One of the most anticipated films of this year, if not the decade, is the Martin Scorsese-directed, Netflix-produced THE IRISHMAN. The mob drama, which is based on the book I Heard you Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, brings Scorsese back to the mafia genre; a genre that he defined with his films GOODFELLAS (1990), CASINO (1995), and THE DEPARTED (2006). The film also reunites him with frequent collaborator Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci (out of retirement), and also marks his first film with GODFATHER alum Al Pacino. Although the film is still a couple months away from release, THE IRISHMAN made headlines this week with news concerning its running time and release plan.
The release plan was settled this week, with Netflix, the home-streaming company who produced the film, announcing plans to release THE IRISHMAN in a limited theatrical release on November 1st. The film will add cities over the following three weeks before launching on their streaming service November 27th. Scorsese himself was seeking a more traditional rollout, but this plan is similar, if not just like what Netflix did with ROMA last year.
Similar to the news surrounding Spider-Man last week (read about that web HERE), this move has been met with controversy with many blaming either side. Long-time fans of Scorsese are eager to see THE IRISHMAN in theatres, but larger chains such as AMC and Regal will likely not get the film as they demand a minimum of 90 days in the theatre. With THE IRISHMAN leaving theatres in just 26 days for the home streaming service, the film does not meet their long-standing requirement. The film will likely go to smaller, independent chains such as Alamo Drafthouse and Landmark (chains that don’t exist all over)…who were willing to run ROMA in limited fashion last year. It’s disappointing that Netflix has chosen to not play by the rules once again, and robbing people of seeing the return of cinema legends to the big screen. It seems that they want to have their cake and eat it too; they want to be treated like any other studio, but then they don’t act like any other studio. And if THE IRISHMAN is good enough to be considered for awards, the argument of home-streaming films being eligible for Oscars will erupt again (Oscars want minimum time in theatres as well).
The other bit of news about THE IRISHMAN is its running time. Although it is subject to change, it will run at 210 minutes, or three-and-a-half hours. This would be Scorsese’s longest film to date, and the longest mainstream American film in more than two decades. This news was met with glee from long-time cinephiles who grew up with Scorsese’s films, as such a stellar lineup deserves a long film. And it also harks back to the glory days of Hollywood, when films like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962), and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956), clocked in at nearly four hours. Of course, this news was met with griping from the attention-span deprived crowd who watch too many YouTube videos, and ironically, probably the same crowd that doesn’t think twice about binging a TV show on Netflix without moving for 10 hours.
All this is subject to change, and since there is no such thing as bad publicity, THE IRISHMAN will be talked about all during the fall season and earn its label as one of the most anticipated of 2019.
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THE IRISHMAN debuts at the New York Film Festival on September 27thbefore hitting select theatres on November 1st, and Netflix at home November 27th.
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