Directed by Ridley Scott / Screenplay by William Hjortsberg

From Alien to Blade Runner to Gladiator, the films of Ridley Scott are often remembered as much for their stylish achievements in design and cinematography as for their screenplays. Legend is a handsome addition to the 1980s cycle of fantasy films about a brave adventurer who must rescue a kidnapped innocent from the villain’s castle - see also Krull, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story among others - and being a Ridley Scott film, it also happens to be one of the most visually gorgeous films of the decade. Shot on the biggest sound stage at Pinewood, the principal set is a gigantic fairytale forest inspired by the work of the illustrator Arthur Rackham. Through its towering trees, mossy banks and giant toadstools, Scott and his gifted cinematographer Alex Thomson (something of an unsung hero in this exhibition - he also worked on Excalibur and Labyrinth) blow drifts of dandelion seeds, leaves, bubbles, snowflakes, and motes of dust that dance in the air and catch the golden light. It’s all so beautiful that the script hardly matters, but happily there’s more to enjoy than just the pretty pictures. The hero is a young Tom Cruise, just before Top Gun sent him stratospheric; there’s a deliciously revolting swamp hag called Meg Mucklebones, played by Star Trek’s Robert Picardo; and best of all, there’s a glorious turn by the incomparable and much-missed Tim Curry, bringing to the horned villain Darkness the same combination of prowling menace and lip-smacking relish that had made him a star in The Rocky Horror Picture Show a decade earlier.

Framed Dimensions: 330mm x 410mm

Acrylic on 300gsm Arches oil paper
Glazed, mounted and framed

Supplied with signed letter of authenticity from Barnaby.