Pedro Costa Clearly Hates Ridley Scott's Movies: “Absolute Fascism"

In case you’re unfamiliar with Pedro Costa, he’s a fairly well-renowned Portuguese filmmaker, he delves deeply into what some might call “slow cinema.” Many of his films have museum-quality compositions, and are a form of docufiction, detailed the lives of the marginalized.

A few of Costa’s films have been to Cannes, including “In Vanda’s Room” and “Colossal Youth.” He’s also won awards in Locarno for “Horse Money” and “Vitalina Varela.” This is very high-brow, intellectual cinema.

In other words, Costa is the total opposite of Ridley Scott. Whether you’re familiar with Costa or not, it’s an absolute hoot to read his interview with Othon Cinema. Costa just can’t help but blame the dire state of today’s movies on Scott.

Every time you think he’s done, Costa returns to Scott and his negative imprint on cinema, continually ragdolling him. Scott’s name is mentioned continuously. Here are a few excerpts.

• "You should do the opposite of Ridley Scott, always at every second" ...

• "Of course, Ridley Scott is absolute fascism; there’s nothing there to take; you see that and you say no, I won’t take anything.”

• "When dark things start appearing, Ridley Scott starts appearing"

• "[Ridley Scott] is a populist guy. He will abuse you..."

• "The films that are far away from life are, let’s say again, Ridley Scott. He lives in another world, Hollywood, Los Angeles, money, gold. He lives in champagne..." ...

• "Ridley Scott, poor guy."

Scott’s been Hollywood’s go-to guy for many decades now. He has no trouble greenlighting projects. In the last 24 years, since 2000’s “Gladiator,” Scott has released 20 films.

Scott, 86, 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.

The glossiness of a Scott production cannot be overemphasized. Crossing through various different genres, he is and has always been about classicist cinema. The lighting. The meticulously accurate attention to set design and detail. Ridley Scott is first and foremost a professional craftsman.