Martin Scorsese: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Martin Scorsese's cinema is a collision of Lower East Side Catholicism, Hollywood studio craft, Italian neorealism and British Technicolor romanticism — all filtered through a pop-music sensibility and an archivist's devotion to film preservation. This mix traces the lineage from the movies he watched on a TV set in Little Italy to the filmmakers now working in his shadow.

The Kynda mix for Martin Scorsese

• Key Influence · The Red Shoes by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (1948). Scorsese's most openly declared obsession: he funded the film's restoration, named it the work he has seen more than any other, and built a friendship with Michael Powell that led to Powell marrying his editor Thelma Schoonmaker. The saturated Technicolor, the obsessive artist destroyed by her vocation, and the delirious ballet sequence feed directly into Raging Bull's boxing and New York, New York's artifice.c
• Influencia Obscura · Force of Evil by Abraham Polonsky (1948). A blacklisted numbers-racket noir written in near-blank-verse dialogue, long obscure until critics and Scorsese himself pushed for its rediscovery; he discusses it admiringly in A Personal Journey Through American Movies. Its vision of crime as ordinary American business, its heightened street poetry, and its fraternal moral rot run straight through Mean Streets and Goodfellas.
• Local Roots · On the Waterfront by Elia Kazan (1954). Scorsese made the documentary A Letter to Elia about his lifelong attachment to Kazan, and presented him his honorary Oscar in 1999. Shot in Hoboken across the river from Scorsese's Little Italy, Kazan's film gave him the template of working-class Catholic New York, Method acting as moral exposure, and the boxing-haunted protagonist that Raging Bull would answer decades later.
• Beyond the Medium · The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis (1955). Barbara Hershey gave Scorsese the novel on the set of Boxcar Bertha in 1972; he spent sixteen years fighting to film it, finally releasing it in 1988 amid international protest. Kazantzakis's Christ, torn between flesh and spirit, crystallized the theology already running through Mean Streets — the belief that you atone on the streets, not in church — and shaped Silence decades later.
• Peer · Carrie by Brian De Palma (1976). De Palma was Scorsese's closest friend in the New Hollywood circle and the man who introduced him to Robert De Niro in the early 1970s — arguably the single most consequential introduction of his career. The two shared New York roots, a Hitchcock obsession and a taste for operatic violence; Carrie shows the baroque formalism and Catholic terror running parallel to Scorsese's own.
• From the Canon · Mean Streets by Martin Scorsese (1973). The film Cassavetes' scolding provoked: Little Italy as Scorsese actually lived it, with Harvey Keitel holding his hand over a flame and Robert De Niro detonating through every scene. Shot largely in Los Angeles on a tiny budget but built from his own block, it establishes the lifelong apparatus — Catholic guilt, jukebox soundtrack, improvised male aggression, violence arriving without warning.
• Key Collaborator · Woodstock by Michael Wadleigh (1970). Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker both worked on Wadleigh's festival documentary — he as assistant director and editor, she as supervising editor earning an Oscar nomination. They had met at NYU, and after union restrictions kept them apart for years she cut Raging Bull and every Scorsese feature since, the longest director-editor partnership in American cinema.
• Legacy · Boogie Nights by Paul Thomas Anderson (1997). Anderson has been candid about Goodfellas as a template: the long Steadicam entrance into the nightclub, the rise-and-fall ensemble structure, needle-drop narration and the slow descent into cocaine paranoia are all lifted and transformed. His San Fernando Valley porn industry stands in for Scorsese's mob as a surrogate family whose glamour curdles over a decade of pop music.

