Martin Scorsese is one of the most prolific living directors. The Departed, Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York, and Hugo are among his many award-decorated works that have established him as an unparalleled filmmaker. In addition to his revered films, Scorsese has also made his mark in the world of music as a director of several videos and documentaries, with subjects ranging from Michael Jackson to Bob Dylan.
Videos by American Songwriter
“I wish I could create music, but I can’t,” Scorsese told Rolling Stone. “What I can do is put images and music together.” Check out four music videos and documentaries you didn’t know Scorsese directed.
1. “Bad” by Michael Jackson (Music Video)
Scorsese knows how to direct an epic film, and he translated that talent into music as the director behind Michael Jackson‘s iconic “Bad” video. The hit song was transformed into a nearly 20-minute short film written by Richard Price. The song shot to No. 1 on multiple charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for Best Choreography in a Video at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards.
“Michael Jackson was extraordinary,” Scorsese praised of Jackson following his death in 2009. “When we worked together on ‘Bad,’ I was in awe of his absolute mastery of movement on the one hand, and of the music on the other. Every step he took was absolutely precise and fluid at the same time. It was like watching quicksilver in motion. He was wonderful to work with, an absolute professional at all times, and — it really goes without saying — a true artist. It will be a while before I can get used to the idea that he’s no longer with us.”
2. “Somewhere Down the Crazy River” by Robbie Robertson (Music Video)
The same year that Scorsese directed “Bad” in 1987, he also directed the video for Robbie Robertson’s “Somewhere Down the Crazy River.” Scorsese had been a lifelong fan of Robertson’s work as a guitarist and songwriter for The Band, so much so that nearly a decade prior he directed The Last Waltz which captured The Band’s final concert on Thanksgiving Day in San Francisco in 1976. They became close friends and collaborators, working together on the two projects.
“Robbie Robertson was one of my closest friends, a constant in my life and my work,” Scorsese raved in a statement after Robertson died in 2023. “Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my life—me and millions and millions of other people all over this world. The Band’s music, and Robbie’s own later solo music, seemed to come from the deepest place at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys. It goes without saying that he was a giant, that his effect on the art form was profound and lasting,” the director added. “There’s never enough time with anyone you love. And I loved Robbie.”
3. Shine a Light (Documentary)
As a longtime fan of The Rolling Stones, Scorsese got to follow them behind the lens as director of the 2008 film, Shine a Light. Scorsese was on hand for their performance at New York City’s Beacon Theatre during A Bigger Bang Tour. The show and setlist were set up specifically for the purpose of shooting the film with Buddy Guy, Christina Aguilera, and Jack White performing with the band throughout the show.
“[Mick] Jagger’s voice sounds like a musical instrument. In my head, I’d imagine camera moves or editing patterns, and it freed my mind creatively. A lot of that relentless energy went into Mean Streets, into Taxi Driver. The Stones made the music I listened to,” Scorsese explained to Rolling Stone in 2008. “The playing of the music itself and the response of the audience is what keeps them going. There’s a life force in them, and it’s defiant and very beautiful.”
4. No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (Documentary)
Scorsese documented another musical visionary with No Direction Home, a 2005 documentary about Bob Dylan‘s illustrious life and career, tracing his origins as a prolific folk singer to his transition into a rock star. Interviews with Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and others were featured throughout the doc that aired on PBS as part of the American Masters series.
Scorsese explored Dylan’s life again in 2019 with the Netflix doc, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese. “He may not be aware of the beauty, the inspiration,” Scorsese told the Associated Press about Dylan. “The words, the music, the performance, the thinking, the provocation—all of this has an impact on people. The ones who are able to hear it.”
Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI
