Being a legend can be tough. Sometimes you're not entirely appreciated until after you die (or at least until after you stop making work that people pay attention to). Sometimes it's worse than that, and you're forced to toil under the burden of your past accomplishments, forever failing to live up to what you did decades ago. This is especially true in the film world. Because the lifespan of a director can cross over a number of eras, movements and business outlooks, it seems like a number of artists whose places in the annals of movie history were formerly secure now struggle to find relevance.
Martin Scorsese doesn't have that problem. He's a rare combination of living legend and active genius, constantly pushing himself to the limit and experimenting with his storytelling skills. He could have easily settled into a pattern of simple crime dramas for the rest of his career, essentially remaking "Goodfellas" over and over again. Instead, he indulged in bold experiments like "Bringing Out the Dead," "Kundun" and "My Voyage to Italy." Along the way, he remained interested in the relationship between crime and justice in America ("The Departed," "Gangs of New York") and next year sees the release of his first thriller (the atmospheric "Shutter Island").
Scorsese celebrates a birthday today (he turns 67 years old). One thing that has kept him young is his love for music (he directed the Bob Dylan documentary "No Direction Home" and the Rolling Stones concert film "Shine a Light"). He has directed but a single music video in his career, but it's a big one: Michael Jackson's cinematic, tough-looking "Bad." Enjoy the rarely-seen long version, and remember that Marty is a national treasure.