Ridley Scott Retrospective at Lincoln Center

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 02 May 2012 22:28

Written by Renzo Adler

With the extremely anticipated Prometheus arriving in June, it is a time of reflection and speculation for the career of director Ridley Scott. His first new science fiction film since 1982’s Blade Runner, Prometheus will return Scott to the film that put him on the map in the world of cinema, Alien.

Teetering on the precipice of this new film, from May 25 – June 3, 2012, The Film Society of Lincoln Center will show Past and Prologue: The Films of Ridley Scott, a complete retrospective of his work.

Scott’s greatest ability is his way of taking a story that is basically simple and accessible but, by creating a visually sumptuous world around it, he enriches the themes and narrative.

Scott has stated numerous times that the story to Alien is more less just “the old dark house in space”, but through use of atmospheric sets and a bizarre titular creature, the film takes on a fearful solemnity that people to this day ruminate over the meaning of and is one of few films to pass the Bechdel Test (a film must have at least two female characters that talk about something other than a man).

These are films that manage to encapsulate their eras as well as transcend them. Black Hawk Down depicted a 1993 conflict between US Army Rangers and Somali insurgents, was released a scant few months after 9/11, and created a new visual language for action films as well as being a poignant film on America’s role in a changing world.

Scott’s approach to filmmaking is extremely visceral and hands on and has always made great use of sets and locations where other directors would fall back on CGI.  

His initial training in the world of commercial making has given Scott the gift of being able to cram a lot of information into the tiniest aspects of his films and without bogging down the story. Scott is that extra precious breed of filmmaker that can make a work visually and in narrative grandiose and layered.

The films being shown are:

• 1492: Conquest of Paradise
• A Good Year
• Alien
• American Gangster
• Black Hawk Down
• Black Rain
• Blade Runner
• Body of Lies
• G.I. Jane
• Gladiator
• Hannibal
• Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut)
• Legend
• Matchstick Men
• Robin Hood
• Someone To Watch Over Me
• The Duellists
• Thelma & Louise
• White Squall

The timing and name for the series, is an interesting choice. It is as if Prometheus was the un-listed final entry (coming out less than a week after the series ends) that may very well be a prologue for a new era in science fiction cinema, or a final piece of a long career.

To see the full schedule, go to: http://www.filmlinc.com/films/series/past-and-prologue-the-films-of-ridley-scott

Past and Prologue: The Films of Ridley Scott
May 25 – June 3, 2012

The Film Society of Lincoln Center
The Walter Reade Theater
165 W. 65th Street
New York, NY

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