It's difficult to say what makes a truly great director, but whatever it is, Martin Scorsese has definitely got it. Scorsese has of course directed a number of true modern classics that include Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas to name but three.

In this documentary, he offers an insight into the inspiration for him becoming a film director in the first place; as a child they would broadcast Italian films with subtitles on TV on a Friday night, where his entire extended family would gather to watch at his home in New York City. These films would go on to have a great impact on Scorsese and his body of work.

To begin with, the director gives a personal account of his childhood and the members of his Italian family. For many of them, watching these films on a Friday night was a stark reminder of their roots. For a young Scorsese, they were lessons in filmmaking.

For the next few hours Scorsese selects clips from various classic Italian films, split into roughly two halves: those of the 1930's and 40's, and those of the 50's and 60's.

For the uninitiated it's a lesson in film, as the director describes the mood of Italy at the time, as well as the major players involved in the early cinematic movement known as Italian neo realism. For those who may have studied film, this is probably a fond reminder of classic films already scrutinised, that include Rossellini's Paisá, Visconti's La Terra firma and De Sica's heartbreaking classic The Bicycle Thief.

I want-a ride my bicycle, I want-a ride my bike. I want-a ride my bicycle, I want-a ride it where I like.

It has to be said however, that if all of these films are new to you, you should be aware of quite a few spoilers. Many of the clips shown would be like watching clips of Darth Vader telling Luke of their family tree, or Keyser Söze making himself known for the very first time. So if you intend to see any of the films mentioned in this documentary, you had best catch at least a few of them before watching this. Otherwise, prepare for quite a few spoilers.

But if you're happy to throw caution to the wind then just let Scorsese take you on a tour of some truly classic Italian cinema.

The only real quibble is that the documentary relies too heavily on clips, taking up the majority of its four hours and ten minutes duration; it would have been nice to have Scorsese actually visit Italy and give the film some well-needed local colour.

Ultimately though, here's hoping that Scorsese's journey may encourage others to visit some of these true classics in cinema for themselves.