Martin Scorsese and Edgar Wright talk about their vision of cinema

When the director of Goodfellas is interviewed by the director of Hot Fuzz, we shut up and listen.

On the occasion of the British Film Institute London Festival 2023, Edgar Wright British director producer (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) had the honor of interviewing Martin Scorsese on the scene. The leading director thus shared the cinematographic experience which made him gain insight into the profession of filmmaker. The video of this one and a half hour meeting can be seen here, in English. We translate some extracts below.

“I started to become very ambitious when I saw Before The Revolution of Bertolucci at the New York Film Festival. I understood that this was what I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to express myself in this way. It’s not just the excitement of making a film but of making life. There is such a depth of culture, even though I know nothing about that culture.“

Native American actress Devery Jacobs criticizes Osage portrayal in Killers of the Flower Moon

The distinguished director returned to his relationship with cinema when he was younger. Looking back, Martin Scorsese highlights the fundamental nature of constantly maintaining an open mind. According to him, we must be open to genres and all cultures to best understand cinematographic offerings.

“I had this enthusiasm for cinema. I was very excited to share. A director approaches this phenomenon of mutual inspiration, where directors show him their film, they discuss it and from there new inspirations, new ideas are born. In fact, you have to be open to all genres of cinema, even when it was (at the time) American underground cinema (…) Being close to this creativity was extraordinary (…) For For me, it was really about being open to all cultures and all ways of thinking, and all ways of telling a story with images.“

We can guess the importance of these words since Martin Scorsese’s latest film (Killers of the Flower Moon) focuses on two cultures that collide due to an insatiable desire to acquire a significant source of wealth, that of the Osage people. Edgar Wright also questioned the director about his collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio. The British director openly asked Martin Scorsese if Robert DeNiro Leonardo’s name was clearly mentioned.

“Yes exactly, he replies. In general, Robert is not the type to say: “you should work with so-and-so”, No. But one day, during a phone call he said to me: “I’m working on Secret Wounds with this little one, Leo DiCaprio, you should meet him. You should work with him someday. It’s very good.“ What I remember is that it is Leo’s participation in Gangs of New York who made the film happen. No matter what Leo brought to the table, all I know is that the movie was made because he was there.“

From this suggestion, a prestigious collaboration was born between the director and the actor: they met to Aviator (2004), Infiltrators (2006), Shutter Island (2010), The wolf of Wall Street (2013) and more recently Killers of the Flower MoonSO.

Martin Scorsese took inspiration from Midsommar and Beau is Afraid for Killers of the Flower Moon

In conclusion, Martin Scorsese returned to the unprecedented cinematographic possibilities afforded by new technologies.

“I am old, young people will see things differently. The questions around certain plans will be different. We reinvent and that goes hand in hand with technology. I wouldn’t have turned Mean Streets like this today. We need to rethink technology as we hope, so that serious films can be made and enjoyed by an audience.“

Aware of his age, Martin Scorsese has already said that he would like to make one or two more films. He does not intend to give up his apron and is already considering a seventh collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio in an adaptation of The Wageranother novel by David Grann.

Killers of the Flower Moon is available in theaters.