Books on Martin Scorsese
and his films

A Behind the Scenes Look at How a Beloved Book Became a Major Motion Picture

by Brian Selznick

Description: A companion book to Martin Scorsese's movie of the #1 bestseller and Caldecott Medal Winner. Brian Selznick takes readers on an intimate tour of the movie-making process as his Caldecott Award-winning book The Invention of Hugo Cabret is turned into a 3-D major motion picture. Lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs from the movie, and filled with fun, informative interviews of the cast and crew, comparisons of artwork from the book alongside people, props, costumes, and sets from the movie, plus fascinating information about automatons, filmmaking pioneer Georges Méliès, and an essay on the birth of movies written by Martin Scorsese, The Hugo Movie Companion beautifully extends the experience of the book and the movie, and is a must-have for fans of all ages..

The book was released 1 November 2011. Find the best price on The Hugo Movie Companion.

By Olivia Harrison. This book will be released in time for Scorsese's biopic of George Harrison with the same name.

Description: Drawing on George Harrison's personal archive of photographs, letters, diaries, and memorabilia, Olivia Harrison reveals the arc of his life, from his guitar-obsessed boyhood in Liverpool, to the astonishment of the Beatles years, to his days as an independent musician and bohemian squire. Here too is the record of Harrison's lifelong commitment to Indian music, and his adventures as a movie producer, Travelling Wilbury, and Formula One racing fan. This book is filled with stories and reminiscences from Harrison's friends, including Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idol, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and many, many others. Among its previously unpublished riches are photographs by Harrison himself beginning in the mid-1960s. It is a rich tribute to a man who died far too young, but who touched the lives of millions.

The book was released 15 September 2011. Find the best price on Living in the Material World: George Harrison

From Publishers Weekly: In this Q and A format biography, film critic and documentary filmmaker Richard Schickel follows one of America's greatest directors on a journey through his life in cinema.

A cross between a film master class and after-hours jam session, the conversations range from Scorsese's Italian upbringing to Hollywood gossip to obscure silent films.

Scorsese and Schickel's long friendship and their encyclopedic film knowledge bring a comfort and complexity to their interaction.

Scorsese has always been a fluid raconteur, and Schickel brings out the best in him—not least of all because he's confident enough to disagree with the master. Scorsese's focus on the minutiae of his life and in his movies has given his work universal appeal. Anyone with even a passing interest in Scorsese's career or in film history will find a gem on every page.

The book was released 8 March 2011. Read sample quotes or read more about Conversations with Scorsese

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

 

The new Scorsese film, Hugo Cabret, is adapted from this novel.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Author Annette Wernblad writes a critical study of the films of director Martin Scorsese. From the publisher: "From his earliest shorts to his recent feature films The Departed and Shutter Island, this book offers a step-by-step analysis of the deepest archetypal themes, symbols, and structures in Martin Scorsese’s entire body of work. It examines each of Scorsese’s films as a mythological journey through which the main character is offered an opportunity for psychological and spiritual enlightenment, focusing especially on how each character is led to recognize, accept, and embrace his or her flawed traits. The book also explores the ways in which Scorsese’s films incite extreme reactions and strike deep chords among his viewers, particularly by speaking the language of the unconscious and forcing readers to examine their own hidden flaws."

Published by MacFarlane Books

The Passion of Martin Scorsese
Publication Date: November 3 2010

The Passion of Martin Scorsese: A Critical Study of the Films

Author Andrew J. Rausch examines the creative output of director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro: from their initial offering, Mean Streets, to their most recent film together, Casino.

Drawing upon interviews and other sources, Rausch goes behind the scenes of their eight films, providing both insight and analysis on all of their productions together... it is a rare glimpse into the moviemaking process of these two legends.

 

The Films of Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro
Publication Date: June 16 2010

Read more about: Andrew J. Rausch at his MySpace page.

Author Ellis Cashmore writes about how Martin Scorsese, the most influential living filmmaker, envisions America. Greed, manhood, the city and romantic love feature on Scorsese's landscape of secular materialism. They are among the themes Cashmore argues have driven and inform Scorsese's work. This is America, as seen through the eyes of Martin Scorsese and it is a deeply unpleasant place. It's an image assembled from the perspectives of obsessive people, whether burned-out paramedics, compulsive entrepreneurs, tortured lovers, or celebrity-fixated comedians. It's collected from pool halls, taxicabs, boxing rings and jazz clubs. It's an image that's specific, yet ubiquitous. It is Martin Scorsese's America.

