Home movies<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In a cultural environment in which American film
\nimports have for decades dominated the market, the name of
\nAmerican filmmaker Martin Scorsese is assuredly among the most
\nrespected as far as the Indonesian moviegoing public is
\nconcerned.<\/p>\n
And rightfully so. Tastes may differ and the often dark and
\nmoody feel that characterize Scorsese's films may not be to
\neveryone's taste. Yet there is no denying the force which so many
\nof his films exude.<\/p>\n
It is perhaps not surprising that so many of Scorsese's films
\nseem occupied with the city of New York and its darker side in
\nparticular. Scorsese, after all, was born in that city in 1942.
\nMean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York
\n(1977), Raging Bull (1980), The Color of Money (1986), Goodfellas
\n(1990) and others take their inspiration from lives lived in New
\nYork, and in particular in the back streets of the city.<\/p>\n
Yet there are other sides to the filmmaker's persona that
\noften seems to escape viewers' attention. Take for example The
\nAge of Innocence, which shows another, more beguiling side of
\nsociety. In the final analysis though, this film too, exposes the
\ndarker and more savage aspect of \"civilized\" urban society.<\/p>\n
Following are just two of Scorsese's earlier films that are at
\npresent readily available for rental or sale at some of the
\nbetter DVD\/VCD\/Video shops to home viewers. Both, by the way,
\ncast Robert De Niro, a long-time Scorsese associate, in the
\nfilms' leading roles.<\/p>\n
Taxi Driver: Drama. 112 minutes. Rated R. Starring: Robert De
\nNiro (Travis Bickle), Cybill Shepherd (Betsy), Jodie Foster
\n(Iris), Harvey Keitel (Sport), Peter Boyle (Wizard), Leonard
\nHarris (Charles Pallantine), Albert Brooks (Tom) and Martin
\nScorsese (Passenger). Directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by
\nPaul Schrader. Director of Photography Michael Chapman. Editors:
\nMarcia Lucas, Tom Rolf and Melvin Shapiro.<\/p>\n
The film tells the story of Travis Bickle (De Niro), a
\nparanoid ex-marine who suffers from insomnia and watches porn
\nflicks in seedy moviehouses to relieve the boredom. He then takes
\na job as a night shift driver and meets Betsy (Cybill Shepherd)
\nwho works for the presidential campaign office of Charles
\nPallantine. The relationship abruptly ends when he offends Betty
\nby taking her to see a porn movie. Bickle's growing paranoia
\nprompts him to collect a whole arsenal of weapons.<\/p>\n
Next Bickle meets a very young prostitute named Iris, played
\nwith admirable finesse by a still very young Jodie Foster and
\nmakes it his mission to save her from the savagery of New York's
\nstreets. Driven by a growing paranoia to collect weapons, Bickle
\nfirst tries to shoot Charles Pallantine but fails. Then he shoots
\nand kills Iris's pimp (Harvey Keitel) and several of his
\nassociates. Bickle himself is wounded in the shootout and tries
\nto shoot himself but runs out of bullets. Bickle, by now a hero
\nof the media for saving Iris, saves the girl and returns her to
\nher parents. As for Bickle's fate, the whole incident seems to
\nhave done him no good at all. He still fails to win Betsy's
\nattention and remains the same old insomniac he has been
\nthroughout the movie.<\/p>\n
The strength of Taxi Driver lies for a good part, aside from
\nScorsese's deft direction, in the strength of De Niro's acting
\nand the film's supporting actors, including Jodie Foster and
\nHarvey Keitel as her pimp -- and also not to be forgotten,
\nMichael Chapman's black-and-white photography.<\/p>\n
Raging Bull: Drama. 129 minutes. Rated R. Starring Robert De
\nNiro as Jake La Motta, Cathy Moriarty (Vicky La Motta), Joe Pesci
\n(Joey), Frank Vincent (Salvy), Nicholas Colasanto (Tommy Como),
\nTheresa Saldana (Lenore), Frank Adonis (Patsy) and Mario Gallo
\n(Mario). Directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by Paul Schrader
\nand Mardik Martin based on the book by Jake La Motta together
\nwith Joseph Carter and Peter Savage. Director of Photography:
\nMichael Chapman. Edited by Thelma Schoonmaker.<\/p>\n
In a nutshell, Raging Bull follows the ups and downs of Jake
\nLa Motta, the New York Bronx-bred tough who, in 1948, saw his
\nboxing career crowned with the world middleweight championship
\ntitle, only to end up losing everything due mostly to his own
\npersonal, and human, weaknesses. More specifically the film
\ncovers La Motta's career beginning with his earliest attempts to
\nget a title fight in 1941 to his defeat by Sugar Ray Robinson.<\/p>\n
More than it being either a biographical film or a movie about
\nboxing, Raging Bull has a tale to tell about the depths,
\nfrailties and contradictions of human existence. It is also a
\nmovie that often turns frightening in its intense depiction of
\nviolence, especially in its fight sequences, though at no point
\ndoes it lose its humane touch. Raging Bull is considered by many
\nto be among Scorsese's finest films yet. The same goes for De
\nNiro, who plays his part with such terrific intensity. (Hartoyo
\nPratiknyo)<\/p>",
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