‘I’m intending to make a movie that should be seen on the big screen’

Devansh Sharma (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 11, 2023)

For his second film in a row, filmmaker Martin Scorsese has turned to a streaming giant. But like his previous outing The Irishman (2019), Killers Of The Flower Moon, too, would release in cinemas first.

“It should be seen on the big screen. Are we intending to make a blockbuster? No, we’re making a movie, which should watched on the big screen,” says the 80-year-old, adding, “People say it’s three hours, but come on, you can sit in front of the TV and watch something for five hours. Also, there are many people who watch theatre for three-and-a-half hours. You give it that respect, give cinema some respect, [too].”

The film marks Scorsese’s 10th collaboration with actor Robert De Niro. “He’s the only one alive now who knows where I come from. It’s a formative relationship that goes back to when we were 16 years old. We’re drawn to the same subject matter and psychological and emotional conflicts in ourselves, people and characters,” he says.

He has been vocal about the need to “save cinema” from “comic-book movies” by backing individual voices. But doesn’t the success of Barbenheimer show that we’re getting there?

“I do think that the combination of Oppenheimer and Barbie was the perfect storm. The way it fit perfectly — a film with such entertainment value and bright colours and a film with such severity and strength — does offer hope for a different cinema. And the most important thing is that people went to watch these in a theatre.”

Martin Scorsese, who made his first film, Who’s That Knocking At My Door, 56 years ago, says most of his projects have taught him something. He explains, “I learnt after Raging Bull (1980) that I’d have to start all over again every time. And that led to The King Of Comedy (1982). I learnt, in a very good way, ignorance,” he tells us, adding, “By the time I did Silence (2016) and The Irishman (2019), I dealt with only the essentials — where you make it look simple, but it’s not actually that.”

While Killers of the Flower Moon is a story about America, Scorsese agrees that it will speak to all those around the world whose culture has been misappropriated. “Oh yes! For instance, when I saw Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali (1955), I said, ‘Wait a minute! Those are the people I usually see in the background of other films. What’s the difference here?’ The difference is that the film is being made by them,” he points out.

It’s a lesser-known fact that it was Robert De Niro who introduced Scorsese to Leonardo DiCaprio, another frequent collaborator of the latter. Does Killers of the Flower Moon, which also stars DiCaprio, feel like a reunion?

“I worked with Leo on Gangs Of New York (2002), then we pushed it further in The Aviator (2004), during the making of which we learnt that there’s a 30-year age difference! But I found that we had a similar kind of sensibility. We had a similar fearlessness, the will to try things and a very, very strong trust,” he says, adding that both actors are “quite different” in terms of their approach to their work and craft. “Bob (De Niro) is quieter. It’s all action. Leo and I talk a great deal. It’s our process of working through rehearsals. But I’ve been very fortunate with the two of them over the years,” he wraps up.