With another feature on the way to theaters in “Killers Of The Flower Moon,” it’s time for Martin Scrosese to start making his press rounds. An early stop on the tour? Time Magazine, and IndieWire reports via the publication’s new video interview with the director that Scorsese revealed he’s not keen on Top 10 Films lists. How come? In short, because “best” is not always synonymous with “favorite,” which is a nuanced quality for a movie to have.
READ MORE: ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ Trailer: Martin Scorsese’s Epic Hits Theaters In October
“I’ve tried to make lists over the years of films I personally feel are my favorites, whatever that means,” Scorsese told Time in the video. “And then you find out that the word ‘favorite’ has different levels: films that have impressed you the most, as opposed to films you just like to keep watching, as opposed to those you keep watching and learning from, or experiencing anew. So, they’re varied. And I’m always sort of against ’10 best’ lists.”
But surely there’s some crossover between best films and favorite films for Scorsese? Indeed there is, as the director lists Orson Welles‘ “Citizen Kane,” often referenced as the best movie ever made, as one of those film. “Well yes, there’s “Citizen Kane.” That changed my life,” Scrosese continued. “He broke all of the rules. One of the things that [Orson] Welles said was one of the best things you can bring to filmmaking is ignorance. When they say you can’t do this, why not?” Scorsese also credits “Chimes At Midnight” and “The Trial” as other essential Welles movies.
In fact, Scorsese describes a particular scene from “The Trial” he references in the opening shot of “Killers Of The Flower Moon,” a shot he also paid homage to in his 1997 film “Kundun.” “There are films like that where you talk about film influences, that there are memories that stay in your head,” Scorsese explained. Part of the reason that shot in “The Trial,” of children peering at Anthony Perkins behind open slats, is so memorable for Scorsese is because of how unconventional a shot it is. And Welles’ flouting of tradition is something the director would like to see in more young filmmakers.
“Young people expressing themselves with moving images, they’re going to find a way to be seen,” Scorsese told Time in its new cover story on his latest film. “But they have to fight, they have to really, really fight and not be co-opted.” That style of highly personalized filmmaking, more common when Scorsese was first making feature in the 1970s, is something he’d love to see return to cinematic culture. The director mocked the studios’ aversion to that kind of thing now. “Ultimately, they say, ‘Well, who wants personal filmmaking? Look what happened in the ’70s,” continued Scorsese. “By the end of it, you all went mad! And you went over budget and schedule, and you made these three movies, “Apocalypse Now,” “Raging Bull,” and “Heaven’s Gate”!’”
But those three movies are modern classics (even if Michael Cimino‘s film isn’t quite on the level of Scorsese’s or Francis Ford Coppolla‘s). But that singular, auteurist vision the three shared for their films came from insatiable, omnivorous appetite to watch as many movies as possible, regardless of genre, budget, or popularity. “It should be one cinematic culture, you know? But right now everything is being fragmented and broken up in a way,” Scorsese said about movie culture. “Not everybody liked musicals. Not everybody liked westerns. Not everybody liked gangster films or noirs. But at the time, we just went to the movies, and that’s what was playing.”
US Film in the 1970s is arguably the last true golden age of American filmmaking. And Scorsese, now 80, is one of that time periods most revered filmmaking. How many more movies does he have left after “Killers Of The Flower Moon,” though? Let’s hope several, because he continues to be one of the art form’s most vigilant and persistent champions.
“Killers Of The Flower Moon” hits theaters on October 20. Watch Time’s video interview with Scorsese below.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://theplaylist.net/martin-scorsese-against-top-10-lists-20230915/&media=https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/13103804/Martin-Scorsese.jpg&description=Martin Scorsese is "sort of against" Top 10 movie lists because they fail to appreciate the "varied" nuances of personal favorites.){kind=link}