Product Description

A companion to the groundbreaking PBS documentary series, this volume is a unique and timeless celebration of the blues, from writers and artists as esteemed and revered as the music that moved them.

Customer Reviews (4)

Rip Offs
I wrote a chapter for this book and still have not been paid for it. I have the contract sitting on my desk. Holly George Warren (the bug eyed freak) is a thief and a liar, please boycott this book! The Hound

MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS "THE BLUES" (BOOK)
THIS IS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE, VERY COMPLETE, VERY WELL ILLUSTRATED, AND VERY WELL PRESENTED BOOK ON THE "BLUES". IN CONTAINS AROUND 275 PAGES.
IT STARTS OUT BY COVERING THE MISSISSIPPI "DELTA" BLUES, THEN PROGRESSES TO THE MISSISSIPPI HILL COUNTRY BLUES, AND THEN PROCEDES ON TO OTHER CLASSES OF BLUES INCLUDING "CHICAGO BLUES". THE BOOK COVERS THE PIONEERING LEGENDS OF THE "BLUES" WHO CREATED THIS GENRE OF AMERICAN MUSIC.

THIS BOOK HAS MANY CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS AND COMMENTARIES FROM BLUES JOURALISTS TO THE ACTUAL BLUES MUSICIANS THEMSELVES!!! IT HAS A "WEALTH" OF THIS CONTRIBUTING INFORMATION, GIVING YOU A VERY AUTHORITATIVE, AND VERY AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT OF THE STORY OF THE "BLUES". THESE COMMENTARIES RANGE FROM THE OLD LEGENDARY PIONEERS OF THE BLUES TO NEW CONTEMPORARY "BLUES' ARTIST LIKE JACK WHITE OF THE WHITE STRIPES. IT HAS COMMENTARY FROM ROBERT PALMER (THE ARKANSAS ONE - SEE MY REVIEW ON "DEEP BLUES" DVD).

IT POINTS OUT THAT AROUND THE GREAT DEPRESSION ERA, THAT BLUES REPLACED JAZZ.

It starts with the Miss. Delta Blues by telling the story of Charlie Patton, (the first King of the Delta Blues). It describes how he "WAS LEGENDARY FOR TEARING UP A JUKE JOINT WITH PERFORMANCES ON GUITAR THAT INCLUDED, PLAYING THE GUITAR BEHIND HIS HEAD, WHILE LAYING ON THE FLOOR, OR BY THROWING THE GUITAR UP IN THE AIR AND CATCHING IT,RESUMING PLAY, WITHOUT NEVER MISSING A BEAT"!!!!

Then it covers others bluesman and blues information, like the "KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR" was played at noon on radio station in Helena, Ark. in the 40's to play blues for the laborers working on both sides of the Mississippi Delta.

It covers the story of "SON HOUSE".HE WAS A PREACHER AND A BLUESMAN. HE WAS IN A "JUKE" ONE SATURDAY NIGHT AND GOT INTO A FIGHT AND WAS SHOT, SO SON HOUSE SHOT BACK AND KILLED THE MAN. THEN SON HOUSE WENT TO MISSISSIPPI'S PARCHMAN PRISONG FOR A YEAR, BUT WAS RELEASED WHEN IT WAS PROVED HE ACTED IN SELF DEFENSE.

IT TELLS THE STORY OF HOW ROBERT JOHNSON TRIED TO LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR FROM SON HOUSE. HOWEVER, SON HOUSE GOT FRUSTRATED WITH "LITTLE ROBERT", AND TOLD HIM TO GO LEARN TO PLAY THE HARMONICA, BECAUSE HE WASN'T ANY GOOD ON GUITAR. THEN ROBERT JOHNSON "DIAPPEARED" AND CAME BACK TO A "JUKE" WHERE SON HOUSE WAS PLAYING. THEN ROBERT JOHNSON OUTPLAYED SON HOUSE ON THE GUITAR AND BECAME THE "KING". IT COVERS THE MYSTERY OF ROBERT JOHNSON "SELLING HIS SOUL TO THE DEVEL" AT THE "CROSSROADS".

IT COVERS THE NORTH MISSISSIPPI HILL COUNTRY BLUES, AND THE LEGENDS OF R.L.BURSIDE, AND FRED McDOWELL. IT COVERS JIM DICKINSON AND HIS SON LUTHER AND THE CONTEMPORARY GROUP "THE NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS" (PLEASE SEE MY REVIEW OF THEIR DVD "KEEP ON MARCHIN'".

IT COVERS ELMORE JAMES, AND THE SLIDE GUITAR TECHIQUE, STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN, THE PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND, JOHN LEE HOOKER, KENNY WAYNE SHEPARD, JONNY LANG, SUSAN TEDESCHI AND MANY. MANY OTHERS.

IT COVERS THE LEGENDARY "LEAD BELLY" FROM LOUISIANA. IT COVERS MUDDY WATERS, BOBBY BLUE BLAND, LOUIS ARMSTRONG, HOWLIN' WOLF, BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON, BONNIE RAITT, BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON AND OTHER VISION IMPAIRED BLUESMAN, BLIND WILLIE McTELL (KNOWN FOR THE STATESBORO BLUES - HE WAS A GREAT INFLUENCE ON THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND AND DICKEY BETTS). IT COVERS LIGHTLING HOPKINS, SKIP JAMES, MEMPHIS MINNIE, PINETOP PERKINS ,AND IT GOES ON AND ON. LIKE I STATED BEFORE IT IS COMPREHENSIVE.

IT GETS TO "CHICAGO BLUES" AND COVERS WILLIE DIXSON WHO MIGRATED THERE FROM VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI. MUDDY WATERS DID SOME OF HIS SONGS. IT COVERS THE STORY OF "HOOCHIE COOCHIE" MAN AND IT'S SEXUAL OVERTONES.

IT COVERS THE ROLLINGS STONES' ADVENTURES INTO THE BLUES.

IT EVEN COVERS MARCIA BALL FROM NEW ORLEANS, ALONG WITH DR.JOHN, PROFESSOR LONGHAIR AND B.B. KING.

