yeah. that was an emotional/invigorating read now i'm hyped on cinema & wanna delete netflix
Re: Diary: A NolanFans Story
Posted: February 18th, 2021, 5:49 am
by Demoph
Though it could be a well-thought move by Scorsese in order to have more people reading the article and eventually learning about Fellini, it is definitely quite sad that people talk so much of the first paragraphs, when really the best part of the article is Scorsese describing 8 1/2. There was a long period of time where Scorsese the critic moved me more than Scorsese the filmmaker. (His only three films to move me very deeply are Hugo, Age of innocence and Irishman) And reading the artcle I remembered how good a critic Scorsese is.
I think an issue here, and it felt obvious reading the very beginning of the article, when Scorsese describes going to the cinema in the late 50's early 60's, is also that all Scorsese's favorite movies were done a long time ago.
Here is a top twelve he made a few years ago:
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – Stanley Kubrick
8½ (1963) – Federico Fellini
Ashes and Diamonds (1958) – Andrzej Wajda
Citizen Kane (1941) – Orson Welles
The Leopard (1963) – Luchino Visconti
Paisan (1946) – Roberto Rossellini
The Red Shoes (1948) – Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger
The River (1951) – Jean Renoir
Salvatore Giuliano (1962) – Francesco Rosi
The Searchers (1956) – John Ford
Ugetsu Monogatari (1953) – Mizoguchi Kenji
Vertigo (1958) – Alfred Hitchcock
Maybe because he idealises these films which he saw much younger, and have stayed with him all his life, maybe because he's right (that's a damn good list!), Scorsese must feel that it's harder today to have the career and liberty that lead these guys to such heights. Look at the number of films Ford made in the 20's and 30's. He really had time to learn his craft, make mistakes... Until he made some of the most well-staged films of all-time.
I think Scorsese has a hard time with people who haven't seen a Visconti or Renoir saying Infinity war is the GOAT. He was influenced/moved/defined by films that have now been mostly sidelined. I am also guilty: I have seen 22 MCU films and only six films of this list.
In a way Marvel fans are right, he is somehow condescending. But:
1- Can we really compare the cinematographic and political ambitions of the MCU and of The Leopard/Bycicle Thieves/The grand Illusion?
2- That doesn't mean we can't enjoy the Marvel films as much as we want.
Re: Diary: A NolanFans Story
Posted: February 18th, 2021, 1:00 pm
by Disney+'s solo2001
scorsese somewhat famously champions films from all cultures and time periods
nowhere in the essay does he talk about modern films being lesser. his point is that streaming culture no longer celebrates films the way they deserve
