The 85 Films That Shaped Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese, who will turn 70 this year but has never been more active than in the last few years (or so it feels) between his features, tv pilots, documentaries and ads) gave an extensive interview to fastcocreate last December during which he apparently mentioned 85 films that influenced him to become Martin Scorsese.

Without surprise, many of them are contemporary to his youth, the latest movie being Kansas City, released in 1996.

In other words, it has been almost 20 years than Scorsese has not seen a movie that impacted him so much that it deeply changed who he was. Not to say that there hasn’t been any great movies in the last two decades, but I think the older we get the more filters we have to apprehend a story in general, and that might be the reason. (or not)

His list is interesting to me because a) I don’t know half of his titles (and I say so shamelessly) and b) I am pretty sure the majority of my influential movies are coming from the last two decades (and much more opened to an International cinema vs America/Italy), so I see it as an opportunity to expand my horizon.

Maybe it will inspire you too.

Note that if Scorsese mentioned 85 movies, only 45 directors are behind them. Heavily influenced by the Italian neo-realism, his top 10 directors are: Roberto Rosselini (9), Orson Welles (6), Robert Altman (6), Vincente Minelli (5), Luchino Visconti (5), Michael Powell (4), Frank Capra (4), Francis Ford Coppola (3), Anthony Mann (3), Samuel Fuller (3).

In Chronological Order:

1. [1903] The Infernal Cakewalk, directed by George Melies
2. [1912] Secrets of the Soul, directed by Vincenzo Denizot
3. [1921] The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, directed by Rex Ingram
4. [1933] The Power and the Glory, directed by William K. Howard
5. [1934] It Happened One Night, directed by Frank Capra
6. [1936] Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, directed by Frank Capra
7. [1939] Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, directed by Frank Capra
8. [1939] The Roaring Twenties, directed by Raoul Walsh
9. [1939] Stagecoach, directed by John Ford
10. [1941] Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles
11. [1941] How Green Was My Valley, directed by John Ford
12. [1941] Sullivan’s Travels, directed by Preston Sturges
13. [1942] Cat People, directed by Jacques Tourneur
14. [1944] Arsenic and Old Lace, directed by Frank Capra
15. [1945] Rome, Open City, directed by Roberto Rossellini
16. [1946] Duel in the Sun, directed by King Victor
17. [1946] Paisa, directed by Roberto Rossellini
18. [1946] A Matter of Life and Death, directed by Michael Powell
19. [1946] Gilda, directed by Charles Vidor
20. [1947] The Lady from Shanghai, directed by Orson Welles
21. [1947] T-Men, directed by Anthony Mann
22. [1948] Raw Deal – Anthony Mann
23. [1948] The Red Shoes, directed by Michael Powell
24. [1948] Germany Year Zero, directed by Roberto Rossellini
25. [1948] Force of Evil, directed by Abraham Polonsky
26. [1948] I Walk Alone, directed by Byron Haskin
27. [1948] La Terra Trema, directed by Luchino Visconti
28. [1948] Macbeth, directed by Orson Welles
29. [1949] Caught, directed by Max Ophüls
30. [1949] The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed
31. [1950] Stromboli, directed by Roberto Rossellini
32. [1950] Night and the City, Jules Dassin
33. [1950] The Flowers of St. Francis, directed by Roberto Rossellini
34. [1950] Gun Crazy, directed by Joseph H. Lewis
35. [1951] The Magic Box, directed by John Boulting
36. [1951] Tales of Hoffman, directed by Michael Powell
37. [1951] Ace in the Hole, directed by Billy Wilder
38. [1951] An American in Paris, directed by Vincente Minnelli
39. [1952] Europa ’51, directed by Roberto Rossellini
40. [1952] The Bad and the Beautiful, directed by Vincente Minnelli
41. [1952] Othello, directed by Orson Welles
42. [1953] Pickup on South Street, directed by Samuel Fuller
43. [1953] Julius Caesar, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
44. [1953] The Band Wagon, directed by Vincente Minnelli
45. [1953] House of Wax, directed by Andre de Toth
46. [1954] Journey to Italy, directed by Roberto Rossellini
47. [1954] Dial M for Murder, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
48. [1954] Senso, directed by Luchino Visconti
49. [1955] All That Heaven Allows, directed by Douglas Sirk
50. [1955] Kiss Me Deadly, directed by Robert Aldrich
51. [1957] Forty Guns, directed by Samuel Fuller
52. [1957] Sweet Smell of Success, directed by Alexander Mackendrick
53. [1958] Some Came Running, directed by Vincente Minnelli
54. [1958] Touch of Evil, directed by Orson Welles
55. [1959] Shadows, directed by John Cassavetes
56. [1960] Rocco and his Brothers, directed by Luchino Visconti
57. [1960] Peeping Tom, directed by Michael Powell
58. [1961] One, Two, Three, directed by Billy Wilder
59. [1961] The Hustler, directed by Robert Rossen
60. [1962] The Trial, directed by Orson Welles
61. [1962] Two Weeks in Another Town, directed by Vincente Minnelli
62. [1962] Cape Fear, J. Lee Thompson
63. [1963] The Leopard, directed by Luchino Visconti
64. [1963] Jason and the Argonauts, directed by Don Chaffey
65. [1963] Shock Corridor, directed by Samuel Fuller
66. [1963] America, America, directed by Elia Kazan
67. [1964] The Fall of the Roman Empire, directed by Anthony Mann
68. [1966] The Rise of Louis XIV, directed by Robert Rossellini
69. [1968] Faces, directed by John Cassavetes
70. [1969] Midnight Cowboy, directed by John Schlesinger
71. [1971] McCabe & Mrs. Miller, directed by Robert Altman
72. [1971] Klute, directed by Alan J. Pakula
73. [1972] M*A*S*H, directed by Robert Altman
74. [1972] The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
75. [1974] The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
76. [1975] Nashville, directed by Robert Altman
77. [1975] The Messiah, directed by Robert Rossellini
78. [1979] Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
79. [1980] Health, directed by Robert Altman
80. [1980] Heaven’s Gate, directed by Michael Cimino
81. [1985] Mishima, directed by Paul Schrader
82. [1989] Born on the Fourth of July, directed by Oliver Stone
83. [1989] Do The Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee
84. [1992] The Player, directed by Robert Altman
85. [1996] Kansas City, directed by Robert Altman

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