IT HAS A STORY ABOUT CHRIS THOMAS KING WHO WAS IN THE MOVIE "O BROTHERM WHERE ART THOU?"

AS I MENTIONED, IT IS VERY COMPREHENSIVE, THERE ARE MANY MORE BLUES ARTISITS IN THE BOOK AND MANY MORE BLUES STORIES. THIS IS A GREAT REFERNCE BOOK ON THE BLUES. IF YOU LIKE THE BLUES, OR AMERICAN MUSIC HISTORY, YOU'LL LIKE THIS BOOK, ITS WELL ILLUSTRATED AND EASY TO READ AND FOLLOW. I HAVE LEARNED ALOT ABOUT THE BLUES FROM THIS BOOK, I ENJOY READING IT AND THEREFORE, I DO HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!! ITS A GREAT BLUES BOOK!!!

Blues Perpectives
Martin Scorsese's book takes the reader on a musical journey of the blues. He really provides several blues perspectives from musicians, writers, film producers, and several other sources. I am using this book for my thesis in literature. Dr. Reginald Martin from the University of Memphis often references this book in his African American Literature courses. This book really captures the true essence of the blues people, culture, and music. It is also a companion to several films. It is an invaluable resource!

The Blues....
"The blues - it's kind of like religion, really." - Peter Green

In this companion book to MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS THE BLUES: A MUSICAL JOURNEY, a PBS/DVD series, numerous music historians and period writers take on the task of capturing the very essence of the genre that gave birth to rock and roll. Peter Guralnick says in his introduction that the purpose of the companion book was to "reflect and refract the spirit of the blues" and to compile "something deeper and more spiritual than a mere recitation of the facts."

Mainstay blues historians such as Christopher John Farley, Peter Guralnick, Alan Lomax, Paul Trynka, and Robert Gordon have their place in the companion book by contributing their biographical and historical research as well as adding some new information to the blues arsenal. Excerpts from Gordon's CAN'T BE SATISFIED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MUDDY WATERS and Trynka's PORTRAIT OF THE BLUES are included alongside new entries such as Christopher John Farley's "Bessie Smith: Who Killed the Empress?" Present day fiction writers like Suzan Lori-Parks and Toure also offer their contributions on the blues and the legacy it left behind.

While the usual historians are included in the book, there also are many mainstream writers who have come across the blues at times in their lives.Among others, there are excerpts from Ralph Ellison's acclaimed INVISIBLE MAN, James Baldwin's FIRE NEXT TIME, and Faulkner's SOLDIER'S PAY. All of these pieces relate to the blues within their own context, and the result is a first hand account of how the blues have affected many.

The blues is an element of American culture that has spawned the genesis of many things from R&B to rock and roll and everything in between.Although the televised version of Martin Scorsese's chronicle of this genre is excellent and informative in its own right, this book affords an experience that can only be garnered by turning pages, scrutinizing photos, and reading and re-reading the bottom line, which turns out to be the blues.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers ... Read more

Product Description

Martin Scorsese's current position in the international film community is unrivaled, and his name has become synonymous with the highest standards of filmmaking excellence.He is widely considered America's best living film director, and his Taxi Driver and Raging Bull appear frequently on worldwide surveys of the best films of all time. Here, in the first biographical account of this artist's life, Vincent LoBrutto traces Scorsese's Italian-American heritage, his strict Catholic upbringing, the continuing role of religion in his life and art, his obsessive love of cinema history, and the powerful impact that the streets of New York City had on his personal life and his professional career.

Meanwhile, the filmmaker's humble, soft-spoken public persona tells only part of the story, and LoBrutto will delve into the other side of a complex and often tortured personality.Scorsese's intense passion, his private relationships, his stormy marriages, and his battles with drugs and depression are all chronicled here, and, in many cases, for the first time. In addition, the book includes an interview with the director, as well as filmographies cataloging his work as a director, producer, actor, and presenter.

As his Best Director award at the 2007 Oscars clearly demonstrated, Scorsese has become something like Hollywood royalty in recent years, finally enjoying the insider status and favor that eluded him for most of his career. But these recent developments aside, Scorsese is also notable as a distinctly American type of artist, one whose work-created in a medium largely controlled by commercialism and marketing-has always been unmistakably his own, and who thus remains a touchstone of artistic integrity in American cinema. In Martin Scorsese: A Biography, readers can examine not only the work of one of the form's genuine artists, but also the forces that have propelled the man behind it.

Product Description

From the moment he captured the film world's attention with Mean Streets (1973), a portrait of life at the fringes of the Mob, it was clear that a dazzling cinematic talent had arrived on the scene. With Robert DeNiro, one of the most talented young actors from this film, Scorsese went on to make some of the greatest American films of the postwar period, including Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), and Goodfellas (1990). A Scorsese film seldom fails to stir controversy, for his devotion to realism has led him to forthrightly depict violence and its frightening randomness in the modern world. His biblical film also created quite a stir. This adaptation of Kazantzakis's The Last Temptation of Christ generated outrage among conservative religious leaders.

Scorsese, however, has not limited himself to contemporary, violent urban dramas or new interpretations of biblical subjects. Other widely heralded Scorsese films include Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), New York, New York (1977), The Last Waltz (1978), The King of Comedy (1983), After Hours (1985), The Color of Money (1986), Cape Fear (1991), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), and Kundun (1998).

These interviews begin with conversations about the highly autobiographical Mean Streets (1973), which first brought Scorsese serious attention, and end with conversations about Kundun, an overtly political biography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet, released in early 1998.

"I look for a thematic idea running through my movies, he says, and I see that it's the outsider struggling for recognition. I realize that all my life I've been an outsider, and above all, being lonely but never realizing it."

