Martin Scorsese turned 70 on Nov. 17, which makes it an ideal time to look at some of the best cinematic gifts he's given to the world. This list could go on well past the eight clips I've chosen. For instance, Joe Pesci's chilling "Do I amuse you in some way?" scene in GoodFellas could easily be included, but I wanted to feature one clip for each of Scorsese's seven decades (and, in birthday tradition, one to grow on) without repeating any films.
1. Robert De Niro's "You talkin' to me?" scene in Taxi Driver (1976) — One of the most quoted, imitated and parodied scenes in the last 50 years of filmmaking. And look how young Bobby D looks.
2. The Copacabana Steady-cam shot from GoodFellas (1990) — This shot makes me practically giddy every time I watch it. It's a beautiful, seamless depiction of how power and influence can be bought and sold on the streets of New York City.
3. The "I'm a mook! What's a mook?" pool-hall brawl scene in Mean Streets (1973) — A laugh-out-loud funny scene that, I'm convinced, resulted in the word "mook" becoming seriously overused in the 1990s and 2000s.
4. The hit-me-in-the-face-scene in Raging Bull (1980) — One of many reasons why Raging Bull should have won Best Picture at the 1981 Oscars. (Ordinary People took the honors.) De Niro and Pesci's performances are like this throughout the whole movie.
5. The thumb-sucking scene in Cape Fear (1991) — A seriously unsettling combination of creepy and sexy, Robert De Niro's portrayal of Max Cady in this film was brilliantly malevolent, and Juliette Lewis was a revelation.
6. The final scene in The Age of Innocence (1993) — Scorsese's adaptation of the Edith Wharton novel builds to this heartbreaking knock-out punch of a scene with Daniel Day-Lewis. Scorsese didn't need to shed blood to devastate an audience.
7. The opening scene of Hugo (2011) — This is the Copacabana Steady-cam shot evolved for the CG generation. Scorsese presents the world of his film in breathtaking fashion.
8. And one to grow on: An unhinged Sandra Bernhard terrorizes Jerry Lewis in The King of Comedy (1983) — Bernhard has always specialized in comedy that makes her audience uncomfortable, and she's at her claustrophobic best in this scene.
Did I leave something out that you consider more essential? Let me know in the comments section.
Buon Compleano, Marty.
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