Martin Scorsese jokes about making Tumblr mafia movie ‘Goncharov’

Director Martin Scorsese
| Photo Credit: MARIO ANZUONI

American filmmaker Martin Scorsese has proved that he is the king of comedy by jokingly confirming that he was the one who made the Tumblr mafia movie Goncharov, a movie that exists only as a meme.

According to NYPost, a few years ago, a Tumblr user posted a photo of a “knockoff” shoe purchased online, with an odd label mentioning the filmmaker. It read, “The greatest mafia movie ever made. Martin Scorsese presents Goncharov. Domenico Proccacci production. A film by Matteo JWHJ0715. About the Naples Mafia.”

Oscar-winning filmmaker Scorsese has helmed iconic mafia films such as The Irishman and Goodfellas — but not 1973’s Goncharov. The label on the shoe appears to have been about the 2008’s Italian crime film Gomorrah, which was directed by Matteo Garrone and produced by Domenico Proccacci. Notably, Scorsese was impressed by the film that he allowed his name to be used for marketing purposes during the film’s release in the US.

However, this week, Scorsese’s daughter Francesca shared a screenshot of a text conversation between her and her father, in which she asks if he has seen a New York Times article outlining the digital footprint of the Goncharov movement. “Yes. I made that film years ago,” Scorsese responded, seemingly in on the joke.

Though many people might not have heard of this film, it has a poster, a theme song, and an accompanying video game.

‘Goncharov’ even has a tagline: “the greatest mafia movie (n)ever made.” The dream all-star cast includes Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Cybill Shepherd, Gene Hackman and Harvey Keitel.

In 2020, when the picture of the mysterious shoe label was reblogged with the caption, “this idiot hasn’t seen Goncharov,” the movie turned into memeable gold, as per NYPost.