Editing Ridley Scott (section)

=== 1980s: ''Blade Runner'' and other films ===
{{Quote box|width=20em|align=right|quote=Outside ''Star Wars'', no sci-fi universe has been etched into cinematic consciousness more thoroughly than ''[[Blade Runner]]''. Ridley Scott's definitive 1982 neo-noir offered an immersive dystopia of rain-soaked windows and shadowy buildings adorned with animated neon billboards, where flying cars hum through the endless night. |source = —  Eric Kohn, ''IndieWire'', 2017<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/09/blade-runner-2049-review-ryan-gosling-denis-villeneuve-1201881820/|title=Blade Runner 2049 review – Denis Villeneuve's Neo-Noir Sequel Is Mind-Blowing Sci-Fi Storytelling|last=Kohn|first=Eric|date=29 September 2017|work=Indiewire|access-date=4 September 2017|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143204/http://www.indiewire.com/2017/09/blade-runner-2049-review-ryan-gosling-denis-villeneuve-1201881820/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
After a year working on the film adaptation of ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'', and following the sudden death of his brother Frank, Scott signed to direct the film version of [[Philip K. Dick]]'s novel ''[[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]'' Re-titled ''[[Blade Runner]]'' and starring [[Harrison Ford]], the film was a commercial disappointment in cinemas in 1982, and was criticised by Pauline Kael in the [[New Yorker magazine|New Yorker]] who wrote "...Scott doesn't seem to have a grasp of how to use words as part of the way a movie moves. "Blade Runner" is a suspenseless thriller; it appears to be a victim of its own imaginative use of hardware and miniatures and mattes. At some point, Scott and the others must have decided that the story was unimportant; maybe the booming, lewd and sultry score by Chariots-for-Hire Vangelis that seems to come out of the smoke convinced them that the audience would be moved even if vital parts of the story were trimmed."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2025-01-11 |title=Baby, the Rain Must Fall {{!}} The New Yorker |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1982/07/12/blade-runner-movie-review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250111061839/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1982/07/12/blade-runner-movie-review |url-status=dead |archive-date=2025-01-11 |access-date=2025-01-11 }}</ref>

In response to the review, Scott said: "...It was four pages of destruction. I never met her. I was so offended. I framed those pages and they've been in my office for 30 years to remind me there's only one critic that counts and that's you. I haven't read critiques ever since. Because if it's a good one, you can get a swollen head and forget yourself. And if it's a bad one, you're so depressed that it's debilitating."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hibberd |first=James |date=2024-11-07 |title=Ridley Scott Will Never Stop Directing: "Shut Up and Go Make Another Movie" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/ridley-scott-interview-gladiator-2-alien-blade-runner-1236049190/ |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> The movie is now widely regarded as a classic.<ref>{{citation | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3600802.stm | title= Blade Runner tops scientist poll | work= BBC News | date= 26 August 2004 | access-date= 9 January 2015 | archive-date= 13 May 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140513202114/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3600802.stm | url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=How Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic, Blade Runner, foresaw the way we live today|url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/03/how-ridley-scotts-sci-fi-classic-blade-runner-foresaw-the-way-we-live-today/|magazine=The Spectator|date=10 January 2016|access-date=10 January 2016|archive-date=23 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423072514/http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/03/how-ridley-scotts-sci-fi-classic-blade-runner-foresaw-the-way-we-live-today/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1991, Scott's notes were used by [[Warner Bros.]] to create a rushed [[director's cut]] which removed the main character's voiceover and made a number of other small changes, including to the ending. Later Scott personally supervised a digital restoration of ''Blade Runner'' and approved what was called ''The Final Cut''. This version was released in Los Angeles, New York City and [[Toronto]] cinemas on 5 October 2007, and as an elaborate DVD release in December 2007.<ref name="bladerunner2007">[http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=36328 "''Blade Runner'' Final Cut Due", SciFi Wire, 26 May 2006] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602222117/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=36328 |date=2 June 2008 }}</ref>

