The Role of Editor - More Should Have Wound Up on the Cutting Room Floor for "Killers of the Flower Moon"

Films are supposed to transport us into another dimension. 

For some of us in the audience for "Killers of the Flower Moon" the only piece of that was being lifted into awe for the acting ability, right down to her eyes, of Lily Gladstone. She portrayed Mollie, a member of the Osage tribe who had, like her relatives, come into wealth because of oil. After an odd kind of flirting she marries white man Ernest Burkhart, played by a no-longer boyish Leonardo DeCaprio. Actually it was a turnoff that DeCaprio had porked up. We did accept his bad teeth, though, as symbolic of his dirt-poor condition in the beginning of the movie. 

The storyline was all too familiar, especially in this era of a heightened consciousness about justice and genocide. 

Academic powerhouses are signing petitions, published in The Wall Street Journal, about the conflict in the Middle East. 

Progressive law firms ranging from Kirkland & Ellis to Paul Weiss to Akin Gump have financially supported social justice through hefty contributions to the Democratic Party. 

Wall Street is making its point of view known through backing off on donations to institutions supposedly on the wrong side of geopolitical issues. 

In "Killers of the Flower Moon" we have yet another tale, told in more than three hours, of the dark deeds of whites against Native Americans. 

That might have worked if it had embedded an emotional takeaway. However it was so involved with the artistry of the story, in script and visuals, that it didn't engage. For me the only connection I made was this: Relief that Mollie ferreted out that Ernest had been her attempted killer, not her protector. She divorced him.

Is the actual takeaway here that big brandnames often seem to give "permission" to be self-indulgent. In making this film, producers Martin Scorsese and DeCaprio needed an editor who could stand up to them. That should have been from the get-go when the idea for this kind of movie was being considered. 

In coaching about making your point I hammer the critical role of what you leave on the cutting room floor. Fortunately, generative AI has enhanced the prestige of the job of editor. Look at the help-wanted and the listings for Editor are increasing. 

Sad Reality: "Killers of the Flower Moon" is a worldwide box office hit. Obviously, there are no lessons for Scorsese and DeCaprio to learn.

In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com)