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Conversations on Faith
A new and original work from the legendary Martin Scorsese, in which he and Father Antonio Spadaro discuss the visionary director's relationship to faith throughout his life.
When Italian journalist Father Antonio Spadaro and Martin Scorsese first sat down together in Scorsese’s home, neither could have predicted depth of the conversation, intellectual exchange, or friendship that would result. While discussing the acclaimed director’s film Silence, about the persecution of Jesuits in Japan, they began a dialogue about faith that continues to this day.
From his Italian-American upbringing as a Catholic in New York to the meditations on religion, belief, and the divine found in his filmography, Scorsese’s relationship to his faith has touched every aspect of his life and work. In their often-profound conversations, he and Father Spadaro have left no stone unturned, discussing this relationship along with everything from Scorsese’s childhood to the concept of the soul. And as a result of their long friendship and communication, Scorsese met with Pope Francis. Readers will gain new insight into one of the most famous directors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in these honest, moving, and ultimately inspiring CONVERSATIONS ON FAITH.
When Italian journalist Father Antonio Spadaro and Martin Scorsese first sat down together in Scorsese’s home, neither could have predicted depth of the conversation, intellectual exchange, or friendship that would result. While discussing the acclaimed director’s film Silence, about the persecution of Jesuits in Japan, they began a dialogue about faith that continues to this day.
From his Italian-American upbringing as a Catholic in New York to the meditations on religion, belief, and the divine found in his filmography, Scorsese’s relationship to his faith has touched every aspect of his life and work. In their often-profound conversations, he and Father Spadaro have left no stone unturned, discussing this relationship along with everything from Scorsese’s childhood to the concept of the soul. And as a result of their long friendship and communication, Scorsese met with Pope Francis. Readers will gain new insight into one of the most famous directors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in these honest, moving, and ultimately inspiring CONVERSATIONS ON FAITH.
144 pages, Hardcover
Published November 4, 2025
14 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Martin Scorsese
117 books142 followersMartin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese is an American Academy Award-winning film director, writer, and producer. Also affectionately known as "Marty", he is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation and a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema and has won awards from the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Directors Guild of America. Scorsese is president of the Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to film preservation and the prevention of the decaying of motion picture film stock.
Scorsese's body of work addresses such themes as Italian American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo, and the violence endemic in American society. Scorsese is widely considered to be one of the most significant and influential American filmmakers of his era.[3] He earned an MFA in film directing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
Scorsese's body of work addresses such themes as Italian American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo, and the violence endemic in American society. Scorsese is widely considered to be one of the most significant and influential American filmmakers of his era.[3] He earned an MFA in film directing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
November 8, 2025
Found the first interview engaging and enlightening, especially how he described the influence of Fr. Principe on his early life and faith. But the rest was just alright - better to borrow from the library than buy if you’re interested in reading it.
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November 18, 2025Scorsese on being locked up during the pandemic: "If I couldn't make my movie, then who was I?"
That’s the kind of obsession you want from an artist. Today, too many seem attuned to the noise of modern life. Be wary of any so-called artists who talk like entrepreneurs. It’s not about money. It’s never about money. It’s about the need to create and nothing else. It wasn't lack of funding for a film (Scorsese has found all sorts of ways of getting his films made); it was the fear that he couldn't make a film; that the forces against him would finally be too strong.
Surprisingly, there is a script written by Scorsese for a short film at the end of this book, an insightful look into his thinking before getting celluloid involved. "It's not a matter of looking for answers or making statements," voice over reads in the script. "We're trying to create something like life as its lived... to give form to... what? To this inexplicable mystery, always changing."
This is why his films are so poignant. He's always telling it like it is. His films are honest. Not didactic. But in the mirror he holds up, you are forced to confront the harsher realities lurking all around us. And in that there is a lesson.
That’s the kind of obsession you want from an artist. Today, too many seem attuned to the noise of modern life. Be wary of any so-called artists who talk like entrepreneurs. It’s not about money. It’s never about money. It’s about the need to create and nothing else. It wasn't lack of funding for a film (Scorsese has found all sorts of ways of getting his films made); it was the fear that he couldn't make a film; that the forces against him would finally be too strong.
Surprisingly, there is a script written by Scorsese for a short film at the end of this book, an insightful look into his thinking before getting celluloid involved. "It's not a matter of looking for answers or making statements," voice over reads in the script. "We're trying to create something like life as its lived... to give form to... what? To this inexplicable mystery, always changing."
