THE CURBSIDE CRITERION: KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
(We here at Hammer to Nail are all about true independent cinema. But we also have to tip our hat to the great films of yesteryear that continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. This week, our new addition to the site, “The Curbside Criterion” continues where HtN staff can trot out thoughts on the finest films ever made. This week Brad Cook takes the journey into the new Blu-Ray release of Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s excellent film about yet another American colonial takeover and decimation)
I’m glad that the full history of Native Americans in United States has been exposed in recent years. Sure, we all know the stories of tribes getting screwed by the US government and massacred by its military, but it took the show Reservation Dogs for me to understand the horrors that happened to Native children in schools where their entire identities were stripped away.
And, likewise, Martin Scorsese’s excellent 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon sheds light on the horrible crimes committed against members of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma. It’s based on the 2017 book of the same name by journalist David Grann.
The story begins, unsurprisingly, with the discovery of natural wealth on tribal land. In this case, it’s oil found spouting from the ground during the tribe’s annual “flower moon” season, when fields begin to bloom after a harsh winter.
The tribe keeps its rights to the oil, but, of course, some crackers are appointed by the court to manage that wealth, since the Osage are considered too dumb to do it themselves. William King Hale (Robert De Niro), a reserve deputy sheriff and cattle rancher on the reservation, seems to be on the side of the Osage, but he’s not. (I know, what a shock!)
Leonardo DiCaprio plays William’s nephew Ernest, a World War I veteran who is enlisted by his uncle to rob the Osage with his brother, Byron (Scott Shepherd). Ernest falls for an Osage woman named Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), whose family owns a big chunk of the oil rights, but he carries out killings against her family, at William’s behest, so he will inherit more of those rights.
“Scorsese is, among other things, the great choreographer of glittering moments that come before a great fall,” film critic Vinson Cunningham writes in the booklet that accompanies this 4K Ultra HD release of the film from Criterion. I couldn’t say it better myself. If you’re a Scorsese fan too, then you likely have already seen this movie and have made up your mind whether or not you want this edition.
Criterion has included the film on 4K and Blu-ray platters. The back of the box touts a new 4K digital master that was approved by the director, but given this film’s vintage, I don’t know how much work they actually had to do for this one. It’s not like modern movies are at risk of disintegrating film elements. That said, I’m glad Criterion wanted to make sure Scorsese was happy with this presentation.
A second Blu-ray houses the extras, the centerpiece of which is a pair of making-of documentaries, A Historic Collaboration and WahZhaZhe: A Song for the Osage, that run a little over an hour total. In the first one, Grann shows up to talk about his book, and the cast and crew also appear to discuss the reverance that they brought to a movie like this one.
The second documentary features many of the same interviewees but shifts the focus to Osage history and culture. Members of the community appear here too, telling stories passed down through the generations during the century since those awful events took place. We also learn more about what was going on with the Osage back then, since the film couldn’t cover everything.
Moving on, director of photography Rodrigo Prieto gets a turn in the spotlight, excerpts from the 2023 Cannes Film Festival press conference with Scorsese and key cast members are shown, and a short program details the creation of the cover art by Osage artist Noah Kemohah. And, of course, you get the film’s trailer.
– Brad Cook (@BradCWriter)
