Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese ‘aware of time’ at 80
As a young boy growing up in New York’s Little Italy, Martin Scorsese made movies in his mind.
“I lived at 253 Elizabeth St., third floor front,” the legendary filmmaker recalls. “Because of severe asthma, I couldn’t run around and had to stay inside. So, I sat in the window and saw life pass me by like I was creating a movie. Life was like an overhead shot for me.”
Over a Zoom interview, the 80-year-old Scorsese smiles at memories of his youth in the neighborhood, where he developed his love of gritty stories.
“I was bordered on the east by what they called the Devil’s Mile, which was the Bowery,” he says. “On the west was Murder Mile, or Mulberry Street. My mind was filled with all of these elements of the dark side.”
The director of “Mean Streets,” “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas” is still visiting America’s dark side, but with a new setting in his Oscars-bound film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” in theaters this weekend before it streams on Apple TV+.
Based on the bestselling book by David Grann, the plot centers on a series of 1920s Oklahoma murders of members of the oil-rich Osage Nation.
Scorsese produced, co-wrote and directed the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro and Brendan Fraser. It marks Scorsese’s sixth film collaboration with DiCaprio and 10th with De Niro.
Working with trusted friends is only the first of the iconic director’s good life tips.
Take your time
“I didn’t intend for it to take six years, but I was making ‘The Irishman’ and then there was COVID,” Scorsese says of the long ramp-up to film “Killers of the Flower Moon.” “I was really excited after I read the book. This is a story about sin by omission.”
He also made sure the Indigenous community felt represented. “I needed to deal with the culture in a way that was respectful while still being truthful.”
Follow your heart — and gut
How does he choose projects now? “There have been times in my life when it was a search of what kind of film to make,” he says. “I know a story should be profound. You should feel the hearts of characters in your heart and gut.”
Location is everything
“Those prairies were quite something in ‘Killers,’ ” Scorsese acknowledges. “They open your mind and your heart. On both sides of the road, wild horses out to pasture for the rest of their lives. I said, ‘Where do I put the camera? How much of the earth? How much of the sky?’ ”
Find your inspiration
Where else does Scorsese turn for creative fuel? “Music and then silence itself leads the way for me,” he says. “The way I like to make pictures is to different bars of music. Sometimes, I even play the music on set like on ‘Goodfellas,’ where I always played ‘Layla.’ ”
Know your crowd
“As I’ve aged, I’ve learned that it’s important to surround yourself with people who live by the creed of kindness, tolerance, compassion and a gentler way of looking at this life,” says Scorsese, who has been married for 24 years to TV producer Helen Morris and is the father of three grown daughters.
Listen to your father
Scorsese, who was close with both of his parents, admits that the title to one of his most famous films came from his father. “Goodfellas” was originally called “Wise Guys,” but then his pop mumbled the now-iconic words. “He said, ‘He’s OK. He’s all right. He’s a good fella.’ It was such a great word and just stuck,” Scorsese says.
‘There are no shortcuts’
“There is no such thing as simple. Simple is hard,” he says.
His best advice to his daughters? “There are no shortcuts to anything, but I’m not saying that everything has to be difficult.”
Share your knowledge
“I get excited by sharing my experiences with younger filmmakers,” Scorsese says. “I love when they show me their films, because from their films I get re-inspired. I always thought of myself more of a teacher than a filmmaker.”
Go to the movies
“Movie theaters were safe for this kid with asthma, so when I was a kid, I’d go to this place that was dirty with the little wooden seats and gum stuck to the floor,” he recalls. “It cost 13 cents for children in those days. I watched ‘Great White Hunter’ or ‘Murder by Contract.’ I never knew what I would see, which was part of the excitement.
“I was allowed to absorb in those days, which was a wonderful education. I’d watch ‘Shane’ and then an Italian film with subtitles. I got a sense of other cultures through the cinema.
“Now more than ever, we need to talk to each other, to listen to each other and understand how we see the world. Cinema is the best medium for doing this.”
Stay hungry
Scorsese says his creative juices have not diminished at 80. “I don’t take a lot of breaks,” he says. “The good thing is at this age the whole world has opened up to me, but sometimes I feel it’s late. I still want to tell stories, but I’m aware of time.”
Keep going
Will he ever call “Cut!” on his career behind the camera? “Retire from making movies? You’ll have to stop me yourself,” he says with a laugh. “You’ll have to tackle me to stop me.”