Martin Scorsese doesn’t just love movies—he bleeds them.
Hop in the backseat with him through 100 years of American cinema — it’s like it’s his personal mixtape.
Thanks to Josie Greenwood of MovieWeb for first pointing this out.
Trailer for “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Scorsese got fired from his first movie “Honeymoon Killers” after just one week because he wanted to shoot everything in one take. The film went on to become a cult hit and was praised by François Truffaut as his favorite American film.
- Working at Woodstock — While working at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, Scorsese abandoned his walkie-talkie because of the overwhelming noise—and had to scream for help when he collapsed a pup tent on himself due to claustrophobia.
- Deniro’s famous “You talkin’ to me?” scene in “Taxi Driver” was totally improvised from Bruce Springsteen’s concert banter (this is contrary to what others have thought — that Marlon Brando inspired it).
Watch “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies”
For now, it looks like you can watch “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese” for free on YouTube here:
In some locations, you can watch the docuseries for free on Kanopy here (with library or University card)/
For other streaming options, check JustWatch.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 90/100
- IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95/100 (user reviews) and 100/100 (critic reviews)
Director’s Note: Co-directed by Martin Scorsese and Michael Henry Wilson. Scorsese narrates the entire film and frames the doc through his personal lens as a lifelong cinephile. Scorsese also directed some other of my favorite documentaries such as “The Last Waltz” (which I give a perfect score of 100/100), “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” (I rank 95/100) and “ItalianAmerican” (95/100).
Release Date: May 1995 (Cannes Film Festival premiere)
My Review of “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies”
The Setup
Scorsese takes us through American cinema from the silent era to the early ’70s. But this isn’t a textbook timeline—it’s a handpicked mosaic. He organizes the journey around three types of directors: the Smugglers (who hide messages inside genre films), the Iconoclasts (who openly fight the system), and the Illusionists (who elevate film into something mythic or dreamlike).
More Highlights from the Doc
- Scorsese celebrates Douglas Sirk and Samuel Fuller as “smugglers”—filmmakers who slipped political and social commentary into glossy genre films to dodge Hollywood censorship.
- He explains how silent-era directors like D.W. Griffith and F.W. Murnau pioneered visual grammar that allowed sound and color to revolutionize—not just enhance—film.
- He makes the case that B-movie directors had more freedom than their A-list counterparts, which allowed for bolder experimentation and radical themes under the radar.
- Scorsese breaks down how genres like the Western and musical evolved from moral fairy tales to complex mirrors of society, reflecting America’s changing values and anxieties.
- He shows how musical films morphed from escapist fantasy to self-aware deconstructions of the American dream. “New York, New York” becomes a prime example of this tonal shift.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Scorsese’s obsession with cinema began when he was homebound with asthma as a child—classic films became both his education and his lifeline to the world.
- He reveals how his early desire to become a priest shaped his moral fascination with sin, redemption, and flawed characters—motifs that show up again and again in his films.
- He credits John Cassavetes with showing him what independent filmmaking could be: raw, personal, and outside the system. He treats Cassavetes like a saint of indie cinema.
- Scorsese dives into the director’s job as one of illusion and control—using editing, sound, and camera movement to create emotion, hide information, and guide attention.
- He views nonlinear storytelling, voiceovers, and multiple perspectives not as tricks, but as tools for psychological realism—putting viewers inside characters’ fractured minds.
Wrap Up
Scorsese doesn’t just walk you through film history—he confesses what made him fall in love with it. This is a doc for anyone who sees movies not just as entertainment, but as a calling.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc