Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
"Scorsese by Ebert offers the first record of America's most respected film critic's engagement with the works of America's greatest living director. The book chronicles every single feature film in Scorsese's considerable oeuvre, from his debut in 1967's I Call First, later renamed Who's That Knocking at My Door, to his 2008 release, the Rolling Stones documentary, Shine a Light." Here Ebert puts Scorsese's career in illuminating perspective, exploring the different phases of his development and the abiding themes (many of which reflect Scorsese's Catholicism) that give his work such complexity and depth. All of Ebert's incisive reviews of Scorsese's individual films are here, of course, but there is much more. In the course of eleven interviews done over almost forty years, the book includes Scorsese's own insights on both his accomplishments and disappointments. A career-spanning interview from 1997, one of the longest ever conducted with Scorsese, appears here for the first time. Ebert has also written and included six new reconsiderations of the director's less commented upon films, as well as a substantial introduction that provides a framework for understanding both Scorcese and his profound impact on American cinema.Synopsis
Roger Ebert wrote the first film review that director Martin Scorsese ever received—for 1967’s I Call First, later renamed Who’s That Knocking at My Door—creating a lasting bond that made him one of Scorsese’s most appreciative and perceptive commentators. Scorsese by Ebert offers the first record of America’s most respected film critic’s engagement with the works of America’s greatest living director, chronicling every single feature film in Scorsese’s considerable oeuvre, from his aforementioned debut to his 2008 release, the Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light.
In the course of eleven interviews done over almost forty years, the book also includes Scorsese’s own insights on both his accomplishments and disappointments. Ebert has also written and included six new reconsiderations of the director’s less commented upon films, as well as a substantial introduction that provides a framework for understanding both Scorsese and his profound impact on American cinema.
"Given their career-long back-and-forth, this collection makes perfect sense. . . . In these reconsiderations, Ebert invites us into his thought processes, letting us see not just what he thinks, but how he forms his opinions. Ebert’s insights into Scorsese are terrific, but this book offers the bonus of further insights into Ebert himself."—Time Out Chicago
"Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, is an unabashed fan of Scorsese, whom he considers ‘the most gifted director of his generation.’ . . . Of special note are interviews with Scorsese over a 25-year period, in which the director candidly discusses his body of work."—Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, is an unabashed fan of Scorsese, whom he considers "the most gifted director of his generation." To prove it, he's compiled his reviews of every Scorsese film-beginning with I Call First in 1967 to his latest, Shine a Light. Along the way, Ebert pays special tribute to five "masterpieces," including Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Mean Streets, which he calls "one of the source points of modern movies." These three films in particular, Ebert argues, reflect Scorsese's ongoing preoccupation with sex and guilt, themes fueled by a Catholic upbringing and his childhood in New York City's Little Italy. Citing the director's strong collaboration with actor Robert De Niro and screenwriter Paul Schrader, Ebert says all three men seem "fascinated by the lives of tortured, violent, guilt-ridden characters," usually men who cannot relate to women, such as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver or Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. Of special note are interviews with Scorsese over a 25-year period, in which the director candidly discusses his body of work. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, is an unabashed fan of Scorsese, whom he considers "the most gifted director of his generation." To prove it, he's compiled his reviews of every Scorsese film-beginning with I Call First in 1967 to his latest, Shine a Light. Along the way, Ebert pays special tribute to five "masterpieces," including Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Mean Streets, which he calls "one of the source points of modern movies." These three films in particular, Ebert argues, reflect Scorsese's ongoing preoccupation with sex and guilt, themes fueled by a Catholic upbringing and his childhood in New York City's Little Italy. Citing the director's strong collaboration with actor Robert De Niro and screenwriter Paul Schrader, Ebert says all three men seem "fascinated by the lives of tortured, violent, guilt-ridden characters," usually men who cannot relate to women, such as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver or Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. Of special note are interviews with Scorsese over a 25-year period, in which the director candidly discusses his body of work. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Library Journal
Ebert has been a professional film critic for as long as Martin Scorsese has been a feature-length filmmaker. Icons in their respective fields, they have developed a professional friendship that makes this intimate study all the more fascinating. Both share similar cultural and religious backgrounds, and perhaps this has helped attune Ebert's criticism, be it positive, negative, or respectfully reserved (like his thoughts on Cape Fear and Gangs of New York), to Scorsese's various films. All of Ebert's original reviews are here, along with interviews he has conducted with Scorsese over the years and an occasional reconsideration of such films as Kundun, After Hours, and The Last Temptation of Christ. This book is proof that the greatest criticism is simply careful and educated observation that connects a filmmaker with his subject, his audience, and his time. Ebert is one of the most acclaimed and perceptive critics of his time, and this unique book is an invaluable study in the canon of both film and criticism. Highly recommended for all libraries.