Peter Brunette , a professor of English and film studies at George Mason University, is the author of Roberto Rossellini and (forthcoming) The Films of Michelangelo Antonioni. With David Wills he co-authored Screen/Play: Derrida and Film Theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Scorsese in his own time and words
Martin Scorsese is the greatest living film director.There is little doubt of that.Much can be gained by hearing what he has to say on the topic of film.He does provide a lot of it here.Scorsese divulges moreabout his films here than most might ever want to know.In oneparticularly dizzying section, he is asked questions about "MeanStreets" and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" for fiftyplus pages.The most intriguing thing is that all the interviews come fromdifferent eras, and it is quite interesting to see how he has changedthroughout the years.I thought this was a great quick read and enjoyed itthroughly.This book is essential reading for all Scorsese and cinemafans. ... Read more

Product Description

Academy Award--winning director Martin Scorsese is one of the most significant American filmmakers in the history of cinema. Although best known for his movies about gangsters and violence, such as Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Casino, and Taxi Driver, Scorsese has addressed a much wider range of themes and topics in the four decades of his career. In The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese, an impressive cast of contributors explores the complex themes and philosophical underpinnings of Martin Scorsese's films. The essays concerning Scorsese's films about crime and violence investigate the nature of friendship, the ethics of vigilantism, and the nature of unhappiness. The authors delve deeply into the minds of Scorsese's tortured characters and explore how the men and women he depicts grapple with moral codes and their emotions. Several of the essays explore specific themes in individual films. The authors describe how Scorsese addresses the nuances of social mores and values in The Age of Innocence, the nature of temptation and self-sacrifice in The Last Temptation of Christ and Bringing Out the Dead, and the complexities of innovation and ambition in The Aviator. Other chapters in the collection examine larger philosophical questions. In a world where everything can be interpreted as meaningful, Scorsese at times uses his films to teach audiences about the meaning in life beyond the everyday world depicted in the cinema. For example, his films touching on religious subjects, such as Kundun and The Last Temptation of Christ, allow the director to explore spiritualism and peaceful ways of responding to the chaos in the world.Filled with penetrating insights on Scorsese's body of work, The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese shows the director engaging with many of the most basic questions about our humanity and how we relate to one another in a complex world.

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Customer Reviews (7)

Scorsese by Ebert - a life long passion
Scorsese's foreword of Ebert about this book, is one of admiration and respect, from a highly praised film director to an equally highly regarded film critic of all time, for chronicling his works in such a way as to make you understand how Scorsese works and how his films have such charisma to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
(Amazingly, both have known each other since 1967).

Ebert chronicles Scorsese's films with the precision that even the film director remarks as being highly commendable; each film is summarised with the critic's eye for details and like Scorsese himself, the real life portrayals, situations and characters make the films what they are:
a remarkable `story' of characters and dramas which Ebert finds intriguing in the films.

What does come across well, is Ebert's fascination with Scorsese's films, from the moment his first feature, `Who's That Knocking at My Door',was canned, which already shows that instinctivenature for placing the camera in such a way as to get the shot he needed, for that particular scene.

Here you can sense the rapturous applause for such an incredible film director, with all the trimmings delicately applied.

Hard work and dedication is what we get from the reviews; of the toil, trials and tribulations of even the cameraman, down to their sprained knees and the sound man with ear infections - the nitty gritty of 3 days of sheer hard work.What emerges from Woodstock is 7 hours of genius.

The films reviewed tells of the development of ideas and themes such as that of anarchy, violence and sex as in Boxcar Bertha; the survival of a sub culture of boredom, mediocrity and death, sometimes seen as imminent, in Mean Street; the parody of fame through the eyes of Alice Hyatt in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and broaches contemporary thoughts of liberalism in women who had dreams as a child and later enacted them, with, at times, humourous consequences.

The intensity of vision which Ebert notes of Scorsese, on first meeting him, can perhaps be seen in the darkly melodramatic feature,Taxi Driver, which almost sends the viewers cowering beneath the seats for shelter, as themain character's fierce reprisals for the haunting episode of experiencing rejection, unfolds in stark reality.Raging Bull, follows closely with its brutal showing of men's physical violence in the essence of men's incomprehensibility of women's roles in life: 'virgin or whore' (p65).

After Hours and The King of Comedy are two of Scorsese's comedy films which Ebert reviews with reservations at times and points out how the characters convey a `kafkaesque' quality in the first and `emotional desert' in the second.

The Color of Money, which continues the story of `Fast Eddie' Felson in Robert Rossen's The Hustler, is seen by Ebert as Scorsese's mainstream work and which depicts the story through its early scenes, especially, convincingly well except for the `timeworn genres....of standard Hollywood situations' (p91), whereas films like Raging Bull shows how Scorsese can turn a `steak-cooking episode....into a sociological microscope' p226).Other notable films being, of the legendary, Bob Dylan, in No Direction Home: Bob Dylan andShine a Light, which makes you want to see these and other films from a different perspective and with an insight into Scorsese's way of working.

Interestingly, the controversial, The Last Temptation of Christ, is seen as portraying Christ as a real human being and not some postcard image we see of an `emasculated' image, which pampers to the public's view of Christ, the Divine Being, set apart from us and Ebert finds this film more challenging than others on this matter.Ebert believes though the film with all its spiritual splendour, Kundun, where the 14th Dalai Lama is seen as an icon, that we see a series of breathtaking `visuals' described as `pure cinema'.

In Cape Fear, Goodfellas and The Aviator, The Color of Money and The Departed, which we usually associate most with Scorsese, they come across on screen, effortlessly, as only Scorsese can do and as Ebert says, in the way that only `a master in command of his craft' (p 236) can do but not so evident in, Gangs of New York.

Now having read Ebert's book on Scorsese, I see films like Goodfellas, differently and see how the camara is used to focus on thematic changes in the characters and scenes, the moral issues behind some actions and the cultural background of many of the films.Truly astounding.

Great Film Reviewer writes on Great Film maker
If you like Scorsese's films, you will most likely enjoy this book.It contains all of Ebert's reviews of his films, and several in-depth interviews with Scorsese.Very enjoyable for Scorsese fans.

