Martin Scorsese

“Because of the movies I make, people get nervous, because they think of me as difficult and angry. I am difficult and angry, but they don't expect a sense of humor. And the only thing that gets me through is a sense of humor.” One of the most notable visionaries of late 20th century American cinema. During the 1970s and 1980s, Martin Scorsese's movies, heavily influenced by his Italian-American heritage and New York City upbringing, focused on macho men and explored themes like crime, machismo, nihilism, and Catholic ideas of guilt and redemption. Scorsese is known for his distinctive techniques, including frequent use of slow motion and freeze frames, graphic violence, and abundant profanity. His 1973 mafia film "Mean Streets" set the template for his filmmaking style. But for Scorsese, a devoted lifelong film enthusiast, the true spirit of the art was captured in classic Hollywood movies. And, interestingly, his nostalgic homage to the golden age of musicals and noirish romantic melodramas became one of his most uninhibited and personal films.