Docuseries Explores Martin Scorsese's Enduring Impact on Cinema

As of October 4th, 2025, a new five-part docuseries on Apple TV+ titled "Mr. Scorsese" aims to provide a comprehensive look into the life and career of acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese. The series, directed by Rebecca Miller, explores Scorsese's childhood, early career, and personal life, drawing on interviews with the director and his close collaborators.

The first two episodes of the docuseries are particularly strong, offering an intimate portrait of Scorsese's upbringing in a rough New York neighborhood and the influences that shaped his filmmaking style. Viewers are treated to rare archival footage and personal anecdotes that shed light on the director's early struggles and the development of his distinctive cinematic voice.

However, as the series progresses, it struggles to fully capture Scorsese's enduring impact on the art of cinema beyond his narrative features. While the docuseries delves into the director's tumultuous relationship with Hollywood and his fight to maintain creative control, it devotes relatively little time to his significant contributions to film preservation and restoration through initiatives like the Film Foundation and the World Cinema Project.

By the time the series reaches the 1990s and beyond, it feels rushed, with only brief mentions of some of Scorsese's later works. This leaves the viewer with the sense that the docuseries has missed the opportunity to truly explore the breadth and depth of the filmmaker's legacy and his unique position as a rare figure who has used his influence to uplift cinema as an art form.