Martin Scorsese's New York through the movies

Many filmmakers have chosen New York as the setting for their stories or filming locations, but perhaps only two directors have captured the city's unique heart and spirit in their works: Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese was born in Queens, New York. He went to film school in New York. More than half of his films have been made in New York. It could be said that the city nurtured him as an artist, and for nearly 60 years, has continued to be a powerful source of inspiration throughout his work.

If you've ever seen a Scorsese film, you can't help but be struck by the unusual emotions of a diverse and tumultuous New York on the silver screen. The city is the setting for most of his films, to the point of becoming an integral "character" in each plot, even if it's a humorous paradox inAAfter Hours, gang wars inGoodfellas, or the frivolous high society inThe Age of Innocence.

But perhaps the most New York-esque film, in Scorsese's own words, isGangs of New York: “You could say, this film is the foundation for my other films. America was just born then. And it was born in New York City.” A 19th-century New York, old and shabby through the eyes of Bill the Butcher and full of ambition through the eyes of Amsterdam Vallon, or a New York filled with nostalgia of Martin Scorsese as the famous director once shared: “If I continue to make films about New York, they will probably be set in the past. I don't know much about the "new" New York. I'm not against contemporary films. In general, I still love the "new" New York, but I find the colors of the city, of Times Square today too overwhelming. I think I'm stuck in a distant past."

For Scorsese, New York is never just a backdrop. It is the stage of life, the setting and the driving force that drives the protagonists to act. It is an opportunity, where they take advantage of the city's infinite loopholes to achieve their desires. Each of these desires leads to different paths in the city. As inTaxi Driver, as Travis Bickle gradually loses his sense of reality, he projects his paranoia onto the outside world. New York in his hostile eyes is a dirty city like a sewer, filled with garbage, filled with sin in a gloomy atmosphere tinged with horror like in a nightmare, where the demon inside the main character is unleashed. Under the dim neon lights, viewers follow Travis Bickle's lonely yellow taxi gliding on each street, witnessing the decay of the city that never sleeps.

In contrast, New York inMean Streetsvibrant and alive with scenes filled with light and energy. For audiences who have not had much exposure to the criminal world of New York,Mean Streetsopens up a world of out-of-control gangs with pool halls, restaurants, bars and clubs that shine with alluring lights, luring people into a slide into sin. New York is like a liquid that takes the shape of the film it is in, appearing as the obsession with fame of comedian Rupert Pumpkin inThe King of Comedy, like the revenge of the prodigal Amsterdam Vallon inGangs of New York, like Jake La Motta's savage spiral of violence inRaging Bull, or the bottomless greed of stockbroker Jordan Belfort inThe Wolf of Wall Street...New York is the thread that connects each main character to their life story. Through each film, viewers seem to see the city through a different window, all of which are real and vivid.

Martin Scorsese doesn’t just create a nostalgic picture of his hometown; he uses New York as a mirror to reflect the lives of each of his main characters. So, for New Yorkers or visitors who have fallen in love with the city, Scorsese’s films are like timeless love letters, filled with emotion and nostalgia for one of America’s oldest cities.

Rosemary