This is why his films are so poignant. He's always telling it like it is. His films are honest. Not didactic. But in the mirror he holds up, you are forced to confront the harsher realities lurking all around us. And in that there is a lesson.
January 4, 2026
A short 100 pages, but a book that will stick with me for a long while.
The book is essentially the capturing of a conversation between Antonio Spadaro, (a Jesuit Priest) and Martin Scorsese (an American filmmaker), discussing the relationship between Scorsese's career and films and the question of faith. At the end of the book is a script (titled, Script about Jesus) that summarizes the conversation in the format Scorsese is most known for- the screenplay. Here this script catpures the essential question that emerges from the conversation, captured in the following way in the script;
“We try to find endings for our stories that give form to life as we all live it. Stumbling along, I realize I might be creating pictures that lead to more questions, more mysteries… A question formed and came into being. The question… What does Christ want from us?” (page 125, p128)
Scorsese calls this seeking "the immediacy of Jesus." Meaning, seeking Jesus in the here and now. Seeking the idea of Jesus being with us always and how that might be expressed in the humanness of our experience and this world. And as he ruminates and wonders, "isn't it all grace?" (p96). The grace that frees us to live into Jesus' humanness, not as a rejection of that Divinity but as a means to contextualize it into our reality. To bring heaven to earth so to speak, even as we live and breathe in awareness of that greater hope.
"The mystery of life and death, which is what Jesus is." (p84). Which is what inspires Scorsese to step forward into his own story. As he says, "In the process of living (that mystery), you come to the moment where you embrace it. And you try to do something..." This something for him is the creative act of art. A creative act that can lead to "accepting oneself" and learning to "live with onesself." As "then, maybe it will become easier for (us) to live with other people, and to recieve their goodness." And indeed to find a way into receiving God's goodness. (p75) As he points out, where we struggle with the ways we percieve God's relating to the world to be problematic or fearful or confusing, we come to see that "we are the ones we have to be merciful with." This he sees as the ongoing process of living. Because to be merciful with ourselves is to free ourselves to step out into the world and into the story of God.
What struck me here is his phrase, "a doubting that becomes self criticism." (page 58)
Or the thought that "all of life is prayer, and prayer has no object or goal. It is communion..." (page 49) A notion that flows from this observation that "we created the ideas of the past and the future to give ourselves a sense of structure. Yet all that really exists is right here and right now, which we can never grasp." (page 47). Which is why we pray (or live). He calls this "dwelling in eternity." And part of what drives this marriage of heaven and earth is Scorsese's intimate interest in "how people percieve God," or "how people percieve the world of the intangible. Seeking the transcendenet in the muddiness of the every day, something that is birthed from the world he grew up in and inhabited where violence was the norm. A world of gangsters and addicts. "You can't just dismiss a whole great swath of humanity," he surmises. "They are us." (page 43). Which is what inspires his art to seek the honesty head on, the stuff we tend to distance ourselves from. When we do this we are distancing ourselves from ourselves as well. This is what it means for him to be "obsessed by the spiritual, by the question of what we are."
This is the immediacy of Jesus.
That obsession is a way for Scorsese to frame the world within the mystery. The mystery of God. Isn't it all grace becomes an echo of an earlier statment in which he wonders, "We constantly see and hear the words justice and mercy, justice and mercy everywhere. Shouldn't mercy be first? Because justice can easily become a cry for blood, for retributiion, and more and more and on and on until the world ends. At some point it has to stop." (page p21)
The immediacy of Jesus.
“I realized that I was trying to hide by becoming a priest. I was trying to hide from life, and from fear- fear of being hurt, fear of hurting others. And maybe I thought I could create the vocation, control the situation myself. But thats not the way it happens. It’s quite the opposite: it’s about giving up control and opening yourself up to what can become true love, constant and understanding- the mystery of God’s love. You have to explore that and understand that and accept that you may not ever get there. Because the opening and the exploring is what it’s all about- the mystery will always remain a mystery, and it’s not something to be solved but to be confronted and contemplated…. The idea that everything can be scientifically explained doesn’t seem ridiculous to me, but quite naive… the spiritual dimension of life, as you call it, is always right there.” (Martin Scorsese, Conversations on Faith)
The book is essentially the capturing of a conversation between Antonio Spadaro, (a Jesuit Priest) and Martin Scorsese (an American filmmaker), discussing the relationship between Scorsese's career and films and the question of faith. At the end of the book is a script (titled, Script about Jesus) that summarizes the conversation in the format Scorsese is most known for- the screenplay. Here this script catpures the essential question that emerges from the conversation, captured in the following way in the script;
“We try to find endings for our stories that give form to life as we all live it. Stumbling along, I realize I might be creating pictures that lead to more questions, more mysteries… A question formed and came into being. The question… What does Christ want from us?” (page 125, p128)
Scorsese calls this seeking "the immediacy of Jesus." Meaning, seeking Jesus in the here and now. Seeking the idea of Jesus being with us always and how that might be expressed in the humanness of our experience and this world. And as he ruminates and wonders, "isn't it all grace?" (p96). The grace that frees us to live into Jesus' humanness, not as a rejection of that Divinity but as a means to contextualize it into our reality. To bring heaven to earth so to speak, even as we live and breathe in awareness of that greater hope.
