in a film career that spans six decades, sir ridley scott s made some of the biggest blockbusters of all time. he cut his teeth making high profile adverts, like this one for hovis. it was a grand ride back, though. just do a spin and walk backwards there without sliding and falling over. ..before turning his attention to the big screen. the duellists in 1977 was his first film and was set in napoleonic france. his second feature alien made a star of its lead actor sigourney weaver, and opened doors in hollywood for its director. blade runner, thelma and louise, gladiator, black hawk down are just some of the film credits to his name. and now, in his 80s, ridley scott has returned to napoleonic france for his 28th movie, the epic napoleon. don t listen to advice, is that your advice? yes. you can only be your own critic. you can t say, what do you think? that s a disaster. i m the bbc s culture editor, katie razzall, and i sat down with the acclaimed director ahead of t
captioning made possible by the annenberg/cpb project at first, the doctors thought it was sciatica, and then they admitted it was gangrene. the old man suffered greatly those last days, and then, on the 31st of august 1715, the clergy gathered around him, and they began, timidly, to chant the ave maria. all through the night, they carried on chanting. then, at 8:15 in the morning in the royal bed in the great chamber in the center of the palace, louis xiv, the sun king, died, like every man. so wrote a contemporary diarist. it s often said that when louis died, an age died with him. the age of absolute monarchs, the age of which versailles is a symbol, was drawing to an end. things would never be the same. for louis, versailles was intended first to be a garden, and he imagined that garden as an outdoor palace built next to the one constructed in stone, and the one could not be understood without the other. in the garden, louis exercised the same despotism over n
just once more before his final exile to distant st. helena. the house was empty then. his former wife, the empress josephine, whose house it was had died. she had kept this room exactly as it had been during their happiest moments together. here napoleon had enjoyed moments of his greatest triumphs and moments of his greatest creativity. for in the story of art, too, napoleon was an extraordinary catalyst, not merely in the pictures that he commissioned or inspired here in france and in the empire, but throughout europe. for everywhere artists were touched by his aura. napoleon s official architects percier and fontaine periodically had sent an illustrated newsletter of engravings to czar alexander showing the recent public works commissioned by napoleon. for after napoleon came to power, he planned to make paris into a capital worthy of imperial rome. la madeleine begun as a church, was continued by napoleon as a temple to glory. the architect, vignon, intended it to be a r
the english allowed him to return here, just once more, before his final exile to distant st. helena. the house was empty then. his former wife, the empress josephine, whose house it was, had died. she had kept this room exactly as it had been during their happiest moments together. here napoleon had enjoyed moments of his greatest triumphs and moments of his greatest creativity. for in the story of art, too, napoleon was an extraordinary catalyst, not merely in the pictures that he commissioned or inspired here in france and in the empire, but throughout europe. for everywhere, artists were touched by his aura. napoleon s official architects, percier and fontaine, periodically had sent an illustrated newsletter of engravings to czar alexander showing the recent public works commissioned by napoleon. for after napoleon came to power, he planned to make paris into a capital worthy of imperial rome. la madeleine, begun as a church, was continued by napoleon as a temple to glory
captioning made possible by the annenberg/cpb project at first, the doctors thought it was sciatica, and then they admitted it was gangrene. the old man suffered greatly those last days, and then, on the 31st of august 1715, the clergy gathered around him, and they began, timidly, to chant the ave maria. all through the night, they carried on chanting. then, at 8:15 in the morning in the royal bed in the great chamber in the center of the palace, louis xiv, the sun king, died, like every man. so wrote a contemporary diarist. it s often said that when louis died, an age died with him. the age of absolute monarchs, the age of which versailles is a symbol, was drawing to an end. things would never be the same. for louis, versailles was intended first to be a garden, and he imagined that garden as an outdoor palace built next to the one constructed in stone, and the one could not be understood without the other. in the garden, louis exercised the same despotism over n