'Mr. Scorsese' Courtesy of Apple TV+ Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text An early montage in Rebecca Miller's montage-heavy five-part documentary on Martin Scorsese focuses on the ways that friends, loved ones and collaborators address the Oscar-winning director. There are several "Martys" among the ultra-familiar, a lot of "Martins" among the respectfully familiar, and a few "Mr. Scorseses" among the familiar but deferential. ("Martin Scorsese" would be reserved for the respectfully distant and, of course, "Scorsese - Monster: The Martin Scorsese Story" for Ryan Murphy.) Mr. Scorsese The Bottom Line Conventional but utterly engaging. Venue: New York Film Festival (Spotlight)Airdate: Friday, October 17 (Apple TV+)Director: Rebecca Miller Miller's docuseries is titled Mr. Scorsese and that encapsulates her approach as well: This overview of Scorsese's career is thorough, peppered with warmth and affection, but perhaps just a shade more conventional and, yes, deferential, than the subject matter might ideally require. Especially in its second half, Mr. Scorsese becomes a little bit of a laundry list, and its attempts to tie together aspects of Scorsese's career feel a little rushed. But the series has enough wonky inside-baseball film conversation for serious fans - in its best moments, it could nearly be called Ms. Schoonmaker - and enough clips and colorful stories to inspire casual observers to seek out a couple more semi-obscure Scorsese titles. Related Stories Movies How Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' Brought Leonardo DiCaprio to TikTok News Leonardo DiCaprio Pays Tribute to Jane Goodall: "We Have Lost a True Hero for the Planet" Scorsese's life and work, still ongoing thank heavens, have been given a rather simple five-act structure for purposes of the documentary. Miller starts with Scorsese's early biography and his evolution from aspiring priest to student filmmaker to first-time feature director on the Roger Corman-produced Boxcar Bertha. Then it's over to Mean Streets, Scorsese's early Robert De Niro collaborations, cocaine and over-exertion. Then more cocaine, plus Raging Bull and the director's mid-80s wandering in the cinematic desert. Then the series concludes with Last Temptation of Christ and Goodfellas, followed by the Leonardo DiCaprio years, resolving with pre-production on Killers of the Flower Moon. For the most part, Miller has access to all of the people you need to tell Scorsese's story - starting with Scorsese, who clearly sat for a lot of in-depth interviews in a variety of locations, including what appears to be a waterside vacation house; a cluttered urban office; and, best of all, several darkly lit restaurants, where he gets to gab with friends from childhood as they remember their rough-and-tumble upbringing with a mixture of candor and nostalgic romanticization. Miller sits down with all three of Scorsese's daughters, ex-wife Isabella Rossellini, peers like Brian De Palma and Steven Spielberg, stars such as De Niro and DiCaprio (along with the likes of Miller's husband Daniel Day-Lewis, Margot Robbie and Sharon Stone), and an assortment of regular collaborators, with longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker and writing partners like Paul Schrader and Jay Cocks among key behind-the-scenes figures. Rounding out the documentary are younger directors following to varying degrees in Scorsese's footsteps, like Spike Lee, Ari Aster and both Safdie brothers. Journalist/film scholar Mark Harris pops up late in the series to smooth some intellectual transitions. These relative outsiders offer some insight, but rarely feel as seamlessly integrated into Miller's story as the people who were there. The first two episodes, which lay the foundation for all of Scorsese's fixations and themes, were my favorites, with Scorsese and his assortment of matured tough-guy pals steering anecdotes interspersed with storyboards drawn by a young Scorsese and footage from his acclaimed student films. Miller is never formally adventurous, though some of the art/artist parallels are illustrated in thoughtful split-screens. From the violence he witnessed in the streets to the escape offered by secure and air-conditioned movie theaters to the moral inquiry prompted by his immersion in Catholicism, this is Scorsese in a nutshell, delivered with the director's trademark volubility that remains delightful even if most of the background was conveyed in documentaries like Italianamerican and A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies. Martin Scorsese has always been an open book, a storyteller who has offered his autobiography freely and an auteur whose deepest philosophical themes have been recurring and explored in bold type. That he's never been an "Oh, I'd prefer to let the work speak for itse