Martin Scorsese criticizes streaming platforms and the film industry in a new essay for Harper’s Magazine entitled Il Conductor. Although the play is a tribute to director Federico Fellini, Scorsese also discusses how streaming and current film industry practices have negatively impacted the art of cinema, which he says is “systematically devalued, marginalized, demoted and reduced to its lowest common denominator. , ‘happy.'”
“Even 15 years ago, the term ‘content’ was heard only when people discussed cinema on a serious level, and it was contrasted and measured against ‘form’,” he writes. “Then, little by little, it was used more and more by people who took control of media companies, most of whom knew nothing about the history of the art form, or even cared enough to think they should.”
Scorsese says “content” is a “commercial term for all moving images: a David Lean film, a cat video, a Super Bowl commercial, a superhero sequel, a series episode.”
Although he acknowledges that he and other filmmakers have benefited from the opportunities that streaming platforms present (his recent film The Irish was funded and distributed by Netflix), he criticizes the use of algorithms. He postulates that suggestions via an algorithm limit viewers’ exposure to different subjects and genres, and this has negative implications for art. Scorsese adds that the algorithm’s calculations serve to treat the viewer only as a “consumer, and nothing else”, and argues that curation is a better approach, citing curated streaming services, such as Criterion Channel and MUBI, as positive examples with curation.
“We cannot depend on the film industry, as it is, to take care of cinema. In the cinema business, which is now the mass visual entertainment business, the emphasis is always on the word “business”, and the value is always determined by the amount of money to be made with any property – in that sense, everything from Sunrise to La Strada for 2001 it is now practically dry and ready for the ‘Art Film’ swimming streak on a streaming platform.
“Those of us who know the cinema and its history should share our love and knowledge with as many people as possible,” he continues. “And we have to make it very clear to the current legal owners of these films that they represent much, much more than a mere property to be exploited and then locked up. They are among the greatest treasures of our culture and must be treated accordingly. “
In 2019, Scorsese wrote an article for New York Times who argued that Marvel films are not cinema. He ends his new essay reflecting on his definition of cinema.
“I suppose we also have to refine our notions of what cinema is and what it is not. Federico Fellini is a good place to start, ”he concluded. “You can say many things about Fellini’s films, but here’s one thing that’s beyond dispute: they’re movie theater. Fellini’s work goes a long way in defining the art form. “