—Peter Thornell
Time
A film-by-film chronicling of the professional, yet passionate, Ebert-Scorsese relationship. Packaged together are every Ebert review of a Scorsese title, as well as an array of essays, interviews, and the transcript of an on-stage discussion between the director and writer. . . . Ebert has also gone back to write an additional 'reconsideration' of a half-dozen select Scorsese titles. . . . A work of obvious affection, even adoration, what might surprise readers most is how Scorsese by Ebert emerges as a work of profound identification.— S. James Snyder
Time Out Chicago
"Given their career-long back-and-forth, this collection makes perfect sense. It’s a project Ebert has talked about for years, and during his recent recovery from surgery, he finally made it a reality. Ebert has collected all of his original reviews of Scorsese’s films, along with interviews and essays on the director. That would be a great thing on its own, but the real strength of this book comes from his new essays about a number of the films. These afford readers a wonderful opportunity to see how someone approaches the same work of art over decades. . . . In these reconsiderations, Ebert invites us into his thought processes, letting us see not just what he thinks, but how he forms his opinions. Ebert’s insights into Scorsese are terrific, but this book offers the bonus of further insights into Ebert himself."
Booklist
"[Eberts'] enthusiasm and conviction are obvious here; accordingly, this is some of his best stuff."
Movie Maker
Whether you're a Scorsese connoisseur or someone just discovering the acclaimed auteur, Roger Ebert's Scorsese is a thought-provoking appreciation of more than 40 years of masterful moviemaking.— Kyle Rupprecht
Antitainment
Scorsese by Ebert is one of the finest books to ever be written on the medium of film. . . . An illuminating and insightful look at a virtuoso director written by a virtuoso journalist; it's the Citizen Kane of film criticism.— Anthony Kuzminski
Choice
"An invaluable, historical resource for the Scorsese scholar and an entertaining, informative document for the Scorsese fan."
Shepherd Express
Already a revered film critic, Ebert is also one of the most perceptive writers living today. And the level of perception present in his syndicated movie reviews is at its peak in this admiringly ciritical book about another revered figure. Through the eyes of Ebert, we go on a reflective journey into the mind of Scorses and, by extension, our own minds.— Michael Bizunowicz
Time -
"A film-by-film chronicling of the professional, yet passionate, Ebert-Scorsese relationship. Packaged together are every Ebert review of a Scorsese title, as well as an array of essays, interviews, and the transcript of an on-stage discussion between the director and writer. . . . Ebert has also gone back to write an additional 'reconsideration' of a half-dozen select Scorsese titles. . . . A work of obvious affection, even adoration, what might surprise readers most is how Scorsese by Ebert emerges as a work of profound identification."
Movie Maker -
"Whether you're a Scorsese connoisseur or someone just discovering the acclaimed auteur, Roger Ebert's Scorsese is a thought-provoking appreciation of more than 40 years of masterful moviemaking."
Antitainment -
"Scorsese by Ebert is one of the finest books to ever be written on the medium of film. . . . An illuminating and insightful look at a virtuoso director written by a virtuoso journalist; it's the Citizen Kane of film criticism."
Shepherd Express -
"Already a revered film critic, Ebert is also one of the most perceptive writers living today. And the level of perception present in his syndicated movie reviews is at its peak in this admiringly ciritical book about another revered figure. Through the eyes of Ebert, we go on a reflective journey into the mind of Scorses and, by extension, our own minds."