Who Hurt You, Ridley Scott?
This post originally appeared on MOC’s Medium page. You can find that and follow us here.
On November 22, 2021, podcast juggernaut “WTF with Marc Maron” released an interview between Marc and esteemed filmmaker, Ridley Scott, whose resume includes brilliant films such as “Thelma & Louise” and “Blade Runner.” An interview that started off with memories of Ridley’s father, art school, and Westerns turned bizarre when discussing one of his latest films, “The Last Duel.” Marc mentioned that he liked it, but he addressed a fidgety elephant in the room: the movie was not a box office hit. Ridley Scott praised:
“Disney did a fantastic promotion job. The bosses loved the movie. …Advertising, publicity, etc etc was excellent. I think what it boils down to is… the audiences who were brought up on these f*****g cell phones, the millennian [sic], do not want to ever be taught anything unless you’re told it on the cell phone. This is a broad stroke, but we’re dealing with it right now with Facebook. There’s a misdirection. It’s given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation.” [When Marc mentioned that he thought the elements of a hit were there, Mr. Scott recalled his stellar cast:] “I agree with you. Particularly with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver, and this new girl, called Jodie Comer…”
What an aggressive response concerning a movie that still made a good chunk of change and is critically praised. Who hurt you, Ridley Scott?
I’m probably exactly who he thought his target audience was — an erudite, city-dwelling Millennial who consumes podcasts and has a subscription to the New Yorker. But I can tell you exactly why I didn’t see it. And I think all the reasons why I didn’t see it show how maybe, just maybe, Ridley Scott is living in a different reality than everyone else.
“Disney did a fantastic promotion job. Advertising, publicity was excellent.”
Where? I live in New York City — I can’t sneeze without glancing at 4 different advertisements. But I only really remember “The Last Duel” from its trailer.
And the trailer looked dull. I first saw the trailer shortly before I enjoyed a screening of “The Green Knight;” and, compared to the A24 quest tale, “The Last Duel” was devoid of any sparkle. It looked like Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer engaging in a 2+ hour he-said-she-said with some poorly choreographed sword fighting in it. I wasn’t interested in seeing something that was either about a woman who was raped or a woman who was lying, resulting in two men trying to puncture each other’s sternums with a piece of aluminum.
Here’s the trailer. If you’re excited by this, great! When I saw it, nothing pulled me in.
“They do not want to be taught anything unless you’re told it on the cell phone.”
Let’s ignore, for a second, that cell phones don’t automatically filter out knowledge. They’re not gossip containers; you can read as much truth as lies on a cell phone. Did your team of script writers — or original author, Eric Jager — conduct all of their research with a library card?
You’ll also notice that although the trailer mentions this is based on a true story, the text is brief and occurs right in the middle. When I saw the trailer, I completely missed that — or maybe my brain glossed over it, because what can’t claim it’s based on a true story nowadays? (Looking at you, Every Horror Movie Since “The Conjuring.”) I only registered that it had roots in history when I happened upon the book in a store. It’s much easier to internalize this movie’s existence as “that medieval vanity project” than something, uh, educational.
I’m just one person, though. So I posed this to other Millennials, some who engage in slightly less pretentious fare than me, others who know movies much better.
Everyone was equally puzzled.
“I’ve never even heard of it,” a few said.
“Because when I think ‘blockbuster’ I definitely think ‘medieval period piece rape drama,’” commented another ruefully when I showed him Scott’s comments.
Same.
I want to make one clear thing here: I have looked into it a little more, and I do not think “The Last Duel” is a bad movie. I have no reason to think it’s a bad movie, and many who have seen it have said they enjoyed it. But I, and many in my circle, did not think it was a good enough movie to risk seeing it over the other films that have come out. If you are asking people to pay $19 a ticket in the middle of a pandemic, your trailer had better be phenomenal.
“Particularly with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver, and this new girl, called Jodie Comer…”
Sir, half of these people are memes. If you want box office draws, take a look at Dev Patel of the aforementioned “Green Knight.” People were so excited to see him as the lead in multiple films that they made “Summer of Dev” t-shirts… which at least one of my friends owns.
But we’re not just talking about “The Last Duel.”
If we were, I would not be yelling into the void about an 84-year-old man. I am concerned for other reasons.
In the same interview, Ridley Scott discusses a review for “Blade Runner” by Pauline Kael that he framed because it was “so wrong!” (which proves that he and Taylor Swift have something strange in common.) And yeah, maybe Kael was wrong. Blade Runner is iconic. Ahead of its time. But using this one instance to justify every other bad review, every criticism, is extremely unhealthy.
In the same “WTF” interview, Ridley says, “I’ve never had one regret on any movie I’ve ever made. Full stop. Because I learned very early on to be your own critic. … I never read critique.”
Then how does Ridley Scott know he’s making great art? Because he says so? Because he keeps getting hired?
If his work is not top tier anymore, why are people hiring him for projects?
Clout is currency.
I recently saw his latest film, “House of Gucci.” It has all the right ingredients: star cast, shocking real-life events, glamorous subject matter. But it was … just … nothing special. Even Joe Wright’s disastrous The Woman in the Window tried something artistically. There was nothing cinematically unique about “House of Gucci.” The shots seemed obvious. The acting felt disjointed. The score was strange and bland. The only time I thought something musically interesting was happening, it turned out to be sound bleed from the auditorium next door. (I later found out they were playing “Sing 2,” which explains why Billie Eilish was thumping over “Gucci”’s hurried climax.)
When the Gucci family itself criticized some of the choices, Ridley called their comments “alarmingly insulting.” The film was supposed to garner Oscar buzz, which could still happen, but it seems to be dying down already. Oh, did you just want an award for participation, Mr. Scott? Maybe you’d make a good Millennial, after all!
Here’s why I’m frustrated and exhausted.
My sister and several of my friends are teachers. My cousin is a licensed therapist. These are selfless professions that require a great deal of empathy. And they all have to jump through hoops because in addition to doing their job, they need to get re-certified constantly. They have to be kept up to date on what’s current in their field.
I think many filmmakers come from a similar place of a desire to connect with people, to empathize. But there is no requirement to keep learning. There are no tests, no exams, no gauntlets that make an artist check in with themselves and their pool of knowledge. If people like Ridley Scott, who believes he can do no wrong, keep getting jobs because of what they’ve done in the past, then why are we expected to consume this blindly?
Because of reputation? You mean clout? The same thing the elder generations make fun of the younger generations for chasing, even though instances like this send the message that who you are is more important than what you do?
Let’s put this another way: if a vendor keeps shipping stale spaghetti noodles to a restaurant, why would the restaurant keep ordering from the vendor? Because they’re long-time customers? Because they have chefs who can almost hide the staleness with spices?
I no longer have interest in seeing something from someone who refuses to learn and grow. I don’t want to hear that someone thinks their art is perfect but then blames others for not thinking that, too. I don’t know why this is obvious in other trades but not artistic fields. It’s getting embarrassing to be in these artistic fields.
Studios, please stop hiring curmudgeons. There are so many other filmmakers — some 84, some 54, some 34 years old — who are constantly trying to better themselves, and their craft is all the better for it.
For more about Sarah Fiete, check out our Team page. For information about her project “Captain Moriah’s Map of the World,” please click here.
