6 of Martin Scorsese’s Music Documentaries to Watch
While Martin Scorsese has made a name for himself directing fictional films, he has also released several music documentaries. Here are six of his documentaries that are worth watching both for fans of Scorsese and the musicians in front of his camera.
‘The Last Waltz’
In 1976, Scorsese filmed the farewell concert for the group The Band. The 1978 documentary The Last Waltz shows The Band playing onstage with their many guests, including Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Neil Young. In between the concert are filmed studio segments and interviews with The Band.
The film beautifully captures the performances and the excitement of the artists and the audience. It has rightfully been hailed as one of the best concert films of all time.
‘George Harrison: Living in the Material World’
Scorsese worked closely with George Harrison’s wife, Olivia, on the 2011 documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World. It follows Harrison from his childhood in Liverpool to his death in 2001. Because Scorsese worked closely with the Harrison family, it includes previously unseen footage of Harrison as well as interviews with Olivia, their son Dhani, and many of the other important figures in Harrison’s life.
The film earned six nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. It took home the prize for Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming and Outstanding Nonfiction Special.
‘No Direction Home: Bob Dylan’
The 2005 film No Direction Home does not provide as extensive a look at Bob Dylan’s life as Scorsese did with Harrison in George Harrison: Living in the Material World. Instead, it focuses on 1961 to 1966, the years between Dylan’s rise to success and his step back from public life following a motorcycle accident.
The film includes interviews with important figures in Dylan’s life, like Allen Ginsburg, Liam Clancy, Joan Baez, and Pete Seeger. It also has an interview with his former girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, who rarely spoke to the press. It provides an intimate and comprehensive look at one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century.
‘The Blues: Feel Like Going Home’
The 2003 film The Blues: Feel Like Going Home was one film in a seven-part series about the blues. In it, Scorsese focuses on the blues in Mississippi before traveling to West Africa to delve into the roots of the music.
“I’ve always felt an affinity for blues music — the culture of storytelling through music is incredibly fascinating and appealing to me,” Scorsese said, per PBS. “The blues have great emotional resonance and are the foundation for American popular music.”
‘Shine a Light’
The Rolling Stones have played in massive stadiums and arenas for much of their time as a band. In the 2008 film Shine a Light, though, Scorsese managed to capture the band at a much more intimate venue. In 2006, the band played a show at New York’s Beacon Theater. Scorsese interspersed archival footage and interviews with the concert footage.
Upon the film’s release, Mick Jagger joked that this would be one of Scorsese’s only films that didn’t feature “Gimme Shelter.”
‘Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story’
In 2019, Scorsese returned to Dylan as a subject with Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story. It follows Dylan on his 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue tour and features interviews with prominent people in this period of his life. It also includes interviews with fictional characters.
In the film, Scorsese blends fact with fiction, including a bit about Sharon Stone as a teenage groupie. He does not differentiate between the truth and lies, which is fitting for a film about Dylan. He has told a number of falsehoods about his life, making him the perfect subject for a movie like this.