Martin Scorsese's America
Publication Date: 15 November 2009

Read more about: Martin Scorsese's America

Review: Ethics, aesthetics, film theory, and popular culture all meet in this new collection, which sheds new light on all aspects of Scorsese''s work. This much-awaited edition brings alive philosophical themes in Scorsese''s films that both the novice and the expert can appreciate. The contributors manage to be accessible and scholarly at the same time. (John Davenport, associate professor of philosophy and Magis Fellow, Fordham Univ )

The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese:
Publication Date 15 May 2009

Read more about: The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese

Review: "This book is proof that the greatest criticism is simply careful and educated observation that connects a filmmaker with his subject, his audience, and his time. Ebert is one of the most acclaimed and perceptive critics of his time, and this unique book is an invaluable study in the canon of both film and criticism."-Library Journal

Scorsese by Ebert:
Publication Date 1 October 2008

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The Interview series offers a wealth of information on contemporary writers and filmmakers. This installment devoted to director Martin Scorsese, effectively mixes in-depth, question-and-answer interviews, often from film journals, with narrative profiles from the mainstream press. The chronological arrangement allows the reader to watch Scorsese's distinguished career develop from film to film, as most of the pieces originally appeared in conjunction with the opening of a film. A valuable resource for contemporary film collections.

( THIS BOOK IS A SCORSESEFILMS.COM favorite! Highly RECOMMENDED )

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The latest book of Playboy interviews (long considered the gold standard for in-depth discussion with leading cultural figures) contains 17 talks with filmmakers, from Billy Wilder in 1963 to Quentin Tarantino in 2003. Other subjects include Ingmar Bergman, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, and Orson Welles, with Clint Eastwood and Oliver Stone featured twice in interviews conducted decades apart.

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Hollywood Under Siege: Martin Scorsese, the Religious Right, and the Culture Wars by Thomas Lindlof

A Behind the Scenes story of the making of and controversy of "The Last Temptation of Christ."

"Tom Lindlof has written a breakthrough book on many levels. He traces Scorsese's determination to compleete this passion project. Lindlof also provides the closest look yet at the step-by-step creation of a Scorsese film, as well as the filmmaker's relationship with the studio that backed him and his picture despite enormous pressure." ~Thomas Schatz

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Catherine Scorsese's recipes! Remember the scene in GoodFellas when Catherine Scorsese fixes pasta for Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta after they'd committed bloody murder? Now director Martin Scorsese's Mama (aided by Georgia Downard) shares her culinary skills in Italianamerican: The Scorsese Family Cookbook, a collection of family recipes for dishes (Veal Spiedini; Macaroni with Lamb and Veal in White Sauce; Sicilian Cake) gathered from her mother and her mother-in-law. Accompanying the recipes are photos and anecdotes covering three generations of Scorseses, moving from Sicily to New York's Little Italy..

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Finally - a biography of Scorsese! In what will be a "Must Read" for all Scorsese fans, author Vincent LoBrutto traces what some of the things we already know about Scorsese - the Italian-American heritage, a strict Catholic upbringing, his obsessive love of cinema history, and the impact of he mean streets of New York City on his personal life and film career - and then goes further. LoBrutto will delve into the Scorsese's intense passion, his private relationships, his stormy marriages, and his battles with drugs and depression are all chronicled here, and, in many cases, for the first time. Author Vincent Lobrutto has written a number of film book including "Becoming Film Literate" (Praeger, Spring 2005) and "Stanley Kubrick: A Biography" (1999). He teaches editing, production design, and cinema studies at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Click the cover to order your copy. (Publishing November 2007)

America's greatest living film director, Martin Scorsese is also, some argue, the pre-eminent Italian American artist. Although he has treated various subjects in over three decades, his most sustained filmmaking and the core of his achievement consists of five films on Italian American subjects - Who&'s That Knocking at My Door?, Mean Streets, Raging Bull, GoodFellas, and Casino - as well as the documentary Italianamerican. In "Gangster Priest" author Robert Casillo examines these films in the context of the society, religion, culture, and history of Southern Italy, from which the majority of Italian Americans, including Scorsese, derive.

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The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese as the philosophy of pop culture. Edited by Mark T Conard.

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Special Discount Offer for UK residents on "The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese", and other select titles! Click the banner below or see Details at Eurospangroup.com

With a Foreword by Martin Scorsese. Edited by James Sanders. This title will be released on October 17, 2006. You may order it now and it will ship it to you when it arrives. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.


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The only book in which Martin Scorsese speak for himself. In what is essentially a long and fascinating interview, David Thompson and Ian Christie encourage Scorsese to recall the whole of his life, from his childhood in Little Italy to the creation of his most recent films. More than any major director working in America today, Scorsese proves himself to be terrifically articulate and wonderfully open when speaking about his life and work. Scorsese on Scorsese also contains a biography, a filmography and lots of terrific behind-the-scenes photographs. This new, revised edition (January 2004) includes chapters on Goodfellas, Cape Fear, The Age of Innocence, and other projects up to Casino, thus bringing up to date the story of America's most exciting and articulate contemporary filmmaker.

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No this isn't a Scorsese book, but Jack Nicholson is such a legend in Hollywood that you may want to check out this new work by Dennis McDougal. The book covers Nicholson's career - including "The Departed."

Excerpt - "On playing the role of mob boss Jack Costello, Nicholson wasn't interested. The Departed was a "lay down script." "All you do is lay it down," explained Jack. "Any moron could play the part and the movie would still be great." But as author McDougal points out, Scorsese let Nicholson "create a party monster to rival Joker, only more attuned to the gross-out standards of the present day."

