Showing all posts tagged: Ridley Scott
Napoleon, a bio-pic by Ridley Scott, parles-tu Francais?
24 July 2023
Still from Napoleon, a film by Ridley Scott.
British filmmaker Ridley Scott takes on the life of French military leader, and former emperor of the French Empire, Napoleon Bonaparte, in his new bio-pic feature, Napoleon. American actor Joaquin Phoenix stars in the lead role, along with Vanessa Kirby as Josephine, Napoleon’s wife, and Catherine Walker portraying the doomed Marie-Antoinette.
Although the majority of characters in Napoleon are French, the cast speaks in English, or at least they do in the film’s trailer. One detail though that has rankled some film commentators, is Phoenix’s seemingly unabashed American accent, a stark contrast to the predominantly British accents employed by the rest of the cast.
I can’t say I detected Phoenix’s American accent, or any particular accent for that matter, when I watched the trailer. I was more focussed on trying to comprehend what Phoenix’s Napoleon was saying, full stop, something Allegra Frank, writing for The Daily Beast, also picked up on:
It takes until the 35-second mark for us to hear Napoleon speak at all, with the trailer mostly cutting to him slightly parting his lips and staring ahead. But then we hear Phoenix mumble quietly for the first time, while facing down a rival army: “I promise you a billion successes.” At least, I think he says “billion;” his take on Napoleon is terrible at enunciating.
Napoleon opens in Australian cinemas on Thursday 23 November 2023, according to Flicks Australia.
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film, Joaquin Phoenix, Ridley Scott
House of Gucci film draws ire from Gucci family
1 December 2021
House of Gucci, Ridley Scott’s depiction of events leading up the to the 1995 murder of Maurizio Gucci, former head of the same Italian fashion house, has been criticised by the Gucci family as being inaccurate and insensitive:
“The production of the film did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci — president of the company for 30 years — and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them,” the statement said. “This is extremely painful from a human point of view and an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today.”
Meanwhile Lady Gaga’s portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani has been lauded by film critics, with at least one suggesting she deserves an Oscar for her work.
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Ridley Scott blames oblong obsession for The Last Duel’s poor showing
26 November 2021
It seems Ridley Scott’s latest feature The Last Duel isn’t doing too well at the box-office, and the celebrated director is pointing the finger of blame at smartphones, and millennials apparent obsession with them:
“I think what it boils down to – what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these fucking cell phones,” Scott said. “The millennian, [who] do not ever want to be taught anything unless you told it on the cell phone… This is a broad stroke, but I think we’re dealing with it right now with Facebook. This is a misdirection that has happened where it’s given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation, I think.”
By that rationale though wouldn’t most movies, not just historical dramas, be doing poorly at the box-office?
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House of Gucci, a film by Ridley Scott
1 November 2021
Ridley Scott has put together a star studded cast including Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto, Al Pacino, and Jeremy Irons, for his adaptation of House of Gucci (trailer), based on the 2002 book by Sara Gay Forden. Not that a star studded cast really makes much difference to whether I see a film or not.
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