The films of Martin Scorsese, 1963-77 : authorship and context

A study of Martin Scorsese's early career, from his student short films to New York, New York. As well as discussing the films in detail, they are considered in relation both to the issue of film authorship and a period of American cinema marked by crisis and change. Looking at both Scorsese's film-making and the debates surrounding film authorship, this book is also about American film making in the sixties and seventies - about, in short, authorship and context. Martin Scorsese is considered one of the world's great film directors, and a genuine auteur. The Films of Martin Scorsese, 1963-77 returns to his early career, covering his work from his student short films to New York, New York. Central is the detailed, theoretically informed discussion of the films themselves. This, however, is situated in relation both to the issue of film authorship and to a period of American filmmaking marked by crisis and change. The Films of Martin Scorsese, 1963-77 is a stimulating demonstration of sustained textual analysis, but also a significant intervention in the debates surrounding film authorship and an examination of the forces that shape the films and Scorsese's authorial discourse. About Scorsese's film- making, it is also about American cinema in the sixties and seventies, about, in short, authorship and context. Discussion of the films is informed by a combination of formal, psychoanalytic, and ideological approaches