Martin Scorsese nearly became a priest. The asthmatic kid from Little Italy who could not play sports found his first calling in the Catholic Church before discovering that cinema could do everything religion promised — redeem, condemn, illuminate the human soul, and wrestle with good and evil. From Mean Streets to Goodfellas to The Irishman, Scorsese has spent six decades making films that are essentially theological arguments conducted with violence and rock and roll.

This episode traces Scorsese from his Little Italy childhood through the seminary ambitions, the New Hollywood revolution, the cocaine crisis that nearly ended his career, and the late-career masterpieces that keep coming.

• The Little Italy childhood, the asthma that kept him indoors, and the seminary ambitions that preceded film school
• Mean Streets, Taxi D ...