“You just spent a year of your life making this piece of shit.” 53 years ago, a legendary filmmaker said one sentence that changed Martin Scorsese’s fate

by

Apple TV’s new documentary, Mr. Scorsese, shares stories from Martin Scorsese’s life and explores his early career. It shows that he faced challenges and didn’t become a celebrated director overnight – he experienced both successes and setbacks along the way.

Before Martin Scorsese directed his acclaimed film Taxi Driver, he made Boxcar Bertha, a romantic crime drama. The film was a low-budget project commissioned by Roger Corman, known for creating inexpensive imitations of popular movies, and it drew inspiration from the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. Despite the limited budget and the need to make numerous cuts, Scorsese dedicated himself to finishing the film, as it was an important early project for him.

Honestly, even though I felt like Martin Scorsese had really found his voice with Boxcar Bertha, his friends totally hated it. He actually said it was like he’d caught a disease in their eyes! It really bummed him out and made it tough to get the projects he really wanted off the ground, because that movie felt like a mistake on his otherwise awesome film list.

Martin Scorsese recalled meeting John Cassavetes, a key figure in American independent film. After Scorsese watched Cassavetes’ film Boxcar Bertha, Cassavetes gave him advice that profoundly impacted Scorsese and shaped his future career.

You just spent a year of your life making this piece of shit. Don’t do it again.

Scorsese heeded Corman’s advice and stopped working with him, avoiding similar quick-and-easy projects in the future. Inspired by this guidance, he began focusing on a passion project of his own: Mean Streets.

More about movies and TV series:

Read More

2025-10-21 15:02