It’s Scorsese vs Marvel! But why do we have to choose?

Numerous public figures have castigated adults who enjoy popular culture, or, as some put it, “lowbrow”.

Whether it’s grown-up fans going to see the latest Toy Story movie or Marvel obsessives freaking out over a new Guardians of the Galaxy trailer – some people just can’t seem to help but sneer. The latest is revered director Martin Scorsese, who caused uproar when he claimed that the Avengers franchise “isn’t cinema”.

This wasn’t the first time someone has taken aim at the apparent lack of artistry in Marvel films, but Scorsese is undoubtedly the most prolific. And while you can understand, in a way, his concern for Marvel’s dominance over the film industry, it’s difficult to see this as anything other than downright snobbery.

In the midst of debates such as these, it’s worth remembering that William Shakespeare was the 16th century equivalent of trash culture. He churned out doomed romances such as Romeo and Juliet, or classic tales of madness and revenge like Hamlet or Macbeth, with a few jokes about male genitalia thrown in for good measure.

As Lawrence W Levine pointed out in his 1988 work Highbrow/Lowbrow, Shakespeare plays were marketed in a very similar way to the blockbusters of today: as epic, spectacular works full of melodrama and special effects. Yet over time, intellectualists wrestled a distinction between Shakespeare the populist and Shakespeare the genius, and with the growth of literacy, the oral traditions that made his work so accessible were abandoned.

Suggesting people can’t enjoy Marvel films and Scorsese movies is like saying those who drink Diet Coke can’t also appreciate a good glass of wine. Nowadays, someone claiming to enjoy “highbrow” culture tends to infer a sense of refinement that comes from limiting their intake of authors, filmmakers and musicians.

Indeed, some people seem to have such good taste in art it’s a wonder they enjoy anything at all. Others try to make their appetite for “lowbrow” culture acceptable by over-intellectualising it. Just take a look at the thousands of unnecessary think pieces about shows such as Love Island and Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which simply ruins the appeal of these shows for the masses – just as it did with Shakespeare.

For myself and my colleagues who commission pieces for The Independent, there’s a conscious attempt to steer clear of this. Modern audience tastes are more omnivorous than ever, as are my own, so I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t run a long read about Jane Austen alongside a glowing review of the latest Avengers film, or why my weekly playlist can’t include the latest pop hits next to some of 2019’s critical darlings. I love it all. As Whoopi Goldberg once rightly and wonderfully said: “Art and life are subjective. Not everybody’s gonna dig what I dig, but I reserve the right to dig it.”

Yours,

Roisin O’Connor

Music correspondent