Martin Scorsese is urging filmmakers to save cinema, by doubling down on his call to fight comic book movie culture.

The storied filmmaker is revisiting the topic of comic book movies in a new profile for GQ. Despite facing intense blowback from filmmakers, actors and the public for the 2019 comments he made slamming the Marvel Cinematic Universe films ā€” he called them theme parks rather than actual cinema ā€” Scorsese isnā€™t shying away from the topic.

ā€œThe danger there is what itā€™s doing to our culture,ā€ he told GQ. ā€œBecause there are going to be generations now that think ā€¦ thatā€™s what movies are.ā€

GQā€™s Zach Baron posited that what Scorsese was saying might already be true, and the ā€œKillers of the Flower Moonā€ filmmaker agreed.

ā€œThey already think that. Which means that we have to then fight back stronger. And itā€™s got to come from the grassroots level. Itā€™s gotta come from the filmmakers themselves,ā€ Scorsese continued to the outlet. ā€œAnd youā€™ll have, you know, the Safdie brothers, and youā€™ll have Chris Nolan, you know what I mean? And hit ā€™em from all sides. Hit ā€™em from all sides, and donā€™t give up. ā€¦ Go reinvent. Donā€™t complain about it. But itā€™s true, because weā€™ve got to save cinema.ā€

Scorsese referred to movies inspired by comic books as ā€œmanufactured contentā€ rather than cinema.

ā€œItā€™s almost like AI making a film,ā€ he said. ā€œAnd that doesnā€™t mean that you donā€™t have incredible directors and special effects people doing beautiful artwork. But what does it mean? What do these films, what will it give you?ā€

His forthcoming film, ā€œKillers of the Flower Moon,ā€ had been on Scorseseā€™s wish list for several years; itā€™s based on David Grannā€™s 2017 nonfiction book of the same name. He called the story ā€œa sober look at who we are as a culture.ā€

The film tells the true story of the murders of Osage Nation members by white settlers in the 1920s. DiCaprio originally was attached to play FBI investigator Tom White, who was sent to the Osage Nation within Oklahoma to probe the killings. The script, however, underwent a significant rewrite.

ā€œAfter a certain point,ā€ the filmmaker told Time, ā€œI realized I was making a movie about all the white guys.ā€

The dramatic focus shifted from Whiteā€™s investigation to the Osage and the circumstances that led to them being systematically killed with no consequences.

The character of White now is played by Jesse Plemons in a supporting role. DiCaprio stars as the husband of a Native American woman, Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), an oil-rich Osage woman, and member of a conspiracy to kill her loved ones in an effort to steal her family fortune.

Scorsese worked closely with Osage Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear and his office from the beginning of production, consulting producer Chad Renfro told Time. On the first day of shooting, the Oscar-winning filmmaker had an elder of the nation come to set to say a prayer for the cast and crew.

  • Ech@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    What a coincidence that heā€™s got a movie thatā€™s ā€œfighting backā€ *checks watch* oh right about now! šŸ™„

    Not only is this ridiculous (and untrue) fearmongering about the death of ā€œreal cinemaā€ from an old man scared for his own relevance, itā€™s such blatant self-promotion itā€™s sickening. Dude would be better served being silent and maintaining his (admittedly deserved) reputation and prestige in the art form instead of tarnishing it with foolish declarations like this.

    • bermuda@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      The Irishman got 9 Oscar nominations so Iā€™m not really sure heā€™s ā€œfighting for his own relevance.ā€

    • bigkix@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      ā€œold man scared of his own relevanceā€ being said about one of the greatest directors of all time and probably the greatest alive. Ffs manā€¦

      • Ech@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        First, I never said he was irrelevant. I said heā€™s scared that he is. Second, past accomplishments donā€™t negate current or future accountability for dumb statements like his.

        • SnowdenHeroOfOurTime@unilem.org
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          1 year ago

          I wonder when we will see a headline ā€œech@lemm.ee punches back: ā€˜thereā€™s a place for these movies, theyā€™re greatā€™ā€. Your body of work is what makes people care about your opinion. The fact that Scorcese has made such outstanding movies is why people think he might know something about themā€¦ apparently you think those movies carry no weight but they absolutely do, this post existing in the first place being enough evidence of that already

          Wonā€™t someone else stand up for the poor multi, multibillion dollar industry?? Think of the shareholders!!!

          • Ech@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            That you think Martin is somehow outside of this ā€œpoor multi, multibillion dollar industryā€ that you think Iā€™m defending really says everything.

    • SnowdenHeroOfOurTime@unilem.org
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      1 year ago

      Youā€™re wrong and Martin scorcese is right. First of all, heā€™s Martin scorcese and youā€™re not. Also, he speaks the truth and youā€™re not. Heā€™s articulating exactly what I started feeling around 2003. I get so much shit for not liking superhero movies despite them being absolute dog shit. Nice to finally feel like Iā€™m not the only one.