Martin Scorsese is all ready to release another collaboration with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio this fall. Based on David Grann’s book on the Osage murders, this movie goes into the heart of what happened and why along with being the key to the establishment of the FBI.
However, with a movie as complex and told from a point of view that not even the source material has explored, comes certain difficulties. Inevitably, that arose during making this as well. As a result, with production company changes, budget increases, ripping the script, and starting over, it took years to make.
Thankfully, all these years of hard work are finally going to pay off when the movie releases later this year. And while Martin Scorsese is all kinds of happy to finally reach the finish line on this project, he apparently fears that he may be running out of time for the numerous other stories he wants to tell.
Martin Scorsese had to find a heart in Killers of the Flower Moon
The idea of the movie popped up after reading Grann’s book years ago. However, the movie wildly derivates from the book as it is told from the point of view of Tom White, a Texan Ranger who later becomes an FBI agent, appointed to take a look at the situation at the crime scene.
They initially started on that path, with Martin Scorsese well on to writing the script for another investigative Western thriller with an outsider White savior coming to save the day. Things were moving well with Leonardo DiCaprio appointed to play Tom White, until he asked Martin Scorsese, “Where’s the heart in this movie?”
The answer came when they went to Oklahoma to visit the Gray Horse settlement to meet the people of the Osage tribe, and a woman stood up and said, “You know, they loved each other, Ernest and Mollie. And don’t forget that. They loved each other.”
That’s where they found their real story with Ernest Burkham at the forefront, as the least amount of information was available on him which gave a lot of creative freedom to work on.
Not only that but also the twisted narrative it created as to how could he do what he did if he loved his wife and family, even with his uncle’s manipulation. With Leonardo DiCaprio volunteering to play his character, and Robert De Niro playing Bill Hale, his uncle, the movie was on.
The movie not only explores the relationship between Ernest and Mollie, but also Ernest’s relationship with his uncle. And this aligns directly in line with Scorsese’s own genre of films which explores the twisted nature of human relationships and questions how far can you go for not only greed but also love.
Martin Scorsese thinks he is running out of time
Famed for portraying human beings in their extremely vulnerable, twisted, and eccentric nature, it is to be expected that Martin Scorsese still has a lot of stories to tell. Human nature is ever-evolving and the influence of a very fast-moving culture plays right into it. The problem with anything running too fast is that it burns out of steam just as quickly. As do human lives.
And the Goodfellas director seems disappointed about the same thing happening to him. In a recent interview with Deadline, he expressed his desire of making a lot more movies to tell the stories he has compiled over the years. Noting how he has to keep making movies now, he said, “The whole world has opened up to me, but it’s too late. It’s too late.”
Now a statement like that from one of the prominent figures of cinema history obviously makes people think. So, he explained,
“I’m old. I read stuff. I see things. I want to tell stories, and there’s no more time. Kurosawa, when he got his Oscar when George [Lucas] and Steven [Spielberg] gave it to him, he said, “I’m only now beginning to see the possibility of what cinema could be, and it’s too late.” He was 83. At the time, I said, “What does he mean?” Now I know what he means.”
Well, hopefully, the visionary director will keep making the movies he wants to make and tell the stories he wants to tell in the coming years. Because with Killers of the Flower Moon releasing this year, fans are already eager to see what Scorsese has in store for them in this one and the next.
Killers of the Flower Moon is expected to release on October 6th, 2023.
Source: Deadline