What influenced Martin Scorsese

• Federico Fellini (1920). Scorsese is listed among filmmakers who have cited Fellini's influence. (also via 8½, I Vitelloni) “He has also cited the works of Satyajit Ray , [ 19 ] Ingmar Bergman , [ 22 ] [ 23 ] Andrzej Wajda , [ 24 ] Michelangelo Antonioni , [ 25 ] Federico Fellini , [ 26 ] Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya [ 27 ] as major influences on his career.” (Wikipedia)
• Jean Renoir (1894). States Scorsese was influenced by Renoir's films. (also via The River, La Grande Illusion) “Errol Morris [ 96 ] Martin Scorsese [ 97 ] and Mike Leigh . [ 98 ]” (Wikipedia)
• John Cassavetes. The article identifies Cassavetes as Scorsese's mentor. (also via Mean Streets, Shadows) “[It] gave me the urgency and the courage to actually try to make films,” (/Film)
• John Ford. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese) — legacy for John Ford (via Taxi Driver, The Searchers, The Quiet Man) “Taxi Driver pays clear homage to John Ford’s The Searchers, which was named the greatest American western in the American Film Institute’s 2008 poll.” (BFI)
• Ingmar Bergman (1918). Scorsese commented on the significant impact Bergman's films had on audiences. “He has also cited the works of Satyajit Ray , [ 19 ] Ingmar Bergman , [ 22 ] [ 23 ] Andrzej Wajda , [ 24 ] Michelangelo Antonioni , [ 25 ] Federico Fellini , [ 26 ] Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya [ 27 ] as major influences on his career.” (Wikipedia)
• The Searchers by John Ford (1956). The Searchers (John Ford) — titan for Martin Scorsese “He names John Ford 's The Quiet Man (1952) and The Searchers (1956) as formative influences.” (Wikipedia)
• Satyajit Ray (1921). Scorsese cites Ray's work as a major influence. “His films opened my mind and inspired me ... his influence was incalculable.” (/Film)
• Andrzej Wajda. Scorsese cites Wajda's work as a major influence. “Among the three, it was Ashes and Diamonds that had the greatest impact on me. It announced the arrival of a master film-maker.” (The Guardian)
• Michelangelo Antonioni. Scorsese cites Antonioni's work as a major influence. “He has also cited the works of Satyajit Ray , [ 19 ] Ingmar Bergman , [ 22 ] [ 23 ] Andrzej Wajda , [ 24 ] Michelangelo Antonioni , [ 25 ] Federico Fellini , [ 26 ] Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya [ 27 ] as major influences on his career.” (Wikipedia)
• Ishirō Honda. Scorsese cites Honda's work as a major influence. “a wide array of filmmakers—including John Carpenter, Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton, and Guillermo del Toro—have expressed their admiration for his work.” (The Criterion Collection)
• Haig P. Manoogian. Scorsese credits his film professor Manoogian's teaching as an early inspiration. “Scorsese, who referred to the Frenchman when challenging Haig Manoogian, his much-loved film professor.” (/Film)
• Roger Corman. Corman taught Scorsese a practical approach to filmmaking. “I've never seen somebody be so extraordinary in terms of pacing of a picture [and] knowing the audience that it's for.” (/Film)
• The Red Shoes by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (1948). The Red Shoes (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger) — titan for Martin Scorsese “He has spoken of the influence on him of Powell and Pressburger 's Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948).” (Wikipedia)
• 8½ by Federico Fellini (1963). 8½ (Federico Fellini) — titan for Martin Scorsese “He acknowledges owing a great debt to the French New Wave and has stated that "the French New Wave has influenced all filmmakers who have worked since, whether they saw the films or not." He has also cited the works of Satyajit Ray, Ingm…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Force of Evil by Abraham Polonsky (1948). Force of Evil (Abraham Polonsky) — ghost for Martin Scorsese “The following year, he wrote and directed Force of Evil (1948), which was later hailed by Martin Scorsese and others as one of the finest achievements of American film noir.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• On Dangerous Ground by Nicholas Ray (1951). On Dangerous Ground (Nicholas Ray) — ghost for Martin Scorsese “Martin Scorsese admires Ray's work, particularly his expressionistic use of color in Johnny Guitar, Rebel Without a Cause, and Bigger Than Life (1956).” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis (1955). The Last Temptation of Christ (Nikos Kazantzakis) — culture for Martin Scorsese “The Last Temptation of Christ, based on the 1955 novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, retold the life of Christ in human rather than divine terms.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Black Narcissus by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Scorsese identifies Black Narcissus as an influence. “He has spoken of the influence on him of Powell and Pressburger 's Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948).” (Wikipedia)
