We all know Martin Scorsese is a film fan. Like many other filmmakers, the legendary director has an encyclopedic knowledge of the medium. Basically, if he recommends a movie, there are legions of people who will take his words as gospel and seek out whatever he points them to. And right now, Martin Scorsese wants everyone to watch “Nightmare Alley.”
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In a new op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Martin Scorsese writes about his love of Guillermo del Toro’s recent film, “Nightmare Alley.” Apparently, the filmmaker just recently caught the film and doesn’t understand why people aren’t rushing to the theaters to watch it. (Also, this is a pretty good time for an awards season endorsement from one of the best living filmmakers, right?) In fact, he calls the idea of people not supporting del Toro’s film “distressing.”
“Then I came to realize that people just weren’t coming out for it, which was distressing,” writes Scorsese. “Obviously, this past holiday season was a tricky moment to release any movie. But I also wonder if there has been a real appreciation of Guillermo’s accomplishment.”
Scorsese understands that there’s the whole COVID thing happening right now. He knows that many theaters are struggling to keep their doors open. But he thinks people slept on “Nightmare Alley” without giving it a fair shake. Ultimately, Scorsese sums up his feelings at the end. He knows people aren’t running to the theaters to watch “Nightmare Alley,” but even though you may have reasons, you should check it out anyway.
“If you decided to just file ‘Nightmare Alley’ away under ‘noir’ or some other category, I would urge you to take a second closer look,” he concluded. “And if you decided to skip it altogether, for whatever reason, please reconsider. In essence, what I’m trying to say is that a filmmaker like Guillermo, who gives us pictures this lovingly and passionately crafted, doesn’t just need our support: he deserves it.”
Sure, “Nightmare Alley” is available in theaters right now. But if you really want to wait, you can check it out on Hulu on February 1. Just don’t tell Scorsese you’re doing that.