Here’s Francis Ford Coppola’s wonderful homage to Ridley Scott, via his Instagram. It turns out, he’s a big fan:
Scott might be 85, but there’s still a lot to look forward to from him.
“Napoleon” is now in theaters. It’s a wonderfully realized balancing act from Scott. He’s also set to restart production on his “Gladiator” sequel next week. In March, he’ll begin production on his adaptation of S. Craig Zahler’s “Wraiths of the Broken Land.” Did I mention there’s also a 4-hour cut of “Napoleon,” which Scott edited during the actors strike, and set to stream on Apple TV in a few months?
The peculiar directorial career of Scott is one that you cannot help but respect. The legendary English-born filmmaker is turning 86 next month.
The glossiness of a Scott production cannot be overemphasized. Crossing through various different genres like a chameleon, he is and has always been a classicist filmmaker. The lighting. The meticulously accurate attention to set design and detail. Ridley Scott is first and foremost a top craftsman.
Scott isn’t just a workaholic, churning out almost one movie per year, but in his nearly five-decade career, he’s managed to release as many great films as he has mediocre ones. The fact that he still remains active, having survived the tumultuously monopolized changes in the industry, feels like some kind of small miracle.
Last month, I conducted a Scott critics poll, over 120 ballots were submitted, and the highest ranking films were a good overview of the depth and scope of Scott’s career: “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” “Thelma and Louise,” “The Martian,” “Gladiator,” “Black Hawk Down,” “The Duellists,” “American Gangster,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” “The Last Duel,” “Matchstick Men” …