Guillermo del Toro slams article calling Martin Scorsese 'uneven talent', says 'If God offered to shorten my life...'

Guillermo del Toro, who won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for his 2017 romantic fantasy film The Shape of Water, has lashed out at an article that called the legendary Hollywood filmmaker Martin Scorsese an 'uneven talent'. In a series of tweets on the night of October 7, Guillermo defended Scorsese's style of filmmaking and said that the article is nothing but 'offensive, cruel and ill-intentioned'.

"I very, very seldom post anything contradictory here but the amount of misconceptions, sloppy inaccuracies and hostile adjectives not backed by an actual rationale is offensive, cruel and ill-intentioned. This article baited them into traffic, but at what cost?", wrote the Pan's Labyrinth director.

He continued, "To be clear: If God offered to shorten my life to lengthen Scorsese's, I'd take the deal. This man understands Cinema. Defends Cinema. Embodies Cinema. He has always fought for the art of it and against the industry of it. He has never been tamed and has a firm place in history."

The said article criticised Leonardo DiCaprio starrer The Wolf of Wall Street for being "achingly slow" and called Robert De Niro's Raging Bull "across-the-board bad filmmaking." Highlighting these two films, del Toro wrote, "I don't shit talk, I don't "slam" and I support - but if anyone thinks that WWS is "...achingly slow" or that Raging Bull is "... bad filmmaking" and that "No studio dares to utter the word 'no' to him." Film language discussions, history lessons, and research may be needed."

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The Mexican filmmaker noted that the article is equivalent to someone finding unnecessary faults in Spanish and French artists Pablo Picasso and Paul Gauguin's works as he wrote, "Most of the article is akin to faulting Picasso for "Not getting perspective right" or Gauguin for being "garish". If you assail these cornerstones, you should lay it out - you disassemble the work and build your position - not just hand an opinion with "slamming" adjectives."

To be clear: If God offered to shorten my life to lengthen Scorsese's- I'd take the deal. This man understands Cinema. Defends Cinema. Embodies Cinema. He has always fought for the art of it and against the industry of it. He has never been tamed and has a firm place in history.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 7, 2022

Most of the article is akin to faulting Picasso for "Not getting perspective right" or Gaugin for being "garish". If you assail these cornerstones, you should lay it out- you disassemble the work and build your position- not just hand an opinion with "slamming" adjectives.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 7, 2022

When I read pieces like this one. Aimed at one of the most benign forces and one of the wisest, I do feel the tremors of an impending culture collapse- and I do wonder: "To what end?" ...and find myself at a loss.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 7, 2022

"When I read pieces like this one.  Aimed at one of the most benign forces and one of the wisest, I do feel the tremors of an impending culture collapse- and I do wonder: "To what end?"...and find myself at a loss", Guillermo del Toro concluded.