Martin Scorseseone of the best directors in the history of cinema, has already made his opinion on the film clear on more than one occasion. Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, once again, he has insisted that franchise and superhero films are not considered real cinema. Furthermore, he has pointed out the danger they pose to film culture worldwide. He sees in them signs of the destruction of the profession in which he has stood out for so many years.
All this has been given in an interview granted to GQ on the occasion of the premiere of The Moon Killers (Killers of the Flower Moon), his next film. During the report, the journalist asked him again about his position regarding the current industry, which bases the film business on large franchises. “The danger is what it is doing to our culture,” he stated. Martin Scorsese. “Because now there will be generations who will think that movies are just that,” laments the director of Taxi Driver.
“They really already believe it. Which means we’re going to have to fight harder. And it has to come from the grassroots. It has to come from the filmmakers themselves. The brothers will be there.” Safdiewill be Chris Nolan, you know what I mean? And you will have to hit everywhere. Hit them and don’t give up. Show your worth. Go out and do it. He goes reinvent yourself. Do not complain. That is the truth, because we have to save cinema,” he said. Scorsese.
The director also assures that for him this does not only refer to dramas, thrillers or films like those in his filmography, since cinema does not have to be serious. But it does make a distinction between what real cinema is and is not. “I think that manufactured content is not really cinema,” he criticizes Scorsese.
“What I mean is that it’s manufactured content. It’s almost like artificial intelligence making a movie. And that doesn’t mean that they don’t have amazing directors and special effects people making beautiful works of art. But what does it mean? What “What do these movies mean? What will they give you? Apart from a kind of consummation of something that you then eliminate from your mind, from your entire body. So, what is it offering you?” he says.
Martin Scorsese and his war with Marvel
The battle between Martin Scorsese and Marvel cinema has actually been active for several years. The director’s criticism is not based on bashing superhero films or other big franchises, but on criticizing that they are swallowing up auteur cinema—whether high or low budget—. In 2019 he even compared them to amusement parks. “This is not cinema of human beings trying to express emotional and physical experiences to another human being,” he pointed out at the time.
Faced with these statements, millions of fans showed their disagreement with Scorsese throught social media. So did several industry personalities who have worked in franchises. On the other hand, directors like Brian de Palma They joined the New Yorker in his personal crusade.
Scorsese even published an open letter months later to explain himself, making it clear that his big problem with them is in how they are made. “Films are designed to satisfy a specific set of demands and to be variations on a finite number of themes,” he mentioned. “They have studied markets, they are tested with audiences and they are analyzed, modified, re-analyzed and modified again until they are ready for consumption,” she added, removing risk from the equation.
“This is a precarious time in terms of exhibition, and there are fewer independent cinemas than ever,” he indicated. With this, he was referring to the public’s possibilities of seeing films away from franchises on the big screen. “If you tell me that this happens purely as a matter of supply and demand and giving people what they want, I disagree. It’s like the chicken and egg question. If the viewer is only sold one thing forever, Of course he’s just going to want more of the same,” he argued. Scorsese about. Years later, it seems his opinion hasn’t changed.