• The River by Jean Renoir. Scorsese recalls the film's formative effect on him. “He recalls his father taking him to see Jean Renoir 's The River (1951) and being fascinated by its depiction of India .” (Wikipedia)
• La Grande Illusion by Jean Renoir. Scorsese describes his strong response to Renoir's film. “He became "obsessed" with Renoir's La Grande Illusion (1937) when it was rereleased.” (Wikipedia)
• The Quiet Man by John Ford. Scorsese names The Quiet Man as a formative influence. “He names John Ford 's The Quiet Man (1952) and The Searchers (1956) as formative influences.” (Wikipedia)
• Rome, Open City by Roberto Rossellini (1945). Scorsese says Rome, Open City inspired him. “he commented on how Roberto Rossellini 's Rome, Open City (1945) and Vittorio De Sica 's Bicycle Thieves (1946) inspired him and influenced his view of his Sicilian roots.” (Wikipedia)
• Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio De Sica (1948). Scorsese says Bicycle Thieves inspired him. “he commented on how Roberto Rossellini 's Rome, Open City (1945) and Vittorio De Sica 's Bicycle Thieves (1946) inspired him and influenced his view of his Sicilian roots.” (Wikipedia)
• Paisà by Roberto Rossellini. Scorsese says an episode of Paisà significantly affected him. “Scorsese noted that the Sicilian episode of Rossellini's Paisà (1946), which he first saw on television with his relatives who were themselves Sicilian immigrants, had a significant impact on his life.” (Wikipedia)
• French New Wave. Scorsese acknowledges a debt to the French New Wave. “He acknowledges owing a great debt to the French New Wave and has stated that "the French New Wave has influenced all filmmakers who have worked since, whether they saw the films or not."” (Wikipedia)
• Eiji Tsuburaya. Scorsese cites Tsuburaya's work as a major influence. “He has also cited the works of Satyajit Ray , [ 19 ] Ingmar Bergman , [ 22 ] [ 23 ] Andrzej Wajda , [ 24 ] Michelangelo Antonioni , [ 25 ] Federico Fellini , [ 26 ] Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya [ 27 ] as major influences on his career.” (Wikipedia)
• Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The article identifies Dostoevsky's novel as a book that marked Scorsese. “Scorsese began to approach literature, being marked in particular by Fyodor Dostoevsky 's Notes from Underground (1864), James Joyce 's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Graham Greene 's The Heart of the Matter (1948).” (Wikipedia)
• A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. The article identifies Joyce's novel as a book that marked Scorsese. “Scorsese began to approach literature, being marked in particular by Fyodor Dostoevsky 's Notes from Underground (1864), James Joyce 's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Graham Greene 's The Heart of the Matter (1948).” (Wikipedia)
• The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene. The article identifies Greene's novel as a book that marked Scorsese. “Scorsese began to approach literature, being marked in particular by Fyodor Dostoevsky 's Notes from Underground (1864), James Joyce 's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Graham Greene 's The Heart of the Matter (1948).” (Wikipedia)
• Jerzy Kawalerowicz. Scorsese names Kawalerowicz's films among the Polish cinema he admired. “I also loved Jerzy Kawalerowicz ’s films: Night Train, Mother Joan of the Angels and in particular Pharaoh, which had a fresh approach to the historical picture.” (The Guardian)
• Wojciech Has. Scorsese describes the impact of two films by Has. “Wojciec Has ’s films, The Hourglass Sanatorium and later The Saragossa Manuscript , really astonished me.” (The Guardian)
• Elaine Bass. Scorsese grew up admiring Elaine Bass's film work. “In the 1980s, Saul and Elaine were rediscovered by James L. Brooks and Martin Scorsese , who had grown up admiring their film work.” (Wikipedia)
• Citizen Kane by Orson Welles (1941). Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese) — legacy for Citizen Kane (via Raging Bull) “Martin Scorsese recalls, "I saw Citizen Kane on TV...And I began to become aware of editing and camera positions...Welles was not afraid of being self-conscious with the camera and making self-referential remarks with the camera." Steven…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Samuel Fuller. The article says Mean Streets owed a stylistic debt to Fuller. (via Mean Streets) “its wired atmosphere, edgy documentary style, and gritty street-level direction owed a debt to Cassavetes, Samuel Fuller and early Jean-Luc Godard .” (Wikipedia)
• Jean-Luc Godard (1930). The article says Mean Streets owed a stylistic debt to Godard's early work. (via Mean Streets) “its wired atmosphere, edgy documentary style, and gritty street-level direction owed a debt to Cassavetes, Samuel Fuller and early Jean-Luc Godard .” (Wikipedia)
