NEW YORK – Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese has reflected on a pivotal moment in his youth—his early departure from a Catholic seminary school—stating the experience fundamentally redirected his life. These candid reflections emerged in Rebecca Miller’s new documentary, ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ which premiered on October 4 at the New York Film Festival, exploring the director’s lifelong, obsessive relationship with faith and morality.
The Taxi Driver director recalled in the documentary’s first episode how deeply affected he was by attending Catholic mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral around the age of seven, a spiritual pursuit that continued into his teenage years.
“There was a preparatory seminary… I did okay for the first few months, but something happened,” Scorsese shared. He realized he was living through a major cultural transition: “I began to realize the world is changing. It was early rock and roll and the old world was dying out.”
The Complexities of the Secular World
Scorsese explained that his awakening was rooted in the realization of life’s complexities, particularly his burgeoning attraction to girls. “I became aware of life around me. Falling in love or being attracted to girls… there were these feelings, and I suddenly realized it’s much more complicated than this. You can’t shut yourself off.”
He acknowledged the true nature of the priesthood: “The idea of priesthood, to devote yourself to others, really, that’s what it’s about.”
However, he concluded he didn’t belong and was eventually asked to leave for misconduct. “I realized I don’t belong there. And I tried to stay but they got my father in there and they told him, ‘Get him out of here.’ Because I behaved badly,” he explained. While Scorsese did not detail his transgressions, his childhood friend, Joe Morale, claimed in the documentary that the filmmaker “had a heavy eye for the ladies” as a teenager.
This enduring fascination with religious conviction and moral conflict has remained a constant throughout Scorsese’s cinematic career. He has directed multiple critically acclaimed films concerning Catholicism, including the controversial ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ (1988) and ‘Silence’ (2017), alongside the biographical film ‘Kundun’ (1997), which explored the life of the Dalai Lama.