Jim Herrin's review for www.thejaneellen.com
Scorsese by Ebert

There's not a lot of new writing in this book, which is mostly a
collection of reviews that film critic Roger Ebert has done of movies
directed by Martin Scorsese. But that doesn't mean it's not worth
reading. Ebert is an exceptional writer, even if I don't always agree
with his taste in movies. Reading Ebert's reviews is like listening
to a friend and fellow movie fan discuss what's good and what's not.
He can, like most critics, get too involved in the art of filmmaking
or the technique of shooting a movie, rather than just telling you
whether it's worth seeing or not. But, even in those cases, the
quality of the writing shines through. Ebert is wrong when he says
that "The KIng of Comedy" is not a good film, while later on praising
"The Departed," an overlong movie about corruption in the Boston
Police Department. But part of the enjoyment -- especially if you
have seen the films -- is hearing both Ebert and Scorsese talk about
them and about their relative merits. I give it a definite thumbs up.

Just a collection of reviews
"Scorsese by Ebert" may seem the best of both worlds: the finest American filmmaker approached by the finest American film criticist. And it would have been so, if the book wasn't just a collection of reviews, interviews and some second-thought appreciations of some of his movies. It's evident, from the review of Scorsese's first work in 1967, that Ebert was touched by Scorsese as a twin soul - in cinema terms, at least. However, there's much to say about the director than a review can hold, and unfortunately a collection of reviews will not provide the insight and, most important, the actual situation under which each movie was made. Ebert is a great film criticist and a lot of his knowledge and thoughts about Scorsese and his cinema will not be available to us in this book, unfortunately. Nevertheless, as a detailed guide to the career of Scorsese, it will be very interesting for those who are first approaching the work of the director.

good but padded...
This book includes Ebert's reviews of Scorsese's films, more recent reconsiderations of some of the movies, and transcripts of interviews with Scorsese. All of this material is interesting, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and well written. However, the book has been padded with "introduction" chapters that tell you exactly what you'll find in the reviews and reconsiderations, sometimes using almost exactly the same words. This is unfortunate because in effect you will have already read what follows before you read it.

If you haven't seen all of Scorsese's movies, it might lead you to seek out the ones you haven't seen. If you have, it might lead you to follow in Ebert's footsteps and "reconsider" them by watching some of them again. ... Read more

Product Description
"I always compare filmmaking to cooking. Shooting is like buying the groceries. You buy all kinds of ingredients and the better ingredients you get, the better chance you have of making the movie you want."& mdash;Ang Lee, fromSpeaking in Images Speaking in Images offers an engaging and rare collection of interviews with the directors who have changed the face of Chinese and international cinema. Michael Berry's discussions with such directors as Ang Lee ( Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Zhang Yimou ( Hero), Chen Kaige ( Farewell My Concubine), Stanley Kwan ( Lan Yu), Tsai Ming-Liang ( Vive l'Amour), Edward Yang ( Yi Yi), and Hou Hsiao-hsien ( Flowers of Shanghai) offer an eclectic and comprehensive portrait of contemporary Chinese cinema.In interviews that capture each filmmaker's unique vision, the subjects discuss their formative years, the ideas and influences that shaped their work, film aesthetics, battles with censors and studios, the mingling of commercial and art film, and the future of Chinese cinema in a transnational context.Berry's introduction to the collection provides an overview of Chinese cinema in the second half of the twentieth century, placing the directors and their work in a wider historical and cultural context. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great!
This is exactly what I needed for my film class, but it was in such remarkable condition! When they say "Like New" they mean exactly that! Thanks.

Comprehensive look at Chinese auteurs
Fascinating interviews from virtually every prominent Chinese director working today, including Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Edward Yang.Although, curiously, missing perhaps the most influential and "hip" auteur of all, Wong Kar-wai, it also includes some young up and comers like Jia Zhangke, Zhang Yuan, and Li Yang.The question and answer sessions, conducted by the author over the past several years from around the world, ranging from their home turfs to various promotional visits in New York, etc, show detailed research and preparation aforehand.The interviews delve into the personal histories of the filmmaker to see what cultural and historical experiences, especially during their adolescence and developing years, influenced their works (eg. parents dying during Mao's Cultural Revolution, social turmoil during the Taiwanese revolts against Nationalist hegemony).Interviews then follow into their filmographies, with their key works (eg. Tian Zhuangzhuang's "Horse Thief", Edward Yang's "A Brighter Summer Day") questioned in depth.

The filmmakers were usually very forthcoming about their works, such as the effect of censorship by the government, regrettable choices in project selection (eg. Chen Kaige's foray into Hollywood with "Killing Me Softly"), and the difficulty in trying success in Asia with the poorly developed distribution system and rampant piracy.Extensive bibliographies following each chapter offer more analysis if the reader is interested.Overall, a comprehensive and illuminating look into the minds and works of the most prominent auteurs in and around China.

Those interested in the prominently featured "Fifth Generation" may want to take a gander at Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation (by Zhen Ni). ... Read more

Product Description
This account of American films is balanced between subjective enthusiasm and objective analysis. Scorsese starts from his own childhood love affair with the cinema, when he discovered King Vidor's "Dual in the Sun" as a boy. The book is not an orthodox film history, but rather a genuinely personal voyage of discovery. Scorsese recalls from his youth the kind of films that had a strong influence on him: not only the prestige titles from major directors and studios, but also the unsung B-films, as well as other despised and undervalued genres. What Scorsese responds to, and celebrates, is cinema itself - the films that make the fullest use of the medium's potential, and the film-makers who worked within the system, yet still retained a personal vision. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Another Marty's Gem
Great book;
discussing why American cinema is among the greatest in the world, co-written by one of the greatest living American directors.
Scorsese knows his history, understands his country and loves his art, he is a keen observer and amusing spirit.
Recommended to beginners in classical cinema and to American directors and students of cinema... Yes, I forgive Marty his association with Di Caprio - he has done enough already so he can chase the Oscars as much as he wants...

A wonderful companion to the DVD.
This extraordinary book on the last hundred years American cinema is an exceptionally well written, edited and researched document of the film, without any of the usual scholarly classroom didactics or conceited Hollywood self-congratulatory posturing. Scorsese's humble voice is evident throughout, and it is one of self-confidence, clarity and enthusiasm. The book is a wonderful companion to the DVD.

It's kind of corny
I was reading it to find out some tips, yet it was a corny book. I didn't like it.

Highly recommed book to supplement the programme
This book is more of a transcript of the 4½ hour long master piece of thedocumentary, but it's curtainly worth the money. Here you have all thestill pictures from the hundreds of film Scorsese comments in hisprogramme. A book for every filmbuffs bookself.

