Martin Scorsese’s biggest regret about his early films was making one despicable thing look “glamorous and attractive”

It was the year 1973 when a young Martin Scorsese teamed up with Robert De Niro on a film called Mean streets. The decisions of a young and bold mind obviously had a great influence on the film.

Martin Scorsese's audition
De Niro, Martin Scorsese and DiCaprio in The Audition | Credit: Melco Crown Entertainment

The story of a man who wants to climb the mafia ladder, but is torn between conscience and success. Common streets was a pretty iconic film. Scorsese has one big regret though.

Martin Scorsese regrets one major thing in Common streets

Telling Charlie’s story, Common streets spoke about the mafia world. Martin Scorsese masterfully described the balance between evil and good conscience and what a mafia man could have endured in his early days.

A still from Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets
A still from Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets | Credit: Taplin-Perry-Scorsese Productions

While portraying this brutal youth, Martin Scorsese feels he may have glorified the mafia life a little too much. Although opinions differ, people don’t seem to mind the stylish sequences.

In an interview with The NY Times, veteran director Scorsese spoke about his previous films and works. During their conversations, the director revealed that he had one major regret about his earlier filmmaking days.

Well, it’s glamorous and attractive, isn’t it? It’s glamorous at first when you’re young and dumb, which a lot of people are. I was.

The interview also delved deeper into Scorsese’s personal life and the plethora of influences he’s had over the years. Martin Scorsese had quite the rude awakening growing up.

A daring director, Scorsese’s films often dealt with crime, murder, the timidity of the human spirit and more. However, the director revealed that there was a very specific reason for this.

Martin Scorsese had a rude awakening

As the interview continued, Scorsese talked about how he had different influences during his Hollywood career. Even before his career as a film director began, the director had a different perspective on life since he was an altar boy!

Martin Scorsese in a still from Killers of the Flower Moon | Credit: Apple Studios

As a teenager, the director lost two of his best friends. During one of the funerals Scorsese attended near a factory, the director had a rude awakening. Scorsese revealed that the incident left a lasting impression on him.

I said, “This is what it comes down to?” To cram ourselves into a little piece of land somewhere in Queens, against this ugly, destructive backdrop? It was a shock and an awakening — an awakening to what, I’m not sure, but a change.

The rest, as we know, is history. Scorsese became one of the greatest directors the world has ever seen. Even today, millions flock to theaters to see the director’s latest creations.

On the other hand, Scorsese’s Common streets received a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDB and a staggering 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the glorified crime, Common streets is available to stream on Hoopla in the US

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