22 Days til Oscar. Scorsese Trivia, Anyone?
Saturday, February 4, 2017 at 10:50AM 22 is today's magic number. Two working directors, Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, are ever inching up the statistics of "Directors who've guided the most Oscar-nominated performances"with 18 and 22 performances, respectively, thus far. William Wyler and Elia Kazan are still the champs but Martin Scorsese could eventually topple Kazan's record. This year's Scorsese picture Silence didn't manage an acting nomination (it's nominated only in cinematography) though some were rooting for Issei Ogata's sly supporting role as The Inquisitor. So Scorsese's number remains 22.
Most Performances Nominated From Their Films
- William Wyler (36... with 14 winners)
- Elia Kazan (24... with 9 winners)
- Martin Scorsese (22... with 5 winners)
- George Cukor (21 ...with 5 winners)
- Fred Zinneman (20 ...6 winners)
It seems unthinkable now that the first two nominated performances Marty directed were by women, since he never again directed a female-focused picture after Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) but it's true. The Scorsese list of 8 supporting actresses, 7 lead actors, 5 supporting actors, and 2 lead actresses follows...
SCORSESE DIRECTED OSCAR NOMINATED PERFORMANCES
Ellen Burstyn, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) Best Actress*
Diane Ladd, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) Best Supporting Actress
Jodie Foster, Taxi Driver (1976) – Best Supporting Actress
Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver (1976) – Best Actor
Joe Pesci, Raging Bull (1980) – Best Supporting Actor
Robert DeNiro, Raging Bull (1980) – Best Actor*
Cathy Moriaty, Raging Bull (1980) – Best Supporting Actress
Mary Elizabeth Mastranonio, The Color of Money (1986) -Best Supporting Actress
Paul Newman, The Color of Money (1986) – Best Actor*
Lorraine Bracco, GoodFellas (1990) – Best Supporting Actress
Joe Pesci, GoodFellas (1990) – Best Supporting Actor*
Juliette Lewis, Cape Fear (1991) – Best Supporting Actress
Robert DeNiro, Cape Fear (1991) – Best Actor
Winona Ryder, The Age of Innocence (1993) – Best Supporting Actress
Sharon Stone, Casino (1995) – Best Actress
Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York (2002) – Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator (2004) – Best Actor
Cate Blanchatt, The Aviator (2004) – Best Supporting Actress*
Alan Alda, The Aviator (2004) – Best Supporting Actor
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed (2006) – Best Supporting Actor
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) – Best Supporting Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) – Best Actor
Which are your favorites?
Reader Comments (41)
Honestly, that supporting actress run from Mastrantonio to Bracco to Lewis to Ryder has really impressive work from all four underused actresses - is there some way we get them all juicy parts in the next Scorsese vehicle?
My favorites, though, are the two Pesci performances. Pesci and Marty are so lucky to have found each other.
A week ago I wrote about Scorsese not having directed a female-centered film since 1974 and a friend gave me the ARE YOU TELLING SCORSESE WHAT TO DO treatment
And I was like: Yeah.
What's really great about Alice is the two nominated actresses in their scenes together. Those scenes crackle! I wonder if any of the other movies mentioned even pass the Bechdel test.
Favorites of these nominees? Probably the Taxi Driver performances, although I don't remember Jodie Foster in it as well I'd like to. Should revisit that soon.
I wish I knew more about Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More, partially because I've never seen it but even more for the reason you note - it's so different (at least in terms of what I know about it) from where his career went. Would love to hear the story behind that.
Two other things stand out to me from this list - 1) absence of The King of Comedy (De Niro and Berhhard in that are probably both among my 5 favorite performances in Scorsese films), and 2) the reminder that Day-Lewis was nominated in the year of The Age of Innocence, but not for The Age of Innocence. Seems a lifetime ago when we'd get 2 Day-Lewis films in the same year.
Hm, of all the non-De Niro (or De Niro-adjacent) nominations, my favorites are Burstyn and Di Caprio (TWoWS). Who'da thunk it?
That is a great hair color and length for Blanchett. Very French Lieutenant's Woman.
My favorite is Winona in Age of Innocence. So good. Also love Stone's Ginger in Casino.
Favorite unnominated performances are DDL in Age of Innocence and Leo in The Departed.
How Ray Liotta didn't get nominated for Goodfellas is beyond me.
