Martin Scorsese has forever enriched American cinema with films like Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun, The Departed, The Aviator and Shutter Island. Film critic Richard Schickel sat down with Scorsese for a series of conversations that illuminate his phenomenal film-making career, from his first movie Who’s That Knocking at My Door in 1967 to last year’s Shutter Island. Schickel’s interviews guide us through Scorsese’s life and work, how he escaped the realities of Little Italy in the 1950s and became the man whose encyclopedic knowledge of film shaped his artistic ambition. Scorsese reveals which films have been forays into unknown territory and which films are the most autobiographical. He talks about his documentaries, his influences and his lesser-known movies, and those already considered to be classics. And he discusses what being a lifelong student of film has taught him about all aspects of film-making. Which of Scorsese's iconic films are your favorite?

Guest:

Richard Schickel, author of Conversations with Scorcese; a film critic, filmmaker, and movie historian who has written more than thirty-five books, including Clint Eastwood: A Biography and The Disney Version; he now reviews movies at Truthdig.com