Ridley Scott is one of the great figures of British and world cinema. In 1979, he made a grotesque creature burst from the stomach of John Hurt in Alien. Three years later his Blade Runner created a vision of a dystopian future that inspired a generation of computer gamers. Other hits came thick and fast with Thelma & Louise in 1991 and Gladiator – starring Russell Crowe – in 2000. He remains extremely busy and, over the last 20 years, has directed at least one film a year, including Black Hawk Down, The Martian, and House of Gucci. His eye for a brilliant shot and a tight, dramatic storyline is legendary.
Now aged 85, Scott has directed another blockbuster, a movie he has wanted to make for decades: Napoleon. For this latest spectacle, David Scarpa has provided the script. He and Scott worked together on All the Money in the World in 2017, a film about the kidnapping of young John Paul Getty III and the refusal of his billionaire grandfather to pay the ransom.
Scott has been quoted in interviews saying that he does not care what historians have to say and that he never looks to them for advice when making films. Apparently, when faced with criticism from a historian, he asked: ‘Excuse me, mate, were you there? No? Well shut the f*** up then!’. Frankly, it shows.
