Presented at the Cannes Film Festival last May, The American touch (Flower Moon Killer) with Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro and Brendan Fraser.
The history
Adapted from David Grann’s work of the same name, “The American Note” focuses on the murders of members of the Osage tribe in the 1920s. “It is a story of love, trust and betrayal,” Martin Scorsese told journalists present in Cannes. When asked about the importance of what is being told, the director added: “The story lies in the character we talk about the least, Ernest.” And of course that’s exactly who Leo wanted to play.” Ernest is Ernest Burkhart, a Veteran of the First World War. At home he visits his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro), a rancher but also a man of questionable morals. Because as a friend of the Osages, Hale wants to benefit from the wealth of the tribe, on whose land oil was discovered. Since the American government allocates an amount to each tribal member, men only need to marry Osage women to take ownership of their property. And when Ernest falls in love with Molly (Lily Gladstone) and marries her, members of the tribe – including several of Molly’s sisters – are murdered without the local police investigating. Until the arrival of an FBI investigator (Jesse Plemons)…
Lily Gladstone and Martin Scorsese in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” premiering in theaters worldwide on October 20, 2023. Photo provided by Apple TV+
The rewriting
David Grann’s book focuses on crime, but in particular on the birth of the FBI, a topic from which Martin Scorsese, author of the screenplay starring Eric Roth (Forrest Gump), has moved away. “At some point I realized I was making a film about white men,” he told Time magazine. “That means I acted like an outsider looking in, and that bothered me.” And since it’s a true story, everything had to be written with respect for the protagonists. Martin Scorsese made no secret of it: “I wanted to know everything about the Osages. And the more I learned, the more I wanted to put into the film.”
Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” premiering in theaters worldwide on October 20, 2023. Photo provided by Apple TV+
The Osage
To ensure the accuracy of the feature film, Martin Scorsese worked closely with the tribe and made contacts with Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, who had also made the trip to the Croisette. “We spoke to representatives of the producers when the rights to the book were acquired and we insisted that we did not want to lose our voice,” Geoffrey told Standing Bear. When Martin Scorsese’s team arrived and attended several events, one of the members told us that they would make a film that we would be proud of. And when we knew that Martin Scorsese wanted to tell this story through Molly’s eyes, we were sold.
JaNae Collins, Lily Gladstone, Cara Jade Myers and Jillian Dion in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” premiering in theaters worldwide on October 20, 2023. Photo provided by Apple TV+
The duration
Killers of the Flower Moon lasts 206 minutes and is Martin Scorsese’s second longest film after The Irishman, which is distributed by Netflix. On the pages of Hindustan Times, the filmmaker didn’t mince his words. “People complain that the movie is three hours long, but come on, you can sit in front of your TV and watch a series for five hours! In addition, there are many viewers who will watch a three and a half hour play. And since they are real actors on stage, it is impossible to stand up. It’s a question of respect. And we can be respectful of cinema.” Furthermore, the director added that his new work “must be seen on a big screen.” Do we want to make a blockbuster? NO. But we made a film that needs to be seen on the big screen.”
Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Photo provided by Apple TV+
The betrayal
Without revealing too many details of the plot, even if it is known because it is historical, Robert De Niro spoke about the actions of William Hale, the man to whom he gives his features and who was sentenced to life in prison. “I don’t understand many aspects of my character. I don’t understand why he betrayed… Undoubtedly systemic racism, which we became aware of with George Floyd when we learned the details of the Tulsa massacre… It is the banality of evil that Hannah Arendt spoke of. “We have to protect ourselves from this because we see it every day,” he said.
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Photo provided by Apple TV+
The American Note (Killers of the Flower Moon) hits theaters October 20 and will stream on AppleTV+ at a later date.