"The mystery of life and death, which is what Jesus is." (p84). Which is what inspires Scorsese to step forward into his own story. As he says, "In the process of living (that mystery), you come to the moment where you embrace it. And you try to do something..." This something for him is the creative act of art. A creative act that can lead to "accepting oneself" and learning to "live with onesself." As "then, maybe it will become easier for (us) to live with other people, and to recieve their goodness." And indeed to find a way into receiving God's goodness. (p75) As he points out, where we struggle with the ways we percieve God's relating to the world to be problematic or fearful or confusing, we come to see that "we are the ones we have to be merciful with." This he sees as the ongoing process of living. Because to be merciful with ourselves is to free ourselves to step out into the world and into the story of God.
What struck me here is his phrase, "a doubting that becomes self criticism." (page 58)
Or the thought that "all of life is prayer, and prayer has no object or goal. It is communion..." (page 49) A notion that flows from this observation that "we created the ideas of the past and the future to give ourselves a sense of structure. Yet all that really exists is right here and right now, which we can never grasp." (page 47). Which is why we pray (or live). He calls this "dwelling in eternity." And part of what drives this marriage of heaven and earth is Scorsese's intimate interest in "how people percieve God," or "how people percieve the world of the intangible. Seeking the transcendenet in the muddiness of the every day, something that is birthed from the world he grew up in and inhabited where violence was the norm. A world of gangsters and addicts. "You can't just dismiss a whole great swath of humanity," he surmises. "They are us." (page 43). Which is what inspires his art to seek the honesty head on, the stuff we tend to distance ourselves from. When we do this we are distancing ourselves from ourselves as well. This is what it means for him to be "obsessed by the spiritual, by the question of what we are."
This is the immediacy of Jesus.
That obsession is a way for Scorsese to frame the world within the mystery. The mystery of God. Isn't it all grace becomes an echo of an earlier statment in which he wonders, "We constantly see and hear the words justice and mercy, justice and mercy everywhere. Shouldn't mercy be first? Because justice can easily become a cry for blood, for retributiion, and more and more and on and on until the world ends. At some point it has to stop." (page p21)
The immediacy of Jesus.
“I realized that I was trying to hide by becoming a priest. I was trying to hide from life, and from fear- fear of being hurt, fear of hurting others. And maybe I thought I could create the vocation, control the situation myself. But thats not the way it happens. It’s quite the opposite: it’s about giving up control and opening yourself up to what can become true love, constant and understanding- the mystery of God’s love. You have to explore that and understand that and accept that you may not ever get there. Because the opening and the exploring is what it’s all about- the mystery will always remain a mystery, and it’s not something to be solved but to be confronted and contemplated…. The idea that everything can be scientifically explained doesn’t seem ridiculous to me, but quite naive… the spiritual dimension of life, as you call it, is always right there.” (Martin Scorsese, Conversations on Faith)
December 26, 2025
I received this book as a Christmas gift and read it in two sittings. It’s a slim volume, but it lingers—thought-provoking in quiet, lasting ways.
What struck me the most was Scorsese’s meditation on violence—not as spectacle, but as something to be shown in its raw, unvarnished truth. He argues that only by confronting violence without stylisation can we begin to understand it, and maybe move beyond it. The idea of embracing the reality of violence as a step toward peace felt, to me, strangely odd—but also deeply wise.
Equally powerful was his reflection on mercy. Scorsese rejects the idea of forgiveness as a transaction. Instead, he sees Christ as a presence that lives within us—always inviting, never coercing. Redemption is always possible, but it must be chosen. His example of Jake LaMotta from Raging Bull was especially poignant because he’s not damned by God, but by his own inability to show mercy to himself. It made me wonder: how much of our suffering comes not from divine judgement, but from our own refusal to forgive ourselves?
