Martin Scorsese gets honest about ‘Killer of the Flower Moon’ runtime
Killer of the Flower Moon has a long runtime, and Martin Scorsese credited Ari Aster’s works for inspiring his AppleTV+ project’s length and pacing.
In a chat with The Irish Times, the Academy winner filmmaker opened up about 206-minute length, saying, “I very much like the style and pacing of good horror films like Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’ or ‘Beau Is Afraid,'” he added.
“The pacing of those films goes back to the B films of Val Lewton, Jacques Tourneur’s ‘Cat People’ or ‘I Walked With a Zombie.’ Just going a little slower, a little quieter,” the director noted.
He continued, “I was very concerned about allowing scenes that were not narrative into the story, scenes to do with the Osage culture — leaving in those scenes of custom, like the baby namings, the funerals, and the weddings — so we could begin to understand a little more about the people. I felt confident that a lot of people would allow themselves to be immersed in the world of the film.”
Martin previously doubled down on the running time of the film. “People say it’s three hours, but come on, you can sit in front of the TV and watch something for five hours,” he told the Hindustan Times.
Adding, “Also, there are many people who watch theater for 3.5 hours. There are real actors on stage, you can’t get up and walk around. You give it that respect. Give cinema some respect.”
Killer of the Flower Moon will roll out in theatres on October 20.