Martin Scorsese and COVID-19: the Changing Nature of the Film Industry

By Viviana Freyer, Staff Editor

It was roughly a year ago when filmmaker Martin Scorsese expressed his dislike for the Marvel franchise, going so far as to claim that those movies “weren’t cinema.” This caused such a frenzy that the legendary filmmaker was forced to elaborate in an opinion piece for The New York Times.

However, as someone who doesn’t feel too strongly for or against Marvel, what caught my attention about the piece were Scorsese’s thoughts on streaming services. “It’s a perilous time in film exhibition,” he wrote. “The equation has flipped and streaming has become the primary delivery system.” Scorsese then went on to criticize streaming services because viewers watch movies “anywhere but on the big screen,” which is where we should be watching them.

Fast forwarding to today, COVID brought film production to a screeching halt for months. It still remains a health risk to even open movie theaters. In fact, COVID guidelines will likely change the very nature of filmmaking for the unforeseeable future. For the time being, most people rely on Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+ for their entertainment.

A “perilous time in film exhibition,” indeed. No one, not even the all-knowing Scorsese, could have predicted the current state of the world, let alone the film industry. His words about streaming services and going to the movies now carry extra weight, and even a sense of irony. In hindsight, Martin Scorsese was absolutely right, but he was also absolutely wrong.

You cannot compare your living room to a theater. I feel a twinge of sadness knowing that it is currently “Oscar Season,” or the time of year when theaters release all of the movies that are in serious contention for that year’s Academy Awards. Normally, I would be overpaying for popcorn every other weekend until February to watch the latest divorce drama or war epic that claims to be the best movie of the year (though we’ve seen both of those exact stories ten times before). The movies were also such a hallmark of everyday life. Them being gone is just another grim reminder of how much things have changed.

I very much miss the actual movie-watching experience at a proper cinema. Because for a few hours, it really does feel like I am somewhere else. At home, I’m more likely to pick up my phone, pause the movie, and even talk out loud. That would be blasphemy at the movies, and I know better, because that really is disruptive. At home, I don’t experience that stunned, reflective silence after being so immersed in a fictional reality that I can’t tell where I am for the first few seconds after the lights come up. There is also just something so pure about a space dedicated to loving movies. So in this regard, Scorsese has a point. Movie theaters are spectacular (or should I say, Paramount?).

On the other hand, where would we all be right now without streaming sites? We are now seeing different companies buying and releasing movies that would have gone to theaters. If it’s going to be for a while, fine. That’s better than holding back movie releases indefinitely and Hollywood sinking under. We’ve also been stuck at home for the past few months, so if anything, we have more time than ever to watch movies. I personally watched dozens over quarantine, including a few of Scorsese’s own. And, if Scorsese were truly opposed to streaming sites, he probably wouldn’t even let them stream his movies. He also most certainly would not have let Netflix produce The Irishman. If anything, streaming sites introduce his movies to younger generations who didn’t get the chance to watch Taxi Driver or Goodfellas in theaters.

It’s not that we don’t want to go to the movies, it’s that we cannot. And perhaps Martin Scorsese is right. Maybe computer screens and televisions do tamper with the quality of the film and hinder our viewing experience. It’s also possible that he’s just a bitter old-timer who can’t work HBO.

What is clear, however, is how much Scorsese loves cinema. It is infectious, almost like if you don’t get as excited, you’re watching movies wrong. I even feel like Scorsese should take comfort in knowing how much movies have kept us sane this year. The fact that we all still take some time in the middle of a pandemic to enjoy films just goes to show how important movies are to us. In this nightmarish here and now, we need the ability to escape now more than ever.

Image credit: USA Today