Francis Ford Coppola calls Martin Scorsese “The world’s greatest living filmmaker”

Last Updated on October 12, 2023

Martin Scorsese has been in the news quite a bit lately now that his new film, Killers of the Flower Moon, is due out soon. Not only is the filmmaker making the promotional rounds so he can talk about his movie, but he’s been giving his opinion on the state of cinema, sometimes to the chagrin of modern movie fans. Scorsese has most notably been vocal about the popularity of comic book movies and what he perceives to be their counter-programming to real cinema. One of his peers in the raw new wave of cinema in the 70s, Francis Ford Coppola, not only agrees with him but would also share his own strong opinions.  

Killers of the Flower Moon is already getting amazing buzz, including Academy Award talk for both Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone. According to IndieWire, the Godfather director would post to his Instagram a glowing reaction to Scorsese’s upcoming film. “My longtime friend Martin Scorsese has a new film coming out this month, Killers of the Flower Moon. He is a wonderful person and the world’s greatest living filmmaker. His new film delivers on every level.” 

His support for his friend would not be one-sided, as Scorsese once wrote an opinion piece for Esquire about how much he loves Coppola’s The Godfather Part II. In that piece, Scorsese would say it is “constructed like a symphony and directed by a master as a great conductor directs his orchestra, it reaches its highest points of lyricism.” He stated, “I admire the ambition of the project, its Shakespearean breadth, its tragic melancholy in its portrayal of the dissolution of the American dream…It is particularly the film within the film, the story of young Vito Corleone and his journey from Sicily to the Lower East Side, that touched me in a deep, personal way. Perhaps I saw a bit of my grandparents in that journey; perhaps I recognized my old neighborhood; perhaps I shared the sadness of the dream turning into a nightmare.”

Coppola supports his filmmaking peers so much that he even once commented on how disappointed he is that George Lucas never explored anything else once Star Wars dominated his career. Back in 2020, he told Vulture, “Well, he created something that brought joy and happiness and pleasure — and even some wisdom — to so many people. Whatever benefits he got from it, he deserved and is welcome to. If I feel sadness, it is that he didn’t make the other movies he was going to make. George is truly a brilliant, talented person. Just look at American Graffiti and see all the innovation. We should’ve had more.”

Killers of the Flower Moon is due to hit theaters on October 20. Look back for our review soon!