Editing Ridley Scott (section)

===1970s: ''The Duellists'', ''Alien''===
''[[The Duellists]]'' (1977) marked Ridley Scott's first feature film as director. Shot in continental Europe, it was nominated for the main prize at the [[Cannes Film Festival]], and won an award for Best Debut Film. ''The Duellists'' had limited commercial impact internationally. Based on [[Joseph Conrad]]'s short story "[[The Duel (short story)|The Duel]]" and set during the [[Napoleonic Wars]], it follows two French [[Hussar]] officers, D'Hubert and Feraud ([[Keith Carradine]] and [[Harvey Keitel]]) whose quarrel over an initially minor incident turns into a bitter extended feud spanning fifteen years, interwoven with the larger conflict that provides its backdrop. The film has been acclaimed for providing a historically authentic portrayal of Napoleonic uniforms and military conduct.<ref>Adam Barkman, Ashley Barkman, Nancy Kang (2013). "The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott". Chapter 10. Celebrating Historical Accuracy in The Duellists. p.171-178. Lexington Books</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Duellists: it takes two to tangle|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/28/the-duellists-reel-history|newspaper=The Guardian|date=10 January 2015|access-date=13 December 2016|archive-date=26 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826005826/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/28/the-duellists-reel-history|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2013 release of the film on Blu-ray coincided with the publication of an essay on the film in a collection of scholarly essays on Scott.<ref>"[https://www.academia.edu/12374141/Honor_in_The_Duellists A Double-Edged Sword: Honor in The Duellists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728112004/https://www.academia.edu/12374141/Honor_in_The_Duellists_Ridley_Scott_2013_ |date=28 July 2020 }}", in ''The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott'', eds. Adam Barkman, Ashley Barkman, and Jim McRae (Lexington Books, 2013), 45–60.</ref>

Scott had originally planned next to adapt a version of ''[[Tristan and Iseult]]'', but after seeing ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'', he became convinced of the potential of large scale, effects-driven films. He accepted the job of directing ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'', the 1979 horror/science-fiction film that would win him international success. Scott made the decision to switch [[Ellen Ripley]] from the standard male action hero to a [[Girl Power in popular culture#Female action heroes and science fiction|heroine]].<ref name="Female icon">{{cite magazine|title=Great Female Roles That Were Originally Written for Men|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/female-characters-written-for-men|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=17 December 2016|access-date=17 December 2016|archive-date=28 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328184816/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/female-characters-written-for-men|url-status=live}}</ref> Ripley (played by [[Sigourney Weaver]]), who appeared in the first four ''Alien'' films, would become a cinematic icon.<ref name="Female icon"/> The final scene of [[John Hurt]]'s character has been named by a number of publications as one of the most memorable in cinematic history.<ref name="memorable">Sources that refer to the final scene of Hurt's character in ''Alien'' as one of the most memorable in cinematic history include these:
* {{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6597295.stm |title=Alien named as top 18-rated scene |author=BBC News |publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=26 April 2007 |access-date=31 May 2010 |author-link=BBC News |archive-date=15 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515213917/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6597295.stm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|title=The 100 Scariest Movie Moments|publisher=Bravo|url=http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030070540/http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml|archive-date=30 October 2007|access-date=29 May 2010}}
* {{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/13/making-of-alien-chestburster|title=The making of Alien's chestburster scene|work=The Guardian|access-date=18 January 2010|date=13 October 2009|archive-date=30 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430221033/http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/oct/13/making-of-alien-chestburster|url-status=live}}</ref> Filmed at [[Shepperton Studios]] in England, ''Alien'' was the [[1979 in film|sixth highest-grossing film of 1979]], earning over $104&nbsp;million worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=alien.htm |title=Box Office Information for ''Alien'' |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=11 June 2010 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930224455/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=alien.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Scott was involved in the 2003 restoration and re-release of the original film. In promotional interviews at the time, Scott indicated he had been in discussions to make a fifth film in the ''Alien'' franchise. However, in a 2006 interview, Scott remarked that he had been unhappy about ''Alien: The Director's Cut'', feeling that the original was "pretty flawless" and that the additions were merely a marketing tool.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_6060000/newsid_6068400/bb_rm_6068470.stm |title=A good year ahead for Ridley |work=BBC News |date=20 October 2006 |access-date=6 March 2010 |archive-date=27 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327104304/http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_6060000/newsid_6068400/bb_rm_6068470.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Scott later returned to ''Alien''-related projects when he directed ''[[Prometheus (2012 film)|Prometheus]]'' and ''[[Alien: Covenant]]'' three decades after the original film's release.<ref name="Alien prequel"/>