I am often asked by younger filmmakers: Why do I need to look at old movies? The only response I can give them is: I still consider myself a student. Yes, I have made a number of pictures in the past twenty years. But the more pictures I make, the more I realize that I really don’t know. I’m always looking for something or someone that I can learn from. This is what I tell young filmmakers and film students: Do what painters used to do, and probably still do. Study the old masters. Enrich your palette. Expand the canvas. There’s always so much more to learn.

—Martin Scorsese