Martin Scorsese once spoke of a Bill Forsyth movie, a 1980 Scottish coming-of-age tale, that he called “special”. The film stars John Gordon Sinclair
There are few names in the forever-turning world of cinema quite like the one Martin Scorsese. Eternally entwined with the medium of film itself, Scorsese has woven himself into the fabric of the movies’ long and rich history, establishing himself as one of its finest and most memorable auteurs.
Ever since the New York City filmmaker burst onto the scene in the early 1970s with Mean Streets, it has been clear that Scorsese possesses a talent that so many of his contemporaries could ever dream of. Delivering masterpiece after masterpiece with the likes of Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino and The Wolf of Wall Street, the champion of American cinema has proven that he has a special eye for film and an unrivalled talent that has ensured his legacy will remain unscathed.
Scorsese has frequently offered his opinions and reviews on all four corners of the cinematic world, from blockbuster mega-hits to the weird and wonderful pieces of film that no one’s ever heard of. The director’s knowledge of the history of cinema never fails to impress, and he once spoke glowingly of a 1980 Scottish coming-of-age film by Bill Forsyth.
“They’re devoted to capturing small things, ephemeral but vital—a mood, a sense of place, the dreams and illusions and longings of the characters,” Scorsese said of Forsyth’s works. “They’re comedies without cheap laughs, and they observe people and their environments more carefully than most dramas.
Gregory’s Girl saw Forsyth earn international acclaim. It tells of a high school student, Gregory, who falls for the most beautiful girl in school, Dorothy. Gregory, played by John Gordon Sinclair, finds out the realities of life along with his friends, and Scorsese describes him as “gangly, winning but extremely self-conscious, like a real adolescent.”
“Part of what makes the film so special is that the adults are doing exactly the same thing,” Scorsese added. “The film is built in small, delicate interactions and extensions of mood, and there’s no imposed drama—the immediate wonder of ‘being human,’ to borrow the title of another Forsyth picture, is enough.
The legendary director signed off, “The film builds very gently to a final stretch that feels very close to some of the pictures that Eric Rohmer made in the 1980s and 1990s, but the mood is different—an enchanted spell seems to settle over the characters and their small town.”