Killers of the Flower Moon, a new feature film directed by Martin Scorsese, was released in theaters on October 18. For the occasion, we offer you a decryption of this enigmatic title.
Released in theaters on October 18, Killers of the Flower Moon is the new feature film by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone.
Unlike some Scorsese films like The Departed or The Wolf of Wall Street, Killers of the Flower Moon did not have a French translation for its title.
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The film, which was rated General Audience with Warning by the classification committee, is based on the investigative book of the same name written by David Grann. It was published in France under the title The American Note. Why did the author decide to name his work Killers of the Flower Moon, an enigmatic title if ever there was one?
FLOWERING AND ABUNDANCE
In the United States, some Native American tribes called the full moon in May the “Flower Moon”. This period corresponded to the flowering of the moon flower, a sign of abundance to come after a cold and harsh winter.
For similar reasons, other tribes are said to have named the moon based on the arrival of spring. For example, some northern clans called the full moon in May the “bud moon” or the “leaf bud moon” to celebrate the new blooms of spring. Others called it the “sowing moon” because it marked the time when seeds should be planted for the coming agricultural season.
THE MOON FLOWER
David Grann was inspired by the Flower Moon for his title because the period of assassinations that he depicts in his book is linked to this little Flower Moon. He thus diverted it from its initial meaning to give it a dramatic and dark connotation.
Indeed, this flower grows in the meadows of the lands of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma, the American state where the murders of Native Americans took place in the 1920s.
Over these lands the deadly shadow of a few greedy white men has spread, shedding the blood of many victims of the Osage tribe. So this brings us back to the story of Killers of the Flower Moon.
At the beginning of the 20th century, oil brought fortune to the Osage people who, overnight, became one of the richest in the world. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted the lust of disreputable whites who intrigued, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as possible before resorting to murder.
Killers of the Flower Moon was released in theaters on October 18.