Duncan Scott (born May 28, 1947) is a film and television writer, director, and producer. Scott was one of the screenwriters of '' Atlas Shrugged: Part II'' and '' Atlas Shrugged: Part III''. Early in his career, he became involved in the restoration of the 1942 film ''

We the Living ''We the Living'' is the debut novel of the Russian American novelist Ayn Rand. It is a story of life in Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, post-revolutionary Russia and was Rand's first statement against communism. Rand observes in t ...

'', a project that he continued to be involved in over the next several decades. Scott also directed and produced for television, winning several

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

and Telly Awards, as well as being nominated for a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

Career

Scott began his career as a film editor. In 1969, he began working with

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; , 1905March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system which s ...

on re-editing an American version of the once-censored Italian film ''

'', a film based on Rand's first novel. Scott has been interviewed several times about his involvement in the restoration of ''

''. His company, Duncan Scott Productions, now owns and distributes the film which stars

Rossano Brazzi Rossano Brazzi (18 September 1916 – 24 December 1994) was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He was known for playing roles that typified the suave, romantic leading man archetype, both in his native country and in Hollywood. ...

and

Alida Valli Baroness Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli, or simply Valli, was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, span ...

. Duncan worked as an assistant director on feature films alongside filmmakers

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

and

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...

, on films such as ''Deathtrap'', ''

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy ''A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy'' is a 1982 American sex comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, starring Allen and Mia Farrow. The plot is loosely based on Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's 1955 comedy film '' Smiles of a Summer Nig ...

'', and ''

Zelig ''Zelig'' is a 1983 American satirical mockumentary comedy film written, directed by and starring Woody Allen as Leonard Zelig, a nondescript enigma, who, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteris ...

''. In television, Scott produced and directed over thirty half-hour programs for the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

public television series, ''

Innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or service (economics), services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a n ...

''. Duncan directed musician

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

for a

public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...

, interviewed anthropologist

Margaret Mead Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist, author and speaker, who appeared frequently in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard Col ...

for a documentary, and has worked with other notable figures. Duncan has also written and directed for the stage, adapting Rand’s short novel, ''

Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

'', which premiered at

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...

Orange County, CA Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 3,186,989, making ...

. Scott's work on subjects related to Ayn Rand and her philosophy have continued over the decades. He was a consultant on ''The Passion of Ayn Rand'', a film on the life of Ayn Rand, based on the biography by

Barbara Branden Barbara Joan Branden (née Weidman; May 14, 1929 – December 11, 2013) was a Canadian-American writer, editor, and lecturer, known for her relationship and subsequent break with novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand. Life Born in Winnipeg, Barbara Weid ...

. More recently, he was one of the screenwriters of the motion picture '' Atlas Shrugged: Part II'', which was released in October 2012, and '' Atlas Shrugged: Part III''. Additionally, Duncan is the Director of the non-profit Objectivist History Project, which documents the history of the

Objectivist movement The Objectivist movement is a Social movement, movement of individuals who seek to study and advance Objectivism, the philosophy expounded by novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand. The movement began informally in the 1950s and consisted of students who ...

. He is also currently developing a feature-length documentary about Rand.

Selected filmography

*'' Nighthawks (film)'' (1981) *''

Deathtrap (film) ''Deathtrap'' is a 1982 American black comedy suspense film based on the 1978 play of the same name by Ira Levin. It was directed by Sidney Lumet from a screenplay by Levin and Jay Presson Allen, and stars Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve and D ...

'' (1982) *''

'' (1983) *''

'' (restored version, 1986) *''

The Passion of Ayn Rand (film) ''The Passion of Ayn Rand'' is a 1999 American biographical drama television film directed by Christopher Menaul and written by Howard Korder and Mary Gallagher, based on the 1986 book of the same name by Barbara Branden. The film stars Hele ...

'' (1999) *'' Atlas Shrugged: Part II'' (2012) *'' Atlas Shrugged: Part III'' (2014)

Awards and nominations

*''What If'' (1996) -

® Award, Outstanding Direction - Public Service Announcement - New York * ''The Team'' (1995) -

® Award Nomination * ''The Team'' (1995) - Gold Telly Award * ''What If'' (1995) - Silver Telly Award *''Safe & Sound'' (1994) -

® Award, Outstanding Direction - Public Service Announcement - New York *''Innovation'' (1989) -

® Award, Outstanding Reality Series - New York *''The New Literacy'' (1986) -

® Award, Outstanding Reality Program - New York

References

External links

*
www.duncanscott.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Duncan 1947 births Living people Medford, Massachusetts American male screenwriters American film producers American documentary film directors American television writers American male television writers