In late 1983, Paramount Pictures informed Martin Scorsese that they were dropping The Last Temptation of Christ, a passion proje…

In late 1983, Paramount Pictures informed Martin Scorsese that they were dropping The Last Temptation of Christ, a passion project he had spent years developing. Scorsese later said: «They were sending me a very clear message. And the message was: go away.» His lawyer handed him a script called A Night in SoHo. Scorsese initially had to pass because he was still trying to salvage The Last Temptation of Christ. The project was then offered to Tim Burton. When Paramount pulled the plug entirely, Scorsese jumped back on board. The entire film was shot over 30 nights on a $4.5 million budget. Scorsese showed up to set each night with a complete storyboard on the call sheet, including every shot, every light placement, and every camera track. The crew, largely young and inexperienced, had never seen a director that prepared. When one scene ended they were already set up for the next one. Scorsese told Griffin Dunne to avoid sleep and sex during production to maintain a genuine feeling of paranoia on camera. The conversation between Paul and the bouncer at Club Berlin is taken almost directly from Franz Kafka’s Before The Law. The film won Scorsese the Best Director prize at Cannes. It was considered his career comeback. Film: After Hours (1985)