If there is anything that history has taught us, it is that talent is often stalked by doubt. It is as though the world desperately seeks a layer of falsity when someone is really good at something. They want the satisfaction of being able to say, ‘I knew it was a ruse!’ Unfortunately, Martin Scorsese is no stranger to such questions.
Even though he has been regarded as one of the greatest talents of all time, many overly analyze his poor decisions of the past as proof that what is raw talent, is just a clever con. However, one of the most infamous instances of such questioning crossed several lines.
So much so, that beloved director, Guillermo del Toro, felt the need to speak out in support of Scorsese.
Lines Were Cross and Martin Scorsese Became A Casualty
In 2022, Martin Scorsese’s talent and filmmaking were called into question by Sean Egan, He wrote a lengthy article for The Critic, detailing all of the reasons why the filmmaker’s talents were being wasted. He criticized several of his most iconic works, including Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, and Raging Bull, and even commented on his recent works, labeling them as longer than they should be.
The result is a debasing of his talent: new Scorsese films are routinely an hour too long. The truth, though, is that his directorial talent has never been as great as occasional masterpieces like Goodfellas (1990) tricked us into believing it was.
He criticized the director for getting too comfortable in the Mafia genre and even stated that we were witnessing the “debasing of his talent’. It is safe to say that these are some very bold claims to make about a director with multiple Oscars nominations and one win under his belt, the Academy by his side, and half the industry begging to star in one of his movies.
The article, as a whole, infuriated many of his fans and even some within the industry. So much so, that Guillermo del Toro decided that he could not stand by and spectate.
Guillermo del Toro Stood Up For Martin Scorsese
Soon after the article was published, there were a lot of conversations about the criticism. Just as quickly, Guillermo del Toro took to his X account to comment on what Sean Egan said. The Shape of Water director started by saying that he very rarely engages in such behavior, however, he could not sit by and watch false claims being made about Martin Scorsese.
I very, very seldom post anything contradictory here,” began del Toro, “but- the amount of misconceptions, sloppy innacuracies [sic] and hostile adjectives not backed by an actual rationale is offensive, cruel and ill-intentioned. This article baited them traffic, but at what cost?
To be clear: If God offered to shorten my life to lengthen Scorsese's- I'd take the deal. This man understands Cinema. Defends Cinema. Embodies Cinema. He has always fought for the art of it and against the industry of it. He has never been tamed and has a firm place in history.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 7, 2022
Dismissing Egan’s comments as simple slander, he mentioned that he does not appreciate the illogical attacks made towards the filmmaker without a foot in reality. Clearly disagreeing with all of the criticisms, he mentioned that all of the points that were made by Egan were a clear sign of misinterpretation.
Most of the article is akin to faulting Picasso for “Not getting perspective right” or Gaugin for being “garish”. If you assail these cornerstones, you should lay it out- you disassemble the work and build your position- not just hand an opinion with “slamming” adjectives.
When I read pieces like this one. Aimed at one of the most benign forces and one of the wisest, I do feel the tremors of an impending culture collapse- and I do wonder: "To what end?" …and find myself at a loss.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 7, 2022
Toro suggested he learn more about cinema before commenting on things he does not understand. With the words that the filmmaker used, it is safe to assume that he was not happy with such baseless comments being made about someone as talented as Scorcese.
