Scorsese’s Cinema in the Mirror of Literature; A Narrative of Faith, Violence, and Redemption

Cinematic adaptation of literary works is a movement on the border between word and image, where characters come to life on the silver screen. An adaptation can faithfully adhere to the text or create a new world within the framework of literary narrative. It’s an opportunity for directors and screenwriters to express their views inspired by literature and create works that remain in the minds of the audience.

Martin Scorsese, one of cinema’s renowned directors, has well-crafted adaptations in his artistic career. In his latest film in 2023, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” he depicted the story of the genocide of the Osage Native American tribe.

Scorsese has once again turned to adaptation for his new film, intending to make a cinematic movie from American writer Peter Cameron’s gothic novel. He, who had initially joined the project as a producer, announced in September 2025 that he would take on the directing himself.

This adaptation, with a screenplay by Patrick Marber (Oscar nominee for “Notes on a Scandal”) and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, could be an exciting return for Scorsese to the horror genre. Filming for this work begins in January 2026, and Apple Original Films is its financial backer.

“What Happens at Night” is based on a novel of the same name by Peter Cameron, published in 2020. It’s a mysterious and supernatural story about a couple who travel to Europe to adopt a child and become trapped in a mysterious hotel in the cold Scandinavian mountains. A place where reality and illusion are indistinguishable, and dark secrets cast a shadow over their relationship.

After its publication, the novel received positive reviews and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the fiction category. It’s a psychological and realistic narrative with an engaging and captivating writing style that, according to critics, evokes a style close to Kafka for the reader; a unique, unexpected, and unforgettable narrative.

At its heart, “What Happens at Night” delves into the less-explored dimensions of marriage and how people can disappoint each other even in the midst of life’s most romantic moments.

Two other books by Cameron, “The City of Your Final Destination” and “Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You,” have also been adapted, and now his latest work is in the hands of a prominent director.

Martin Scorsese, as one of Hollywood’s most prominent directors, adopts a flexible and creative approach to literary, historical, and non-fiction works in his cinematic adaptations. One of the main features of his adaptation style is the ability to adapt visual language to the nature of the source material. Scorsese uses techniques such as specific color palettes, long takes, and modern technologies to convey the mood and feel of the story to the audience in a cinematic way. Below, we have reviewed Scorsese’s adaptations in recent years to become more familiar with the atmosphere of his adapted films and the books he chose to make them.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Year of Production: 2023

Cast: Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone

“Killers of the Flower Moon” is an adaptation of David Grann’s bestselling book, a Western crime epic depicting the murders of the Osage tribe.

In this film, unlike the book which emphasized the FBI’s role, Scorsese narrates the story from the perspective of Ernest and Mollie Burkhart, thus examining the personal and emotional dimensions of these crimes.

The film was made in collaboration with the Osage tribe, carefully and respectfully addressing details of their lives and traditions culturally. Gladstone’s performance as Mollie is the emotional heart of the film, successfully portraying deep layers of love and betrayal. Scorsese challenged history and ethics in this adaptation.

The Irishman

Year of Production: 2019

Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

“The Irishman,” based on Charles Brandt’s book “I Heard You Paint Houses,” is a combination of the original text and deep emotional and philosophical layers, merged with Scorsese’s cinematic signature. In collaboration with screenwriter Steve Zaillian, he transformed Frank Sheeran’s confessions into a crime and historical epic, without omitting the book’s historical ambiguities, dealing with themes such as betrayal, loyalty, old age, and regret.

Using digital de-aging technology and Rodrigo Prieto’s dynamic cinematography, Scorsese depicted Sheeran’s life from youth to old age, and instead of solely focusing on mafia crimes, also showed the moral consequences and individual isolation.

Silence

Year of Production: 2016

Cast: Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver

Adapted from Shūsaku Endō’s novel, it was one of Martin Scorsese’s most personal projects, which he strove to make for decades. The film tells the story of two Jesuit priests (played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who search for their lost master (played by Liam Neeson) in 17th-century Japan and face the persecution of Christians.

Scorsese, by emphasizing the novel’s deep spiritual and philosophical themes—which deal with faith, doubt, and silence in the face of God’s suffering—created a thought-provoking film. Although some critics believed the slow pace of the work might be tedious for general audiences, it was praised for Rodrigo Prieto’s stunning cinematography and the recreation of the book’s atmosphere. This film demonstrates Scorsese’s ability to convey complex spiritual questions into cinematic language.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Year of Production: 2013

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie

The film was based on the memoirs of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker, and narrates his rise and fall on Wall Street. Many key details were preserved in the adaptation; such as the smuggling of the Belfort family’s money to Swiss banks and Stratton Oakmont’s role in the IPO of Steve Madden shares.

However, Scorsese and Terence Winter, the screenwriter, made changes to emphasize the film’s critical humor; such as party and drug scenes. Critics accused Scorsese of glorifying corruption, but the film is actually a satire on the capitalist system, not an endorsement of Belfort’s actions. That is, faithful to the source but critical at its core.