Today, ''Blade Runner'' is ranked by many critics as one of the most important and influential science fiction films ever made,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/life/news/page/0,12983,1290764,00.html |title=Top 10 sci-fi films |work=The Guardian |location=UK |access-date=6 March 2010 |archive-date=20 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620102101/http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/news/page/0,12983,1290764,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> partly thanks to its much imitated portraits of a future cityscape.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/09/29/blade-runner-2049-review/|title=Impeccably cool 'Blade Runner 2049' is a ravishing visual feast: EW review|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=29 September 2017|access-date=4 September 2017|archive-date=19 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219042128/http://ew.com/movies/2017/09/29/blade-runner-2049-review/|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is often discussed along with [[William Gibson]]'s novel ''[[Neuromancer]]'' as initiating the [[cyberpunk]] genre. Stephen Minger, stem cell biologist at King's College London, states, "It was so far ahead of its time and the whole premise of the story – what is it to be human and who are we, where we come from? It's the age-old questions."<ref>{{cite news |title='I've seen things...' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/aug/26/sciencefictionspecial |access-date=24 July 2019 |work=The Guardian |archive-date=24 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724213218/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/aug/26/sciencefictionspecial |url-status=live }}</ref> Scott has described ''Blade Runner'' as his "most complete and personal film".<ref name="scottobserver">{{cite journal|title=Scott's Corner |journal=The Observer |date=2 January 2002 |first=Lynn |last=Barber |url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,628186,00.html |access-date=22 February 2007 |location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720054223/http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0%2C%2C628186%2C00.html |archive-date=20 July 2008}}</ref>

In 1985, Scott directed ''[[Legend (1985 film)|Legend]]'', a fantasy film produced by [[Arnon Milchan]]. Scott decided to create a "once upon a time" tale set in a world of princesses, unicorns and goblins, filming almost entirely inside the studio. Scott cast [[Tom Cruise]] as the film's hero, Jack; [[Mia Sara]] as Princess Lili; and [[Tim Curry]] as the [[Satan]]-horned Lord of Darkness.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ridley Scott's beautiful dark twisted fantasy: the making of Legend|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/legend-ridley-scott/tom-cruise-making-of/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/legend-ridley-scott/tom-cruise-making-of/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=17 November 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Scott had a forest set built on the [[007 Stage]] at [[Pinewood Studios]] in Buckinghamshire, with trees 60 feet high and trunks 30 feet in diameter.<ref>Pirani, Adam (December 1985). "Ridley Scott: SF's Visual Magician". ''Starlog''. p. 64.</ref> In the final stages of filming, the forest set was destroyed by fire; [[Jerry Goldsmith]]'s original score was used for European release, but replaced in North America with a score by [[Tangerine Dream]]. Rob Bottin provided the film's Academy Award-nominated make-up effects, most notably Curry's red-coloured Satan figure. Despite a major commercial failure on release, the film has gone on to become a [[cult classic]]. The 2002 Director's Cut restored Goldsmith's original score.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/5-fractured-fairy-tale-movies-worth-watching-after-snow-white-and-the-huntsman-110107/ |title=5 Fractured Fairy Tale Movies Worth Watching After 'Snow White and the Huntsman' |publisher=Indiewire |access-date=28 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225184450/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/as-snow-white-the-huntsman-hits-theaters-5-more-fractured-fairytale-movies-20120531?page=2 |archive-date=25 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Scott made ''[[Someone to Watch Over Me (film)|Someone to Watch Over Me]]'', a romantic thriller starring [[Tom Berenger]] and [[Mimi Rogers]] in 1987, and ''[[Black Rain (1989 American film)|Black Rain]]'' (1989), a police drama starring [[Michael Douglas]] and [[Andy García]], shot partially in Japan. The latter was very well received at the box office. ''Black Rain'' was the first of Scott's six collaborations with the composer [[Hans Zimmer]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Hans Zimmer career interview|url=https://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1690|agency=Empire magazine|date=21 October 2015|access-date=19 February 2020|archive-date=22 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522130647/http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1690|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark |url=http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2014-05/16/hans-zimmer-interview/viewall |magazine=GQ |date=21 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018215003/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2014-05/16/hans-zimmer-interview/viewall |archive-date=18 October 2014 }}</ref>

