CinemaMel Gibson’s take on Ridley Scott’s Gladiator

The actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson was recently in The Joe Rogan Experience and took advantage of the visit to praise the work of another film director, the British Ridley Scott. During his participation in the podcast, the American revealed that watching the Brit’s work motivated him in his own career as a film director.

“I’m pretty average at most things, but I’m good at some things. I know how to tell a story on film, I know how to do that,” he said. Gibson. “It’s a strange place to be, but I think a lot can be achieved through art and image, and you can convey a lot without actually having to say it. You can do things to affect people emotionally or spiritually without even being open.”

Among the films that had this effect on the artist is Gladiator (2000), one of the greatest works of Scott’s career, starring Russell Crowe. “I always like to reference just one scene, it’s in a movie from Scott and you don’t know why it works or why it’s effective on some level, but it’s a profound and effective scene,” he said. “It’s that first scene in Gladiatorwhere he’s running his hand through the wheat, with that music and stuff. Why does this work? I don’t know. You can’t explain it, but it works.”

He knows how to film, and I think it’s a worthwhile pursuit in storytelling if you can do that. Every time he goes out there, it’s a sight for sore eyes. It’s a feast for the eyes.

During the interview, Gibson also opened up about how he has been feeling about current film productions: “We are living in a different time now in the world of cinema”, said the filmmaker.

“Everything is upside down and you have to compete in a medium where you have less time, less money, do it fast, do it now, and it’s like, ‘Wow, can I do this?’ I always had the luxury of big budgets and 3,000 people on horseback and all that kind of stuff and I could take my time with things, but I had 22 days [para Flight Risk].” Gibson said in relation to his newest film, starring Mark Walhberg.