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Friday, November 8, 2019

FILM 
Martin Scorsese and 
"The Irishman" Come To San Francisco
Martin Scorsese, director of "The Irishman", on the red carpet at the Castro Theatre Tuesday.
Omar Moore/PopcornReel.com     
       
by Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com        Follow popcornreel on Twitter FOLLOW                                           
Friday, November 8, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO

As he walked the red carpet at the famed Castro Theatre here on Tuesday night Martin Scorsese, in town for the local premiere of his new film "The Irishman", courtesy of SFFILM, reflected on the last time he had visited this palatial film space.  "It was in 1971, to see the restoration of "Napoleon" by Abel Gance," the director recalled.

Time passes quickly, and Mr. Scorsese's "The Irishman", which opens today in the Bay Area and additional theaters beyond New York City and Los Angeles, is one of the director's finest achievements in cinema and storytelling.  It clocks in at three hours and 29 minutes but feels shorter than many two-hour films.  

Based on Charles Brandt's book "I Heard You Paint Houses", Mr. Scorsese's epic film focuses on Philadelphia-area Teamsters local leader Frank Sheeran, who is both a loyal soldier for Frank Hoffa and the muscle for a crime family in Pennsylvania.  "The Irishman" is about many things but time, it seems, is one of them.  Taking stock of time and what it does, and how it makes a person view the world around them.  Nothing about the film is being given away here.

So how does Martin Scorsese, with such a busy film career, restoration projects and so forth, find time for himself, time to reflect on the cinematic road he has decorated with such memorable films as "Mean Streets", "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull", "The King Of Comedy" and "Goodfellas"?

"I have the time, I think.  I have to fight for the time," Mr. Scorsese said.  "But the family takes up some time.  And the reflection comes with the work, really.  And particularly with the people you're working with, you know?  In a case like this it was so natural between Bob and I and Joe.  And then you add Al to that."

Mr. Scorsese was referencing the titans who mark the director's illustrious filmmaking career as much as they do "The Irishman": Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci (together in "Raging Bull", "Goodfellas", "Casino"), Al Pacino, in his first Scorsese film, and Harvey Keitel ("Mean Streets").  Mr. De Niro has worked with Mr. Scorsese eight times ("Mean Streets", "Taxi Driver", "New York, New York", "Raging Bull", "The King Of Comedy", "Cape Fear", "Casino", "The Irishman".)  Messrs. Pesci and De Niro, by the way, also were in the De Niro-directed "The Good Shepherd".

As one might expect, Mr. Scorsese paid tribute to the entire "Irishman" cast.  And it is quite a cast: Anna Paquin, Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano and Jesse Plemons among others.  Netflix will have "The Irishman" all to itself for viewers in a few short weeks, although the film will still be in theaters--which is where it should be seen.

Martin Scorsese was seen by many film fans on Tuesday and it was a warm welcome back for him and big applause for "The Irishman" from the locals as the end credits rolled.

Scorsese audio:
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