This isn’t a theological treatise. It’s an intimate conversation about searching and perception—about how we wrestle with faith, guilt, and weight of our own stories. If you’ve ever found yourself between belief and doubt, or wondered whether mercy is something you must earn or simply receive, you might find something here that stays with you.
What struck me the most was Scorsese’s meditation on violence—not as spectacle, but as something to be shown in its raw, unvarnished truth. He argues that only by confronting violence without stylisation can we begin to understand it, and maybe move beyond it. The idea of embracing the reality of violence as a step toward peace felt, to me, strangely odd—but also deeply wise.
Equally powerful was his reflection on mercy. Scorsese rejects the idea of forgiveness as a transaction. Instead, he sees Christ as a presence that lives within us—always inviting, never coercing. Redemption is always possible, but it must be chosen. His example of Jake LaMotta from Raging Bull was especially poignant because he’s not damned by God, but by his own inability to show mercy to himself. It made me wonder: how much of our suffering comes not from divine judgement, but from our own refusal to forgive ourselves?
This isn’t a theological treatise. It’s an intimate conversation about searching and perception—about how we wrestle with faith, guilt, and weight of our own stories. If you’ve ever found yourself between belief and doubt, or wondered whether mercy is something you must earn or simply receive, you might find something here that stays with you.
February 9, 2026
i love a book that shows me other books and movies. scorsese and i could have a cool convo.
“You have to explore that and understand that and accept that you may not ever get there…the mystery will always remain a mystery, and its not something to be solved but to be confronted and contemplated.” (12)
“And I wonder: shouldnt mercy be first? Because justice can easily, so easily, become a cry for blood, retribution, and more and more and on and on until the world ends. At some point, it has to stop.” (21)
“we can’t deny our nature.” (25)
“painters, composers, novelists, choreographers, filmmakers…we keep trying…it’s not a matter of looking for answers or making statements. we’re trying to create something like life as its lived…to give form to…what? to this inexplicable mystery, always changing. we keep trying, and we hope that we’ll end up with something that expresses that mystery. for some of us, trying to describe what happens around those moments of revelation is at the heart of our work.” (122)
“You have to explore that and understand that and accept that you may not ever get there…the mystery will always remain a mystery, and its not something to be solved but to be confronted and contemplated.” (12)
“And I wonder: shouldnt mercy be first? Because justice can easily, so easily, become a cry for blood, retribution, and more and more and on and on until the world ends. At some point, it has to stop.” (21)
“we can’t deny our nature.” (25)
“painters, composers, novelists, choreographers, filmmakers…we keep trying…it’s not a matter of looking for answers or making statements. we’re trying to create something like life as its lived…to give form to…what? to this inexplicable mystery, always changing. we keep trying, and we hope that we’ll end up with something that expresses that mystery. for some of us, trying to describe what happens around those moments of revelation is at the heart of our work.” (122)
January 2, 2026
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would! I’ve read alot on faith in the relative recent & am so appreciative when there is such a clear argument that faith is nore important than religion. Scorsese does talk alot about religious symbols here towards the end & the role they played in his films which was cool to understand (especially as someone who has never seen a Scorsese movie). The conversation happening here was so fascinating, film making and faith when the craft does lean heavily on depictions of violence, deception, etc. Whats also soo cool is, just like Greg Boyles philosophy on “the evil person”, Scorsese complicates it & rejects such a simple narrative and makes sure to show the complications in these “violent” films. Soo fascinating. On to a Scorsese film binge.
December 20, 2025
This was very disappointing for me; while I found the first interview pretty interesting [and the interview where he went into the making of Killers of the Flower Moon as that was truly amazing and kept me fully engaged], the rest of them were this weird amalgamation of trying to justify the violence in his movies with his love and trying to portray Jesus/Faith and it was all was just so odd and overall, it just mostly fell flat for me and I was left with a rather bad taste so to speak.
I was invited to read/review this by the publisher [Grand Central Publishing] and I thank them, the authors and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was invited to read/review this by the publisher [Grand Central Publishing] and I thank them, the authors and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 26, 2025
Found more an enjoyable quick overview of Scorsese more than anything else and made me want to watch more from him
November 22, 2025
Reflecting on this book, I have to honestly say that I don’t think it has wide appeal; I feel like the readers who would appreciate it most are either going to be Scorsese fans or readers who enjoy intellectual curiosity surrounding the spiritual.
