Ridley Scott: Interviews

Conversations With Filmmakers Series

University Press of Mississippi, 2005, Paperback

Product Description

Artisan, entrepreneur, and impresario, British filmmaker Ridley Scott accepts the profit motive as the only way to thrive in an industry where there is little patience for artistic flourishes or overblown expenses. Yet, while he may pay lip service to the free enterprise system, he is an unapologetic auteur, committed to using every element of film-from evocative lighting to digital composition-to overwhelm our senses and redefine how we perceive the future (Alien, Blade Runner), the past (1492: The Conquest of Paradise, Gladiator), and the present (Thelma & Louise, Black Hawk Down).

This collection of interviews follows Scott over twenty-five years as he perfects the Ridley Scott look, builds his media empire, and reacts to the twenty-year cult status of Blade Runner. Throughout, he discusses the triumphs and challenges involved in working with A-list actors-particularly such women as Susan Sarandon, Sigourney Weaver, and Demi Moore-and big-budget special effects. Scott emerges as a consummate English gentleman who acknowledges the legacy of the futuristic Blade Runner and Alien but who also is adept at taking the pulse of contemporary American culture.

Unlike many of his colleagues in the U.S., Scott did not attend film school. Instead, he developed his visual sensibility at London's Royal College of Art. Years in television production gave Scott the clout and confidence to revitalize feature filmmaking. He hit the jackpot with Alien but ran into financial and logistical difficulties with Blade Runner and Legend. In response he shifted his attention to more contemporary genres, offering a continental perspective on America in Black Rain and Thelma & Louise. By the late 1990s Scott had achieved both critical and commercial success with Oscar-winning films Gladiator and Black Hawk Down.

Laurence F. Knapp, Highland Park, Illinois, is an instructor and lecturer on film studies at Northwestern University and is the editor of Brian De Palma: Interviews (University Press of Mississippi). Andrea F. Kulas, Park Ridge, Illinois, is an independent media consultant and a contributor to 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die.

Product Details

Title: Ridley Scott: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)
Sales Rank: 1086726 in Books
Creator: Laurence F. Knapp, Andrea F. Kulas
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi, 2005-02-04, Paperback, 237 pages, ISBN: 157806726X
Package Dimensions: 9.29 x 5.83 x 0.87 inches, 0.93 pounds

Customer Reviews

The Key of Ridley's Kingdom: I usually own all the movies directed by my favorite directors. Even their lesser achievements often prove to say a lot about them. And you usually get to understand the man (if not know them) through their filmography.
I must admit that I never thought of Ridley Scott as one of my favorite directors until I read this book. I never actually… More reviews

candid in depth interviews: This book is a great buy for anyone interested in Ridley Scott or in filmmaking in general. His interviews if looked at closely reveal mountains of filmmaking knowledge as it goes through most of his major motion pictures in a series of varying inteviews dating from around 70's to when the book was published. True film buffs might get a good bit of pleasure out of this text as well. More reviews

An arresting account of the great film director Ridley Scott: I've been a fan of Ridley Scott's films since I first began to study film as an art form and not just as something to do on a weekend. Your eyes are never bored, he constantly produces great images to take in and transport you to new worlds. The level of immersion he allows an audience to indulge in is amazing, there are not too many other filmmakers who are able… More reviews