Martin Scorsese Is Better Than The Oscars
When you look at the total number of Oscar wins Martin Scorsese has tallied, the grand total of “one” isn’t too impressive at first glance. For a director who has been a part of dozens of Hollywood blockbusters, a singular victory pitted against the multiple Oscars that directors Ang Lee, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola have taken home seems to drive that disappointment home. But when the total number of nominations in multiple categories at the annual awards ceremony is tallied, a much clearer picture is painted that shows that the beloved director is better than his track record of winning.
Scorsese’s Only Oscar Win
Martin Scorsese’s lone win at the Academy Awards came with the 2007 film The Departed, starring Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Scorsese brought home the gold statue for his efforts as director, while co-star Mark Wahlberg won for Best Supporting Actor. The film also won two more Oscars, including Best Picture.
The Filmmaker Has Plenty Of Best Director Nominations
The long list of films that Martin Scorsese was at the helm of is an impressive list of entries in the cinematic arts, ranging from mafia dramas (Goodfellas) to biopics (The Aviator) to historical romances (The Age of Innocence). What’s perhaps most impressive in the filmmaker’s 50+ year career is not the number of wins, but the sheer number of nominations he has received for Oscars. For Best Director, Scorsese has a total of 10 nominations, one more than Steven Spielberg and second-most of all time.
Over 100 Nominations
Martin Scorsese has made history not only with the number of Best Director nominations, but also with the number of nominations the films under his command have received. Altogether, films with Scorsese attached to them have earned 102 Academy Award nominations that have spanned 18 films. The first Oscars win for a Scorsese picture was the 1974 hit Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore from which Ellen Burstyn took home the award for Best Actress.
Killers Of The Flower Moon Lost Out
At this year’s Academy Awards, Martin Scorsese was nominated once again for Best Director for the film Killers of the Flower Moon. In a year that saw Oppenheimer dominate the ceremony with wins, it should be noted that this year’s Oscars saw Scorsese’s film up for 10 little statues. Though the film lost out in every category it was nominated in, the volume of awards it was considered for shows the merit of his cinematic work of art.
Killers of the Flower Moon was not the only time a Martin Scorsese film had multiple award nominations at the Oscars and came home totally empty-handed. Gangs of New York and The Irishman both went into their respective Oscars years with 10 nominations but no wins.
Who Need’s The Oscars?
Martin Scorsese’s greatness as a filmmaker should be judged on the timelessness of his works, proving that most of them stand well against the test of time. Masterpieces like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and the host of others on his lengthy list of projects will be revered by audiences new and old for years to come, long after the sting of a loss at the Oscars has faded.