But if you are one of those readers (as I am), this book is a treasure. I went through my copy with a pen and underlined sentences that will stick with me. Scorsese’s film Silence is what I am primarily familiar with regarding his work and I remember discussing the film in relation to Endo’s book (on which it was based) in university. To learn how he approaches each of his other films (of which I am less familiar) in a similar way - getting to the heart of his characters’ relationship with their spiritual journey - was really interesting.
My favorite bits were hearing about Scorsese’s inspirations. I was so intrigued by his discussion surrounding Brother Lawrence that I bought the book Scorsese mentioned. I’m looking forward to diving into that one as deeply as Endo’s Silence. Those who admire Scorsese’s cinematic vision will have a list of older films to dive into with similar enthusiasm.
This is absolutely a book that you will want two copies of so you can give one to a friend you’d like to discuss with. Thank you SO much to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy!
But if you are one of those readers (as I am), this book is a treasure. I went through my copy with a pen and underlined sentences that will stick with me. Scorsese’s film Silence is what I am primarily familiar with regarding his work and I remember discussing the film in relation to Endo’s book (on which it was based) in university. To learn how he approaches each of his other films (of which I am less familiar) in a similar way - getting to the heart of his characters’ relationship with their spiritual journey - was really interesting.
My favorite bits were hearing about Scorsese’s inspirations. I was so intrigued by his discussion surrounding Brother Lawrence that I bought the book Scorsese mentioned. I’m looking forward to diving into that one as deeply as Endo’s Silence. Those who admire Scorsese’s cinematic vision will have a list of older films to dive into with similar enthusiasm.
This is absolutely a book that you will want two copies of so you can give one to a friend you’d like to discuss with. Thank you SO much to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy!
November 19, 2025
Scorsese on the violence in his films:
“. . . I am obsessed by the spiritual. I’m obsessed by the question of what we are. And that means looking at us closely, the good and the bad. Can we nurture the good so that at some future point in the evolution of mankind, violence will, possibly, cease to exist? Maybe. But right now, violence is here. It’s something that we do. It’s important to show that, so that one doesn’t make the mistake of thinking that violence is something that others do—that ‘violent people’ do. ‘I could never do that, of course.’ Well, actually, you could.”
“. . . I am obsessed by the spiritual. I’m obsessed by the question of what we are. And that means looking at us closely, the good and the bad. Can we nurture the good so that at some future point in the evolution of mankind, violence will, possibly, cease to exist? Maybe. But right now, violence is here. It’s something that we do. It’s important to show that, so that one doesn’t make the mistake of thinking that violence is something that others do—that ‘violent people’ do. ‘I could never do that, of course.’ Well, actually, you could.”
November 19, 2025
I love Scorsese and I probably would have had a better experience if I had watched the movies specifically referenced in this, but overall I expected more and felt a bit meh about it. Might give it another go in the future after watching Silence
October 13, 2025
I found Conversations on Faith to be a quietly powerful, deeply human exploration of what it means to wrestle with belief, doubt, and purpose. What I loved most was that this wasn’t just a surface level interview or a celebrity soundbite about religion. Instead, it was a genuine exchange between Martin Scorsese and Father Antonio Spadaro that felt raw, reflective, and meaningful.
The fact that Scorsese met and spoke with Pope Francis made the book even more special for me. I’ve always felt like Pope Francis embodied the very best of what faith can be: kindness, humility, and love for all. He was not just a religious figure, but a genuinely good man who lived simply and sought to understand others rather than judge them. That sense of compassion and humanity carries through the entire book, and it’s honestly refreshing in a world where religion so often divides instead of unites.
I’ll admit, I’m not a religious person anymore. I grew up in a very religious household, but my relationship with faith has evolved over time. Still, I’ve always admired open, thoughtful conversations like this, ones that invite you to question, to feel, to reflect. Scorsese and Spadaro do exactly that. Their discussions challenge what faith means on both a personal and universal level, and they remind us that even those who’ve achieved incredible worldly success are still searching for meaning, connection, and peace.
I was especially fascinated by how Scorsese connects his spirituality to his art. You can really see how his films, which are so often about sin, redemption, and moral struggle, reflect his lifelong dialogue with faith. Reading about his internal process and how deeply personal those themes are to him gave me a new appreciation for his work as a director.
At its heart, Conversations on Faith is less about religion itself and more about being human, like how we search for purpose, how we make peace with our pasts, and how we try to love and understand others along the way. I finished it feeling both grounded and inspired, wishing more of us could have conversations like this: open, respectful, and full of curiosity rather than certainty.
A truly fascinating and moving read, no matter where you fall on the spectrum of belief.
