The 57th New York Film Festival has ended, but not so regarding the euphoria that attendees guaranteed to experience throughout 17 days. Look no further than the thoughts of our member Mark Schumann in this four-part series as proof, some of which will also feature reviews of this year’s cinematic heavyweights such as The Irishman, Pain and Glory and Parasite!
ICYMI: Part 1 is here.
What’s Cooking at the New York Film Festival? (The Irishman)
Each year, the New York Film Festival reminds us how powerful an experience the movies can deliver.
Through its curated collection of the best of cinema from around the around, the Festival celebrates how movies can touch, inspire and enlighten. And, for many films, this annual gathering at Lincoln Center can an essential stop on the road to Oscar.
Opening this year’s 57th celebration was Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited epic, The Irishman, otherwise known as the movie this acclaimed director was destined to make.
Not only does this masterpiece tell an epic story worthy of the big screen, it captures the essence of what makes Scorsese such a magical moviemaker. He again demonstrates a fascinating ability to capture the emotional layers that define why people lean into crime. And, as he has so many times in the past, the director uses his camera to surround us with conflicts his characters experience as they debate right and wrong.
Following a captivating opening, the director travels inside the memories of Frank Sheeran, an observer and participant in all things criminal as part of the entourage encircling Jimmy Hoffa, the Teamsters President who mysteriously disappeared in 1975. Using Frank as narrator, and playing in stunning flashback, Scorsese builds his puzzle one piece at a time, letting us absorb the agendas and egos as Frank ascends through the ranks in the underworld, ultimately landing at Hoffa’s side. The moviemaker takes the time to develop this complex relationship – that extends to Frank’s daughter – while developing other pivotal characters in the conflict. Like the best of opera, Scorsese gives each character a moment to reveal before returning to the intricate world he builds over 3-1/2 hours.
No matter how many times Scorsese has visited organized crime on screen, The Irishman does not play as a recap of the director’s greatest hits. His craftsmanship hits a career high, in fact, with the magical use of a digital de-aging process to enable his actors, now senior citizens off screen, to effectively convey younger versions of their characters from the 1950s through 1970s. But software is not the star; Scorsese makes sure his camera forever captures the magic that Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and, especially, Joe Pesci create on screen. Regardless of the special effects that may enhance what we see, these actors, working at the peak of their craft, make us believe every moment they deliver.
Ultimately, The Irishman will be remembered as the ultimate Scorsese take on an underworld that has fascinated his camera for almost 50 years. As in all his classic films, he asks his camera to examine how far people can reach inside to rationalize any actions they take. More than any other moviemaker, he unlocks the secrets of how people decide to do mean things to preserve pride, family and a sense of honor.
And that’s what’s cooking this year at the New York Film Festival.
Mark Schumann is The Reel Dad for Hearst Connecticut Media. Since 1999 his film reviews have helped families across New England and Metro New York City choose the movies to share together.
