Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/859699
P E R S P E C T I V E | S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7 41 producer and the renowned Indian director Vidhu Vinad Chopra as guests. Just before the screening, I heard that Nitin Chandrakant Desai, the designer of Devdas, as well as the classic Jodhaa Akbar (2008), was headed our way. He'd picked up the screening announcement online and decided to treat himself to his first trip to Hollywood. He got there just in time, to everyone's delight. Another finest hour. And I have one more finest hour: Having run out of Golden Age designers many years ago, the Society began running more recent pictures and guests that we felt would be especially interesting for the Art Direction audience. I suggested one of my favorite pictures, Gladiator (2000), with the designer Arthur Max. Since it would be running at the Aero Theatre on the West Side, several people suggested that perhaps we might include Ridley Scott. I ran it by Arthur, who nearly laughed it off, saying he would make the invitation, but it was highly improbable that Ridley would actually show. The afternoon before the show, Arthur, in amazement, told me Ridley was indeed coming. Mr. Scott wasn't feeling well, from a leg operation, and would be strictly incognito, sitting in the dark, not to be introduced. I said, "Fine," and forgot about it. My introduction to Gladiator that evening pointed out how wrong the picture was historically, what an odd pastiche the sets and architecture were, and finally, why were there no Italians in the cast? My point was that I thought it was a great picture nonetheless, because all those wrong things didn't matter; in their wrongness, they provided the picture exactly the world it needed. In other words, historical accuracy is a perfectly fine approach, but it's not the only one. As I sat down, it occurred to me to wonder what Ridley thought of my analysis. The picture played wonderfully. During the end credits, Arthur Max whispered in my ear that Ridley wanted to be on the dais with us. He liked where I'd gone with the analysis, and he and Arthur spent a very long, wonderful evening answering questions from the audience and myself. ADG ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The point of this memoir is to lay out my adventures starting the Art Directors Guild Film Society, and describe a few programs I hosted over the years. Sometime in the aughts, Production Designer Tom Walsh became my full partner in the Society. We're great partners because we're not alike, we're good at different things, and we have different aesthetics, but he's always been totally generous and we've always supported one another, whatever has come up, Just a couple years ago, John Iacovelli, Production Designer and a member of the design faculty in the Department of Theatre and Dance at UC Davis, joined us, bringing his own unique take to the Society. He's already hosted a couple of clever shows of which I'm envious. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with in the future. Above: When GLADIATOR (2000), for which Production Designer Arthur Max received a BAFTA Award, an Art Directors Guild Award and an Oscar nomination, was screened in 2010, director Ridley Scott—notoriously shy at public events—come onstage with Mr. Max and Mr. Muto and answer questions. Left: Another British designer, Sir Ken Adam, screened one of his classic James Bond films (he designed seven of them) at the Aero Theatre in July 2005. GOLDFINGER (1964) is widely considered to be the best of the classic Sean Connery Bond pictures and a high point in sixties pop culture.