The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese

by Conard, Mark T.

• ISBN13: 9780813192185
• ISBN10: 0813192188
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-06-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kentucky

Summary

In The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese, Mark T. Conard and an impressive cast of contributors explore the complex themes and philosophical underpinnings of Scorsese's films. While he is perhaps best known for his films about gangsters and violence, his work addresses many philosophical subjects such as friendship, vigilantism, and the nature of unhappiness. This collection explores the themes of the nuanced social mores and values, ideas of temptation and sacrifice, and complexities of life in Scorcese's films, while also delving into the minds of his characters and their interactions as they struggle to cope with moral ideals as well as their own emotions. The book provides film enthusiasts with deep insights into Scorsese's work and addresses some of the basic questions about humanity that Scorsese poses, encouraging readers to think beyond the everyday world depicted in cinema. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Mark T. Conard, assistant professor of philosophy at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, is the editor or coeditor of many books, including The Philosophy of Film Noir and The Philosophy of Neo-Noir.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Authenticity, Flourishing, and the Good Life
No Safe Haven: Casino, Friendship, and Egoism	p. 7
God's Lonely Man: Taxi Driver and the Ethics of Vigilantism	p. 23
Goodfellas, Gyges, and the Good Life	p. 31
Mean Streets: Beatitude, Flourishing, and Unhappiness	p. 53
Rationality, Criminality, and the Emotions
The Cinema of Madness: Friedrich Nietzsche and the Films of Martin Scorsese	p. 75
The Age of Innocence: Social Semiotics, Desire, and Constraint	p. 93
After Hours: Scorsese on Absurdity	p. 109
The Pupkin Gambit: Rationality and Irrationality in The King of Comedy	p. 129
Vision, Salvation, and the Transcendental
The Last Temptation of Christ and Bringing Out the Dead: Scorsese's Reluctant Saviors	p. 141
Flying Solo: The Aviator and Libertarian Philosophy	p. 165
Art, Sex, and Time in Scorsese's After Hours	p. 189
The Ethical Underpinnings of Kundun	p. 211
Scorsese and the Transcendental	p. 231
The American Gangster Is Dead: Incarnate Emptiness in Martin Scorsese's The Departed	p. 247
Contributors	p. 263
Index	p. 267
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