Ridley Scott: Verriss is hanging on his office wall

Ridley Scott (86) is one of the greats of cinema. The four-time Oscar-nominated director and producer has created legendary works such as “Alien” from 1979, “Blade Runner” from 1982 and “Gladiator” (2000). As part of a conversation about the monumental film successor “Gladiator II”, which recently opened in Germany, he asked why a criticism that is more than four decades old is hanging on the wall in his office.

Of all things, one of his films, which has enjoyed absolute cult status for many years, was panned by a critic – and it was precisely this review that Scott framed and hung up. He hasn’t really read the reviews of his films “since Pauline Kael destroyed me with ‘Blade Runner’.” According to the director, she virtually destroyed the film at the time. “That was 42 years ago and I was so upset that I read the four pages [der Kritik] in the New Yorker.” They reminded Scott never to believe the press about himself and his works – whether it was good or bad. So he didn’t read the reviews.

According to the report, Kael judged at the time, among other things, that “Blade Runner” had “nothing to offer” the audience. Meanwhile, Scott has learned to trust his instincts. In his job, he constantly encounters people who doubt him, which drives him crazy. He makes a comparison: If you have driven the track in a Formula 1 car as often as he has, you know how to take the corners correctly.