Hugo

Year of Production: 2011

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Chloë Grace Moretz

Adapted from Brian Selznick’s illustrated novel, which placed Scorsese in a completely different realm from his usual works. A family film focusing on the history of cinema.

The film tells the story of a boy living in Paris in the 1930s whose life changes after discovering the secrets of forgotten filmmaking. Using 3D technology and stunning set design, Scorsese brought the book’s illustrated world to life in a way that was both faithful to the original text and a tribute to early cinema.

The adaptation was praised for its creative blend of literary storytelling and visual innovations, demonstrating that Scorsese can excel even in an unexpected genre.

Shutter Island

Year of Production: 2010

Cast: Ben Kingsley, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo

An adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s thrilling psychological novel, it tells the story of an American marshal, played by DiCaprio, who goes to a remote asylum to investigate the disappearance of a patient.

Scorsese, while preserving the novel’s main structure, intensified its tense and enigmatic atmosphere. However, some critics believe that the film was not entirely successful in conveying the book’s psychological dimension. Nevertheless, his masterful visual direction and DiCaprio’s performance, especially in portraying Teddy’s mental turmoil, successfully lent a nightmarish atmosphere to the film. Plot twists were maintained in the film, but some changes in rhythm reduced the emotional impact of the narrative compared to the book.

Gangs of New York

Year of Production: 2002

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz

In the film “Gangs of New York,” based on Herbert Asbury’s documentary-style book, Martin Scorsese created one of the most ambitious projects in cinema history. The film is not only a visual recreation of the bloody conflicts of 19th-century New York but also a narrative of the birth of the American nation from violence, discrimination, and immigration. With this adaptation, Scorsese depicted the social and moral roots of crime in the city where he himself grew up.

Herbert Asbury’s book “The Gangs of New York,” first published in 1927, is the result of his research into the criminal history of Manhattan and the conflicts among 19th-century street gangs. This work combines social history and narrative prose; a kind of narrative documentary about poverty, ethnic discrimination, and urban violence. Scorsese had been contemplating adapting this book since 1978, but its production was delayed for more than two decades due to the scale of production and heavy budget. He finally completed the project in 2002 with the support of Miramax Studio.

Unlike Asbury’s book, which is largely a historical report, Scorsese, in collaboration with screenwriters such as Jay Cocks and Kenneth Lonergan, dramatized the narrative structure; from the book’s documentary-like account, he extracted an epic and tragic story. He transformed history into a human drama, where power, revenge, and faith intertwine.

The Age of Innocence

Year of Production: 1993

Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder

An adaptation of Edith Wharton’s book of the same name, it stands as a distinctive work in Scorsese’s filmography. It tells the story of an unfulfilled love and social constraints set in 1870s America. Scorsese, collaborating with Jay Cocks on the screenplay, with lavish and classic set designs and narration by Joanne Woodward, recreated an atmosphere filled with suppressed passions and restrictive social rules.

The powerful performances by Day-Lewis, Pfeiffer, and Ryder effectively convey the emotional complexities and tension between characters, subtly critiquing misogyny and social pressures. In this adaptation, Scorsese, with a calm pace and a style distinct from his other works, explores internal conflicts.

The Last Temptation of Christ

Year of Production: 1988

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey

This film is an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis and his controversial novel of the same name. Scorsese, who grew up in a Catholic and religious family in New York, had been interested in making a film based on this novel for years.

Kazantzakis’s work was controversial from the very beginning. In it, the author presents a human and earthly image of Jesus Christ. In the film, Scorsese breaks the boundary between reality and imagination, and Christ’s temptation on the verge of crucifixion becomes the central axis of the narrative. This moment symbolizes the ultimate temptation, a return from the path of suffering and liberation to earthly life.

This perspective provoked the wrath of many religious groups. The screening of the film in various countries was accompanied by protests, boycotts, and even violence. In Paris, the cinema showing the film was set on fire. The Vatican and many Christian groups called the film blasphemous. But on the other hand, film critics considered it one of the most honest religious films in history; a film made not to deny faith, but to understand its depth. Scorsese said in an interview: “For me, this film is an attempt to understand faith anew, not to deny it.”

Raging Bull

Year of Production: 1980

Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty

The film was based on the memoirs of Jake LaMotta, a former boxing champion, and Scorsese, faithful to the book’s violent and self-destructive spirit, turned it into a work with a visual and psychological approach. LaMotta was initially reluctant to make the film due to personal problems and addiction, but with the insistence of Robert De Niro and the collaboration of screenwriters such as Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin, he transformed LaMotta’s tumultuous life story into a masterpiece.

Scorsese moved away from the linear structure and mere narration of the book, showcasing LaMotta’s inner violence through abstract boxing scenes and Michael Chapman’s black-and-white cinematography.