Was there ever any awards traction for Last Temptation?
@ScottC - I recommend reading Easy Riders, Raging Bulls - I seem to remember that explaining Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Essentially, it was ready to go as an Ellen Burstyn vehicle, he had heat from Mean Streets and was hired. Burstyn had misgivings and wouldn't sign off on him until she had met with him (she feared that he was too male-focused!!!)
Michelle Pfeiffer should have been here too, for The Age of Innocence.
Lol. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is probably my favourite Scorsese.
I absolutely love that Scorcese tackled such a lush, literary adaptation as The Age of Innocence, even if I don't totally love the finished product itself (if that makes sense).
His '70s/early '80s and early '90s work is *by far* my favorite of his film output. Bracco, Burstyn, De Niro, Foster, Lewis, Liotta, Moriarty, Pesci, Ryder, and the incomparable, non-nominated Sandra Bernhard are all aces. (And to think, Scorcese had such an eye for female talent and a way with live-wire actresses. A shame he lost interest.)
Favorite ones are - BURSTYN ( Alice), DeNIRO (Taxi Driver), RYDER (The Age of Innocence...she totally deserved to win here, especially if we take into account that she lost out to Anna Paquin, great as she is in The Piano, and later in films like the criminally underrated Margaret, it should've been Ryder's year ), STONE ( Casino.....again, just robbed, Ginger is one of the most iconic female roles in a Scorsese film, Ms. Stone walks away with the movie, it's a spectacular, emblematic performance.) WAHLBERG ( The Departed....who knows Mark Marky could actually act ? Not a fan at all, but he's terrific here.), DiCAPRIO ( The Wolf of WS....he’s a constant joy to watch, so glad he was nominated.)
Mareko -- it's so true about his gift with "live wire" actresses. I mean Juliette Lewis too. Such a pity that he just keeps making all guy movies over and over.
Scott -- absolutely agree that Bernhard should have been nominated. That performance is special and inspired and like only she could have given
I think Garfield and Issey Ogata shoulda joined that Scorsese list.
I still don't understand how the Academy liked Marky Mark's performance over the non-nominated DiCaprio, Nicholson and Damon in "The Departed". Another mystifying nomination.
Favorite was probably Sharon in that looooooong movie. I wish she would work more.
A Scorsese post is appropriate on the day of the DGA Awards (no nomination this year).
Hoping against hope for Barry Jenkins...
My favourites are De Niro's three, Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci in Raging Bull, Lorraine Bracco in GoodFellas, Juliette Lewis in Cape Fear and Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street. But I've still yet to see Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and Casino. Best non-nominated performances could include Jerry Lewis in The King of Comedy, Nick Nolte in Cape Fear (though at least he got nominated for his other great leading performance that year) and Jack Nicholson and Martin Sheen in The Departed.
Best non-nominated perf is Liza in New York, New York. Height of her powers. #buttheworldgoesround
Didn't Streep recently say that Scorsese is the number one director she most wants to work with? How great would that be. I love him as a director but agree it is a little odd that he has such little interest in women.
I would imagine Streep has had at least one opportunity to work with Scorcese over the years. (Hugo?) She has (and has had) her pick of the little, so I'm incredulous that she really wants to work with him that badly.
Anyway, back to Bernhard, it still bugs me that she wasn't nominated for an Oscar for The King of Comedy in what was a weak Best Supporting Actress year. I mean, Glenn Close in The Big Chill? Razzie nominee Amy Irving in Yentl?! Puh-leeze.
Bobby De Niro in THE KING OF COMEDY
Sharon Stone in CASINO
And Leo and Jonah in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET.
Wait, slightly drunken so realised Bobby De Niro in THE KING OF COMEDY wasn't nominated. My bad.
@Emma, he wasn't but should've been! I would've nominated him over either of the Toms that year.
Best performances in Scorsese movies ever (nominated and unnominated):
10 - Robert De Niro, Cape Fear
9 - Robert De Niro, New York New York
8 - Liza Minnelli, New York New York
7 - Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
6 - Willem Dafoe, The Last Temptation of the Christ
5 - Joe Pesci, Raging Bull
4 - Michelle Pfeiffer, The Age of Innocence
3 - Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver
2 - Robert De Niro, The King of Comedy
1 - Robert De Niro, Raging Bull
Was it possible for Lange to slip into those weak 91 line ups for Cape Fear,depends if u think she's a lead or not.
