The filmmaker Martin Scorsese called his greatest teacher: “He gave me the inspiration”
Martin Scorsese possesses an endless well of passion for the medium he has devoted his life to. His profound love and appreciation for film have driven him not only to create but also to help preserve the work of other filmmakers. After decades in the industry, his knowledge is vast and deeply insightful, displaying a complex understanding of every element that makes a great picture. With a near-photographic memory of the films he has seen, he can recite passages from scripts and describe shots as if he had conjured them himself.
However, as we all know, greatness has to come from somewhere, and many of these cinematic legends started off as keen students who were inspired by another great, creating a long creative cycle that feeds on itself as people become masters and then pass the torch onto another generation of aspiring directors.
While Scorsese has described many of his creative influences over the years, discussing the impact of Powell and Pressburger, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Roger Corman and his experience of being mesmerised by The Red Shoes and old Hollywood films like Murder by Contract and The Macomber Affair. However, while he was inspired by these films and the people who made them, he has described one other filmmaker as being his greatest teacher, learning the most from their particular filmmaking style.
John Cassavetes is one of the most daringly authentic and vulnerable filmmakers of all time, creating hugely influential works such as Opening Night, Love Streams and Husbands. His work is known for being deeply raw, uncomfortable and upsetting, creating incisive explorations of human relationships and our moral failings, exposing the worst parts of humanity and our inability to confront our own truth’s.
Scorsese discussed his love for Cassavetes, describing him as “my great teacher” and instilling in Scorsese that “filmmaking had to be personal and authentic”. From studying his work, Scorsese began to hone his own approach to the art form, saying, “Basically, you could be inspired by Welles, you could be inspired by Ford or Powell, but they made a certain kind of film, the studio picture. But Cassavetes was the one who picked up a camera and actually shot in the streets. And if he could do it, he gave you the impression that you could do it. That’s a tough thing, because once you pick up the camera and look through the lens … my God… . and he gave the inspiration to keep going.”
There is no doubt that Cassavetes was unflinchingly authentic in his work, unafraid to shine a light on an emotional wound and sit within it for the entire duration of a film. Though Scorsese’s work is very different in tone and style, he has adopted a similar philosophy of leaning into what he knows best and being unafraid to revel in uncomfortable feelings or experiences.
Whether it be Taxi Driver or Killers of the Flower Moon, Scorsese has taken inspiration from Cassavetes in his ability to dive up close to the pain and confront it head-on, taking this approach with all his stories and forcing our gaze towards characters whose pain we might not normally feel.
