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 post-revolutionary Russia and was Rand's first statement against communism. Rand observes in the foreword that ''We the Living'' was the cl ...

'', 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 American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

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 Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

Career

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

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

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. Biography Brazzi was born in Bologna, Italy, the son of Maria Ghedini and Adelmo Brazzi, an employee of the Rizzoli shoe factory. He was named after Rossano Vene ...

and

Alida Valli Alida Maria Laura, ''Freiin'' 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, s ...

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

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

and

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), ''Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''Network'' (1976), ...

, 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 Night' ...

'', and ''

Zelig ''Zelig'' is a 1983 American mockumentary 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 characteristics of strong per ...

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

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

public television series, ''

Innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity ...

''. Duncan directed musician

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

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. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...

, interviewed anthropologist

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

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 short ...

'', which premiered at

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. It encompasses ten schools and colleges, including Fowler School of Engineering, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Fowler School of Law, and Schmid College of Scie ...

Orange County, CA Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

. 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 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 were brought to ...

. 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 mystery 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, Dyan Cannon and Christophe ...

'' (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 Helen ...

'' (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 directors American film producers American documentary filmmakers American television writers American male television writers