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Having just released his first 3D film in the form of family fantasy Hugo , Martin Scorsese has been waxing lyrical about using the technology, and even suggests that Taxi Driver might have been better had it been filmed in the same way.
“I have always been fascinated by it,” the director told Deadline . “Even before I saw 3D films, I remember getting a packet of 10 postcards that were stereoscopic from the late 19th Century and looking at them through a little device. Then there’s the wonderful View-Master which had beautiful stereo images. Not only did it immerse you in the picture, but was like a story. I was fascinated by depth and I placed such moments carefully in Hugo .”
And having initially dismissed the technology as something of a gimmick, Scorsese reveals that it was Jim Cameron’s work on Avatar that finally changed his mind.
“There was extraordinary visual storytelling in that picture,” he says. “Cameron is a great innovator and leader in cinema. It made 3D very welcoming. If you suggest 3D, from that point on, it was taken seriously.”
“I just think 3D is open to any kind of storytelling. It shouldn’t be limited to fantasy or sci-fi. Look at [ Werner ] Herzog’s use of it [ in Cave of Forgotten Dreams], Wim Wenders with Pina . It should be considered a serious narrative element and tool, especially when telling a story with depth as narrative.”
So which of Scorsese’s back catalogue would he have liked to have shot in 3D? “Let’s see,” replies the director. “ Aviator , maybe? Maybe Taxi Driver , because of the intimidation of the main character. His presence is everywhere, a frightening kind of presence.”
Hmm, we’ve a feeling that last one might be kind of a tricky sell. Hugo is released in UK cinemas on Friday.