Thank you to NetGalley, Martin Scorsese, and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC of this book.
The fact that Scorsese met and spoke with Pope Francis made the book even more special for me. I’ve always felt like Pope Francis embodied the very best of what faith can be: kindness, humility, and love for all. He was not just a religious figure, but a genuinely good man who lived simply and sought to understand others rather than judge them. That sense of compassion and humanity carries through the entire book, and it’s honestly refreshing in a world where religion so often divides instead of unites.
I’ll admit, I’m not a religious person anymore. I grew up in a very religious household, but my relationship with faith has evolved over time. Still, I’ve always admired open, thoughtful conversations like this, ones that invite you to question, to feel, to reflect. Scorsese and Spadaro do exactly that. Their discussions challenge what faith means on both a personal and universal level, and they remind us that even those who’ve achieved incredible worldly success are still searching for meaning, connection, and peace.
I was especially fascinated by how Scorsese connects his spirituality to his art. You can really see how his films, which are so often about sin, redemption, and moral struggle, reflect his lifelong dialogue with faith. Reading about his internal process and how deeply personal those themes are to him gave me a new appreciation for his work as a director.
At its heart, Conversations on Faith is less about religion itself and more about being human, like how we search for purpose, how we make peace with our pasts, and how we try to love and understand others along the way. I finished it feeling both grounded and inspired, wishing more of us could have conversations like this: open, respectful, and full of curiosity rather than certainty.
A truly fascinating and moving read, no matter where you fall on the spectrum of belief.
Thank you to NetGalley, Martin Scorsese, and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC of this book.
February 15, 2026
An Italian Jesuit theologian and undersecretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education, Antonio Spadaro sits with director Martin Scorsese for a series of conversations about the master filmmaker’s relationship with faith. Compiled from several conversations between 2016 through 2023, Scorsese opens up about how the journey toward his faith began, finding refuge in the church as an escape from the grip organized crime had on the lower class immigrant families that Scorsese grew up with in lower east side Manhattan. With stern guidance from a young priest who taught that there was another way out of here, Scorsese became aware of a new language and way of thinking, one that moved beyond the Old World he had been raised with, motivating him to express his faith and environment in ways that complement and contradict, resulting in some of his greatest and most spiritual films. Scorsese also shares his thoughts on Grace and the importance of finding the “immediacy of Jesus,” the one right now in front of us and all around us. He expresses this immediacy as the alternative to the image of Jesus as King of Kings, one whose way of being is separate, as opposed to being a part of the nature of everyday life, with Jesus embracing all of humanity because he really is all of humanity. Connecting these ideas to some of his films, Scorsese also shares how his relationship with his faith has informed his creative process, or that certain films of his speak to different facets of Jesus’s teachings and the responsibility to live them out on the streets instead of in the churches, with Scorsese recalling these themes in films like “Mean Streets,” “Raging Bull,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Silence,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Also included is a short script treatment about a modern image of Jesus, written by Scorsese and originally published in Spadaro’s book “A Divine Plot” where Scorsese wrote the script in response to Pope Francis making an appeal to artists to show Jesus through “the genius of a new language, of powerful stories and images.”
November 19, 2025
This book features a series of six conversations between Mr. Scorsese and Antonio Spadaro, all centered on faith. Martin Scorsese is a renowned actor and director. Antonio Spadaro is an Italian Jesuit theologian. During the first conversation, Scorsese defines his religious beliefs as Christian, Roman Catholic by baptism. He believes the tenets of the Catholic church suit his view of God and religion best. Each of these conversations centers around Scorsese's faith and life experiences.
It is significant to note that in each script he writes, his central characters have an experience involving faith. It might not be overt to the viewer, but it is part of the movie's message. I found his revelation surprising, and I realized that I need to rewatch his films. Maybe I was looking at these movies too superficially.
Each conversation is deeply thought-provoking. I am a very quick reader; however, this time I took time to read and reflect on each conversation. Sometimes I agreed with or understood Scorsese's points; other times I found myself disagreeing. I would advise readers to take this approach, slow life down enough to enjoy this book. I appreciated the opportunity this book afforded me to clarify my thoughts on faith.
My takeaway is that Scorsese lives a life rooted in faith. It is a part of who he is and what he creates.
I am glad I read this book. My gratitude to Grand Central Publishing for offering the book, and my heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Scorsese and Mr. Spadaro for sharing these conversations.
