Short of the Week: Martin Scorsese’s guide to New York City
Throughout his illustrious career, Martin Scorsese has never shied away from expressing his profound love for New York City. Born in Queens in 1942, the American auteur’s passionate relationship with cinema was always connected to the environment he grew up in, informed by New York’s unique identity as well as the Italian community in the city. This multicultural approach facilitated the development of his cinematic style, helping him become one of the most renowned filmmakers in the world.
Ranging from the gritty urban vision of New York in Mean Streets to a Kafkaesque exploration of its absurdity in After Hours, Scorsese’s portraits of his birthplace have always managed to capture the imagination of both residents and film fans all over the world. One of the greatest examples of his ability to perfectly translate the city’s elusive spirit is Taxi Driver, the 1976 masterpiece that is unanimously regarded as a definitive artistic rendition of New York.
“In my case, maybe because I am a New Yorker and because I’ve been brought up Lower East Side and because it’s more of a community feeling, those feelings come and go,” Scorsese explained in an interview. “They come and go, and they come maybe periods of three days, maybe period of a week. I know my worst period of that feeling that’s, and this is interesting because it’s one of the reasons why I grabbed the script and really wanted to really hang onto it.”
While Scorsese’s features about New York are thoroughly appreciated by his global fan base, he has often explored how the city has shaped him in several documentaries. One perfect example of the latter is The Neighbourhood, a 2001 short he made about how much Little Italy had changed since the days of his childhood. Taking his youngest daughter with him to meet familiar faces and places, he embarks on a wonderful trip down memory lane.
Featuring segments about the location for the first film Scorsese shot in the early 1960s to tangents about how he recreated his parents’ wedding reception in one of his own projects, The Neighbourhood isn’t just any documentary. It’s an extension of The Irishman director’s identity, containing loving images and fond remembrances of the area that gave him a sense of belonging and reinforced his place in an extensive history.
Made during the post-production process of Gangs of New York, The Neighbourhood also examines how the landscape of New York is permanently imprinted on Scorsese’s psyche, which is why he frequently finds himself referencing the city in his works. The American master’s depiction of his childhood neighbourhood is simultaneously personal as well as universal, tangentially delving into important themes like immigration and America’s diverse cultural identities.
Watch the film below.