TYPICAL PICTURE BOOK
YOU WOULD THINK THE AUTHORS WOULD WRITE SOMETHING. THEY PROBABLY TALKED AND TRANSCRIBED WHAT SCORSESE SAID. YOU FIGURE WITH A GUY LIKE SCORSESE THAT HE WOULD HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT HIS FAVORITE MOVIES AND THE MOVIES THAT INFLUENCED HIM SO MUCH. HE DOES NOT DO THAT IN THIS BOOK. IT IS FULL OF NICE PICTURES, BUT NOT MUCH AS INFORMATION GOES. YOU EXPECT TO LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOVIES HE LOVES BUT HE DOESN'T GIVE ANY USEFUL INFORMATION. HE PROBABLY THOUGHT THAT IF IT HAD A LOT OF GLOSSY STILLS OF HIS FAVORITE MOVIES THE BOOK WOULD SELL. THE THING IS THIRTY DOLLARS AND NOT REALLY WORTH IT. HE SEEMS TO BE SAYING THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER WHEREVER YOU READ ABOUT HIM OR SEE HIM ON TV. HE IS AN EXPERT BUT WHY DOESN'T HE SHOW THAT IN THIS BOOK. IT IS VERY VERY SKIMPY AND UNLIKE HIS MOVIES LACK CONTENT. IF HE SPENT MORE TIME WITH THE BOOK INSTEAD OF HAVING SOMEONE ELSE WRITE IT AND THEN CHECK AND OKAY THE BOOK, THE BOOK MAY HAVE TURNED OUT TO BE SOMETHING OF A GREAT BOOK ON FILM AND FILM HISTORY AS WELL AS THE FIRST GREAT FILM CRITICISM BOOK BY A WORKING FILM DIRECTOR SINCE THE BOOKS OF TRUFFAUT. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM. WHAT HE SHOULD DO NOW IS REWRITE THE BOOK FOR THE PAPERBACK RELEASE. THIS BOOK IS NOT WORTH THE WEIGHT. ... Read more

Product Description
Martin Scorsese’s career is a dense map of critical darlings and experimental films—from Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull, to The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun, and Shutter Island. Now we are given the chance to see all of his movies, and moviemaking in general, through the eyes of the master director himself.

Richard Schickel’s canny and intelligent interviews guide us through Scorsese’s life and work, from the child who escaped the realities of Little Italy in the 1950s through movies to the man whose increasingly encyclopedic knowledge of film shaped his ambitions and art. He talks about his lesser-known movies, those already considered classics, his documentaries, and his influences. He reveals which films are most autobiographical, and which have been forays into unknown territory in subject or aesthetics. He explains his style as a filmmaker, the close attention he pays to detail, and his attraction to genre films. And he discusses what being a lifelong student of film has taught him about acting, directing, and camerawork, among many other topics.

Conversations with Scorsese affords us a rare and invaluable appreciation of one of our most admired film directors. ... Read more

Product Description
Scorsese’s life and work are presented through interviews with the director as well as more than twenty major celebrity figures, providing a rare look at the process and inspiration behind the films of America’s premier director. Martin Scorsese: A Journey features exclusive movie stills and on-location photographs and interviews with more than twenty major film stars, including forewords by Steven Spielberg and Michael Powell. The author provides the reader with insights into Scorsese’s imagination and influences, and his relationships with his family and colleagues. This updated edition also explores such directorial works as Kundun, Bringing Out the Dead, and the much-talked-about Gangs of New York. An updated chronology, filmography, and index are included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Book for Scorsese Fans & Students
Examines Director Martin Scorsese's career from the beginning to Cape Fear (although it seems that the book had to go to press before Cape Fear was actually released, as there's a discernable lack of substance in that chapter).

To gather wonderful tales of how Scorsese works, Kelly interviews the director's friends, family members, casts, and crews.Oh, and the Secretary to the President of Cyprus!! (See details about The Last Temptation of Christ).Quoted stories, observations, and comments all contribute to a fine portrait of one of our greatest active cinema artists.(And, to the delight of film buffs everywhere, text shows that Scorsese is first and foremost an unabashed movie fan)!Kelly's system provides the reader to form own opinions about Scorsese, rather than making a lot of critical conclusions.

In pursuit of my undergrad degree, I used this book quite a bit for research toward essays I wrote about Scorsese's films.Not at all a chore to read, it was a very enjoyable book, great for the fan as well as the film scholar.

Good index, good filmography.Brief forewards by Michael Powell and Steven Spielberg hint at more than a bit of pure jealousy!

fantastic bio!
this is one of the best, in-depth bio's that I have read. And what a subject! Martin Scorsese is a god-like director that has made such films as Good Fellas Casino and Taxi Driver. The book is filled with interveiws fromfellow directors and drew/cast etc. Great format! It's like reading abehind the scene's documentry.

BUy it! ... Read more

Product Description
Scorsese’s life and work are presented through interviews with the director as well as more than twenty major celebrity figures, providing a rare look at the process and inspiration behind the films of America’s premier director. Martin Scorsese: A Journey features exclusive movie stills and on-location photographs and interviews with more than twenty major film stars, including forewords by Steven Spielberg and Michael Powell. The author provides the reader with insights into Scorsese’s imagination and influences, and his relationships with his family and colleagues. This updated edition also explores such directorial works as Kundun, Bringing Out the Dead, and the much-talked-about Gangs of New York. An updated chronology, filmography, and index are included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Book for Scorsese Fans & Students
Examines Director Martin Scorsese's career from the beginning to Cape Fear (although it seems that the book had to go to press before Cape Fear was actually released, as there's a discernable lack of substance in that chapter).

To gather wonderful tales of how Scorsese works, Kelly interviews the director's friends, family members, casts, and crews.Oh, and the Secretary to the President of Cyprus!! (See details about The Last Temptation of Christ).Quoted stories, observations, and comments all contribute to a fine portrait of one of our greatest active cinema artists.(And, to the delight of film buffs everywhere, text shows that Scorsese is first and foremost an unabashed movie fan)!Kelly's system provides the reader to form own opinions about Scorsese, rather than making a lot of critical conclusions.

