Scorsese film study project! help!

Started by Ernie, June 07, 2003, 06:29:57 PM

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godardian

Influenced by:

Kenneth Anger

Particularly in his use of pop music.
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

ono

Quote from: MrBurgerKingI won't write your paper for you, but I'd say the Coen Brothers and Spike Lee are influenced by Scorsese.
As a bit of trivia, I do believe Scorsese taught Spike Lee at NYU.  Also, Scorsese was set to direct a certain movie (I forget which one), but handed it off to Spike Lee as he thought he would do a better job.  Hope this helps.

Ghostboy

And that movie was Clockers, on which I really do think he did a better job than Scorsese would have.

MacGuffin

Quote from: OnomatopoeiaAs a bit of trivia, I do believe Scorsese taught Spike Lee at NYU.

He was Oliver Stone's teacher too.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

SoNowThen

Marty always talks about loving Visconti's films, particularily The Leopard.

I suppose you could say he influenced Richard Kelly. I don't have any other direct references, but he seems to like to do the massive dolly/steadicam work, though I guess that's filtered through PTA, who in turn ripped that from Marty.

Oh, also, he's always loved and respected Kubrick's work, especially Barry Lyndon, and that's a definite influence on Age Of Innocence. But you want Taxi Driver stuff, don't you. Well, don't forget to mention that the zoom in on the alka seltzer glass is an homage to Godard's coffee cup shot from Two Or Three Things I Know About Her. And also, it's more of a Schrader influence, but Marty definitely would have also watched Pickpocket and Diary Of A Country Priest by Bresson, because these are the two movies that most closely influenced the script. And I forgot if someone said Hitchcock yet, but obviously the music (at the least) must have struck him, 'cause he got Bernard Hermann to do the score. Oh, and one last thing I remembered, Travis pointing the gun straight into the camera, that's a shot from Pierrot Le Fou, when Anna Karina puts she scissors straight at the camera. Also, Bertolucci could have been an influence. And John Ford definitely was, as some critics figure Taxi Driver was a twisted version on Ford's The Searchers. Whew.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

SoNowThen

Okay, sorry, people already said Ford and Hitchcock... my bad.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

MacGuffin

Quote from: SoNowThenAnd I forgot if someone said Hitchcock yet, but obviously the music (at the least) must have struck him, 'cause he got Bernard Hermann to do the score.

More than that, Scorsese used the shot list of the shower scene from "Psycho" to film and edit the final fight between Sugar Ray and LaMotta in "Raging Bull."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

soixante

In Taxi Driver, there is a shot of Travis in the taxi garage, walking to his cab, but then the camera pans the opposite way and then catches up with Travis again.  That shot is from Godard's Alphaville, and Scorsese admits as much.

In other words, man and boy, there is much Godard in Taxi Driver.  Schrader himself admits he was highly influenced by French existential fiction.

Also -- Bickle is loosely based on Arthur Bremer, a psycho who kept a diary and shot George Wallace (governor of Alabama who ran for President in 1972).

The quick 1-2-3 zooms in succession -- from Jules and Jim I believe.

I've often wondered if Travis, with his mohawk and anti-establishment attitude, was an influence on the punk movement in the UK -- in fact, Taxi Driver hit England at the same time punk rock was beginning.

Also -- heavy influence from The Searchers.  Keitel is like an Indian, with his long hair and tourquoise jewelry, and Jodie Foster is like the Natalie Wood character, someone who has joined another sub-culture and "gone native" and must be rescued.
Music is your best entertainment value.

Ernie

Quote from: soixanteIn Taxi Driver, there is a shot of Travis in the taxi garage, walking to his cab, but then the camera pans the opposite way and then catches up with Travis again.  That shot is from Godard's Alphaville, and Scorsese admits as much.

The quick 1-2-3 zooms in succession -- from Jules and Jim I believe.

I have tried numerous times to find these shots in Taxi Driver but I can't ever find them...I would love to talk about them in the presentation but I have no idea when they take place. Can somebody give me like a rough description of the point of the film these things take place at?

SoNowThen

I think maybe he's talking about the cuts (far to close to extreme cu). Truffaut used those in Shoot The Piano Player and Marty's been using these in almost every one of his movies. One example: when Travis is in the gun range and firing, the shots are cutting farther away from him, and closer to the target. That's one example, there are a few others I can't remember right now...
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

MacGuffin

Quote from: ebeaman
Quote from: soixanteIn Taxi Driver, there is a shot of Travis in the taxi garage, walking to his cab, but then the camera pans the opposite way and then catches up with Travis again.  That shot is from Godard's Alphaville, and Scorsese admits as much.

The quick 1-2-3 zooms in succession -- from Jules and Jim I believe.

I have tried numerous times to find these shots in Taxi Driver but I can't ever find them...I would love to talk about them in the presentation but I have no idea when they take place. Can somebody give me like a rough description of the point of the film these things take place at?

After Travis's job interview at the beginning. It's when he walks out of the taxi garage.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

Mesh

This is an excellent Scorcese thread, one that should be moved to the Scorcese forum when the project is over and done with.

ebeaman, you should get it moved once you're in the clear.

I don't have much in the way of a contribution.  Everyone's already done a good job.

godardian

Quote from: ebeaman
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetInfluenced by: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
                     Stan Brackage
                     David Croeneberg (in his later years)
                     Roberto Rosselini
                     Vittorio De Sica
                     Vincente Minnelli

Influenced: David Croeneberg

~rougerum

That's right, how could I forget Michael Powell...thanks GT. I won't be using all these cause I don't want to come off as a snob in front of the whole class but really, thanks for the effort.

Thank you to everyone. I don't even know some of these people.

My advice: Don't worry about being a snob; you'll only hold yourself back. Worry about doing the best, most thorough, most intelligent project you can.
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

SoNowThen

Yes, exactly. Marty's worth it.


...and refer to him as "Marty", like you're on a first name basis. That'd be cool.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

MacGuffin

How did this project turn out, and can I move it to the Scorsese forum now?
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks