he met at a film festival in the USA. Wenders paid tribute to Scorsese’s cinema full of emotions, whose daughter Francesca and his 84-year-old editor Thelma Schoonmaker came to the honorary gala.
The US director talked about his “infinite and timeless, unconditional love for cinema.” He emphasized how important film festivals are for independent cinema worldwide. The Berlinale in particular helped his generation of US filmmakers to be taken more seriously and financed at home. He thanked his companions from almost six decades of work in the cinema sector, including his long-time, now deceased German cameraman Michael Ballhaus.
Further information
The entire awarding of the Honorary Golden Bear to Martin Scorsese with a speech by the US director – see “3 Sat”. more
At the press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Scorsese said he was optimistic about the future of film: “I don’t think the film is dying, it’s changing,” said the 81-year-old. Nobody should be intimidated by technological progress. You shouldn’t allow yourself to be enslaved by technology, but you have to control it accordingly.
Most Oscar nominations for Best Director
Martin Scorsese, legendary US filmmaker of masterpieces such as “Taxi Driver”, “Gangs of New York”, “Casino” and “The Wolf of Wall Street”, was nominated for an Oscar for best director ten times. He is now the most nominated living director – ahead of Steven Spielberg.
So far he has only taken home the golden statuette once – for “The Departed”. The Berlinale, which has screened Scorsese’s films several times, including a concert documentary about the Rolling Stones, honored Scorsese with an Honorary Golden Bear for his life’s work. “The Departed” was then shown at the Berlinale Palast.
“His films accompanied us as viewers and people, his characters lived in us and grew within us. His view of history and humanity helped us to understand and question who we are and where we come from ” said the Berlinale’s statement.
Second directing Oscar for Martin Scorsese in March?
A second directing Oscar could be added for the filmmaker on March 10th. Because Scorsese is nominated again in the category for his film “Killers of the Flower Moon” – and with ten nominations is one of the favorites for the best film alongside the commercially very successful films “Oppenheimer”, “Poor Things” and “The Holdovers”. “. In “Killers of the Flower Moon” Leonardo DiCaprio plays the main role – alongside Scorsese’s other regular actor: Robert de Niro.
He wanted to become a Catholic priest
Originally, the New York native wanted to become a Catholic priest. “It’s hard to say why I decided to become a filmmaker. It was a long process that took 20 years.” It is also a fact that Martin Scorsese was kicked out of the Jesuit college because of poor performance.
There were no books in his working-class parents’ house, but there was a television. “That was the early days of television, 1948. I saw the Italian films that were shown for the Italian-Americans. I was five or six years old then. At the same time, I watched all the Hollywood films because I had terrible asthma. And one of the few places I could go was the cinema.”
Breakthrough in 1979 with “Taxi Driver” in Cannes
Martin Scorsese (2nd from right) and the cast of “Goodfellas”: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Paul Sorvino and Joe Pesci (from left)
His family immigrated from Sicily, living first in Queens, then in Little Italy. The then eight-year-old observed there the harsh conditions on the street, from the fire escape outside his grandmother’s apartment. It wasn’t until he was a student that he went to New York University. Although he studied to be a teacher, he also wrote scripts and made short films. Eventually he devoted himself entirely to the world of cinema.
In 1976 he achieved his international breakthrough with “Taxi Driver”, the portrait of an embittered Vietnam veteran who, out of disgust for the New York demimonde, increasingly becomes angry, violent and hateful. It was the beginning of a long-term collaboration with Robert de Niro. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. The director’s mother was often seen in small roles.
Film Foundation to preserve film heritage
He created further cinematic milestones with “Raging Bull” (1980), “The Color of Money” (1986), “Goodfellas” (1990), “Cape of Fear” 1991, “Casino (1995)”, “Gangs of New York”, “Aviator” (2004), “Shutter Island”, “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) and “Silence” (2016). “The Irishman” marked his first collaboration with a streaming service in 2019.
In January 2024, US director, producer and author Martin Scorsese (r.) will meet Pope Francis in the Vatican.
The director has been committed to historical film heritage for decades. With his Film Foundation he supports the restoration and distribution of classic films. According to media reports, he is currently planning another film about Jesus. In January he met with Pope Francis in the Vatican for research purposes.
Documentary about Martin Scorsese until March 2024 on Arte:
If you want to get an insight into Scorsese’s career, you can watch the 2022 documentary “Martin Scorsese: From Little Italy to Hollywood” by Yal Sadat and Camille Juza at Arte until March 12th. The almost hour-long film shows excerpts from his enormous film work and unpublished archive recordings. Arte is also showing a compilation of his career in the “Blow Up” series under the title “Martin Scorsese in 10 Minutes”.
Further information
A total of 20 films are now competing for the Golden Bear, including dramas by Andreas Dresen and Matthias Glasner. more
Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio as cold-blooded exploiters of an indigenous people. An uncomfortable film for white America. more
3 Min
“Taxi Driver”, “Gangs of New York”, “Casino”, “The Wolf of Wall Street”: Many of Martin Scorsese’s films are already classics. A portrait of the filmmaker on his 80th birthday (in 2022). 3 mins
In the USA, the film divided its audience in 2014 because Scorsese created an ambivalent sympathy for his main character. He could be seen on Arte. more
AUDIO: Martin Scorsese: Director of “Taxi Driver” (15 min)
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NDR Info | Culture | 02/21/2024 | 8:55 a.m