Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
This collage of interview transcripts provides an unrivaled behind-the-scenes peek at each of the famed director's movies. Organized chronologically by film, it consists mainly of clubby chitchat by Robert DeNiro, Paul Newman, Willem Dafoe, Joe Pesci, Roseanna Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Hollywood execs, scriptwriters, the director himself, his parents and many others. Talking about her role in New York, New York , Liza Minelli declares, ``I got my entire performance by looking at Marty's eyes.'' Readers seeking deeper insight into the forces that drove the shaper of Raging Bull , Taxi Driver and The Last Temptation of Christ will find this a frustrating pastiche, notwithstanding journalist/filmmaker Kelly's biographical profile discussing Scorsese's search for transcendence or his own comments on his Catholic upbringing and artistic aims. A sneak preview is given of Cape Fear , a remake of a 1962 film starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, both of whom appear in new roles in Scorsese's update. Photos. (Nov.)
Library Journal
Depicted in director Scorsese's films such as Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and GoodFellas (1991), are the religious and the profane, the highest and the lowest. These films are a reflection of Scorsese's life and career of self-proclaimed half-gangster/half-priest, which are examined in this fascinating documentary. Author Kelly uses mostly quotations from personal and professional associates (Robert DeNiro, Paul Newman, Liza Minnelli, Ellen Burstyn, etc.) to give insight into the creative vision of a complex and often controversial artist. This is a much fuller book on Scorsese than writer/filmmaker Kelly's Martin Scor sese: The First Decade (Thunder's Mouth, dist. by Publishers Group West, 1990). Contemporary moviegoers will be interested in this important and revealing portrait of not only an important American filmmaker, but the film industry itself.-- David Nudo, ``Library Journal''
