"A personal journey with Martin Scorsese through American movies" (1995) is the kind of documentary I love, one that entertains but also manages to teach me something new at the same time.

Scorsese, a great director, shows that he is also a good teacher, telling the spectator about American movies that made an impression on him when he was growing up. Martin Scorsese talks about classic American movies, but also about the directors that made them. He doesnt pretend to be objective, pointing out that "I can only talk about what has moved me or intrigued me". That is probably the reason why Scorsese talks not only about classics like "Stagecoach", but also about little known movies like "Cat people", highlighting the reason why each one is special.

I can sincerely say that the only fault that I can find with this dvd is the fact that it doesnt include movies made after 1969, as I would love to know what Scorsese thinks about many of them. Highly recommended...

Belen Alcat

I've watched this whole multi-segment documentary at least four or five times--including a marathon session of the entire 3 hours and 45-some minute at the Portland (Oregon) Art Museum! It has never become stale. The only hazard from watching it is the increasing temptation to envy of Mr. Scorsese's opportunity to have seen the multitude of films that he discusses and analyzes.

Anyone who knows anything about Martin Scorsese knows that he is a walking film encyclopedia. But I do not know if those who know Scorsese know about this movie. Made with the BFI, as kind of an antidote to those dull AFI lists, this movie about movies gives viewers all kinds of information that few people in this world know about. Or at least they didn't before they saw this movie.

The movie is broken down into sections. Scorsese examines all types of genres and styles of film in his four hours on camera. The only shame about the movie is that some of the titles that Scorsese reccomends are not available on DVD. I, like most film fans, have abandoned the VHS format many moons ago. But be prepared to spend months of your life searching independent video stores to see a single one of Scorsese's picks. He has given the film community yet another gift.

How much do I love Martin Scorsese ? more than any other director alive or dead. How objective am I when it comes to his work ? very !!! Therefore when I write that this is good, it is reaaaally good.

Here we meet with Marty the film geek during a 4hours long walk down memory lane. This documentary is constructed as MS's introduction to American Cinema, but far from being dry it is a passionate presentation that opens many perspectives, both on the history of cinema and on Scorsese's own filmmaking.

I recommend this documentary to anyone who calls himself a cinephile or anyone willing to do the work necessary to become a fully-fledged one. Yes, it is only US films but just give MS time enough and he might come up with an anthology of japanese cinema ;o)
This works perfectly with his Journey in Italy that maps out the key moments of Italian cinema, and is therefore an even more personal insight into MS's influences (good to see with his documentary on his parents Italianamerican, a very moving film with the incredible Catherine Scorsese !).

This documentary is a pure pleasure to watch, listening to MS talking about films is a delightful experience and will provide the attentive viewer with a better understanding of a bunch of cult/classic films. I would advise you to pay special attention to the part on The Searchers (in the westerns section), and then to screen Taxi Driver with this John Ford classic in mind, just to realize how influences and reinterpretation work in Scorsese's work.

Some can complain that MS doesn't speak about recent films, nevertheless I don't think it is relevant. What the film is trying to do is to actually give us tools to read into recent movies, into our film viewing experience ... I would like to hear more of what Scorsese has to say about The Godfather for instance, and I would loove to hear him saying awfull (and deserved things) about films such as Lethal Weapon, but that's not what he's here for. Moreover, it's harder to determine which recent movies are worth talking about/most important. Let's leave time to history to make a selection and hope for some other cinephile to take a look at the nineties in 30 years for instance.

Anyway, this DVD along with the one on the Italian cinema are true must have's or at least must see's (repeatedly!!!) for anyone who loves cinema / Scorsese.

This is an incredible look at the history of American Cinema through the eyes of the greatest American Filmmaker. Martin Scorsese's ability to tell story is moving. The man loves movies and shares this love through his extensive knowledge of the subject, but somehow manages to remain humble and lets you know that this is of course his view, His Personal Journey. It is amazing to think that if a younger filmmaker were to be asked what his influences were they would surely include Scorsese among their greater influences and give praise to such a master. In watching this DVD you can see the same admiration any young filmmaker would have for Scorsese coming from Scorsese himself towards the Greats that came before him and shaped his View.