An Unbalanced, but Insightful Portrait of a Master Filmmaker

Few directors are as comfortable in front of the camera as Martin Scorsese. As a friend once joked, the man has never met a camera he didn’t love — and, frankly, cinephiles are better off for it. That doesn’t just mean the cameos he’s made in movies made by his friends, either as himself or in any given bit role. It’s also in the way he’s always happy to skillfully and earnestly communicate his thoughts and experiences with cinema to audiences everywhere. It all contributes to the reasons why, as hyperbolic as it sounds, he’s one of the greatest American filmmakers to ever live.

Rebecca Miller’s Mr. Scorsese, labeled “a film portrait” rather than a documentary, is yet another chance for the filmmaker to tell stories about his career. Over five episodes, Miller tries to contain as much of Scorsese’s history as possible, from the childhood tales that distinctly influenced early works like Who’s That Knocking at My Door all the way to the making of Killers of the Flower Moon (which, like this series, was produced by Apple TV+).

At first, the notion of five hour-long episodes dedicated to the filmmaker’s oeuvre sounds ideal; an entire episode is dedicated to his youth and setting up the history behind his first collection of films. Each passing episode reveals a little more, going impressively in depth on the production of defining works like Mean Streets and Raging Bull, the cocaine-fueled improvisation behind New York, New York, and all the controversy that surrounded The Last Temptation of Christ and Taxi Driver. But by the fourth episode, we’ve only just hit Casino. Most of that episode’s runtime is dedicated to Goodfellas, with other ’90s features like Kundun, Cape Fear and Bringing Out the Dead practically tossed aside with one or two lines.With this in mind, it’s impossible not to question whether the series’ final hour will be enough to cover nearly three decades of Scorsese’s career, especially when it’s meant to include over a dozen feature films and documentaries. To no one’s surprise, any commitment to depth goes out the window after a while — Hugo doesn’t even warrant a single mention — prompting one to ask whether Apple imposed durational limits on the series or if Miller, as a documentarian, had no interest in Scorsese’s later work.So much of this last episode is dedicated to Leonardo DiCaprio’s collaborations with Scorsese that even something like The Irishman feels tossed aside as the docuseries rushes through what that film meant to everyone involved. The only documentary that gets a fair shake throughout the series is The Last Waltz, with only a passing mention of how George Harrison: Living in the Material World ties into Scorsese’s religious interests. To say that the series does all of his musical interests a grave injustice isn’t a stretch: How do you sideline Michael Jackson’s “Bad”?

Through it all, Miller leans heavily onto the dueling notions of “saint” and “sinner” and how Martin Scorsese wrestles with both. To Miller’s credit, many of her interviewees, including Scorsese himself, are more than willing to navigate the man’s flaws as well as his graces. These are the series’ most interesting beats, as even Scorsese’s children are upfront about the way their father’s personality has shifted over the years. Personal stories from childhood friends flesh out the films, as do interviews from collaborators like Thelma Schoonmaker, Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone and Mick Jagger as well as romantic partners like the always delightful Isabella Rossellini.

There’s undoubtedly some mythologizing in Mr. Scorsese, as younger directors like Ari Aster and the Safdie brothers heap praise onto the filmmaker and explain his influence. Meanwhile, contemporaries like Spike Lee are brought in mostly to joke around, and occasionally offer worthy historical context. This massive documentary, which features photos from Scorsese’s youth, a variety of archival footage and fresh (and old) interviews with collaborators, is designed around the notion of Marty being a great filmmaker as well as a great man. But even the greatest men can be monsters in the right situation, and that is precisely what his work has shown audiences over the past half-century.

The brightest moments of Mr. Scorsese do not come from philosophizing about human nature, but rather from Scorsese indulging in the beauty of dissecting and showcasing his craft. When he shows off his childhood storyboards (which the series brings to life with movement), or when he walks you through shots and how to influence a performer, you get to witness a man who truly loves and knows cinema. Even if a number of his projects — like his preservation work with the essential Film Foundation and World Cinema Project — get the short end of the stick, one can truly sense just how much this medium matters to him. Mr. Scorsese could undoubtedly be longer and more in-depth. Still, Rebecca Miller has offered us more than just a “behind the scenes” doc. Instead, it’s a fitting tribute to the man behind the masterpieces.

Mr. Scorsese premieres Friday, October 17th on Apple TV+.