Martin “Marty” Charles Scorsese: an unparalleled master of cinema; a pioneer of his own brand of storytelling, rife with stylized underworld figures; a forty year legend who reigns in the upper echelons of the domain of Hollywood; one of the last remaining true auteurs in the world of multi-million dollar budgets — and today, he celebrates his 71st birthday. Scorsese was born in Queens New York to Charles and Catherine Scorsese, two actors who made a living working in New York’s garment and fashion industry. The family moved to Little Italy in Manhattan’s lower east side prior to Martin’s first year of school, dominating his young senses with a landscape that would one day come to permeate his films. Divided by the choice to become a Catholic priest or pursue a career in film, Scorsese decided on the latter and attended NYU’s College of Art and Science, earning his Bachelor of Arts in English in 1964. In 1966 he earned his Master of Fine Arts and set to work on his career in film, beginning with 1967’s feature length Who’s That Knocking at My Door, starring a young Harvey Keitel. The film would be the first in a series of New York centric stories that would soon come to shape the voice of the director, explored in subsequent films like Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, New York New York, and Raging Bull. Many of the films would go on to be nominated for a wide array of awards from BAFTA’s, to Golden Globes, to the prestigious Academy Awards, and the World Cup of film awards, the Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival (earned for Taxi Driver). By the 90’s, Scorsese was a household name worldwide, with dialogue like De Niro’s “You looking at me?” monologue appearing on tv shows, in parody films; even transcending the iron curtain. His name had become a household standard, and his library of films enough to make other film makers weep with envy. Unfazed by success, Scorsese went on to have a monumental decade in the 90’s with films like Goodfellas, Casino, Cape Fear and Bringing out the Dead polishing off his filmography. The 2000’s would show a continuation of Scorsese’s streak of successes, consistently surpassing box office budgets, and critical reception with each new release. In 2013, Scorsese released his biggest box office draw, the debauchery laced Wolf of Wall Street, which tripled its budget and earned wide critical acclaim. Enclosed is photograph of Scorsese on the set of 1977’s New York, New York.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 19:06:52 +0000