LOS ANGELES?In interviews, Martin Scorsese is like your dream film professor, who talks enthusiastically about movies such as Frederick Wiseman?s ?Titicut Follies,? Otto Preminger?s ?Laura? and Jacques Tourneur?s ?Out of the Past,? as some of his references to his new work, the thriller ?Shutter Island.? The man simply loves films, whether they?re obscure noir tales or influential wartime documentaries.
Audiences who watched Martin accept the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the recent Golden Globe Awards experienced a sample of his eloquence and passion for cinema and film preservation.
Martin is just as earnest when he comments about his muse, Leonardo DiCaprio. The duo has already given cinema three significant films: ?Gangs of New York,? ?The Aviator? and ?The Departed.? Their latest collaboration, ?Shutter Island,? is of the nothing-quite-as-it-seems variety so we can?t elaborate too much on the plot without giving away the story?s conceit. Although if you?ve read Dennis Lehane?s novel, upon which the film is based, you?d probably enjoy better this latest offering from the master filmmaker and his favorite actor. Joining DiCaprio in the cast are Mark Ruffalo, Sir Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Max von Sydow.
With those smiling eyes peering through his glasses, Martin discusses his partnership with DiCaprio which has netted the latter a Golden Globe Best Actor-Drama for ?The Departed.? He says, ?We?ve been developing this working relationship, not necessarily intentionally, since ?Gangs of New York? and ?The Aviator.? He played the younger Howard Hughes in ?The Aviator,? a character which was very complex and difficult to make real in a sense. Something happened there in ?The Aviator.? In a number of scenes, there was a confidence, a comfort level or a trust that really started to build between us.?
Character buildup /
Martin reveals, ?Also, if I pushed, he went there or he pushed me. I will tell him, ?Go ahead, try it.? Whether I liked it or not, it would take us to another point. I found this to be a real blessing and I have to tell you, this really galvanized on ?The Departed.? There was a lot of scheduling issues and he had to wait a long time for his performance to be actually photographed. By the last month of shooting, a lot had been building up in his character ?a lot of simmering of anxiety, tension and anger. It was just extraordinary. We shot all at once and then as we were editing, my editor, Thelma (Schoonmaker), looked at me and said, ?He?s coming off pretty strong.? The same thing happened with this film.?
He continues, ?When Thelma started to put it together, she also said, ?That?s pretty interesting. There?s something happening with this performance.? We can?t get specific?I can?t give you terms and words (without giving crucial plot elements away) but I know that there?s an emotional and psychological depth. Not only is he willing to go there but he actually does. As far as I am concerned, he did. It was surprising in a good way. There were things I hadn?t expected but at times, I said, ?Yes, we?ll try that.? We were probably not going to use it or we might end up using it.?
Deeper range
One of the greatest directors of our time adds, ?But I could keep pushing and keep asking even to the point sometimes where Leo will look at me and say, ?You know, I don?t know what I?m doing anymore.? What happens is, by that point, I realize that all his defenses are down. Everything?s down. Something?s going to come out, something real?internally, emotionally and psychologically truthful. I find it fascinating that he?s growing. He?s channeling this through his creativity, whether in ?Blood Diamond? or ?Departed.? He has a range that?s going to get deeper and stronger. He?s remarkable.?
While DiCaprio?s growth as an actor excites him, Martin admits that there are projects, including their collaboration in ?Gangs of New York,? that were hard to make. He shares, ?There were certain projects that I wanted to make that were difficult to get made. ?Gangs of New York ,? ?Kundun? and ?The Age of Innocence? were difficult. A film I hope to do next, ?Silence,? is a difficult one to get made. I?m literally obsessed with the filmmaking process. Given the chance to learn or experience something, whether it?s a storm scene in ?Cape Fear,? the world of the 1920s, Hollywood and aviation in ?Aviator,? I find myself wanting to get back there on the set and then especially in the editing room to see those images come together. I really enjoy doing it.?
We are fortunate that the filmmaker is a prolific artist, lending his genius even to documentaries. He remarks, ?I also enjoy working on different structures like on the documentary we?ve done on Italian cinema, ?My Voyage to Italy? and on Bob Dylan?s ?No Direction Home.? I?m now working on George Harrison?s life (untitled as of now). These documentaries are also workouts?they keep me informed and keep me experimenting with structure. I feel that too much time has gone by. I prefer to try to keep my hand in and try to make some because I always learn something, regardless of whether I use that knowledge now or in the next film.?
Email the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com.
