It was only when flipping through the pages of this book that I was reminded of just how prolific and impressive Ridley Scott’s filmography is; by virtue of Bladerunner or Alien alone, either one of these films would no doubt have earned him a spot in cinema’s hall of fame, but he has also directed other amazing movies like Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster, The Martian, All The Money In The World and more.
This 240 paged hardcover volume takes us through the director’s stately body of cinematic works to explore and discover the themes and motifs that unite such different but equally captivating films; with the text accompanied by a surplus of beautiful production stills. The book is written by London based film writer Ian Nathan, the author behind Alien Vault.
(above & below) Alien (1979), the highly influential horror sci-fi film that launched a much beloved franchise that continues till today. I’ve reviewed a good number of art and film-making books from the series.
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The absolutely best way to study or enjoy a director’s work is to watch their films of course, but at the same time I seldom pass up a good chance to pick up a big coffee-table book filled with attractive photographs either. I don’t expect to learn elaborate trade-craft just by reading it, but the ideas and images are nonetheless inspiring. Recommended.
“Ridley Scott: A Retrospective” book details :
– Dimensions – 9.75 x 1 x 11.5 inches x 1 inch
– Hard cover, 240 pages
– Full color, In English Language
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June 27th, 2021 at 3:42 am
Ridley Scott remains one of my favorite directors–as a visualist, he has no equal (although there are those who certainly get close). Seeing ALIEN and BLADE RUNNER as a child blew me away and a film like KINGDOM OF HEAVEN–especially its “Director’s Cut”–is on par with LAWRENCE OF ARABIA in its scope and vision.
Glad this book is out there, it certainly is worth a look. Thanks for the review!
June 30th, 2021 at 3:35 am
Marc – You’re welcome ! Yeah reading this book has made me want to discover some of his earlier films that I’ve never seen before like th Duellists. :]