Martin Scorsese Hits Back: The Art Of Cinema Is Being Devalued
After taking a beating on social media for dismissing superhero movies as mere “theme park rides,” Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese has once again issued a passionate defense of the cinematic art form, which he argues has been devalued by the current streaming climate which, he says, reduces great works of uncalculated brilliance into mere “content.”
In a lengthy essay for Harper’s Magazine in praise of world-renowned Italian director Federico Fellini, the filmmaker who birthed such classics as “Taxi Driver,” “Goodfellas,” and “Raging Bull” reflects on both the positives and negatives of the streaming revolution. On the one hand, Scorsese understands how such tools of democratization have created better opportunities for filmmakers to distribute their work (himself included); on the other, he regrets how the newly established one-size-fits-all business model has lumped great works of art in with 5-minute YouTube videos, Super Bowl commercials, Instagram posts, and so much more.
“The art of cinema is being systematically devalued, sidelined, demeaned, and reduced to its lowest common denominator, ‘content,’” Scorcese says.
“As recently as fifteen years ago, the term ‘content’ was heard only when people were discussing the cinema on a serious level, and it was contrasted with and measured against ‘form,’” he continues. “Then, gradually, it was used more and more by the people who took over media companies, most of whom knew nothing about the history of the art form, or even cared enough to think that they should. ‘Content’ became a business term for all moving images: a David Lean movie, a cat video, a Super Bowl commercial, a superhero sequel, a series episode. It was linked, of course, not to the theatrical experience but to home viewing, on the streaming platforms that have come to overtake the moviegoing experience, just as Amazon overtook physical stores.”
Scorsese does not necessarily dismiss the streaming revolution as something bad or anti-cinema in and of itself but worries how the shift toward the acquisition of “content” has killed the practice of “curating,” the method of assembling creative works for consumption based on a criteria or standard. He cites Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and the Criterion Channel as two streaming platforms that best implement this practice.
“Curating isn’t undemocratic or ‘elitist,’ a term that is now used so often that it’s become meaningless. It’s an act of generosity—you’re sharing what you love and what has inspired you. (The best streaming platforms, such as the Criterion Channel and MUBI and traditional outlets such as TCM, are based on curating—they’re actually curated.) Algorithms, by definition, are based on calculations that treat the viewer as a consumer and nothing else,” he argues.
The essay then segues into an exploration of Federico Fellini’s cinematic work and his contributions to the art form as a whole. As the essay concludes, Scorsese calls upon all lovers of cinema to passionately share their love of the art with those around them if cinema is to in any way survive the current cultural atmosphere.
“We can’t depend on the movie business, such as it is, to take care of cinema. In the movie business, which is now the mass visual entertainment business, the emphasis is always on the word ‘business,’ and value is always determined by the amount of money to be made from any given property—in that sense, everything from Sunrise to La Strada to 2001 is now pretty much wrung dry and ready for the ‘Art Film’ swim lane on a streaming platform,” he concludes. “Those of us who know the cinema and its history have to share our love and our knowledge with as many people as possible. And we have to make it crystal clear to the current legal owners of these films that they amount to much, much more than mere property to be exploited and then locked away. They are among the greatest treasures of our culture, and they must be treated accordingly.”
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