An essay posted on the U.K.-based outlet The Critic has been the topic of much discussion, debate and ridicule today as the piece slams legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s filmography.
In the essay, critic Sean Egan says that while “Scorsese’s career is speckled with genuine greatness,” he adds that “the truth, though, is that his directorial talent has never been as great as occasional masterpieces like ‘Goodfellas’ tricked us into believing it was.”
It goes on to make assetions that “The Wolf of Wall Street” is ‘achingly slow’ and “Raging Bull” is ‘quite simply across-the-board bad filmmaking’, and says “Scorsese doesn’t really believe in cinema. He has consistently refused to work within the art form’s natural parameters.”
Naturally this has drawn a response from many quarters, with the most interesting being fellow filmmaker Guillermo del Toro who responded on Twitter saying:
“The amount of misconceptions, sloppy inaccuracies and hostile adjectives not backed by an actual rationale is offensive, cruel and ill-intentioned. This article baited them traffic, but at what cost?
To be clear: If God offered to shorten my life to lengthen Scorsese’s- I’d take the deal. This man understands Cinema. Defends Cinema. Embodies Cinema. He has always fought for the art of it and against the industry of it. He has never been tamed and has a firm place in history.”
He goes on to say “film language discussions, history lessons and research may be needed” by the writer, and goes on to explain why it gets it wrong:
“Most of the article is akin to faulting Picasso for ‘Not getting perspective right’ or Gaugin for being ‘garish’. If you assail these cornerstones, you should lay it out- you disassemble the work and build your position- not just hand an opinion with ‘slamming’ adjectives.
When I read pieces like this one. Aimed at one of the most benign forces and one of the wisest, I do feel the tremors of an impending culture collapse – and I do wonder: “To what end?” …and find myself at a loss.”
Scorsese has won one Oscar, been nominated for thirteen more, and has multiple projects on the way including the $200 million “Killers of the Flower Moon” film due from Apple Studios next year. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” arrives on the streamer on December 9th.
