Ridley Scottclaims that his debut 1977 movie would have won one of the biggest film prizes had it not been for $50K bribery. The English director is perhaps best known for his iconic sci-fi films,AlienandBlade Runner, which were only the second and third films of his career. A few years earlier, he made his feature directorial debut in 1977 with a lesser-known historical drama, his first in the genre before directing many more inGladiator,Kingdom of Heaven,The Last Duel, andNapoleon.
Scott’s later historical epicGladiatordid win arguably the biggest prize in film, the Academy Award for Best Picture, in 2001, while his 2016 sci-fi filmThe Martianwas also nominated for the honor. Additionally, Scott has received an Oscar nomination for Best Director three times forThelma & Louise,Gladiator, andBlack Hawk Down. The director has also competed for another one of the biggest prizes in film several times, the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival,with his debut film,Thelma & Louise, andRobin Hoodall premiering at the festival.
Ridley Scott Claims The Duellists Should Have The Palme d’Or
The Director Claims There Was $50K Bribery
Ridley Scott claims his debut movie,The Duellists, should have won the Palme d’Or had there not been bribery. Directed by Scott in his feature debut, based on a short story by Joseph Conrad,the 1977 historical drama follows a series of duelsbetween two rival officers that span nearly 20 years during the Napoleonic Wars in France. Themovie stars Harvey Keitel, Keith Carradine, Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Cristina Raines, Robert Stephens, Tom Conti, and Stacy Keach.
Ridley Scott Already Made His Best Napoleon Movie 47 Years Ago
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon was a somewhat disappointing historical epic, but a previous film proved the director could have done better.
During a recent appearance onThe Hollywood Reporter’s annual Director Roundtable alongside Denis Villeneuve and other fellow filmmakers,Ridley Scott claimedThe Duellistsshould have won the Palme d’Or had there not been bribery. The director claims corruption influenced the Cannes committee, though the actual winners, the Taviani brothers forPadre Padrone, deserved the Palme d’Or and weren’t the ones bribing the jury. Instead, a new prize, Best Debut Film, was created for Scott. Read his full comments below:
You want to hear a story about Cannes? I did my first movie, it cost $800,000, called The Duellists. David Puttnam was my producer, he said they want us to be the English entry at Cannes. I said, “Wow, that’s good!” So I’m at Cannes, and I’m approached by a very important gentleman who was on the committee, a very big American director. He said, “Love your goddamn movie. The problem is the jury has been given $50,000 as bribery to vote for another film.” He said, “I will create a prize for you.” [Scott won a prize for debut film.] I didn’t get the Palme d’Or. Ironically, the Palme didn’t go to the guy who was paying them off. It went to two brothers who made Padre Padrone. They earned it by having a good film. I thought, “Fuck this corruption, even at this level.
Our Take On Ridley Scott’s Claim Of Corruption At Cannes
The Cannes Jury Process Remains Largely Honest
While there have been some instances of alleged corruption at the French film festival,the Cannes jury process remains largely an honest one. Even in the case that Ridley Scott references, he admits that the Taviani brothers earned the Palme d’Or by “having a good film,“Padre Padrone, and they weren’t even the ones bribing the jury. Though the director didn’t win the Palme d’Or for his debut,The Duellists,Ridley Scottultimately earned an even greater accolade – winning Best Picture for another historical epic,Gladiator,in 2001.
Source:THR
Ridley Scott
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The Duellists
Cast
The Duellists is a historical drama film set during the Napoleonic Wars, following the story of two French cavalry officers, Gabriel Féraud and Armand d’Hubert, who engage in a series of duels over a period of 15 years. The film, directed by Ridley Scott, explores the complexities of honor, loyalty, and obsession.
