Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. Tonight: a witty Scorsese.
After realizing that the destiny of a priest was not for him, Martin Scorsese turns to the cinema and specializes in particular in mafia films (Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Infiltrators…). But another theme, perhaps even more intimate, also runs through his work: that of religion, notably explored in The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988 and Kundun in 1997.
At the end of the 90s, while filming Dreams under the direction of the legendary Akira Kurosawa in Japan, Martin Scorsese discovered the book “Silence” by the writer Shūsaku Endō, who looks back on the persecution of Christians in the Land of the Rising Sun in the 17th century. The filmmaker sees in it the opportunity to deal with doubt through the characters of two Jesuit priests (played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) tasked with reuniting with their mentor, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), on a perilous quest that puts their faith to the ultimate test.
For this project which is particularly close to his heart and which he took more than 20 years to bring to the screen, Martin Scorsese surrounded himself with his faithful technicians: the editor Thelma Schoonmaker, as well as the chief operators Rodrigo Prieto and Dante Ferretti. Thus, Silence reflects, through its harsh and austere staging, very inspired by the great Japanese filmmakers, the springs of a true existential epic.
Silence by Martin Scorsese with Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson…
From 16 years old
Tonight on Arte at 8:55 p.m.