In pursuit of my undergrad degree, I used this book quite a bit for research toward essays I wrote about Scorsese's films.Not at all a chore to read, it was a very enjoyable book, great for the fan as well as the film scholar.

Good index, good filmography.Brief forewards by Michael Powell and Steven Spielberg hint at more than a bit of pure jealousy!

fantastic bio!
this is one of the best, in-depth bio's that I have read. And what a subject! Martin Scorsese is a god-like director that has made such films as Good Fellas Casino and Taxi Driver. The book is filled with interveiws fromfellow directors and drew/cast etc. Great format! It's like reading abehind the scene's documentry.

BUy it! ... Read more

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In this book, Andrew J. Rausch examines the creative output of director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro: from their initial offering, Mean Streets, to their most recent film together, Casino. Rausch looks at their relationship as individual artists who combined their talents to create cinematic magic, including the recognized classics Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and GoodFellas. ... Read more

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Martin Scorsese is one of the elite band of filmmakers whose originality and craftsmanship has influenced a generation of film directors. His collaborations with Robert De Niro and skill in telling stories sets him apart as one of the all time original directors. When Taxi Driver blasted onto the scene in 1979 it confirmed what everyone recognised as a huge new talent when Mean Streets was released six years earlier. 'This is a powerful film.. the final scene is a cinematically brilliant sequence...' crowed Variety. At least one of Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Raging Bull and The King Of Comedy is on everyone's top ten best films. After thirty years filmmaking Scorsese is one of the few directors working in Hollywood whose movies still surprise and shock. He is still prepared to take risks and is still producing great movies.So what is it that makes Scorsese tick? What makes him take on a movie? How does heapproach the script and decide the what he wants up there on the screen? Andy Dougan has interviewed Scorsese many times and has talked to many of the stars who have appeared in his movies including, most recently, Sharon Stone, to create a fascinating inside look atthe making of his movies.

In addition, and for the first time,Variety, the bible of the movie business, has allowed the complete reviews for all Scorsese's movies, including a full list of credits for each movie, to be reproduced together creating a unique reference source. ... Read more

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A great source for Scorsese movies
This is an informative enough source for anyone who is interested in Martin Scorsese' cinema. Impressively to the point, and easy to read. ... Read more

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Martin Scorsese (USA, b. 1942) is among the most prolific of American directors, having made more than 25 features in a 40-year career that has seen him garner all the highest honours the film world can bestow. Since the success of "Taxi Driver" in 1976, which also marked the start of his long collaboration with Robert De Niro, he has continued to draw endless inspiration from his Italian-American roots in films such as "Goodfellas" (1990) and "Casino" (1995). A cinephile director with a strong spirit of independence, he has managed to combine making blockbusters such as "Aviator" (2004), "The Departed" (2006) and "Shutter Island" (2010) with more personal films on the history of cinema ("A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies", 1995) and music ("Bob Dylan" and "The Rolling Stones"). He is also admired and respected throughout the world for the tireless work of his Film Foundation in preserving America's film heritage. ... Read more

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Martin Scorsese's challenging and often controversial films are a record of his personal achievement in modern cinema. Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull--these titles conjure up a world and a style of filmmaking that Scorsese has made his own. The interviews that make up this book reveal a man who, like Michael Powell and Francois Truffant, has an unbridled passion for film that is evident in every frame of his work. 85 photos.Amazon.com Review
True to its title, this book lets Martin Scorsese speak forhimself. In what is essentially a long and fascinating interview,David Thompson and Ian Christie encourage Scorsese to recall the wholeof his life, from his childhood in Little Italy to the creation of hismost recent films. More than any major director working in Americatoday, Scorsese proves himself to be terrifically articulate andwonderfully open when speaking about his life and work. Scorsese onScorsese also contains a biography, a filmography and lots ofterrific behind-the-scenes photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Scorese's Take on His Films
SCORSESE on SCORSESE is interesting, but there's just a little bit to much hubris in the chapters for my comfort to give it four or five stars. The best chapters are on "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver," and "New York, New York." Comparing "The Age of Innocence" to "The Heiress" also was enlightening. However, granting multiple chapters to "The Last Temptation of Christ," a mediocre film at best, felt like an exercise in self-justification.

insightful comments on the great and not-so great films of this master, by himself
Like the couple of other books in this series that I've read, this is done mostly in conversational style, clips from interviews originally, in most cases, with the questions edited down so that most of the space is devoted to the director's answers. Ordered chronologically by film, with a final brief chapter on "Goodfellas" (my copy is the 1990 edition) barely released at the date of publication for the edition I have.This has the advantage of making for a less repetitious book as the interviews don't normally cover the same ground twice - but also at times a somewhat scattershot one.

My favorite sections are those onRAGING BULL (lots of concentration on how the editing of the film went) and especially on THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (mostly dealing with how Scorsese came to the project, his feelings on the book by Kazantzakis, on the nature of Christ and on previous Hollywood portrayals - nothing on the protests surrounding the film's release) and Scorsese is uber-knowledgeable about film of course, and can usually be counted on to point out examples from many other directors whose work has influenced him - the book abounds with references to his great mentor and friend Michael Powell in particular.

Recommended for serious devotees of the director of course, but probably of some interest to the more casual film buff as well.

A Master of His Craft, in His Own Voice
Now that Hollywood has finally given Scorsese his due with what amounted to a career-Oscar, the time is ripe to read the revised edition of this superb book.The questions asked of the director are intelligent, not fawning, and his answer's are lengthy and fascinating.The generous space devoted to his childhood and early years help one better understand why Scorsese has been so attracted to a particular genre and how he executes it so well. This director is, of course, immensely knowledgeable about the history of film, and his comments on other directors' work are fascinating. A readable mine of information about one of the most important popular artists of our time.

