Generally acknowledged as one of the most important and influential directors of his generation, Martin Scorsese has directed a wide range of films, from documentaries to musicals to comedies to dramas. More than just a genre director, then, Scorsese is a man of many talents.

Although his penchant for violence is well known, as is evidenced by such films as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Cape Fear, it is perhaps less well known that Scorsese is also a master of the character study, as is clear from films such as The King of Comedy, After Hours, and the segment "Life Lessons" from the compilation New York Stories.

In this book, an expanded and updated study of Scorsese's work, Michael Bliss probes and discusses the underlying humanism and morality in Scorsese's films while at the same time focusing on the director's characteristic thematic concerns, most of which seem to derive from the conflict between conventional morality and individual desires.

From the terrors of Mean Streets to the apparent placidity of The Age of Innocence, Martin Scorsese has found in all realms a substratum of anxiety and desire that it is the purpose of this book to investigate. In addition to chapters on all 15 Scorsese films, The Word Made Flesh also includes the most complete Scorsese filmography available as well as a host of illustrations.