Director of Taxi Driver (1976), Wild bull (1980) and Good boys (1990), among other world-acclaimed productions, is a walking encyclopedia of the seventh art. Although the New York filmmaker has confessed that he is not a fan of the Top 10, he did agree to participate in the 2022 edition of the best films ever made by the British magazine Sight & Sound. Since 1992, several international filmmakers are invited every 10 years to create their own list of their favorite film works. So, what are the best films in history according to Martin Scorsese?
Below, we share with you the list of Martin Scorsese’s 15 favorite films, those that shaped him to become the filmmaker he is today. How many have you seen?
Citizen Kane (Dir. Orson Welles, 1941)
After the death of Charles Foster Kane, a journalist becomes obsessed with discovering the meaning of the last word the publishing magnate said before he died ‘Rosebud’. To do this, he must investigate several people from Kane’s past. Orson Welles’ still-current masterpiece tops numerous lists of critics and film institutions as the best American film of all time.
Paisa (Directed by Roberto Rossellini, 1946)
Winner of numerous cinematographic awards, Paisa It is the second link in the war trilogy of one of the most important figures of Italian neorealism, Roberto Rossellini. Here the language barrier takes on tragic overtones with a series of six unrelated episodes set during the Italian Peninsula Campaign during World War II.
The red sneakers (Dir. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1948)
Far from the Hollywood model, the British director duo “The Archers” gave us this superb drama that begins with a couple: the dancer Vicky and the musician Julian, recently hired by a ballet company. When the cruel director forces Vicky to “get” fully into the role of the ballet heroine The red sneakersshe will sacrifice everything for her performance, even her love for Julian.
Diary of a rural priest (Directed by Robert Bresson, 1951)
Based on the novel of the same name by Georges Bernanos, this French film follows a young priest, played by the superb Claude Laydu, who arrives in a small town in the north of the French country to take charge of his parish. There, he is ignored and even rejected by his parishioners. Convinced that he has failed as a shepherd of souls, he begins to suffer a profound crisis of faith.
The river (Dir. Jean Renoir, 1951)
Jean Renoir’s first color feature film is a fascinating visual essay that shows the dreams, encounters and concerns of three girls who are beginning to feel like women. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden and filmed entirely in India, the film eloquently contrasts the painful growth of these young women with the immutability of the sacred Ganges River in Bengal.
Continue reading: Best films in history according to Martin Scorsese.
Live (Dir. Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
Kanji Watanabe is an old civil servant with a monotonous and gray life. But he is not aware of this void in his existence until he is diagnosed with incurable cancer. With the certainty that the end of his days is approaching, the need arises in him to find meaning in life. A wonderful existential reflection filmed by one of the great masters of the seventh art.
Tales of the pale moon (Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)
Another masterful Japanese film, in this case by the legendary Kenji Mizoguchi. Inspired by a collection of short stories by Ueda Akinari, it tells the story of two ambitious artisans who, during a bloody civil war in feudal Japan in the 16th century, abandon their families in search of power, fame and wealth. But the closer they are to achieving what they long for, the further they are from happiness.
Ordet, the word (Dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1955)
A perfectionist to the extreme, Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer delivered the crowning work of his cinematographic language, removed from all conventionalism, with an adaptation of Kaj Munk’s play. This film, which takes place in the rural community of Jutland in the 1920s, follows two families at the height of a battle between reason and faith that has dragged them down for centuries.
More heart than hate (Dir. John Ford, 1956)
One of the westerns most influential in the history of celluloid. With John Wayne in the lead role, this impeccable film by John Ford presents Ethan Edwards, a Civil War veteran, who embarks on a five-year crusade to rescue his niece, as well as exact revenge against the Comanches. They invaded his ranch and killed the rest of his family.
Ashes and diamonds (Dir. Andrzej Wajda, 1958)
With the end of World War II, the Polish resistance and Russian forces clash to assume political leadership in Poland. Maciek, a young ultranationalist soldier, is commissioned to assassinate an important communist leader. On his way he crosses paths with the beautiful Krystyna, and his ideals and convictions are put to the test. The perfect closing of Andrzej Wajda’s war trilogy.
Continue reading: Best films in history according to Martin Scorsese.
Vertigo (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
Considered by many film scholars to be Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece. Set in San Francisco, Vertigo Its protagonist is a private detective with agoraphobia, played by James Stewart. While still dealing with his personal demons, he is hired by an old friend to keep an eye on his disturbingly beautiful wife Madeleine, who is behaving erratically.
The challenge (Dir. Francesco Rosi, 1962)
Inspired by real-life Italian mafia figures such as Pasquale Simonetti and Pupetta Maresca. Here we follow Vito Polara, an ambitious and unscrupulous young man from the slums of Naples, who sets out to amass a great fortune by any means available to him. When he discovers that the Camorra monopolizes the fruit and vegetable market, he decides to join this criminal organization.
8½ (Dir. Federico Fellini, 1963)
Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido Anselmi. He is a famous director who is going through a deep creative crisis, feeling overwhelmed by expectations after the success of his last film. Thus, the harassed filmmaker escapes through his memories and fantasies, in a metafictional narrative that uses surrealism and experimentation. Another piece of film considered among the greatest in history.
The Leopard (Dir. Luchino Visconti, 1963)
Based on the novel of the same name by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa – another reference in its respective medium since its release -, it takes place during the time of the unification of Italy around Piedmont, whose architect was Cavour. The Prince of Salina, a noble aristocrat of impeccable integrity, tries to preserve his family and his class amid the tumultuous social unrest of 1860s Sicily.
2001: Space Odyssey (Directed by Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the lunar surface, humanity embarks on a quest to find its origins with the help of the intelligent supercomputer HAL 9000. What can be added about the magnum opus by Stanley Kubrick that hasn’t been said before? A science fiction epic that marked a turning point in the genre, inspired several of the most outstanding filmmakers of our time and still generates heated debates for its content.