A Book That Would Satisfy ANY Scorsese Fan
I bought this book out of respect and deep admiration for Martin Scorsese. What I got was keen insight into a creative genius. The numerous interviews reveal a side to Scorsese that not many people see outside the camera. It's a lot more personal than that. When he talks about his movies, he ultimately parallels them to what his life was like at that time. So it's a fine blend of his personal life mixed with his professional life. There's also the obvious vibe that this man always was and always will be a student of film; his passion is infinite. Perhaps that's what makes him as influential and well-respected as he is.
You're the best there is, Marty!!

Answers Scorsese Fans' FAQS
This reader felt almost privileged to read these interviews, lectures, and conversations with Martin Scorsese.He simply shares everything, and indeed he is, if nothing else, a true fan of movies!

The insightful words of Scorsese, arranged to parallel his filmography up through New York Stories, are annotated by the redoubtable editors Thompson and Christie.Scorsese is arguably the greatest postmodern artist, (and I would have to say the only postmodernist I unhesitatingly adore -with possible exception of Matt Groening), and the reader really gets to see how Scorsese constructs a film.His inspirations are as predictable as directors Pasolini and Powell, yet as diverse as Mahatma Ghandi and Little Richard.He loves all with equanimity and enthusiasm.

That's the joy of this book... the guy loves movies, loves making them, and all that energy just shines through.

Extremely valuable resource for the student of film, but good fun for the humble film buff, too.Bonus: interesting black and white photos you won't find elsewhere.Excellent (though naturally out-of-date) filmography appendix. ... Read more

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Since its initial release, Raging Bull has been called the greatest film of the 1980s, the greatest boxing film ever made, the greatest sports film ever made, and, indeed, one of the greatest films of all time. The introduction to this study tells the story of how the film came about, examining its inspirations and positioning the film within the history of cinema. Subsequent chapters, each written by contributors from different disciplines, critique the film from a variety of perspectives. ... Read more

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Widely acclaimed as America's greatest living film director, Martin Scorsese is also, some argue, the pre-eminent Italian American artist. Although he has treated various subjects in over three decades, his most sustained filmmaking and the core of his achievement consists of five films on Italian American subjects – Who’s That Knocking at My Door?, Mean Streets, Raging Bull, GoodFellas, and Casino – as well as the documentary Italianamerican. In Gangster Priest Robert Casillo examines these films in the context of the society, religion, culture, and history of Southern Italy, from which the majority of Italian Americans, including Scorsese, derive.

Casillo argues that these films cannot be fully appreciated either thematically or formally without understanding the various facets of Italian American ethnicity, as well as the nature of Italian American cinema and the difficulties facing assimilating third-generation artists. Forming a unified whole, Scorsese's Italian American films offer what Casillo views as a prolonged meditation on the immigrant experience, the relationship between Italian America and Southern Italy, the conflicts between the ethnic generations, and the formation and development of Italian American ethnicity (and thus identity) on American soil through the generations. Raised as a Catholic and deeply imbued with Catholic values, Scorsese also deals with certain forms of Southern Italian vernacular religion, which have left their imprint not only on Scorsese himself but also on the spiritually tormented characters of his Italian American films. Casillo also shows how Scorsese interrogates the Southern Italian code of masculine honour in his exploration of the Italian American underworld or Mafia, and through his implicitly Catholic optic, discloses its thoroughgoing and longstanding opposition to Christianity.

Bringing a wealth of scholarship and insight into Scorsese's work, Casillo's study will captivate readers interested in the director's magisterial artistry, the rich social history of Southern Italy, Italian American ethnicity, and the sociology and history of the Mafia in both Sicily and the United States.

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Comprehensive Readings of Scorsese's Italian-American Films
In Gangster Priest, Casillo argues that southern Italian culture including Catholicism informs Scorsese's world view as well as the world view of his fictional characters. While previous critics have certainly noted the infuence of southern Italian culture on Scorsese's films, no previous critic has acquired the requisite knowledge of southern Italian culture and applied it in such a comprehensive way to Scorsese's works. The results are surprising and provide a thoroughly researched corrective to the many misreadings of Scorsese's "gangster" films. Though ethnicity is the focus of this study, Casillo brings such a wealth of cultural & critical knowledge to his subject that few will be able to view Scorsese's films in the same way after reading this impressive tome. Scorsese's films have oft been viewed but rarely understood, and this study will prove an invaluable codex for cracking the behaviorial codes & communal rituals of Scorsese's characters as well as the formal structure of his films.

Character is complicated, as is community, and Casillo takes his time first exploring ethnicity and Catholicism as dominant though not determinant themes in Scorsese's own life (artists are always freer to invent and reinvent themselves than are their characters) and then examining how Scorsese critiques these themes in five of his most celebrated films (Who's That Knocking At My Door?, Mean Streets, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, & Casino).Casillo & Scorsese share an obvious ambivalence toward ethnicity. On the one hand, ethnicity provides artists, scholars, and film characters with a readymade way of living & reading their lives, but, on the other hand, the insular codes followed by an ethnic group often prove restrictive and thwart connection to the larger community. Casillo's book follows the trajectory of Scorsese's Italian-American films which, Casillo argues, can be read as critiques of ethnicity and its waning influence on third generation Italian-Americans. Perhaps most interesting of all is Casillo's discussion of what may prove to be the final installment in Scorsese's Italian-American cycle: a Dean Martin biopic. Scorsese has been working on this project for years, and, Casillo argues, Dean Martin's story would be the perfect coda for Scorsese's Italian cycle as Martin is an Italian-American who comes not from the world of crime but from the world of entertainment and would be representative of Scorsese himself and those Italian-Americans who rejected the readymade codes of their ethnic group and opted instead for good old fashioned self-crafting.

This is an intensely erudite book, the result of years of research (Casillo's interest in Scorsese began when he first saw Mean Streets in a Boston theatre "amid a neighborhood as rough as that in the film"), and displays a commitment to its topic that is rarely encountered in literary or cultural studies let alone film studies. And the reading of it demands a level of commitment that perhaps requires more than the armchair film buff may care to give. For the intrepid academic who shares Casillo's and Scorsese's interest in ethnicity & Catholicism, however, this will prove immensely rewarding.

