The American Western films in Hollywood began during the early 20th century and gained steady success as one of the most popular genres over the years with superstars like Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. While this style of filmmaking dwindled a bit after the 1960’s, writers like Taylor Sheridan are credited with bringing the genre back with his blockbuster television series, Yellowstone.
Martin Scorsese’s latest film Killers of the Flower Moon is also being considered a revival of the classic American Western. One of the leading roles in the movie is played by Lily Gladstone, an actor who is of Native American heritage. Gladstone disagreed with the opinion that the film followed the tenets of the American Western genre and elaborated on her reasons for saying so.
Killers of the Flower Moon Is No Western, Says Lily Gladstone
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, and Lily Gladstone along with an impressive ensemble cast, follows the story of the Osage Native American tribe of Osage County, Oklahoma, whose members are murdered after oil is found on their land. This leads to an extensive investigation by the FBI. Set in the 1920s, the film is being hailed as an ode to the American Western genre that has been recently revivied by writer-director Taylor Sheridan in Yellowstone.
Lily Gladstone though, had a differing opinion about the film and its style of filmmaking. The actor who is of Native American descent, believed that stereotyping the film as a Western was equivalent to trivializing the inhumanities suffered by native tribes. Calling Scorsese’s narrative more deep and complicated than a Western, Gladstone spoke to IndieWire and said,
“A lot of people are really wanting to call this ‘Martin Scorsese’s Western.’ With natives and Westerns, we are so dehumanized that it just kind of feels like we’re part of the landscape – instead of humans that are telling a story.”
The Blackfeet/Niimíipuu actor went on to state that she preferred calling Killers of the Flower Moon a great American tragedy rather than a Western, which gave a clearer picture of the emotions involved in the story.
Martin Scorsese Relied On Lily Gladstone’s Knowledge Of Indigenous History
Lily Gladstone who is partly of Native American descent, landed one of her most important roles in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro. The indigenous actor who plays an Osage Tribe member from Okhlahoma County, was initially nervous about taking on the role as the gruesome history that her ancestors faced, hit very close to home for her.
But Gladstone was pleasantly surprised and happy to note that Scorsese was deeply committed to presenting her history as authentically and truthfully as possible. This led to the director relying on her to give inputs and talk of her experiences as well. In an interview with Vulture, Gladstone said,
“It was clear that I wasn’t just going to be given space to collaborate. I was expected to bring a lot to the table.”
In addition, Scorsese’s inclusive methods of involving many members of the Osage community to contribute to the narrative, made Gladstone take the final decision to be part of the film.
