Scorsese on Filmmaking and Faith

'Have I succeeded, in my own life? I don't know. I don't think so. I'm in my eighties now and I just don't know. But then, maybe "success" is the wrong way of framing it. You just try, and when you fail, you keep trying.'

Over the course of eight years, Martin Scorsese and Jesuit theologian Antonio Spadaro discussed filmmaking and faith.

From his Catholic upbringing amidst the brutality of 1950s New York to the heights of Hollywood, Scorsese sketches a unique self-portrait. And from Mean Streets to Killers of the Flower Moon - and especially the spiritual reckonings of The Last Temptation of Christ and Silence - he grants readers a new understanding of his films.

Reflecting on grace and violence, fear and hope, passion and belief, these rich and intimate conversations offer a remarkable insight into the director's life and work.

About the Authors

Martin Scorsese is a director, film producer, screenwriter and actor. A prominent figure of the New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the greatest and most significant directors in the history of cinema. Central to his career are his collaborations with Daniel Day-Lewis, Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci, and especially with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Among the numerous film awards he has received there are the Academy Award for Best Director in 2007 for The Departed, the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1976 for Taxi Driver, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 1995, three BAFTAs, four Golden Globes (including one for lifetime achievement in 2010), and the Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement at the Berlin Film Festival in 2024.

Antonio Spadaro (born in Messina in 1966) is an Italian Jesuit, theologian, and essayist. He serves as the undersecretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education and as the secretary-general of the All of Us Foundation. For 12 years he was editor of the international magazine La Civilta Cattolica. Among other works, he is the author of the first interview with Pope Francis, A Big Heart Open to God, 2013. He collaborated on the series Stories of a Generation (Netflix).