It is significant to note that in each script he writes, his central characters have an experience involving faith. It might not be overt to the viewer, but it is part of the movie's message. I found his revelation surprising, and I realized that I need to rewatch his films. Maybe I was looking at these movies too superficially.
Each conversation is deeply thought-provoking. I am a very quick reader; however, this time I took time to read and reflect on each conversation. Sometimes I agreed with or understood Scorsese's points; other times I found myself disagreeing. I would advise readers to take this approach, slow life down enough to enjoy this book. I appreciated the opportunity this book afforded me to clarify my thoughts on faith.
My takeaway is that Scorsese lives a life rooted in faith. It is a part of who he is and what he creates.
I am glad I read this book. My gratitude to Grand Central Publishing for offering the book, and my heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Scorsese and Mr. Spadaro for sharing these conversations.
November 9, 2025
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the gifted copy!
“Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit.” -Carl Jung (Called or not called, God will come.)
A compelling, honest conversation between Father Antonio Spadaro and Martin Scorsese. They discussed questions I’ve also pondered. Purpose. Forgiveness. Humanity. Suffering. Evil. Hope. Conversations on Faith is both thoughtful and thought provoking. Honest and insightful.
I also found it fascinating learning about Martin’s upbringing, his asthma that kept him quite isolated, and how it may have propelled his career (just my opinion). So much time spent in his own head to wonder. Time intensely observing human behavior, absorbing. Then consciously peeling back the layers, the good and bad. Reviewing everything that essentially makes us humans. Our surroundings but more importantly, our choices. His obsession with the spiritual definitely ignited this curiosity that bled into his work. As a fan, reading about how this impacted his films was so interesting.
Another passage that stood out and I can’t stop thinking about: “Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction." Pope Francis
My takeaway: every moment is a teachable moment. Jesus is within all of us, urging us to act from love, and you can find him if you open your heart to others.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit.” -Carl Jung (Called or not called, God will come.)
A compelling, honest conversation between Father Antonio Spadaro and Martin Scorsese. They discussed questions I’ve also pondered. Purpose. Forgiveness. Humanity. Suffering. Evil. Hope. Conversations on Faith is both thoughtful and thought provoking. Honest and insightful.
I also found it fascinating learning about Martin’s upbringing, his asthma that kept him quite isolated, and how it may have propelled his career (just my opinion). So much time spent in his own head to wonder. Time intensely observing human behavior, absorbing. Then consciously peeling back the layers, the good and bad. Reviewing everything that essentially makes us humans. Our surroundings but more importantly, our choices. His obsession with the spiritual definitely ignited this curiosity that bled into his work. As a fan, reading about how this impacted his films was so interesting.
Another passage that stood out and I can’t stop thinking about: “Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction." Pope Francis
My takeaway: every moment is a teachable moment. Jesus is within all of us, urging us to act from love, and you can find him if you open your heart to others.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read
December 26, 2025On Filmmaking and Faith is the UK version of the title, which I think is more descriptive (even if it sounds a bit obvious). It's a very short book. I am not a film buff nor Scorsese buff, and I think being the latter would enhance enjoyment of the book. I lacked too much context. Because it's so short it feels shallow on the filmmaking side and the faith side, plus it jumps around on topics with no thematic organization. If you like his films you might get some insight into them, especially through understanding him as a person.
"Jesus embraces all of humanity, and Jesus really is all of humanity. He's showing all of us the way, the way to be able to live, to deal with anger and vengeance and retribution, with love and forgiveness and redemption and everything else within us and between us. He shows us the way. It's not easy, as we all know. But he is the example for the multitudes, because he is all of us. That is what I see." -Scorsese
"Jesus embraces all of humanity, and Jesus really is all of humanity. He's showing all of us the way, the way to be able to live, to deal with anger and vengeance and retribution, with love and forgiveness and redemption and everything else within us and between us. He shows us the way. It's not easy, as we all know. But he is the example for the multitudes, because he is all of us. That is what I see." -Scorsese
November 26, 2025
Martin Scorsese is a brilliant director. I might not have seen all of his works, but those that I have seen, were magnificently done. I had no idea that Scorsese was such a religious man. Judging by a lot of his films, it is not overly obvious how much his faith plays into them. This book is written in a conversation approach, hence the title. A question is posed and then Scorsese gives his answer. Hearing his views gives a new perspective on him and opens up questions in the reader's own mind. It is a quick and easy read, but definitely worth the time.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of Conversations on Faith in the return of an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of Conversations on Faith in the return of an honest review.