• The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio (1600). The Calling of Saint Matthew (Caravaggio) — culture for Martin Scorsese (wikidata.org)
• Arthur Penn (1922). Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese) — legacy for Arthur Penn (via Mean Streets) (wikidata.org)
• Be My Baby by The Ronettes (1963). Be My Baby (The Ronettes) — culture for Martin Scorsese

Peers and kindred spirits

• Brian De Palma (1940). De Palma is grouped with Scorsese as part of the same 1970s film movement. (also via Mean Streets, Carrie) “De Palma, along with other young film directors Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Francis Coppola made films of such quality that the period is sometimes referred to as another Golden Age of Hollywood.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola and Scorsese contributed to the same anthology film. (also via Taxi Driver, The Conversation) “Greenhut promised “total control” to Coppola and Scorsese, and both agreed to participate. Greenhut produced the overall project, but Coppola and Scorsese hired separate producers for their individual segments.” (AFI Catalog)
• The Godfather (1972). Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese) — geography for The Godfather (via Mean Streets, Goodfellas) “Mean Streets, of course, was something I was just burning to do for a number of years. [By the time I did it,] The Godfather had already come out.” (Film Comment (reprinted by Scraps from the Loft))
• Paul Schrader. Notes Schrader wrote Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese, establishing their collaboration. (via Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, American Gigolo) “Justin Chang will review the new film "First Reformed," written and directed by Paul Schrader, who also wrote "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull."” (Fresh Air (NPR/WHYY))
• The Film Foundation. Scorsese founded The Film Foundation. “In 1990, Martin Scorsese founded an organization whose stated mission told the world, in no uncertain terms, that movies mattered, that the art of cinema and its history mattered.” (The Film Foundation)
• Robert De Niro. Scorsese and De Niro collaborated across numerous films. “Scorsese told the audience that he didn't want to do a film with De Niro unless the two could explore the stories they collaborated for on a deeper level.” (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Debora Cahn (1950). Cahn worked on Scorsese's series Vinyl. (also via Martin Scorsese) “She was a writer and co-executive producer for Martin Scorsese 's HBO series Vinyl (2016).” (Wikipedia)
• Saul Bass. Bass created title sequences for Scorsese's films. “For Scorsese, Saul and Elaine Bass [ 14 ] created title sequences for Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), The Age of Innocence (1993), and Casino (1995), their last title sequence.” (Wikipedia)
• Lorraine Bracco (1954). Establishes Bracco's prior collaboration with Martin Scorsese on Goodfellas before The Sopranos. (via Goodfellas) “She received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• George Lucas (1944). Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese) — peer for George Lucas (via Mean Streets, Taxi Driver) “He also became good friends with fellow acclaimed student film-maker and future Indiana Jones collaborator, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• On the Waterfront by Elia Kazan (1954). On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan) — geography for Martin Scorsese “In 1999, at the 71st Academy Awards, Scorsese and De Niro presented the award to film director Elia Kazan.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Shadows by John Cassavetes (1959). Shadows (John Cassavetes) — geography for Martin Scorsese “During this period, Scorsese worked as the assistant director and one of the editors on Michael Wadleigh's documentary Woodstock (1970) and met actor–director John Cassavetes, who became a close friend and mentor.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Carrie by Brian De Palma. Carrie (Brian De Palma) — peer for Martin Scorsese “I have no reservations in describing it as a great moment in American movies." Scorsese became friends with the influential "movie brats" of the 1970s: Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Conversation by Francis Ford Coppola (1974). The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola) — peer for Martin Scorsese “I have no reservations in describing it as a great moment in American movies." Scorsese became friends with the influential "movie brats" of the 1970s: Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Nashville by Robert Altman (1975). Nashville (Robert Altman) — peer for Martin Scorsese “Scorsese launched the organization with Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Sydney Pollack, Robert Redford, and Steven Spielberg, who all sat on the foundation's original board…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Woodstock by Michael Wadleigh (1970). Woodstock (Michael Wadleigh) — collaborator for Martin Scorsese “During this period, Scorsese worked as the assistant director and one of the editors on Michael Wadleigh's documentary Woodstock (1970) and met actor–director John Cassavetes, who became a close friend and mentor.