Scorsese Up Close
A Study of the Films

The 105th book installment of the Filmmaker Series is Scorsese up Close: A study of the Films by Ben Nyce. The book examines the personal and artistic quest of director Martin Scorsese who continues to grow and develop as a filmmaker.

In chronological order, Nyce studies the films the early films which establish Scorsese's "basic subject matter: urban violence, gang behavior, and the guilt and suffering that flow from it."

"... [Scorsese] sees only vileness in the streets, and he sees it through the lens on a radically distorted idealism," Nyce writes.

" Scorsese's camera, it must be added, accentuates the vileness; there is little of the healthy and life-enhancing going on, which Travis would fail to notice. As the camera glances out the window of his taxi, there are always whores, pimps, and junkies in the garish streets."

"This is an early tip-off that what looks like documentary images of the street a la Who's That Knocking and Mean Streets is really a visual form of subjective distortion."

The book focuses on the technical aspects and artistry achieved in the shooting and editing process as seen in Scorsese's body of work, including an opening chapter of the director's post-graduate films (The Big Shave, What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in A Place Like This? and It's Just Not You Murray). Also includes shot-by-shot analysis and in-depth discussion of important scenes from Scorsese's youthful films Mean Streets and ItalianAmerican, and covers all films up until Bringing Out The Dead. Each chapter discusses one film in detail.

Scorsese up Close: A study of the Films is a welcome addition to anyone with a library on Scorsese and his films, as well as film students wanting a more in-depth study of the master filmmaker, his techniques, and his cultural significance.

Ben Nyce is Professor Emeritus of Literature and Film at the University of San Diego.