====''1984'' Apple Macintosh commercial====
{{Main|1984 (advertisement)}}
In 1984, Scott directed a big-budget ($900,000) television commercial, "[[1984 (advertisement)|1984]]", to launch [[Apple Computer]]'s [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] computer.<ref>{{Cite book |chapter-url=http://tedfriedman.com/electric-dreams/chapter-5-apples-1984/ |title=Electric Dreams: Computers in American Culture |chapter=Chapter 5: 1984 |access-date=6 October 2011 |last=Friedman |first=Ted |year=2005 |publisher=[[New York University Press]] |isbn=0-8147-2740-9 |archive-date=9 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109061041/https://tedfriedman.com/electric-dreams/chapter-5-apples-1984/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Scott filmed the advertisement in England for about $370,000;<ref>{{cite news | title= The Computer, the Consumer and Privacy | url= https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/04/weekinreview/the-computer-the-consumer-and-privacy.html | date= 4 March 1984 | first= David | last= Burnham | location= Washington DC | newspaper= The New York Times | access-date= 24 January 2014 | archive-date= 3 April 2015 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150403144334/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/04/weekinreview/the-computer-the-consumer-and-privacy.html | url-status= live }}</ref> which was given a showcase airing in the US on 22 January 1984, during [[Super Bowl XVIII]], alongside screenings in cinemas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.duke.edu/~tlove/mac.htm |title=Apple's 1984: The Introduction of the Macintosh in the Cultural History of Personal Computers |publisher=Duke.edu |access-date=6 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991005015117/http://www.duke.edu/~tlove/mac.htm |archive-date= 5 October 1999}}</ref> Some consider this advertisement a "watershed event" in advertising<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kevinmaney/2004-01-28-maney_x.htm |title=Apple's '1984' Super Bowl commercial still stands as watershed event |work=USA Today |date=28 January 2004 |access-date=6 March 2010 |archive-date=10 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110410035437/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kevinmaney/2004-01-28-maney_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and a "masterpiece".<ref name=masterpiece>{{cite news
|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/02/02/eye.ent.commercials/
|title=Why 2006 isn't like '1984'
|access-date=10 May 2008
|last=Leopold
|first=Todd
|date=3 February 2006
|work=CNN
|archive-date=5 April 2014
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405133016/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/02/02/eye.ent.commercials
|url-status=live
}}</ref> ''[[Advertising Age]]'' placed it top of its list of the 50 greatest commercials.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE5D61138F937A25750C0A963958260|title=The Media Business: Advertising; A new ranking of the '50 best' television commercials ever made|first=Stuart|last=Elliott|work=The New York Times|date=14 March 1995|access-date=22 January 2014|quote=The choice for the greatest commercial ever was the spectacular spot by Chiat/Day, evocative of the George Orwell novel ''1984'', that introduced the Apple Macintosh computer during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984.|archive-date=19 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219204227/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE5D61138F937A25750C0A963958260|url-status=live}}</ref>

Set in a dystopian future modelled after [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', Scott's advertisement used its hero (portrayed by English athlete [[Anya Major]]) to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by her white [[Sleeveless shirt|tank top]] adorned with a picture of the Apple Macintosh computer) as a means of saving humanity from "conformity" ([[Big Brother (1984)|Big Brother]]), an allusion to [[IBM]], at that time the dominant force in computing.<ref name=cellini>{{cite web
|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb197/is_200401/ai_n5556112
|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090628133757/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb197/is_200401/ai_n5556112
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=28 June 2009
|title= The Story Behind Apple's '1984' TV commercial: Big Brother at 20
|access-date=9 May 2008
|last=Cellini
|first=Adelia
|date=January 2004
|work=[[MacWorld]] 21.1, page 18
}}</ref>