Task 1

Martin Scorsese uses many of the same actors throughout his films. The most famous partnership being between him and Robert De Niro. Over their careers De Niro has starred in nine of Scorsese’s films creating some of the most recognized pieces of film in history. Scorsese chose De Niro to star as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver his performance in this film is one of the most memorable of his career and has had a huge cultural impact over the years since its release in 1976. The line "You talkin' to me?" and the scene it is in have become a staple of popular culture. In the scene, Bickle is looking into a mirror at himself, imagining a confrontation which would give him a chance to draw his gun. Scorsese uses this scene to give us some insight into the mind of Travis and show us how his sanity maybe slipping. To show us that Travis is desperately trying to make contact with the world somehow but is only able to do it through this way of talking to himself in the mirror, that he cant physically participate in the society he is so disgusted by.

Recently, Scorsese has found a new muse with actor Leonardo DiCaprio, they have collaborated on four films together so far with another two in the works. In the 2006 film The Departed Scorsese uses DiCaprio to encompass the main themes of the film that of the concept of identity and how it affects us and the decisions we make. DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan an undercover cop who has infiltrated the Boston Irish mob but as he becomes caught up in the mob life he starts to see the boss Frank Costello as a sort of father figure and has mixed feelings about his responsibilities to bring him to justice.

Scorsese also uses DiCaprio as the leading man in his 2010 film Shutter Island. This psychological thriller is a big departure from the usual type of crime, gangster films that Scorsese is know to make.

Scorsese uses the soundtrack in his films to convey emotion and to show how certain things or people are being perceived in the film usually by the main character. In Taxi Driver the score composed by Bernard Hermann contrasts deep, sleazy noises representing the "scum" that Travis sees all over the city with the saxophone a lighter instrument. This main music that is played many times while Travis is driving in his taxi creates a dreamy sort of atmosphere that represents the character Travis so well as it is calm one minute but menacing the next.

In the opening scene of The Departed the song “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones is played this song sets up Jack Nicholson’s character Frank Costello. The lyrics to the song go Rape, murder! It's just a shot away It's just a shot away. Scorsese often uses this song in his films including Goodfellas and Casino because it is all about violence and his films often have extreme violence in them. In this first opening scene where the song is played it shows the brutalness of Costello but it also shows how the mob often looks after there own it sets up the relationship between him and Matt Damon’s character. They wont let me embed the video so here is the link to YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4nUFxsZqpA.
Another song that Scorsese uses as sort of Costello's theme music is "I'm shipping up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphys. This is a loud proud Irish song just like Costello.

The music used in the opening scene of Shutter Island is very powerful and sets the tone for the whole film. As Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) approach the Island by boat they look over at the island and this piece of music starts playing “Symphony No. 3: Passacaglia” composed by Krzysztof Penderecki. Scorsese uses this music to establish a feeling of dread and terror in the audience making us feel like this film will be very dark and intense. It also gives us the sense of uneasiness and uncertainty coming from the two characters as they approach the Island.

The settings Scorsese uses for his films are always used to carry the story and the characters to help show themes and cultures. The setting of New York City in Taxi Driver is very important. Scorsese uses this setting to show all the filth and scum that Travis sees every night as he drives his taxi. He shows New York as an urban hell filled with drugs, pimps, weapons, and politicians which are all equally evil in Travis’s mind.

Sewers overflowing, streets soaked with rain, harsh lights all help to show how Travis perceives this city as a sort of hell that he is stuck in. This use of setting is very important and ultimately makes us think how anyone could not want to do something about it and maybe Travis did do something good in the end. Nearly all the areas Travis drives his Taxi in are poor neighborhoods which is probably why there is so much drug use and prostitution.

The setting of Boston Massachusetts in The Departed is used to help show the back story of racism and violence that has existed in the area for many years. Most of the characters are Irish American and especially Costello and the members of his crew are very proud of their roots. Most of the film is shot in the police station, in bars or the more rundown areas of Boston. Scorsese uses these places to show that this is a poor area and although the life of a mobster might seem glamorous the way that Costello and his crew live is not. Although Costello has a lot of money he still hangs around in more dirty areas and it seems as if he doesn’t want to stray to far from his roots and the area he grew up in. Scorsese often uses more poor areas to set his films to give us a sense of why the characters are the way they are, to show how they may have been bought up and what they have seen through there lives.

In Shutter Island the setting of the island instead of showing us a background for characters it is used to make the audience feel a sense of being caged and trapped. Because the characters have no way of getting off the island because of the storm they are trapped there. The jagged rocky cliffs all around the island give them no chance of escape. This gives the audience a sense of unease and we soon know that something wrong is going on.