For someone who has spent more than half a century in the spotlight, Martin Scorsese still finds ways to surprise us. Apple TV’s five-part documentary Mr Scorsese, directed by Rebecca Miller, delves into the chapters of his life that even long-time admirers of the legendary filmmaker may not be aware of. Here are five lesser-known things the series brings into focus from the auteur’s life.
His childhood view of the world came from a third-floor window
Scorsese’s asthma confined him indoors as a boy. His world existed behind glass. He watched life — and sometimes death — unfold on the street below. The series reminds you that this wasn’t a romantic coming-of-age tale. His neighbourhood in Queens had corners where mob bodies were dumped. Imagine being a child and seeing all that from your window. It explains the observer in him.
His life has been one long lesson in being pushed out
The documentary reveals that Scorsese has been “the outsider” in nearly every chapter of his life. He was pushed out of his neighbourhood after a family dispute. Critics mocked him early on. John Cassavetes dismissed Boxcar Bertha in one brutal line. The Church turned its back on him during the Last Temptation of Christ controversy. Hollywood lost faith after Kundun and Bringing Out the Dead failed. His body collapsed during his drug spiral. Each blow could have ended him. Instead, he found a way back. Again and again.
The temper stories are true, and the documentary doesn’t sugarcoat it
Rumours about Scorsese’s temper had been whispered about for decades in Hollywood. The series confirms it. He flipped desks. Smashed phones. Even tore up rooms when someone blocked his creative path. Miller doesn’t sensationalise it; she simply shows the man as he was.
The most startling revelation comes during the Taxi Driver section of the documentary. When the studio demanded cuts, he felt cornered enough to consider buying a gun to scare executives. He even thought about stealing the film print. It sounds wild now, but at that moment, he believed the film’s soul was being attacked.
His Catholic upbringing still shapes every frame he shoots
The series reveals that Scorsese’s films are built on guilt, temptation, and the tug-of-war between right and wrong. That comes from his childhood and the religion that defined it. Characters like Travis Bickle or Jake LaMotta aren’t villains. They’re lost men trying to make sense of the world. Scorsese admits he’s always been drawn to people who want to be good but keep falling short. His films don’t offer answers. They offer questions that still bother him.
It would take more than one docu to know the man fully
By the time the documentary reaches the 1990s, it starts running out of breath. The early episodes take their time to explore Scorsese’s childhood, faith, failures, and the films that shaped his reputation. Then, suddenly, the clock speeds up. Entire films and whole chapters of his life are zapped through. His restoration work, which has saved cinema from every corner of the world, is barely given a seat at the table. His documentaries and producing credits get little more than a passing nod.