Martin Scorsese: A Journey [Paperback]

Mary Pat Kelly (Author), Steven Spielberg (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1997

Controversy and acclaim mark Martin Scorsese's career from his earlier iconoclastic New York films like Mean Streets and Raging Bull to the more recent The Last Temptation of Christ, GoodFellas and Cape Fear. In Martin Scorsese: A Journey, Mary Pat Kelley, writer and prize-winning filmmaker, traces Scorsese's life and work through interviews with Scorsese as well as more than twenty major motion picture figures, providing a rare look at the process and inspiration behind the films of America's premier director. Martin Scorsese: A Journey includes exclusive interviews with Robert De Niro, Barbara Hershey, Harvey Keitel, Ellen Burstyn, Willem Dafoe, Paul Newman, Liza Minelli, Joe Pesci, Nick Nolte, Sandra Bernhard, and Rosanna Arquette; and includes a new Foreword by Andy Dougan, author of Untouchable: A Biography of Robert De Niro.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This collage of interview transcripts provides an unrivaled behind-the-scenes peek at each of the famed director's movies. Organized chronologically by film, it consists mainly of clubby chitchat by Robert DeNiro, Paul Newman, Willem Dafoe, Joe Pesci, Roseanna Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Hollywood execs, scriptwriters, the director himself, his parents and many others. Talking about her role in New York, New York , Liza Minelli declares, "I got my entire performance by looking at Marty's eyes." Readers seeking deeper insight into the forces that drove the shaper of Raging Bull , Taxi Driver and The Last Temptation of Christ will find this a frustrating pastiche, notwithstanding journalist/filmmaker Kelly's biographical profile discussing Scorsese's search for transcendence or his own comments on his Catholic upbringing and artistic aims. A sneak preview is given of Cape Fear , a remake of a 1962 film starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, both of whom appear in new roles in Scorsese's update. Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Depicted in director Scorsese's films such as Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and GoodFellas (1991), are the religious and the profane, the highest and the lowest. These films are a reflection of Scorsese's life and career of self-proclaimed half-gangster/half-priest, which are examined in this fascinating documentary. Author Kelly uses mostly quotations from personal and professional associates (Robert DeNiro, Paul Newman, Liza Minnelli, Ellen Burstyn, etc.) to give insight into the creative vision of a complex and often controversial artist. This is a much fuller book on Scorsese than writer/filmmaker Kelly's Martin Scor sese: The First Decade (Thunder's Mouth, dist. by Publishers Group West, 1990). Contemporary moviegoers will be interested in this important and revealing portrait of not only an important American filmmaker, but the film industry itself.
- David Nudo, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press; 2nd edition (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560251166
• ISBN-13: 978-1560251163
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,019,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Scorsese Fans & Students, March 30, 2001

By 

Renee Thorpe (Karangasem, Bali) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martin Scorsese: A Journey (Paperback)

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!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic bio!, March 30, 2000

By 

HP West - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martin Scorsese: A Journey (Paperback)

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 from fellow directors and drew/cast etc. Great format! It's like reading a behind the scene's documentry.

BUy it!