Ridley Scott is a
British film director and producer who has made many of our most iconic films
since his breakthrough with 1979’s Alien. He is
known for his stunning visuals and often his grand scale and scope.
This month he has a new epic – Exodus: Gods and
Kings – telling the tale of Moses and Rhamses. They grew up as brothers
(Moses, an adopted brother), but as they became men their paths deviated. Moses
saw the tyranny by which Rhamses ruled and the cruelty he showed his slaves,
many of which shared the same background as Moses. They were just less
fortunate. Seeing only injustice, Moses decides to lead a slave rebellion
against Rhamses with the endgame of finding the slaves a new home as freed men.
Here
is the trailer.
Early Career:
Scott attended the Royal College
of Art, helping to establish its film department. He started making short films
and working as a production designer during the early 1960s. He also began
directing episodes of British television. In 1968, Scott and his brother Tony founded Ridley
Scott Associates, a film and commercial production company. Scott directed
numerous commercials during the 1970s.
In 1977 with The Duellists,
Scott made his feature film directing debut. The film won Best First Film at
the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. The film is about two officers, D’Hubert and
Feraud, who have a life-long grudge with one and other, engaging in multiple
duels seeking justice for their perceived grievances.
Science Fiction:
The Duelists made Scott a star
director overnight, allowing him to pursue projects in Hollywood. His initial
plan was to next adapt Tristan and Iseult, but then he saw Star Wars.
This changed everything. He became enthralled by large scale, effects-driven
films and science fiction. Scott accepted the job to direct Alien. The film was
a smash hit critically and commercially, as Scott expertly created a cinematic
experience that is both a terrifying horror movie and a cool and visually
impressive sci-fi adventure featuring a strong female lead (Ripley played by Sigourney Weaver).
Directors are still trying to replicate it to this day (including Scott
himself).
Next, Scott made what is probably
an even better sci-fi film with 1982’s Blade Runner.
Here, Scott works with Star Wars’ star Harrison Ford, in a
film that blends sci-fi elements with a hard-boiled detective narrative. It is
a masterpiece of design, style and directing. And, like Alien, Blade Runner
again redefined the sci-fi genre.
From there, Scott made the
adventure fantasy Legend,
starring Tom Cruise,
the poorly received crime drama Someone to Watch
Over Me, and the action thriller Black Rain
with Michael
Douglas.
Scott once again found his touch
with 1991’s Thelma
& Louise, telling the tale of two women who murder a rapist and then go
on the run. Again, Scott made a film that is iconic to this day (especially the
film’s ending) – also, look out for a young Brad
Pitt. Scott earned his first Best Director Oscar nomination for his work on
the film.
Scott finished off the 1990s with
three less than stellar outings. First, the Christopher Columbus biopic 1942: Conquest
of Paradise (a film that paints Columbus as more of a villain, contrary to
the popular view at the time), then the doomed sailing adventure drama White Squall,
and finally G.I.
Jane, an action drama starring Demi Moore about a
woman who is offered the chance to be the first female trainee in the U.S. Navy’s
elite SEAL/C.R.T. selection program (it is probably Scott’s worst film to
date).
Award-Winning:
In 2000, Scott directed his
greatest critical triumph, Gladiator.
The film also marks the director’s first collaboration with Russell Crowe,
whom he has worked with four more times since. The film about a Roman general
who is betrayed and sold into slavery only to return to Rome years later to
seek revenge as a gladiator won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best
Actor (for Crowe). Scott received his second Best Director nomination.
Scott next made the forgettable The Silence of the
Lambs sequel Hannibal
(side note, watch Bryan
Fuller’s TV series Hannibal; it is
brilliant); however, he followed it up with his best film of the decade: Black Hawk Down.
This war drama recounting the true events of a failed mission by U.S. armed
forces in Somalia garnered Scott his third Best Director nomination. It is
gripping and one of the best war films ever made.
Scott then directed the fun crime
drama Matchstick
Men about a phobic con artist and his protégé who are about to make a big
score when his teenage daughter suddenly crashes the party. It features a great
performance from Sam
Rockwell.
Scott next returned to epic
historical dramas with Kingdom of
Heaven. The film has a massive scope and scale as well as a wonderful cast.
Scott’s director’s cut of the film was deemed too long to be released in
theaters by Twentieth Century Fox. Thus, they release a shorter, lesser cut. The
film played to mild reviews and box office. Thankfully, Scott’s cut was
eventually released. It is well worth seeking out.
Scott then set up three films
with Russell Crowe to close out the decade. The first is the mediocre romance
drama A Good
Year about a career obsessed man who has a life revelation while in
Provence. Next, the very good biographical gangster film American
Gangster about Frank Lucas and the cop who took him down (Denzel Washington
is quite good as Lucas). And lastly, the action thriller Body of Lies,
which stars Leonardo
DiCaprio. What makes the film unique and interesting (in addition to it
being a strong thriller) is that it takes the position that maybe U.S. intelligence
tactics are flawed.
Trying Something New
& Revisiting the Past:
Okay, Scott made one more film
with Russell Crowe, throwing his hat into the Robin Hood
adaptation bin. The film finds Robin in the thirteenth century as a man who
conspires to combat local corruption in his village – an uprising that leads to
a power struggle with the crown itself. It was not well-received, but
personally I think it is a decent enough action adventure drama.
Scott then decided to return to
his past, making a prequel to maybe his most famous film, Alien, in the form of
Prometheus.
It is a highly flawed film, as the story and character motivations are pretty
well ridiculous; but visually, it is marvelous. Scott again does make something
that is stylistically impressive and fairly scary and thrilling as well. It is
just too bad that the film makes almost no sense.
Author Cormac McCarthy
writes very dense novels. The most popular adaptation of one of his works his
the Coen
Brothers’ No
Country for Old Men. McCarthy met with Scott, however, to try something different,
making his first foray into screenwriting. Their collaboration gave birth to The
Counselor, probably 2013’s most misunderstood film. It is brilliant, as it
tackles the nature of good and evil within man, playing out mostly through a
series of conversations. Critics and viewers expected something different,
something more action-packed. It is a gem that will eventually find its
audience.
Upcoming Projects:
Scott has a number of science
fiction projects upcoming. The first, due in 2015, is The Martian.
It is about an astronaut who is stranded on Mars, struggling to survive until
help can reach him (or her). Scott has assembled quite a cast with Jessica Chastain, Matt
Damon, Jeff
Daniels, Kate
Mara, Kristen
Wiig, Sean Bean,
and Chiwetel
Ejiofor.
In 2016 and beyond, Scott has a sequel to
Prometheus, a sequel to Blade
Runner and a sci-fi thriller series set up at Fox called The Hot Zone.
Scott Free, Producing
Films and TV:
Through his production company Scott
Free Productions, Scott has also produced a number of highly successful films
and television programs. Here are the highlights: In Her Shoes, Tristan + Isolde,
The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Cracks, The A-Team,
The Grey, Stoker, Out of the Furnace,
The Gathering
Storm, The Company,
The Good Wife,
and The Pillars
of the Earth.
Upcoming, Scott is producing the
eagerly anticipated NFL Concussion
drama (currently untitled) from Peter Landesman,
starring Will Smith.
Career Highlights:
1) The Duellists (1977) – director (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
2) Alien (1979)* – director (Blu-ray, VideoOn-Demand, Trailer)
*Editor’s picks
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