Scorsese, Spielberg, P.T. Anderson on Turner Classic Movies
Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Getty Images
Turner Classic Movies, get behind Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson — they’ll protect you. The group isn’t letting the network crumble under the weight of recently announced layoffs, Deadline reports. The stalwart supporters of cinema set an emergency meeting with Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav, the same guy who oversaw the baffling streaming service Max’s launch, to lobby for the future of the network — which programs all sorts of film classics, ranging from retrospectives of precode geniuses like Barbara Stanwyck to weekly slots for rich documentaries and silent cinema. “Turner Classic Movies has always been more than just a channel,” the trio wrote in a joint statement on June 22. “It is truly a precious resource of cinema, open 24 hours a day seven days a week. And while it has never been a financial juggernaut, it has always been a profitable endeavor since its inception … We have each spent time talking to David, separately and together, and it’s clear that TCM and classic cinema are very important to him. Our primary aim is to ensure that TCM’s programming is untouched and protected.”
Their support for the channel is unsurprising — Scorsese has long stewarded projects to restore, safeguard, and exhibit cinema from all over the world, while Spielberg and Anderson sit on the board of Scorsese’s Film Foundation, a nonprofit working to preserve film. “We are heartened and encouraged by the conversations we’ve had thus far, and we are committed to working together to ensure the continuation of this cultural touchstone that we all treasure,” they wrote. How could anyone say no to that? They asked so nicely.
Source: Vulture
