By Thomas Sotinel, Phaidon Press, $9.95, 104 pages
Martin Scorsese is one of Hollywood’s more interesting success stories. Masters of Cinema: Martin Scorsese explores what makes Scorsese tick, and why it seems that, even though his career covers some of the most iconic movies, success keeps avoiding him. After all, for someone of his longevity, he has received only a few Oscar nominations despite a lot of critical acclaim.
This book is little more than an overview of his career, covering his life story and discussing some of his film-making philosophy. It is interesting that he decided on a “one for them, one for myself” process of film-making, where he makes a film for the studio followed by a movie from his personal projects file. Although a fascinating glimpse into the world of one of the most interesting people associated with the Big Apple, it barely scratches the surface. Although that is the intent, a taste of the director’s career to encourage sampling other items in his oeuvre, it seems like a waste of time. Nonetheless, this is something to throw at someone who complains that they just don’t understand why people like his movies.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim