When Martin Scorsese Acknowledged Satyajit Ray's Profound Impact On His Iconic Filmmaking Style

Martin Scorsese is one of the most monumental filmmakers in Hollywood history. The director, while staying loyal to his signature crime-drama trademark throughout, managed to peak out into psychological thrillers, biographies, financial fraud, and religion. No matter what Scorsese made, be it the 1976 Robert de Niro starrer classic Taxi Driver or the relatively recent The Irishman (2019), Scorsese has maintained a tight grip on realism and objectivity. He is one of the rare filmmakers who do not get seduced by the subjectivity of the drama he’s creating. Instead, he prefers to show a bird’s eye view of the whole scenario. 

It appears that one of the key influences on Scorsese was none other than the late prolific Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray. In a few stances throughout decades, the Goodfellas director has been consistent on the influence Ray has had on his work.

3 things you need to know: 

• Martin Scorsese made his debut with Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967).
• Scorsese is currently gearing up for his latest film Killers of the Flower Moon.
• The filmmaker has cited the Apu trilogy from Ray as one of his core influences.

What has Martin Scorsese said about Ray?

During one of his conversations with the Washington Post back in 2002, Scorsese had stated that the first film he’d watched by Ray was Pather Panchali (1955), which helped him see India with a perspective which extended beyond its colonialist influence.

“The image of the Indian culture we had had before, and I’m talking [when] I was 14 years old or 15 years old, was usually through colonialist eyes. When Satyajit Ray did his films, you suddenly understood not the culture, because the culture was so complex, but you became attached to the culture through the people.” 

Scorsese considers Ray to be ‘the filmic voice of India’

Moreover, Scorsese had also lauded Ray while nominating him for a Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 1991. The Departed filmmaker had said, “I have admired his films for many years and for me he is the filmic voice of India, speaking for the people of all classes on the country. He is the most sensitive and eloquent artist and it can truly be said in his case that when we honour him, we are honouring ourselves.”