Martin Scorsese finally just admits he’s built different
When discussing fellow auteur Quentin Tarantino’s retirement, Scorsese confirms what we’ve known all along
Aux News Scorsese
Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon opened last week, and for the past few months, the American auteur has made the rounds, sharing his thoughts on the past, present, and future of cinema. Oh, and Marvel movies. Everyone wants to know what this guy thinks of Thanos and whether Ant-Man should’ve just traveled up Thanos’ butt and expanded to prevent the next spate of Marvel adventures. But hopefully moving on from ever asking Scorsese about superhero films ever again, the Associated Press, in a recent interview, brought up another evergreen topic in cinema: Quentin Tarantino’s retirement. Scorsese, who turned 82 next month, says retirement isn’t in the cards because, as Mr. Scosese confirms, he’s built different.
Obviously, there’s more to it than that. On the topic of Tarantino’s retirement, Scorsese smiled and whispered, “I don’t know, yeah.” But the AP’s interviewer finally said what we were all thinking, “You must be built differently,” to which Scorsese responded, “I am.”
While it’s fun to imagine Scorsese responding to all interview questions with “I’m built different” from here on out, the director offered a more nuanced take on his own limitations as an artist. “[Tarantino’s] a writer,” he said. “It’s a different thing. I come up with stories. I get attracted to stories through other people. All different means, different ways. And so I think it’s a different process. I respect writers, and I wish I could just be in a room and create these novels, not films, novels.”
The whole interview is very much worth watching, aside from the funny soundbite we’ve highlighted here. It’s the only place in this article that one can see Martin Scorsese rail against email (“Emails, they scare me. It says, ‘CC,’ and there’s a thousand names. Who are these people?”), discuss the beauty of Akira Kursawa’s late period, and share how he found the confidence and focus to keep making art. He also teases his upcoming Powell and Pressburger documentary and why he keeps rewatching Isle Of The Dead. Honestly, this guy is simply built different.
31 Comments
For as much as I share Marty’s tastes, I gotta say, there’s a good half or more of his oeuvre that I don’t care about even a little.
I don’t care about the other half as well.
I’d far rather watch him talk about movies honestly.
Congratulations
What, you don’t like movies about violent assholes and/or religion?
You should check out After Hours. It’s about a wild night in the town. No violent assholes or religion to be found. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore has a violent asshole at the very beginning, but he dies right away. After that it’s about a modern woman making her own way in the world. Hugo is about a small boy living inna train station who rediscovers the work of Georges Melies (and the man himself). The Last Waltz is a documentary about the final concert of The Band. The Age of Innocence is a subdued love story.Don’t blame Scorsese if the popular ones are about violent assholes. Do blame him for the fact that the religious ones are never popular.
He’s a prolific director, but “he makes movies about other things” doesn’t change the fact that violent masculinity is his directorial signature. Making a movie about a woman in 1974 doesn’t change the fact that Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, The King of New York, Cape Fear, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Irishman, Silence, and this new one are part of a half-century trend. All of those movies are wonderfully made, but fundamentally I don’t enjoy any of them, and I don’t find the backbone of his oeuvre good enough to go poking around the nooks and crannies.
Also, there’s no universe where Age of Innocence isn’t about religion and masculinity, they’re just subsumed into Victorian repression.
Ok, but watch After Hours. It’s a hidden gem.Interesting take on Age if Innocence, although it’s not the way he normally approaches masculinity or religion, so I’d give it a pass.
But enough about Marvel films.
Hey, c’mon..
The lesser half of his movies are still infinitely more watchable than 90% of what’s out there.
*laughs in Sturgeon’s law*
In isolation, no doubt. If you’re looking for his tics, not so much.
I watch the other 10%.
and?
His oeuvre is pretty amazing but doesn’t appeal to everyone. I’ve seen fewer than half of his films. I still want to see The Last Temptation of Christ a second time.
I feel like that one appeals to the least people of all.
Thank you for reminding me that I need to revisit Kurosawa’s Dreams, which Scorsese partially funded.
And Isle of the Dead.
“Emails, they scare me. It says, ‘CC,’ and there’s a thousand names. Who are these people?”Same, bro.
I wish the interviewer would have recommended the “Reply All” button to Scorsese. Not enough octogenarians know about the usefulness of “Reply All” in email.
I disagree. From my experience far too few people know how to properly use “reply all” – and I am convinced by the number of “Got it” email replies to policy memos sent to the entire company…Wait – sarcasm, right?
It’s that kind of awareness that keeps him from forwarding inappropriate jokes to an entire studio.
Look, I’m from Irish and Polish stock, but doesn’t “I’m built different” mean “I’ve got an absolutely enormous penis” in Italian-American households? Also: they call tomato sauce “gravy,” apparently.
That’sa spicy meata balla!
I feel like there would have been something about this on The Sopranos if this were true. would have been funny if it was AJ and Tony was jealous.
Good, good for him.
It’s clear Tarantino is retiring early because he knows not everyone has realized he’s become more and more one note and afraid of committing to something with real feeling. He can do it…but he’s too child like and has to hide behind flamethrowers and ultra violence.
I thought Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as his most mature movie ever up until the last 15 minutes. The friendship between Leo and Brad Pitt was nuanced and beautifully written. I loved watching Leo grappling with his own limitations as his career starts its closing stage. It was truly great writing. Then coming back to flamethrower the new generation was puerile and annoying. Oh well. Hoping for the best from his last one.
Agreed!! I loved the movie, it felt personal to Tarantino, like him grappling with his own place in a changing hollywood. And then…beating the shit out of a woman and flamethrowers. It just felt like a copout on his part. Like he felt too raw and exposed so he had to go for the thrill and the laugh. I guess it just frustrates me because this is a guy who can write a scene like almost no one else. I’d like to see him stretch a little. Not reach for the ultra violence to end every story. End a movie with some truth and honesty and heart. He has the talent.
I should have said “I loved the movie…up to that point, and then it went to shit”