Martin Scorsese is widely regarded not just as one of the greatest living directors, responsible for some of the best movies ever made, but also as one of cinema’s greatest champions. From horror movies to goofball comedy movies, there’s almost no genre of film that Scorsese doesn’t like, and that shows in his work.
All of his films are beautifully shot, informed by his passion for the medium and his knowledge of the grammar of cinema… or at least that’s what we thought. It turns out that Scorsese’s got a top-secret trick for making his films look as good as they do, and Margot Robbie, of all people, spilt the beans during BAFTA: Life In Pictures event where she described working on The Wolf of Wall Street.
“We were shooting the shot where I’m running up the stairs, and he turns to me and goes, ‘Every great movie has a stair shot’,” she laughed, via Deadline. “I’ve told so many directors since that Martin Scorsese says every great movie has a stairwell shot, so get the stairs in there.”
Robbie shared a few more tales from the set of the drama movie, explaining it was a bit of a free for all, adding he encouraged experimentation.
“The tone had been set that it was a bit of a free for all. It was like the crazier you are, the more Marty will like it,” she explained. “And the more screen time you’re going to get.” Surprisingly Scorsese was quite hands-off with the actors as well, and apparently, he only gave Robbie one piece of direction during the six-month shoot.
If you love great cinema, then check out our list of the best thriller movies, or if you fancy reading about a genre that Scorsese’s probably sick of being asked about, then we have a guide to the best superhero movies.