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, arguing that it has been devalued by the current streaming climate which, he says, reduces great works of uncalculated brilliance down to 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.
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