On Friday, November 30th, Sir Ridley Scott turns 75 years old. While he might be best known for his achievements in science fiction cinema, Scott’s films range extensively in backdrop and eras. Born in the town of South Shields, England, Scott would eventually study at the Royal College of Art and go on to work as a set designer for the BBC, which led to his involvement with the television series Z-Cars.
His first feature film, The Duellists (1974), won acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival. His critical success with the film, and the commercial success of Star Wars, led to Scott’s first international triumph, Alien (1979). In 1982, he directed Blade Runner, an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, starring Harrison Ford. Blade Runner is often cited as being one of the most influential sci-fi flicks, and Scott considers it to be his most personal film. Some of Scott’s other work leading into the next millennia includes Black Rain (1989), Thelma and Louise – which he received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director – (1991), White Squall (1996), and G. I. Jane (1997).
In 2000, Scott directed Gladiator, which would bring him his second Best Director nomination and go on to win five Academy Awards including Best Picture. The following year he directed Hannibal – the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs – and Black Hawk Down, for which he received his third and most recent Best Director nom. Scott filled out the decade with films that include Matchstick Men (2003),Kingdom of Heaven (2005), A Good Year (2006), American Gangster (2007), Body of Lies (2008), and Robin Hood (2010). This summer, he released his Alien “prequel,” Prometheus.
Amid rumors that there might be a Blade Runner sequel in the future, Ridley Scott is currently finishing his next film, The Counselor, which is about “A lawyer that finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking.” The Counselor stars Javier Bardem, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, and John Leguizamo, and is set for a 2013 release.
My Circuit 3 for Sir Ridley Scott:
What are your three favorite/best Scott films? Click here for his entire filmography.
John Rivera
November 30, 2012 at 4:17 pm
1. Alien
2. Blade Runner
3. American Gangster
John Rivera(Quote) (Reply)
Joey Magidson
November 30, 2012 at 5:45 pm
1. Alien
2. Black Hawk Down
3. Blade Runner
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Gary Swafford
November 30, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Blade Runner, Alien and the third? Hmmm. Have to think about that one.
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Aaron Neuwirth
November 30, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Gladiator definitely isn’t one of them
1. Alien
2. Blade Runner
3. Kingdom of Heaven Ridley’s Cut
4. Matchstick Men
5. Black Hawk Down
Aaron Neuwirth(Quote) (Reply)
Jeremy DC
November 30, 2012 at 5:54 pm
1. Alien
2. Blade Runner
3. Black Hawk Down
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Steve Glansberg
November 30, 2012 at 6:00 pm
1. Alien
2. Black Hawk Down
3. Blade Runner
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Joseph Braverman
November 30, 2012 at 6:55 pm
1. Blade Runner
2. Alien
3. Prometheus
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Evan
November 30, 2012 at 9:37 pm
1. Blade Runner
2. Alien
3. Gladiator
Evan(Quote) (Reply)
Mark Johnson
November 30, 2012 at 10:30 pm
I’m surprised at the lack of love for Gladiator. I love Crouching Tiger as much as anyone, but is everyone still upset about that BP win? Can’t hold it against the film that AMPAS loved it. I’d love to hear why people don’t like it.
Mark Johnson(Quote) (Reply)
Holden
December 2, 2012 at 3:42 am
1. Alien
2. Black Hawk Down
3. Matchstick Men
4. Blade Runner
Holden(Quote) (Reply)