by Genevieve Cheng, SFU Student
Director Martin Scorsese became the pinnacle of controversy on social media in November 2019 with his New York Times op-ed “I said Marvel Movies aren’t cinema: Let me explain.” He wrote the piece to explain his original comments about Marvel movies being “like theme parks” and “not cinema,” which provoked fiery backlash from the Marvel fanbase. Various quotes were being pulled from the piece, lacking the context of his definition of cinema and how he sees Marvel fitting into the movie industry.
Just over a year later, Scorsese doubled-down on his critique of cinema by penning an essay for Harper’s Magazine March 2021 issue to define what cinema means to him. His opinions are still being thrown around out of context, but considering the current state of the film industry, his critique is quite valid.
Cinema, in Scorsese’s view, includes the kinds of movies he saw growing up, including Scorpio Rising, The Steel Helmet, and Persona — all very different from Marvel movies. These kinds of films are not pulling big opening weekend numbers at movie theatres or making millions and ending up on everyone’s watch lists — like many franchise blockbusters today.
Scorsese’s original comments were understandably seen as a bit harsh; some even deemed them as gatekeeping, pretentious, and anti-Marvel. But it makes sense to say that the artform of moviemaking feels threatened by massive blockbusters. Many smaller movies struggle for funding and are never able to reach a larger audience — like some of his favourites. His frustration doesn’t rest on Marvel or their fanbase, but with the film industry as a whole. Even if it was solely about Marvel, it shouldn’t be controversial to call their movies theme parks, as they are both made to excite, provoke intense emotion, and suspend disbelief, unlike many franchise blockbusters.
Scorsese’s main gripe is that he sees the film industry quickly disappearing with the rise of blockbuster franchise films. This comes from the fact that movie theatres will only play what’s most profitable: blockbusters with established fan bases, not small independent films. Additionally, pandemic precautions mean that movie theatres have had to close their doors for months on end. This had led to increased discussions about the future of the film industry, particularly around how streaming services may drive movie theatres out of business — a major threat to the traditional movie-viewing experience.
Pandemic aside, small films are still left out of the limelight when it comes to popular culture and having theatre support. The highest grossing movies of all time are all byproducts of Disney or James Cameron — none of which debuted at a film festival, had to scrounge for funding, or search for a niche audience. Marvel movies and blockbuster hits are great, but there are also so many smaller films and movie makers that are so hard to come across because of this platform imbalance.
Other prominent directors have talked about how movies should be released and seen by audiences as well. Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan have been fighting back against pro-streaming, anti-movie theatre discourse. Most of these directors also reference the importance of a big-screen experience for new releases.
Scorsese has attempted to right these film-industry wrongs by creating The Film Foundation, which “supports the preservation and restoration of cinema.” In supporting this work since 1990, it becomes clear that his statements aren’t a demonstration of “all talk, no walk.” In fact, this shows the film industry has been heading down this path for a while now — the pandemic-encouraged streaming service boom is only threatening the traditional moviemaking and viewing experience more.
Any criticism of one of the largest and most passionate fan bases in the world was bound to strike controversy and backlash. But looking past the headlines and the out-of-context quotes, Scorsese does make very valid observations about the film industry and where it might end up if it continues to evolve unchecked.