Note: Gangster Priest is the first volume in a two volume project. This first volume deals with the Italian-American films. A second volume (still in progress) will deal with the remainder of Scorsese's work. ... Read more

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From his earliest shorts to his recent feature films The Departed and Shutter Island, this book offers a step-by-step analysis of the deepest archetypal themes, symbols, and structures in Martin Scorsese's entire body of work. It examines each of Scorsese's films as a mythological journey through which the main character is offered an opportunity for psychological and spiritual enlightenment, focusing especially on how each character is led to recognize, accept, and embrace his or her flawed traits. The book also explores the ways in which Scorsese's films incite extreme reactions and strike deep chords among his viewers, particularly by speaking the language of the unconscious and forcing readers to examine their own hidden flaws. ... Read more

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"Tourneur was a great director, fully deserving of the thoroughly researched and perceptive treatment he receives from Chris Fujiwara." -- Martin Scorsese

As the director of Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, and Night of the Demon, Jacques Tourneur crafted three horror classics which, decades later, have lost none of their power to frighten audiences. And his 1947 film Out of the Past is still acknowledged as the quintessential film noir. Yet Tourneur himself remains underappreciated and his contribution to cinema history neglected. Many of his films, however, reveal a fluid artistry absent from the routine studio fare of the era. Working in a variety of genres, from Westerns (Canyon Passage) and spy films (Berlin Express) to swashbucklers (The Flame and the Arrow) and melodramas (Experiment Perilous), Tourneur imposed a personal cinematic vision that emphasized uncertainty and ambiguity.

In Jacques Tourneur: The Cinema of Nightfall, the first in-depth exploration of Tourneur's career, Chris Fujiwara offers a detailed film-by-film analysis of the director's four French films, his 20 MGM shorts, and his 29 studio productions, as well as his work in television. As Fujiwara shows, mystery, sensuality, and a deliberately restrained expressionism were the hallmarks of Tourneur's style, which frequently overcame the difficult circumstances in which he worked. Informative and immensely readable, this book provides an insightful and comprehensive study of an important and unjustly forgotten director.

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Exceptional (and accessible) study of Tourneur
Jacques Tourneur has long been a favorite of horror fans, French critics, and a few sensible American observers like Manny Farber as a creator of some of cinema's most subtly potent effects, particularly in his trio of B-horror films for Val Lewton at RKO in the early 1940s and his Lewtonesque Curse of the Demon in 1958. His most famous film noir, Out of the Past, is also widely considered one of the genre's greatest. Fans who have wished to better understand Tourneur have had to cobble together a biography, production histories, and analysis from widely scattered sources -- obscure academic journals like Film and Psychoanalysis, zines like FilmFax and Photon, French-language studies for those who can read them, and one of the several books devoted to Val Lewton. The Edinburgh Film Festival issued an anthology of essays in English devoted entirely to Tourneur, but that book was aimed squarely at academics. It's Chris Fujiwara's book Jacques Tourneur: The Cinema of Nightfall, which straddles the academic and popular, that will likely be the standard reference in English for the foreseeable future.

Fujiwara begins by persuasively rescuing Tourneur from one of Sarris' gulags: the dreaded third ranking in American Cinema. Sarris' backhanded praise in phrases like "subdued, pastel-colored sensibility" and "a certain French gentility" has been seconded by many critics, who attributed the virtues of the Lewton-produced films to Lewton and the brilliance of Out of the Past and Night of the Demon to Tourneur's "intelligent" manipulation of prosaic generic elements. Fujiwara argues that the things that distinguish Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, and Leopard Man -- narrative ambiguity, lyrical mise-en-scene, understated dramatics -- are also present in such unjustly forgotten thrillers, westerns, and historical dramas as Experiment Perilous, Stars in My Crown, Way of a Gaucho, and others. By examining Tourneur's early French features and many MGM shorts, he shows decisively that the director's stylistic maturity occurred before his first widely acclaimed feature, Cat People, and only grew from there.

Fujiwara devotes meaty individual chapters to each of the features, with a close reading and critical analysis leavened with production data and contextualizing commentary. True to the author's missionary zeal, some of the best material is the most polemical, as when he effectively articulates the minority view that Leopard Man is not the mess that many (including Tourneur) have claimed, but a major work of "precise and inexhaustible poetry" that presaged the anti-narrative cinema that would be de rigeur in Hollywood two decades later. Fujiwara is also strong on the visual beauty of Stars in My Crown, the sense of personal conviction in Night of the Demon, and the connection between the underrated Experiment Perilous and the Lewton films. Overall, a worthy, well-written and -researched tribute to an auteur who deserves a higher ranking than Sarris, and too many other critics, has given him. Included are a detailed bibliography and filmography, along with photos.

For people with reverse SADD (They hate the Light)
A fascinating look at the work of this remarkable director whose horror films are among the great films of the genre. The book is well researched and nicely wirtten with good photos.

A Beauty
Chris Fujiwara is one of the world's best film critics. (Look for his soon-to-be-published work on Otto Preminger.) "The Cinema of Nightfall" is specifically about the great(and vastly underrated) Jacques Tourneur, but it is much more than that. It is one of the best books ever written about how to see and experience movies. Fujiwara goes inside the process of just how a film creates meaning, using Tourneur's very subtle genius as his base. The chapters on the more famous works("Cat People", "I Walked with a Zombie" and the immortal "Out of the Past") are the best analyses ever written on those titles. However, perhaps the most impressive part of Fujiwara achievement is his coverage of the more obscure Tourneurs: "Stars in My Crown", "Canyon Passage", "Berlin Express", the shorts. (His chapter on "Nightfall" is worth the price of admission -- a whole film theology in miniature.) "Cinema of Nightfall" is a model of film understanding and film love.

Excellent Guide to Tourneur's Films
Jacques Tourneur was a uniquely talented director with a string ofdistinctive films to his credit, including Cat People, Canyon Passage, IWalked With a Zombie and Out of the Past. Tourneur's best films look andsound like no one else's, stylish, subtle and strangely...quiet. At lastthere is an intelligent, discerning book on the subject of the talentedFrenchman. Perhaps a bit more background on the making of the films wouldhave been appreciated, otherwise this is an excellent and eye-opening bitof original film scholarship. ... Read more