November 13, 2025
A 2 hour 'book'? This is more of a podcast. Actually, the problem for me is knowing that in the mid 90's an acquaintance trying to make their way as into film was essentially propositioned / harassed by the erstwhile god-fearing penitent here that all of the holier-than-thou talk feels extremely hollow. I'm not calling out some type of me-too scenario and while I can separate the artist from their work (some of which I greatly appreciate), the holy-roller views here elicit a roll of the eyes. The worked up treatment at the end is really goofy as well.
November 27, 2025
For anyone who - like me - wishes Apple's Mr. Scorsese miniseries were longer, and particularly the first episode which dives more deeply into his upbringing and his religious grounding, I highly recommend stumbling across this book in a Barnes and Noble and sitting with it for the 45-50 minutes it takes to read.
I'd listen to Scorsese expound upon basically anything for as long as he felt the desire to continue speaking, and this is no exception. Truly moving, thought-provoking stuff, and I'm glad I picked it up the other day and spent the morning with it.
I'd listen to Scorsese expound upon basically anything for as long as he felt the desire to continue speaking, and this is no exception. Truly moving, thought-provoking stuff, and I'm glad I picked it up the other day and spent the morning with it.
December 25, 2025
Conversations on Faith by Scorsese is interesting. The man isn't deeply spiritual, but he retains some semblances of his upbringing and uses his periphery experiences to inform the faith expressed in his films.
Becoming a father and looking in the face of his almost dead daughter resonated with me.
Overall: The book is a conversation. It never seeks to find the final answer, nor does it claim to have the answers. Scorsese has the humbleness to not claim he knows. He only makes one claim: He creates and that's his calling.
Becoming a father and looking in the face of his almost dead daughter resonated with me.
Overall: The book is a conversation. It never seeks to find the final answer, nor does it claim to have the answers. Scorsese has the humbleness to not claim he knows. He only makes one claim: He creates and that's his calling.
December 30, 2025
It’s hard to classify this as a book as it is a series of short interviews transcribed. While some lengthy books would be better condensed to a long article, this feels like a long article that deserved more space and structure. I would have enjoyed hearing some thoughts from the interviewer, a Jesuit priest. For that reason it’s hardly fair to call these interactions “conversations.” Even so, Scorsese shares insights into how his upbringing and faith informed and continue to inform his art, while also sharing some nuggets on filmmaking.
December 30, 2025
Quick read into the mind of one of the best directors ever. The bonus is to learn about his faith and upbringing and how it shaped his movie making. I might read it again before returning to the library. I was pleasantly surprised as this was a Book Box suggestion - our library has you answer a few questions then gives you a blond box with a few books.
January 26, 2026
3.5 The book is presented in interview style, almost like a podcast with a very good listening moderator. But for that reason, I think I found it a little scattered. I did find his thought process and the bright thread of spiritual curiosity compelling; plus,I picked up some interesting book recommendations and intend to rewatch some of Scorsese’s work.
December 6, 2025
I was curious about this book because I am curious about other people’s Faith journeys. Scorsese refers often to his film “Silence” and his film “The Last Temptation of Christ” in his conversation with the priest. In my opinion, his films are about people looking for, hoping for redemption.
December 8, 2025
Got this book for my dad for Christmas and thought I should read it since it’s so short! Interesting conversation on how faith has been a constant pillar for Martin and how it has intersected his work and his perspective on fame.
January 3, 2026
If you want to better understand Martin Scorsese and his movies, this is a wonderful resource. It also, generally, offers insight into the effects and motivations the spiritual and religious parts of life in each of us.
January 8, 2026
short book and insightful. However a bit spendy for what it is. I enjoyed hearing about Scorsese's faith, influences and the stories that impacted him and his reflections on his own films, but I recommend providing a library copy rather than shelling out 30 dollars for a 100 pager.
January 11, 2026
Thoughtful and honest conversations about movies and religion. An obvious passion of mine. The issue is it would make a great long article and paying over twenty dollars for a glorified New Yorker post makes you feel a little cheated that what’s inside is the entire book.
January 25, 2026
Believe it’s the first book I’ve ever read in a day, let alone pretty much one sitting (took a supper and SEVERAL bathroom breaks). It’s definitely not for everyone, but people who love Scorsese’s work and consider themselves intrigued at the idea of faith, especially in Jesus, will love it.
February 15, 2026
An interesting short read that gives you some thoughtful insights from a modern legend of the arts. I suppose that's the part I liked more than the meaning of his thoughts directly - but that you get to peer into Scorsese's thinking and understand some of what has driven his art.
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