You don’t necessarily have to love everything that Martin Scorsese does in order to enjoy his movies, but one thing that anyone should be able to see if they’ve watched more than one is that Scorsese does have certain elements that he likes to use over and over. It’s not really a detriment in a lot of ways since these elements help the movies to build themselves up in a very profound way, but the fact that he goes back to the well, as the saying goes, so often makes it feel as though there are times when this practice won’t be quite as effective. To be honest about it though, a lot of directors do this and tend to find that it works so long as they don’t abuse these elements by using them too much and do so without good reason. The great part about Scorsese’s movies is that these elements are usually found to occur very naturally the way the director sets them up, and don’t tend to feel too overused or out of date.
Here are a few of the things you might see in every Martin Scorsese movie.
5. There’s always someone that has a huge personal issue in his movies.
It’s true, you could say this about pretty much any movie, but the thing about Scorsese’s main characters is that a lot of them tend to have a massive personal issue or issues, that they develop already possess and have to work through somehow. The issue can be something that was foisted upon them by one even or another or could be a product of the choices they make in their own life, but there will definitely be some issue to work through by the main character as this appears to be one of Scorsese’s favorite elements to use. Plus, the issue that the characters have are usually pretty traumatic.
4. His movies tend to have very impressive soundtracks.
If you listen to the music that’s selected to go with his movies it’s easy to be impressed since a lot of the songs tend to be among the best of the time period, even if they weren’t always considered to be that way back when they first appeared. But for just about every movie of his the soundtrack is simply amazing since it manages to compile a group of songs that are easy to listen to and fit perfectly with the story. Even the soundtrack to Gangs of New York, which featured a couple of new pieces that ha no historical basis to them, fit perfectly with the movie thanks to their content and lyrics.
3. He has his favorite list of actors to work with.
This is something that many directors practice since quite a few of them have their favorite actors that they’ll try to work with as much as possible. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are two of Scorsese’s favorites by far since he’s used them a number of times over the years for their tough looks and because they simply sound tough. He’s definitely used a few people in this manner in a lot of his movies, and he’s been able to work with several of the best in the business more than once since his reputation is such that people actually want to work with him. Being able to have people state that they would love to be in his movie is just one perk of being a celebrated director.
2. A lot of his movies are nostalgic in some way.
There’s no doubt that Scorsese has a very big love for the past and it shows in his movies since more than one of them go back to a time when things were a bit different and when the world might have been a little simpler and even a little more dangerous at times. He definitely gets into the mob and gang life in some of his movies and makes it clear that his affinity to film those that live by a different set of rules than the rest of society are very real and at one time were more than a little prominent. His look into the past does invite a bit of revisionist history at times, but it’s still fun to watch.
1. Diners tend to mean trouble in his movies.
For some reason when anyone sees a diner it either means that something is being planned or something is going to happen in a Scorsese movie since this is where things tend to go down or at the very least get orchestrated from. In a way, it’s the best spot since it’s a place where people tend to mind their business, but it also works since the overall feeling is that it’s one of the best places for anything to happen. It’s an odd realization, but diners are much more laid back than regular restaurants.
He’s a master at telling a story, and for good reason.
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