Essential Scorsese
From September 29 to November 1, the Gene Siskel Film center presents Essential Scorsese, a ten-film retrospective featuring highlights from the career of an American master whose 21st feature film, THE DEPARTED, opens on October 6.
Scorsese and his close-knit cadre of collaborators are responsible for some of the most recognized American films of the past 30 years. Many of those cohorts have captured Academy Awards for their work with him (among them Robert De Niro, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and, most recently, Robert Richardson, cinematographer on THE AVIATOR), yet Oscar gold has eluded Scorsese himself so far. Nonetheless, his films are often both critical and commercial hits, a rare feat for any director, and they have given us some of the most iconic characters in cinema: Travis Bickle, Jake LaMotta (both played by De Niro), and Joe Pesci’s over-the-top Tommy DeVito from GOODFELLAS, to name a few. Scorsese’s films have become part of the zeitgeist, yet remain fresh--they have an enduring appeal and are rediscovered and embraced by every new generation of moviegoers.
Our series highlights Scorsese’s career from its early days through the mid-’90s, presenting his most popular films from that period, as well as some overlooked and underappreciated titles such as THE KING OF COMEDY and THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. Scorsese’s latest film THE DEPARTED is a bloody, gritty police thriller with thematic echoes of MEAN STREETS and CASINO, two films that bookend our series. This is the perfect opportunity to revisit these films and brush up on your Essential Scorsese.
-- Christopher Sanew
feature films
Special Advance Screening!
THE DEPARTED
2006, Martin Scorsese, USA.
With Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
After a string of personal, historical, and biopic films, this remake of the 2002 Hong Kong hit INFERNAL AFFAIRS marks a return to the crime genre for Scorsese. Boston cop Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) goes undercover in the Irish mafia and soon becomes the confidant of boss Costello (Nicholson), while syndicate informant Colin Sullivan (Damon) has infiltrated the department’s Special Investigations Unit. Each of them eventually gets sucked into the undertow, torn between loyalty to their organizations and duty to their assumed lives. 35mm widescreen. (CS)
General admission $20; Film Center members $15. Admission includes a pre-screening reception at 6:00 pm in the Film Center’s gallery/café; food graciously provided by Whole Foods Market. Proceeds benefit the educational programs of the Gene Siskel Film Center. No blue passes valid for this event.
Sunday, October 1, 7:15 pm
AFTER HOURS
1985, Martin Scorsese, USA, 97 min.
With Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette
Paul Hackett (Dunne) is a dweeby word processor eking out a humdrum existence, until one night when he manages to snag the phone number of a pretty girl (Arquette) at an all-night diner. When he attempts to meet her at her SoHo apartment, he finds himself on the “weird streets” of Manhattan, bumbling his way into increasingly farcical--and nightmarish--encounters with the denizens of the night (an ensemble that includes Terri Garr, Linda Fiorentino, and Cheech & Chong) who occupy Scorsese’s surreal cityscape. 35mm. (CS)
Friday, October 27, 8:45 pm
Wednesday, November 1, 6:00 pm
BOXCAR BERTHA
1972, Martin Scorsese, USA, 92 min.
With Barbara Hershey, David Carradine
Producer Roger Corman’s notorious exploitation mill New World Pictures churned out a host of famous graduates including Scorsese, who edged his fledgling career closer to the mainstream with this drive-in-market biopic of a resilient depression-era earth mother (a lushly radiant Hershey) and her outlaw union-organizer partner, Big Bill Shelley (Carradine). Scorsese more than balances the sex and violence quotient endemic to the genre with charismatic performances, rich period detail, and a bluegrass soundtrack. 35mm. (BS)
Saturday, September 30, 5:15 pm
Monday, October 2, 6:00 pm
CAPE FEAR
1991, Martin Scorsese, USA, 128 min.
With Nick Nolte, Robert De Niro, Jessica Lange
After passing on the project, Steven Spielberg picked Scorsese to remake the 1962 noir classic with Nolte as family man and not-so-honest lawyer Sam Bowden, who suppresses evidence that would vindicate former client Max Cady (De Niro). After 14 years of honing his body and mind in prison, Cady is hell-bent on bloody vengeance targeting Bowden’s family, especially his young daughter (Juliette Lewis). Both Lewis and De Niro received Supporting Actor nominations for their work. 35mm widescreen. (CS)
Friday, October 20, 7:45 pm
Monday, October 23, 8:00 pm
CASINO
1995, Martin Scorsese, USA, 179 min.
With Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone
Once again teaming with writer Nick Pileggi, Scorsese follows rise of the Las Vegas empire as run by the mob in the ‘70s. Ace (De Niro) is the king of Vegas, but greed, lust, and violence erode his power as he loses touch with his chimerical wife (Stone) and gets caught up in a power struggle with his former friend Nicky (Pesci). Vegas itself plays a prominent role--as the characters spiral out of control, the city follows, transforming from violent Mafia outpost in the middle of the desert into a slick, Disneyfied corporate entity. 35mm widescreen. (CS)
Saturday, October 28, 3:00 pm
Monday, October 30, 6:30 pm
GOODFELLAS
1990, Martin Scorsese, USA, 154 min.
With Robert DeNiro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Scorsese set the standard for ‘90s mob movies with this tale of three neighborhood guys who rise through the mafia ranks over the span of 30 years, as seen through the eyes of Henry Hill (Liotta). Collaborating with author Nick Pileggi for his first screenwriting credit since MEAN STREETS, Scorsese fashions the rise-and-fall story as an operatic tableau of greed and violence climaxing in a wildly frenetic set piece that mirrors Hill’s deterioration from wise guy to “schnook.” 35mm. (CS)
Saturday, October 21, 3:00 pm
Wednesday, October 25, 6:00 pm
THE KING OF COMEDY
1983, Martin Scorsese, USA, 109 min.
With Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard
Seemingly shifting gears from his normal tough guy roles to play a sheepish yet obsessively determined fan, De Niro’s Rupert Pupkin is every bit as unnerving and frightening as Travis Bickle is. He and fellow stalker Bernhard kidnap Carson-surrogate Jerry Langford (Lewis) to secure a comedy spot on his late-night talk show, but Pupkin’s creepy adoration quickly turns to naked ambition as he sets out to dethrone his idol in this prescient and acerbic riff on celebrity and the media. 35mm. (CS)
Saturday, October 7, 3:30 pm
Wednesday, October 11, 8:00 pm
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
1988, Martin Scorsese, USA, 164 min.
With Willem Dafoe, Barbara Hershey, Harvey Keitel
Frequent Scorsese screenwriter Paul Schrader adapted Nikos Kazantzakis’s controversial novel, which speculates about Christ’s final hours on the cross and his temptation by Satan. After years of struggle to get the film made, Scorsese was met with raging controversy, lukewarm reviews, and a disappointing box office. Post-PASSION OF THE CHRIST, the film deserves another look. It is one of Scorsese’s most personal works--a heartfelt and contemplative examination of his faith. 35mm. (CS)
Saturday, October 14, 3:00 pm
MEAN STREETS
1973, Martin Scorsese, USA, 112 min.
With Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro
Turning his camera to the tough Italian neighborhood in New York where he grew up, Scorsese follows Charlie (Keitel), a fledgling book collector for the local mob, as he tries to balance his strained romance with an epileptic girlfriend and his friendship with her violent, unstable brother, Johnny Boy. The role won De Niro critical acclaim and marks the first collaboration of one of the most celebrated actor/director pairings in film history. 35mm. (CS)
Friday, September 29, 8:15 pm
Saturday, September 30, 3:30 pm
Wednesday, September 4, 8:00 pm
RAGING BULL
1980, Martin Scorsese, USA, 128 min.
With Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
Scorsese sealed his reputation as the foremost chronicler of the dark side of the American dream with this kinetic film that brought star De Niro and editor Thelma Schoonmaker each an Oscar. Charting the violent trajectory of the life of boxer Jake LaMotta, a low-life whose career was fueled by Catholic guilt and a boundless inner rage, Scorsese pounds his material into a raw and effective cinematic poetry with a bleakness, exhilaration, and subjectivity that is often shocking. 35mm. (BS)
Friday, October 13, 7:45 pm
Monday, October 16, 8:00 pm
Wednesday, October 18, 6:00 pm
TAXI DRIVER
1976, Martin Scorsese, USA, 113 min.
With Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel
Besides providing De Niro with a breakthrough leading role, TAXI DRIVER represented Scorsese’s first collaboration with essential screenwriter Paul Schrader. This once-controversial, now-classic spin on the vigilante cycle follows a time-bomb cabbie (De Niro) through a sweltering New York summer in which he crosses paths with a Presidential candidate (Leonard Harris), a classy campaign worker (Cybill Shepherd), a menacing pimp (Keitel), and a 12-year-old prostitute (Foster). 35mm. (MR)
