The superhero movies not being cinema has been a debate going on for decades now and somehow Christopher Nolan seems to have found himself in the middle of it. The creator of movies like Oppenheimer, Inception, and Dunkirk, has also made what DC fans regard as the best Batman movies.
Recently Martin Scorsese in an interview with GQ, talked about comic book movies yet again and urged cinemagoers to watch Nolan’s movies in order to save real cinema. While it is true Nolan is more of a traditional filmmaker in his own sense, he does have had a very successful run with the Dark Knight trilogy. So when in an interview Nolan was asked about the debate, he seemed to have subtly slyly denounced Scorsese’s comments.
Christopher Nolan Subtly Discredits Martin Scorsese’s Recent ‘Save Cinema’ Comments
Superhero movies have long been hailed as ‘fake cinema’ ever since they first made their appearance on the big screen. In recent years their influence and dominance on the big screen have only gotten bigger and bigger with Marvel and DC garnering millions and billions of dollars.
Martin Scorsese, a staunch supporter of ‘real cinema’ has also previously spoken about the negative impact of superhero movies. But recently he urged the audience to save the cinema by watching the works of the likes of Christopher Nolan, whose recent movie Oppenheimer grossed over $900 million worldwide.
However, Nolan is one director who has plenty of experience and immense success in both traditional films and superhero films. So when he was asked about his take on the topic, he stated (via Associated Press),
“Established titles [can] assure a return in audience and give people more of what they want … and it pays for lots of other films to be made … but there also always needs to be respect for the audience’s desire for something new … a healthy ecosystem in Hollywood is about a balance between the two things.”
His comments were seen to be slightly bashing Scorsese for he rather advocated the audience’s preference over the filmmaker’s.
Martin Scorsese On Saving Cinema And Christopher Nolan
Martin Scorsese has created multiple masterpieces within the larger landscape of traditional cinema. For years he has argued about superhero movies taking over real cinema and how other than enjoyment, they don’t really have anything else to leave the audience with. While the filmmaker does not belittle the work of artists and directors involved in such films, he is critical of what he calls ‘manufactured content’.
During his interview with GQ, the director stated,
“It’s got to come from the grassroots level. It’s gotta come from the filmmakers themselves. And you’ll have… Chris Nolan, you know what I mean? … Hit ’em from all sides, and don’t give up. Let’s see what you got. Go out there and do it… But it’s true, because we’ve got to save cinema.”
While it is true filmmaking is a director’s canvas and superhero movies the audience’s, such movies cannot be entirely disregarded for it is ultimately the viewers are the real consumers.