Click on the cover to order. (Published Oct 19, 2007)

Street Smart offers a novel approach to understanding the cultural influences of New York’s neighborhoods on the work of four quintessentially New York filmmakers: Sidney Lumet, Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, and Spike Lee. The city’s diverse economic and ethnic enclaves, where people live, work, shop, worship, bank, and go to school, often have little relationship to the concept of New York City created by the movies. Their New York, however, is as real as the smell of fried onions in the stairwell of an apartment building, and it is this New York, not the movie New York, that has left its impression on their films. Lumet, Allen, Scorsese, and Lee’s imaginations have been shaped by their neighborhoods, not the New York of the movies. In turn, these directors have used their own life experiences to shape their films. Richard A. Blake examines their home villages—from Flatbush and Fort Green in Brooklyn to the Lower East Side of Manhattan—to enrich our critical understanding of the films of four of America’s most accomplished contemporary filmmakers.

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Though this volume is essentially the script of the successful 1995 TV series of the same name commissioned by the British Film Institute and later rebroadcast on PBS, and while the cinematic illustrations portrayed on the screen are obviously lost in book format, there is much here for the serious film student to consider. Recommended for academic libraries and cinema collections.

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Not only is Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls the best book -- ever -- on the Hollywood film scene from the 1970s (the Scorsese-DiPalma-Spielberg-etc ERA), it is beyond question the best book we'll ever get on the subject. Why? Because once the big names who spilled the beans to Biskind find out that other people spilled an equally piquant quantity of beans, nobody will dare speak to another writer with such candor, humor, and venom again.

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Mark Nicholls traces Martin Scorsese’s central theme of melancholia, nostalgia, and loss through five of the director’s finest films: The Age of Innocence, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and Cape Fear. Scorsese’s Men reflects on the heroes of these films and their "tribal groups": 19th-century New York Society, the Italian American Mob, and the Yuppified New South. Nicholls asserts that for all of this melancholic man’s perversions, he ultimately becomes a universally adored and culturally empowered Superman of loss.

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Written by Maria Miliora, we see Scorsese through a trained analyst's eye and we come to feel as if we've been sitting next to Scorsese on the psychiatrist's couch all these years. We are voyeurs eavesdropping as Scorsese bares his soul, his innermost fears and his anxiety to us, and we will watch more closely now when we view Scorsese's psyche on the screen. MORE

Published: March 2004 by McFarland & Co
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Ben Nyce's thorough examination of Scorsese's work in the shooting and editing process. Chapters focus on the individual films with close attention to the artistry and the craft of filmmaking with in-depth scenes reviews and shot-by-shot analysis.
Published: February 2004 by Scarecrow Press.

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After thirty years filmmaking Scorsese is one of the few directors working in Hollywood whose movies still surprise and shock. He is still prepared to take risks and is still producing great movies. So what is it that makes Scorsese tick? What makes him take on a movie? How does he approach the script and decide the what he wants up there on the screen? Andy Dougan has interviewed Scorsese many times and has talked to many of the stars who have appeared in his movies including, most recently, Sharon Stone, to create a fascinating inside look at the making of his movies.

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Edited by Peter Guralnick and Robert Santelli: this is the companion BOOK to the PBS series. The result is a unique and timeless celebration of the blues, from writers and artists as esteemed and revered as the music that moved them. In these pages one not only reads about the blues, one hears them, feels them, lives them. MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS THE BLUES is more than a timeless collection of great writing to be savored and shared: it is an unforgettable initiation into the very essence of American music and culture.

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Scorsese’s obsession with sin and redemption, conflict and violence runs through much of his work. This book explores Martin Scorsese’s career from his early student works to the present day, covering his personal examinations of his Italian-American heritage – Mean Streets, Italianamerican and Goodfellas, the extreme violence of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Cape Fear; and the religious themes – from a director who originally wanted to be a priest – of The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun. It discusses his influences, the controversy surrounding his films, includes exhaustive music lists and long-time collaborators. This is an extensive analysis of the work of this widely respected director. Read a review
Author: Jim Sangster
Published: 4 April 2002 by Virgin Books

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Set in the turbulent streets of Lower Manhattan in the mid-nineteenth century, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York depicts the politically corrupt and volatile social climate of New York during the early years of the Civil War.

Included in the book are interviews of the principal people involved with the making of the film: the director, actors, cinematographer, designers, screenwriters, and producers; the complete shooting script; a historical introduction by the writer Luc Sante, the film's technical advisor; color stills taken during the shooting; sketches of the lavish sets and costumes, and a portfolio of behind-the-scenes photographs taken by Brigitte Lacombe. This is an inside look at how an epic movie, one which the director had envisioned for twenty-five years, got made.

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Scorsese's 1988 film "The Last Temptation of Christ" arguably generated more resistance and conflict upon its release than any film before or since, engendering intense debate and even hatred between religious conservative protesters and liberal progressive defenders of the picture. This is the first full examination of the controversy, its participants, and their claims concerning the film's religious meaning.


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