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Martin Scorsese: The Exhibition At The Eye

It was a gorgeous day for a ferry ride, not only to check out the Martin Scorsese exhibition but also the futuristic looking, spaceship-like EYE Film Institute. This masterpiece of modern architecture boasts movie theatres and year-round exhibitions exploring the art of cinema and what goes on behind the camera lens.

The shuttle ferry across the IJ harbour takes only 3 minutes (shortest ferry ride ever!), departing from Centraal station and arriving at Buiksloteweg (Amsterdam Noord). From there is a few minutes walk to the EYE and the A’dam lookout, known for its panoramic views of Amsterdam and its ‘over the edge’ swing, which is Europe’s highest swing at 100 metres high.

Which would be a nope for us.

The Martin Scorsese exhibition at the EYE was a comprehensive look at the director’s work and life, and featured over 400 objects including costumes, props, photos, scripts, storyboards – most from the personal collection of Scorsese and Robert de Niro. A Scorsese fan’s dream.

Large projection screens illuminated the darkened space with iconic scenes from his movies, as well as, documentaries about the history of film in general.

Another part of the exhibition focused on Scorsese’s film score and soundtracks. Over his illustrious career, he’s worked with leading film composers like Philip Glass and Bernard Herrmann. Music was not only a vital element in his movies, but also in Scorsese’s personal life. Did you know that he’s also made documentaries about the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan?

And if that wasn’t enough Scorsese for you, the Eye cinemas were also screening his films, which was personally compiled by Scorsese – including restored versions of Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and The Age of Innocence.

We skipped the screenings, since we’ve seen most of his movies. And if you’re a fan, I’d definitely recommend catching the exhibit and movies. However for us, the city was beckoning, the sun was shining and there was so much left to see, that we heeded its call to continue exploring everything else Amsterdam had to offer.