Profile: Ridley Scott

Our friend Trevor Hogg at FlickeringMyth.com has put together a nice 5-part profile on director Ridley Scott.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Knowing GITS’ focus on screenwriting, Trevor excerpted this for readers:

Initially Russell Crowe was to play both the title character and the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham but the plan was abandoned. Screenwriter Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) stated, “The whole thing was to try to strip away the goofiness of Robin Hood. What I tried to do was make it feel like this is a real story and the myth rose out of this, rather than seeing the myth. He’s not quite running around, robbing the rich and giving to the poor, but you can see how it evolved into that.” Helgeland acknowledged that knowing ahead of time that Crowe was playing the role assisted him with his writing. “Everyone has their strengths. Johnny Depp [Alice in Wonderland] as Robin Hood would be a different Robin Hood than Russell Crowe as Robin Hood. With respect to them both, they do different things well. So, knowing who it is helps a lot.”

“Eventually, you come up against the marketplace,” declared Scott. “The reality is that filmmaking is an increasingly expensive proposition and while I’m not saying you should trade what you feel are legitimate concerns for an increased box office, you do have to keep in mind that what you’re involved in is a business, as well as a creative enterprise.” The director clarified his remark, “If you’re going to end up in an art cinema you should stay within the confines of a small budget movie, which will allow you to explore most any esoteric idea you wish. But if you’re going to attempt to follow the path of a [Steven] Spielberg, then your choice of subject matter and the way you’re going to explain and communicate your story to that larger audience is, of necessity, going to be on a slightly more simplified level.”

My favorite Ridley Scott story involves screenwriter Callie Khouri. I don’t have the source for this anecdote, but I think I remember it pretty clearly.

Before she broke into the business, Khouri wrote “Thelma & Louise” on spec. She got it to a friend who forwarded it to someone who slipped it to Scott Free, the production company for brothers Ridley and Tony Scott. Then Khouri got The Phone Call: “Mr. Scott would like to meet with you.”

Imagine how nervous Khouri was as she entered the offices of Scott Free. She bided her time, then was ushered into Ridley’s office. And the very first words he said to Khouri were, “Well, first off, the ending stays.” He was referring to the ending of “Thelma & Louise” where the two Protagonists drive off the cliff together. And I remember reading Khouri recounting this story saying, “As soon as he said those words, I knew that Ridley ‘got’ the script.”

Classic!

Next up for Trevor… Hayao Miyazaki. Very much look forward to that.