Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary director of movies like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, has joined fellow legend Martin Scorsese in yelling at Marvel movies to get off his lawn.
First, some recap. Scorsese, the guy behind classics like Raging Bull and Goodfellas — as well as newer hits like The Wolf of Wall Street — made waves when he told Empire that Marvel superhero movies were “not cinema.” Instead, he compared the to theme parks. “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
Predictably, Scorsese got some pushback for that, including from people within the Marvel machine. But he just doubled down with more comments at BAFTA’s annual David Lean lecture. And he kept it up with new comments at the Rome Film Fest. “Right now, theaters seem to be mainly supporting the ‘amusement park’ comic book films, they’re taking over the theaters,” he said. “They can have those films and it’s fine, but that shouldn’t become what our young people believe is cinema.”
According to Deadline, the crowd applauded.
TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 05: Martin Scorsese attends the “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson And The Band” premiere during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 05, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
And if you think Scorsese’s comments are off base, just wait until you hear what Coppola had to say. As reported by AFP:
"When Martin Scorsese says that the Marvel pictures are not cinema, he’s right because we expect to learn something from cinema, we expect to gain something, some enlightenment, some knowledge, some inspiration.I don’t know that anyone gets anything out of seeing the same movie over and over again. Martin was kind when he said it’s not cinema. He didn’t say it’s despicable, which I just say it is."
Oh my god, he hates Marvel movies! This is getting good. Now I’m just wondering which 1970s-era trailblazer will crap on the MCU next. Steven Spielberg, do you have some shade you want to throw at Iron Man? Brian De Palma, tell us how you really feel about Guardians of the Galaxy.
Speaking of the Guardians movies, director James Gunn is pushing back Coppola just as he pushed back against Scorsese:
"Many of our grandfathers thought all gangster movies were the same, often calling them “despicable”. Some of our great grandfathers thought the same of westerns, and believed the films of John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and Sergio Leone were all exactly the same. I remember a great uncle to whom I was raving about Star Wars. He responded by saying, “I saw that when it was called 2001, and, boy, was it boring!” Superheroes are simply today’s gangsters/cowboys/outer space adventurers. Some superhero films are awful, some are beautiful. Like westerns and gangster movies (and before that, just MOVIES), not everyone will be able to appreciate them, even some geniuses. And that’s okay."
That’s a respectful way to suggest that maybe grandpa needs a nap.
Look, at the end of the day, I prefer the movies these guys made to movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even the good ones. I’d watch Casino over Captain American: The Winter Soldier and The Godfather: Part II over Avengers: Endgame. But I’d never claim that MCU movies aren’t cinema, and I certainly wouldn’t call them despicable. At least Scorsese’s comments have a “live and let live” ethos to them; Coppola just sounds grumpy.
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