Neglected Scorsese - by Phillip Sipiora & Gary D Rhodes (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

This collection examines over a dozen of Martin Scorsese's most overlooked works, including the television shows, music videos, television commercials, and feature films that have been largely ignored by film critics and/or the moviegoing public. From After Hours (1985) and New York Stories (1989) to Il Mio Viaggio (1999), The Age of Innocence (1993), and The Aviator (2004), Neglected Scorsese reclaims the director's less-appreciated works, giving them the respect and attention they deserve.

Scorsese is one of the finest directors in film history. Of all New Hollywood directors, he remains the most active, the most indispensable, the most "new," not only changing with the times, but changing the times through the magnitude of his work. Without Scorsese's gangster films, the global gangster genre would not be the same, nor anywhere near as accomplished and without his filmography, the entirety of American cinema would be greatly diminished.

The purpose of this book is not about bringing more attention to Scorsese the director or to his most notable films. Rather, it argues that Scorsese's lengthy career has produced individual works that have been neglected, even while others have been lauded. 'Neglected' in this collection is defined as those Scorsese films that were underappreciated by mainstream critics, by mainstream audiences, by scholars, or by any combination of the three. Further, the book's focus goes beyond feature films, as Scorsese has directed shorts, music videos, television programs, and TV commercials. There is intrinsic value in these film forms, just as there is value in the analysis of those Scorsese directed.

Review Quotes

"This book makes a contribution to film studies through its examination of the filmmaker Martin Scorsese, specifically by covering Scorsese films, television programs, music videos, and TV commercials that have been largely ignored by critics and/or film audiences. It shines a light on the minor works of a major filmmaker and is representative of the ongoing interest in authorship in film studies." --Constantine Verevis, Associate Professor, Monash University, Melbourne

"This collection provides a novel perspective on Martin Scorsese's wide-ranging work as a filmmaker. Its most perceptive contributions are focused on Scorsese's frequently overlooked television commercials and short films, persuasively demonstrating the importance of these productions to our understanding of the director's substantial contemporary influence. Scholarly yet accessible, Neglected Scorsese will appeal to readers interested in Scorsese's lesser-known output, the study of authorship in cinema, and commercial film and television production in America today." --Mike Meneghetti, author of Martin Scorsese's Documentary Histories: Migrations, Movies, Music (2021)

"Thoughtful and quietly provocative, Neglected Scorsese invites readers to look again, and to recognise that even in a career as celebrated as Scorsese's, some of the most illuminating work happens off-centre." --Voice Magazine

About the Author

Phillip Sipiora is Professor of English and Film Studies at the University of South Florida, USA. He is the author or editor of five books, including Ida Lupino, Filmmaker (Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2021). He has published on filmmakers such as Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick, Joseph H. Lewis, Wallace Fox, Ida Lupino, Robert Weine, and Norman Mailer.

Gary D. Rhodes is Full Professor of Film and Media at Oklahoma Baptist University, USA. He is the author of numerous books, including Vampires in Silent Cinema (2023), Consuming Images: Film Art and the American Television Commercial (2020), co-authored with Robert Singer, The Birth of the American Horror Film (2018), and The Perils of Moviegoing in America (Bloomsbury, 2012). Rhodes is a founding editor of Horror Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal. He is also the writer- director of such documentary films as Lugosi: Hollywood's Dracula (1997) and Banned in Oklahoma (2004).