The Cinema Of Martin Scorsese [More Cinematic education stuff part five?]

[dean]

Now this was a slightly more full one course, centered around Martin Scorsese, and his style of filmmaking. Great subject, though at times it was hard to keep up [but that was my fault!]

On top of the films we watched each week, we were also supposed to have seen:

The Age of Innocence

Raging Bull

Taxi Driver

Goodfellas

Cape Fear


These films were the core of the subject, and each week we'd watch films which somehow related back to them, either through Scorsese's other work, or other films that were inspiration for it etc.


Anyway, these are the films we were supposed to have watched through this course.

The Gangs of New York [Scorsese, 2002]

The Magnificent Ambersons [Welles, 1942]

Letter From an Unknown Woman [Ophuls, 1948]

The Bad and the Beautiful [Minnelli, 1952]

On the Waterfront [Kazan, 1954]

Rocco and His Brothers [Visconti, 1960]

Peeping Tom [Poewll, 1960]

Life Lessons [Scorsese, 1989]

The King of Comedy [Scorsese, 1982]

Scarface [Hawkes, 1932]

Italianamerican [Scorsese, 1974]

Who's that Knocking at my door? [Scorsese, 1969]

The Great Train Robbery [Porter, 1903]

The Musketeers of Pig Alley [Griffith, 1912]

It's Not Just For You, Murray! [Scorsese, 1964]

Cape Fear [J. Harper Lee, 1962]

Mirror Mirror [Scorsese, 1985]

The Night of the Hunter [Laughton, 1955]

What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? [Scorsese, 1963]

The Big Shave [Scorsese]

New York, New York [Scorsese, 1977]



I didn't get to go to all the screenings for this subject which is a shame, but it was a pretty in depth exploration of Scorsese's work. Many of the films listed are his short films as well, which are interesting, mainly because I like the short film form myself, and enjoy making short films, so it's always good to watch ones that work.

My personal favourite films from this course were Night of the Hunter, Cape Fear, The King of Comedy, The Magnificent Ambersons and all the films listed that were the core films [Age of Innocence etc] Scarface and On the Waterfront were also really good, but were films that I saw after this course, and missed them during it.

[BoyScoutKevin]

What can I say. The fact that Clint Eastwood has two Oscars for Best Director and Maartin Scorsese has none, says something about the way awards are handed out in Hollywood.

Maybe Scorsese's luck will change on his next film, because, if anybody deserves to win an Oscar for Best Director, who has not won it, it is probably Scorsese.

[Scottie]

Dean, if you're interested in making short films and want to enter a short film festival, I'm helping run a real one here at my school, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, USA.. Last year we got stuff from all over the world, from LA and Wales, and the winners came out of Canada and from here in the states. Submission costs are real cheap this year and every year ($7 before Feb. 15 and $10 before March 1) and there's a cash prize for best in show as well as prizes for subcategories. This year we're hosting documentarian Les Blank http://imdb.com/name/nm0087511/ to come give a talk all week long and there's a kick ass after party with live band and booze when it's all done. If you made the movie when you were a student, or still are a student, you're eligible to win. Check it out!

http://www.appfilmfest.org/

[dean]

Thanks for the link Scottie, that's pretty nifty!  What's the quality of films that are entered?  At the moment I'm purely C-grade, with medium success with the two films I submitted for my uni's film fesstivals for the last two years, but as fun as they are, I doubt if they'd hold up to a better standard of competition!  On the other hand, I'm in the middle of plotting bigger and better films, so that festival is good to keep in mind.

However, since I am now finished at Uni, I may not be eligible to enter a new film.  But I may have a loophole, since my student ID expires Feb 2006 [which is when the new academic year officially starts] so perhaps that means if I make one before then, I'm ok methinks.

Yes, I will definitely consider it!  Cheers!