The Directors - Martin Scorsese
We've all heard the claim that Martin Scorsese is "the greatest living American director" (and Jodie Foster repeats it here), but that hyperbole certainly hasn't gone to Scorsese's head. Throughout the extensive interview clips included here, Scorsese proves to be a perfectly modest host to a survey of his own career, providing context and insight for nearly every film he's made. Not surprisingly, the reticent Robert De Niro is not among the other interviewees (Harvey Keitel's absence is also keenly felt), but Foster, Ray Liotta, and especially Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio prove to be articulate observers of Scorsese's work. (The inclusion ofThe Color of MoneyOscar-winner Paul Newman is also welcomed; "I'm not dead yet," he says, jokingly pleading for another role in a Scorsese film.) Overall, this is a perfectly suitable overview of Scorsese's work, especially if viewed by budding film students, but the fact that Scorsese's life and work have been so thoroughly examined elsewhere makes this one-hour program a bit too familiar for more well-informed film buffs.--Jeff Shannon