Martin Scorsese Says Cinema Is Being 'Devalued' to 'Content' in Essay Criticizing Modern Film

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

Industry

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/martin-scorsese-says-cinema-being-015457375.html

The essay is reminiscent of the op-ed he published in the New York Times in November 2019, in which he explained why Marvel movies are more like theme parks than cinema. He pegged the current industry as “inhospitable to art,” even as someone who has just completed a film for Netflix.

His written applause of Fellini is overshadowed by his lens into the piece that the faltering movie industry is failing our culture.

“Here was an artist who had managed to express the anxiety of the nuclear age, the sense that nothing really mattered anymore because everything and everyone could be annihilated at any moment,” Scorsese writes of experiencing Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita.” “We felt this shock, but we also felt the exhilaration of Fellini’s love for the art of cinema—and, consequently, for life itself.”

In his criticism, Scorsese calls for the industry’s rehabilitation, even though he knows the movie business “is now the mass visual entertainment business.”

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Yes. Content and the ability to supply literally thousands of channels, via broadcast and / or

internet channels is pushing demand for content, which to me, is a good thing. You can literally go online and obtain something on literally everything. A good thing. And it keeps getting smarter and smarter everyday.

[Polly Hennessey]

2. I rarely watch movies.

Once in a great while a good one comes along. I watched The Dig recently and it was wonderful. It was made by Netflix. I may watch it again this afternoon. My other favorite is Arrival. I confess I am an Amy Adams fan. The movie was intriguing.

[exboyfil]

3. How popular have "arthouse" films actually ever been

The interest for most of these films has always been narrow and often involved those who have actually studied film. I think streaming services makes accessing them easier for those who are actually interested in investing their time in understanding and appreciating them.

I like my SF, Horror, and Superhero movies. I will not apologize for my preferences. I am not going to film school at my age, and, while I will watch more accessible classics like Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon, I can't honestly say I enjoy them more than Infinity War or The Dark Knight. As far as Fellini, I don't see it happening. He has never registered on my radar in the past, but I will try to watch at least one of his movies. HBO Max has six of his movies, and Amazon Prime has two of them.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

4. My range is sort of similar to yours. I've watched Kane a couple of times. Same with Dr. Strangelove

and other 60s/70s films that I enjoy. I've only watched "La Dolce Vita". I liked it, but it's not one I'd watch every year or something like that. Watch lots of depressing documentaries too. But I have a soft spot for Marvel's stuff. I grew up loving a lot of those characters. Not to mention that comics were very helpful when I was trying to learn the language growing up.