Martin Scorsese All the films : the story behind every movie, episode, and short

Marty supreme. It's been almost 60 years since Martin Scorsese directed his first feature film,Who's That Knocking at My Door, and the filmmaker hasn't slowed down since. In their impressive coffee-table book, Bousquet, Devillard, and Schaller--who previously collaborated on a book about movies based on Stephen King's fiction--closely examine Scorsese's extensive body of work, starting with his 1963 short filmWhat's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? and continuing throughKillers of the Flower Moon, his Oscar-nominated 2023 epic. Each chapter focuses on a different film, and the authors offer behind-the-scenes looks at some of Scorsese's most beloved movies, includingTaxi Driver,Raging Bull,Goodfellas, andThe Wolf of Wall Street, as well as some of the pictures that divided critics, namely the largely forgottenBoxcar Bertha and the bewilderingNew York, New York. Reacting to negative reviews ofKundun (1997), about the Dalai Lama, the filmmaker said, "It's a disgrace. Because some people have a heart big enough to want to help out, the press makes fun of them. An absolute disgrace." The sections that dig into Scorsese's recurring themes--among them violence and masculinity and redemption--are the strongest, offering analyses that are insightful without being pedantic. Even Scorsese aficionados will make new discoveries: For example, Robert De Niro's classic line inTaxi Driver--"You talkin' to me?"--was improvised by the actor, inspired by something he and Scorsese had heard Bruce Springsteen tell a concert audience in New York. Rich in interview excerpts, and stills, posters, and other images, the book will speak to any film fanatic. An irresistible celebration of a maverick auteur. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.