In an essay on the Italian director Federico Fellini for Harper’s Magazine, the venerable director said he had worked with Netflix and Apple for the past few years, but that he was concerned about the impact it had on cinemas.
Scorsese claims that ‘the art of cinema is systematically devalued, discarded, degraded and reduced to the lowest common denominator’ by the streaming system that sees film ‘content’.
“About 15 years ago, the term ‘content’ was only heard when people discussed cinema in a serious way, and it is contrasted and measured by ‘form’,” he wrote.
“Then it was gradually used more and more by the people who took over media companies, most of whom knew nothing of the art form’s history, or even cared enough to think they had to do it.”
Scorsese’s latest film, The Irishman, has been released on Netflix
(Netflix)
Under the new system, Scorsese wrote, “all moving images” are considered equal, “a David Lean movie, a cat video, a Super Bowl ad, a superhero sequel, a series episode” .
The director added that reliance on algorithms to introduce viewers to new projects is only seen as ‘consumers’ and that art is being devalued.
‘Curation is not undemocratic or’ elitist ‘, a term that is now used so often that it becomes meaningless. It’s a generosity – you share what you love and what inspired you, ‘Scorsese said, praising platforms like Criterion and Mubi.
He continues: ‘We can not depend on the film industry, as it is, to take care of cinema … Those of us who know the cinema and its history should share our love and knowledge with as many people as possible. It’s one of the greatest treasures in our culture, and it needs to be treated. ‘