Martin Scorsese’s Music Documentaries

Martin Scorsese

Image Credit: CLAUDIO ONORATI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Anyone who’s seen a Martin Scorsese film can tell he knows his music. The legendary director often dips into the well of classic rock for his soundtracks, and always seems to find the perfect song to pair with his most iconic—and violent—scenes. In between films like “Taxi Driver” and “Goodfellas,” Scorsese has built an impressive side career as America’s premiere rock and roll documentarian. With his latest, “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” dropping on Netflix this Wednesday, here’s a look back at the director’s other filmography: his music documentaries.
“The Last Waltz” (1978)

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The director’s first foray into the genre remains the gold standard for concert films. When legendary Americana act The Band threw themselves a retirement party for the ages, Scorsese was there to document the whole thing. Filmed on Thanksgiving Day in 1976, the San Francisco concert featured appearances from Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood, Neil Young, and The Band’s first boss, Bob Dylan. Determined to go out on a high note, everyone delivers their A-game as The Band performs their massive repertoire of hits. Scorsese intercuts the concert footage with raw, verite-tinged interviews that seem ripped from a Pennebacker film, guaranteeing the band immortality on the eve of their breakup. The documentary marked the beginning of Scorsese’s friendship with Band guitarist Robbie Robertson, who went on to provide music for seven of his films, including this fall’s “The Irishman.”
“The Blues” (2003)

Image Credit: PBS

Listen to Martin Scorsese wax poetic about Fellini and Kurosawa, and it becomes clear that he has the utmost respect for the artists who laid the foundation for his work. So it’s fitting that the rock lover would pay tribute to the genre’s grandfathers in this PBS documentary. The sprawling series tells seven different stories about the history of the blues, a fitting tribute to the genre that influenced everyone. Scorsese directs the first chapter, about early Delta blues, before putting on his producer hat and handing off other episodes to directors such as Wim Wenders and Clint Eastwood.
“No Direction Home” (2005)

Image Credit: PBS

The 1960s were a tumultuous time for everyone, but perhaps nobody more so than Bob Dylan. In the span of a decade, he went from unknown Minnesotan to radical folk icon, before “going electric” and alienating old fans on his way to rock and roll stardom. Scorsese sifted through hundreds of hours of archival footage to create this visceral portrait of Dylan’s meteoric rise. Remembered for including video of the infamous “Judas!” concert, “No Direction Home” earns its seat next to “Don’t Look Back” in the pantheon of great Bob Dylan documentaries.
“Shine a Light” (2008)

Image Credit: Shangrai-La Entertainment

When the conversation turns to music associated with Scorsese, the Rolling Stones always top the list. The director’s love of the British group is no secret, as he uses their music in “Mean Streets,” “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” and “The Departed.” Frankly, the biggest surprise about “Shine a Light” is that it took him so long to make a Stones documentary. The concert film, combining performance and backstage footage from two 2006 shows at the Beacon Theatre, is a fitting conclusion to Scorsese’s lifelong Rolling Stones odyssey. Funny enough, the movie does not feature “Gimme Shelter,” despite its inclusion in several Scorsese films.
“George Harrison: Living in the Material World” (2011)

Image Credit: HBO

Once Scorsese began making films about every great musician from his adolescence, it was only a matter of time before he tackled The Beatles. He spent five years directing this sprawling, two-part documentary about George Harrison’s artistic and spiritual journeys. A child of the 60s and the only filmmaker to receive the Harrison family’s blessing, Scorsese takes the job very seriously. And it shows. When the documentary aired on HBO, Scorsese nabbed an Emmy for finally putting the understated third Beatle front and center.
“Long Strange Trip” (2017)

Image Credit: Amazon

There are two kinds of people in this world: Grateful Dead fanatics, and those who can’t name a single song of theirs. This Scorsese-produced documentary appeals to both groups, providing a solid introduction to America’s least-approachable band while introducing new archival footage that made Deadheads salivate. It famously declared Grateful Dead the most American band of all time, due to their collaborative style that combined blues, jazz, folk, rock, and bluegrass. The Sundance hit, now streaming as a six-part Amazon miniseries, tracks the band’s unlikely rise, their run as America’s biggest touring act, and their drug-induced fall.
“Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” (2019)

Image Credit: Netflix

After his success exploring Bob Dylan’s 1960s with “No Direction Home,” Scorsese reteams with the poet laureate of rock for a film about the 70s. After a near-fatal motorcycle crash in 1966, Dylan famously swore off of touring, and kept his promise for almost a decade. But his peaceful domestic life and pastoral country albums quickly turned to restlessness and marital strife. After releasing two of his best albums in succession, 1975’s “Blood on the Tracks” and 1976’s “Desire,” Dylan was ready to hit the road like never before. He recruited his old Greenwich Village folk friends as opening acts, debuted wild new arrangements of his hits, and donned clown makeup for the Rolling Thunder Revue, a concert tour modeled after a traveling circus. Scorsese’s film, which comes out Wednesday, is billed as a combination of documentary and narrative fantasy.
“Once We Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band” (2019)

Image Credit: Rob Latour/Variety/Shutterstock

After his success exploring Bob Dylan’s 1960s with “No Direction Home,” Scorsese reteams with the poet laureate of rock for a film about the 70s. After a near-fatal motorcycle crash in 1966, Dylan famously swore off of touring, and kept his promise for almost a decade. But his peaceful domestic life and pastoral country albums quickly turned to restlessness and marital strife. After releasing two of his best albums in succession, 1975’s “Blood on the Tracks” and 1976’s “Desire,” Dylan was ready to hit the road like never before. He recruited his old Greenwich Village folk friends as opening acts, debuted wild new arrangements of his hits, and donned clown makeup for the Rolling Thunder Revue, a concert tour modeled after a traveling circus. Scorsese’s film, which comes out Wednesday, is billed as a combination of documentary and narrative fantasy.

Martin Scorsese

“The Last Waltz” (1978)

“The Blues” (2003)

“No Direction Home” (2005)

“Shine a Light” (2008)

“George Harrison: Living in the Material World” (2011)

“Long Strange Trip” (2017)

“Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” (2019)

“Once We Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band” (2019)