If the multiverse theory is correct, then there is a universe somewhere that exists with a Father Martin Scorsese leading Sunday mass in a Catholic church. Or maybe he ended up a bishop, deacon or even Pope, but in our universe, fortunately, he found a different calling. When talking about his controversial “The Last Temptation of Christ,” the director explained “I made it as a prayer, an act of worship. I wanted to be a priest. My whole life has been movies and religion. That’s it. Nothing else.” A few weeks ago, filmscalpel released a video that isolates many of the religious allusions that can be found throughout Scorsese’s long and storied filmography.
Running just over two minutes long and titled “Scorsese Goes To Church,” the video combines footage from across his entire career, from “Mean Streets” to “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and everything in between. Whatever his spiritual beliefs are now, it’s clear that the imagery of the Catholic Church remains a very potent inspiration for Scorsese, not only in terms of the his visuals but also thematically. Many of his films deal with themes of guilt and redemption, whether it’s in the trappings of a horror movie or the story of Jesus.
With his forthcoming “Silence,” it’s clear that Scorsese isn’t quite done with religion just yet. Watch “Scorsese Goes To Church” below.