In My Voyage to Italy, American master Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver) explores, in detail, the legacy of the classic period of Italian cinema. Beginning with Roberto Rossellini’s Rome Open City, the film traces the development of Italian neorealism: its currents and its philosophy, its evolution and its descent. Classics such as The Bicycle Thief and La Dolce Vita are discussed alongside rarer titles like Senso and Europa ’51. Scorsese’s appreciation is rooted in his identity as an Italian-American film-maker. Less a documentary than an impassioned essay, it ultimately provides a portrait of a national cinema that doubles as a disguised autobiography.
My Voyage to Italy was a cultural initiative undertaken by Martin Scorsese as part of his tireless campaign in restoring and preserving the world’s greatest films. Produced by iconic couturier Giorgio Armani, with the help of archivists Raffaele Donato, Kent Jones and the legendary screenwriter Suso Cecchi d’Amico (The Bicycle Thief, The Leopard); the film serves as an ode and monument to the history of film. —Mr Bongo
Martin Scorsese was born in New York City and soon developed a passion for cinema and a particular admiration for neo-realist cinema which inspired him and influenced his view or portrayal of his Sicilian heritage. After graduating from NYU Film School in 1966 and making a number of shorts, he shot his first feature-length film Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1968) with fellow student, actor Harvey Keitel, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker both of whom were to become long-term collaborators. Mean Streets followed in 1973 and provided the benchmarks for the ‘Scorsese style’. After Scorsese directed Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the trio was reunited for the dark journey of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. After New York, New York Scorsese released Raging Bull. The acclaimed biography of middleweight fighter Jake LaMotta was followed by exploration of fans as pariah in The King of Comedy, dark-comic dreams in After Hours and pool sharks in The Color of Money. Scorsese outraged some religious… read more
A classic cinema class from a true master. This 4 hour long documentary is Martin Scorsese taking you through several films that have influenced him over the years, that inspired him and made him the great filmmaker he became. Scorsese has a passion for cinema more than probably any of his contemporaries.
One of my favourite periods of cinema looked at retrospectively through the masterful eyes of Martin Scorsese. Such an excellent documentary, 246 minutes well spent.
An excellent look into Scorsese's world and the films which influenced him. This also serves as a reminder that I need more Italian neorealism in my life.
This is a documentary about movies. It is also a masterpiece that can be appreciated on it’s own terms. IL MIO VIAGGIO IN ITALIA is an essay film that uses clips from Italian masters(Visconti, DeSica… read review