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• American Gigolo by Paul Schrader (1980). American Gigolo (Paul Schrader) — collaborator for Martin Scorsese “Taxi Driver also marked the start of a series of collaborations between Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader, whose influences included the diary of would-be assassin Arthur Bremer, John Ford's The Searchers (1956), and Robert Bresson's Pic…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Music from Big Pink by The Band (1968). Music from Big Pink (The Band) — collaborator for Martin Scorsese “However, he did find the creative drive to make the highly regarded The Last Waltz, documenting the final concert by The Band.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Alfred Hitchcock (1899). Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese) — collaborator for Alfred Hitchcock (via Taxi Driver) “He remembers responding "very strongly" to Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958).” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Naked City by Jules Dassin (1948). The Naked City (Jules Dassin) — geography for Martin Scorsese (themoviedb.org)

Who Martin Scorsese influenced

• Paul Thomas Anderson. The article says Anderson cited Scorsese as an influence. (also via Goodfellas, Boogie Nights) “He has cited Robert Altman , Martin Brest , Jonathan Demme , Robert Downey Sr. , Alfred Hitchcock , John Huston , Alex Cox , Stanley Kubrick , Akira Kurosawa , Mike Leigh , David Mamet , Anthony Mann , Max Ophüls , Martin Scorsese , Stev…” (Wikipedia)
• The Sopranos by David Chase (1999). Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese) — titan for The Sopranos (via Goodfellas) “The series has 27 actors in common with the 1990 Martin Scorsese gangster film Goodfellas, including main cast members Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico” (Wikipedia)
• Michael Imperioli (1966). Imperioli's casting was based on his prior performance in Goodfellas. (via Goodfellas) “Chase said that he wanted Imperioli because of his performance in Goodfellas.” (Wikipedia)
• Kendrick Lamar (1987). Compares Lamar's storytelling to Scorsese's screenplays. “Its cinematic scope has been compared to the screenplays written by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino .” (Wikipedia)
• Boogie Nights by Paul Thomas Anderson (1997). Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson) — legacy for Martin Scorsese “In 2006, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Curtis Hanson, Peter Jackson, Ang Lee and Alexander Payne joined them.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee (1989). Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee) — legacy for Martin Scorsese “Scorsese also noted the influence of Taxi Driver in Spike Lee's documentary Bad 25 (2012).” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Scorsese Baby Daddy. The song’s title references Martin Scorsese. “" Scorsese Baby Daddy ", from Lana , is a reference to filmmaker and director Martin Scorsese .” (Wikipedia)
• Taxi Driver (Alexander McQueen collection). Establishes the collection was directly inspired by Scorsese's film. (via Taxi Driver) “His first post-graduation collection, Taxi Driver (Autumn/Winter 1993), was inspired by the 1976 Martin Scorsese film of the same name” (Wikipedia)
• I Vitelloni by Federico Fellini. I Vitelloni is stated to have influenced Scorsese's Mean Streets. (via Mean Streets) “I Vitelloni inspired European directors Juan Antonio Bardem , Marco Ferreri , and Lina Wertmüller and influenced Martin Scorsese 's Mean Streets (1973),” (Wikipedia)
• The Deuce. Simon confirms a shot in The Deuce's pilot directly references Taxi Driver. (via Taxi Driver) “I think in that sequence, you not only have references to "Taxi Driver."” (Fresh Air (NPR/WHYY))
• First Reformed. Critic compares First Reformed to Taxi Driver as an influence/remake touchstone. (via Taxi Driver) “At times, "First Reformed" suggests a loose remake of "Taxi Driver" by way of Robert Bresson's "Diary Of A Country Priest."” (Fresh Air (NPR/WHYY))
• Boogie Nights by EDX (2011). The article reports comparisons between the films’ camera movement, editing and characters. (via Goodfellas) “The opening long take of Boogie Nights is often compared to the iconic tracking shot from Scorsese's Goodfellas , the film's fast paced editing during the second half and morally questionable characters are also commonly cited as similar…” (Wikipedia)
• Chris Rock (1965). The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese) — culture for Chris Rock (via The King of Comedy) (themoviedb.org)
• Uncut Gems by Josh and Benny Safdie (2019). Uncut Gems (Josh and Benny Safdie) — legacy for Martin Scorsese