When I see the trailer for an upcoming release, it rarely manages to interest me in the film, let alone pique my curiosity enough to make me want to see it. Whereas classic Hollywood was driven by the goal of putting beautiful or otherwise appealing images on the screen, modern Hollywood seems to think that the grittier something looks, the better.
The occasional period piece set in the mid-20th century or earlier always gets my attention. The film industry has always been notorious for disregarding facts and historical accuracy for the sake of plot and storytelling, even during the Golden Era of Hollywood. However, no matter how historically inaccurate the costumes and scenery may be, a period piece is automatically classier because it at least hints at a more gracious era.
One of this year’s biggest releases, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” is set in the 1920s, based on true events which happened in Oklahoma when oil was discovered on land owned by the Osage Nation. The primary characters are real historical figures who played important parts in significant events, albeit less than famous ones.
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“Killers of the Flower Moon” was released in the United States on October 20, 2023, after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20. It was screened in IMAX by Paramount Pictures and started streaming on Apple TV+ as an Apple Original Film. It was directed by Martin Scorsese, who also was one of its producers and co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth. It was based on David Grann’s nonfiction book of the same name, the rights to which Imperative Entertainment won for $5 million in a bidding war in 2016. After a few years of building the team, determining the style, and coordinating schedules, filming was scheduled to begin in March 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t begin until February 2021.Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns from fighting in World War I to live with his uncle William “King” Hale (Robert De Niro) on his Oklahoma ranch on the oil-rich Osage reservation. Hale pretends to be a friend to the natives while plotting to steal their wealth through whatever means are necessary. Ernest is working as a taxi driver, but his uncle schemes for him to get involved with an Osage woman whose family owns the main oil headrights, Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone). A romance develops between them, and they end up getting married. Telling Ernest that he will own more of the oil if Mollie’s family members die, Hale begins ordering the killings of her relatives. After having two children, Ernest is reluctant to slowly poison his wife. However, Hale won’t let anyone stand in the way of his nephew and, ultimately, himself inheriting the oil.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic movie, lasting 206 minutes. Unsurprisingly, its production costs came to $200 million. It has been classified as the most expensive biopic, R-rated film, or movie made in Oklahoma on record. However, I find that an astronomical budget, prestigious production team, and famous cast isn’t required to make a dramatic movie. This is illustrated by a classic movie about oil, “Boom Town” from 1940. There may be many different plot points, but it provides a similar theme without the “violence ... grisly images, and language” for which the newer film received its R-rating.
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“Boom Town” is an MGM movie directed by Jack Conway. It was a blockbuster, starring four of the studio’s biggest stars, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert, and Hedy Lamarr. This was an expensive production for the day, since the film had a budget of $1.6 million. However, the investment was well worth it, since “Boom Town” more than doubled its money and became the highest-grossing film at the box office that year. It also received primarily good reviews and earned two nominations at the Academy Awards.“Big John” McMasters (Gable) and “Square John” Sand (Tracy) are a pair of oil wildcatters who form a partnership and friendship, using somewhat unscrupulous means to acquire the equipment and capital they need for their own oil fields. They realize they also share the same taste in women when Square John’s longtime sweetheart, Betsy Bartlett (Colbert), comes to town. She and Big John quickly fall in love and decide to get married, leaving Square John in the cold. Within a year, McMasters is no longer content with his settled home life. Sand doesn’t like the way his “friend” treats his wife, so he challenges him to toss a coin for ownership of the fields. Square John wins, so Big John and Betsy hit the road. In Oklahoma, McMasters makes his fortune, becoming an oil baron. However, his newfound wealth and power keep him away from his wife and close to beautiful “advisor” Karen Vanmeer (Lamarr). Sand determines to drive McMasters back to his wife, even if he has to bankrupt them both to do so.
These two movies are both about oil fields in Oklahoma. They both were based on literary works, a book with the newer film and a 1938 short story for the older one. Both movies have an air of authenticity in their production. “Killers” was primarily filmed in Osage County with the cooperation of the tribe which was featured in the story. Years before “Boom Town” was made, MGM had wanted to feature Clark Gable in a movie about oil because his father was an oil-well driller, and the actor had worked for him in Oklahoma in his teenage years. Although “Boom Town” is a movie about two men who go through substantial financial ups and downs, it doesn’t have the same history and fascinating cultural background.
True Friendship
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is not a shallow or rehashed movie. Having been based on true events which have only been depicted on film a couple of times, it has a complex, meaningful story. I could imagine this story as a movie made in the 1940s, but it would have been much shorter. It also would have managed to tell the story without profanity and especially without the graphic violence that pervades this film. Although the story includes many murders, they didn’t need to be depicted with such gory detail.“Boom Town” is a story about greed, friendship, lust, and true love. Although it doesn’t include the violent atrocities which are committed for the sake of wealth in the new film, it has other similar themes. With a star-studded cast and a lavish budget, it shows how Hollywood used to make movies which were entertaining, exciting, and dramatic without being bloody and disgusting.