Leonardo diCaprio-The Wolf of Wall Street. Anyone who is willing to make a fool of himself popping on some decade-old Qualuudes and crawl while trying to get back home in his car is a winner!
I'm still annoyed DiCaprio didn't get in for The Departed, where he was so, so much better than in Blood Diamond.
Of the nominees:
1. Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver
2. Joe Pesci, Goodfellas
3. Juliette Lewis, Cape Fear
4. Ellen Burstyn, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
5. Lorraine Bracco, Goodfellas
I thought Streep turned down The King of Comedy so maybe there has not been the right alignment of part and project.
Scorsese has said the kind of cinema he makes is dying (or gone?). I hope he has a few more great pictures in him.
eurocheese -- i assume the problem was greed trying a suporting campaign for The Departed in addition to the lead campaign for Blood Diamond. so embarrassing that he was nominated for the latter instead of the former.
Of these, Paul Newman in anything, therefore "The Colour of Money".
Then, Ellen Burstyn and Diane Ladd in "Alice".
My favorite performances in Scorsese movies are:
Harvey Keitel in "Mean Streets"
Harry Dean Stanton as Doubting Thomas in "The Last Temptation of Christ"
Harvey Keitel as Judas in "The Last Temptation of Christ".
When I consider the early trio of Scorsese, DeNiro, and Keitel in "Mean Streets", Keitel is the most interesting artistically to me, working with international directors, lots of first time directors, always seeming so engaged in his work, so ready for anything new.
Given Scorsese's tiresome rut of historical/macho films, wouldn't it be great if he actually took on an adaptation of a great play? That would solve two problems:
1) Scorsese would have a great script to work from and I firmly assert that the success of his films live or die based on this criteria (most of his underwhelming or problematic films simply have terrible scripts) and it would allow him to work freely with a collaboration of actors since plays tend to be actorly and not based in the machismo or dreamy historicism. As his Oscar history shows, he can generate good performances from actors so imagine how much more so that would be if the roles were especially...actorly.
2) It would mean a genuinely brilliant/visual/spatial director applying his talents to a play. This is ever so necessary since most play-to-film adaptations tend to feel static or claustrophobic because the directors don't have a strong enough sense of style or visual flair or spatial recognition (or quite frankly, imagination) to actually ADAPT the play. Certainly this is not Scorsese's problem. Imagine how much more dynamic films like Doubt, August osage County or Fences would've been if Scorsese were behind the camera.
I agree Steph. IF he were interested.
adri -- agree that Keitel is an adventurous actor. it's sad that he's not more celebrated because he really does take a lot of risks and didn't stagnate as a result.
@Steph: or better yet, Scorsese should do a MUSICAL. Yeah I know he did New York, New York but I mean a good musical adaptation from stage to film. Instead of letting all these shitty directors ruin good/great musicals like Chicago, Les Miserables (and OK Rent) why not give it to a real film master who needs a new genre inspiration?
OMG I got it. Given his penchant for historical stuff: Scorsese should totally direct the film version of HAMILTON. Come on Hollywood: make this happen!
Pfeiffer shld've been nom fir The Age of Innocence n Noni shld've won for it!!!
OMG Scorsese MUST DIRECT HAMILTON
Scorsese directing Hamilton, Annette Bening in a biopic of Hillary, a Sex and the City movie written and directed by Woody Allen, DiCaprio retired... We can dream, can't we?
Ingrid_Essex: Omg I love the idea of Annette Bening playing Hilary Clinton, that's inspired.
Anyone who hasn't seen Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore: you totally should. It's pretty wonderful, one of my favorites.
And King of Comedy is also stellar Scorcese. I think it's brilliant. DeNiro, Bernhard, and Jerry Lewis at their best.
And Gangs of New York is I think Scorsese's absolute worst. I hated that film, it was just torture to sit through.
Agree with those here who cite DiCaprio in The Departed. Still a mystery to me he didn't get that nomination. And I'd have happily seen him win for Wolf Of... over McConaughey (and I felt that way before the embrace Trump comments).
It's criminal the list doesn't also include Sandra Bernhard (The King of Comedy)
and Barbara Hershey (The Last Temptation of Christ).
Rob -- agreed on Gangs... mystifying that it received 10 nominations and there was even a significant push to give Scorsese the directing Oscar that year.