Classic Films Revisited: ALIEN (1979)

Published on: 22nd November, 2009

Alien was directed by Ridley Scott in 1979, just two years after Star Wars changed the way science fiction (and films in general) movies were to be made. Alien is a masterpiece in every sense of the word as it has stood the test of time thus far and improves upon each viewing. The film was billed as “Jaws in space” to movie audiences which could not be truer; the film is supremely suspenseful and serves as a horror film more so than Spielberg’s monster movie.  The only element that Alien is missing to distinguish it from “pure” horror films is a classical haunted house. In this case, the setting is a space vessel named the Nostromo. The film begins with a group of blue collar workers (including Sigourney Weaver) prematurely awakening from hyper-sleep due to a distress call from a downed spacecraft. Once the crew investigates the transmission from an unknown origin, strange occurrences start to take place.

SPOILERS START

Alien is one of the most deeply philosophical movies ever captured on film. I would say that the only other movie that rivals Alien in terms of profound pensiveness is Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey; but in Alien’s defense, Scott plays with completely separate ideas when compared to Kubrick’s “evolution of man” and existential outlays. The most prevalent theme in Alien centers on unwanted pregnancy and male fears of pregnancy. These arguments are supplemented by arresting images from the excellent cinematography of Derek Vanlint (who unfortunately only does commercials nowadays) as well as clever set design. The introduction includes an obvious reference to the female form, that being the downed ship on LV-426 resembling legs fashioned in an upward position as if a woman was lying on her back giving birth to a baby. The investigating crew then enters the ship through a very yonic (resembling a woman’s reproductive organ) door to arrive in expansive corridors that mirror the organic inner workings of a life form.  Further venturing into the ship has Kane (played by John Hurt) stumbling upon a large holding of eggs. This crucial scene displays the first subtle stab playing on men’s fear of pregnancy as it has Kane very apprehensive of even approaching the eggs. Additionally, the fetus is “born” and harms Kane by attaching itself to his face, which undoubtedly took him off guard just as the announcement of pregnancy in real life surprises and instills anxiety in most males. This also supports the theme of unwanted pregnancy as Kane had no intention of arriving at this final outcome.

The fact that the crew of the Nostromo calls/names their main computer “mother” indicates that they are her children. The pivotal scene in which Ripley discovers the true intention of their mission (in a white egg-shaped room), that being recovering the alien life form at the cost of human life, signifies that their metaphorical mother is unhappy with her children. Due to mother’s actions of obtaining the specimen (another reference to unwanted pregnancy as the crew do not want another sibling from their mother), she sacrifices her children which can be darkly interpreted as killing her unwanted offspring. Moreover, when Ash is discovered to be an android he attacks Ripley in a very disturbing manner. He rolls up a magazine into a phallic shape which he then forces into Ripley’s mouth. This exemplifies rape, specifically in relation to undesirable pregnancy.

SPOILERS END

Beyond all of the primarily feminine imagery of the film, there are many more beautiful shots that encompass the landscape as well. Although the cinematography is generally dark throughout the entire movie, the images still resonate in the mind of the viewer. A masterful story arc involving Ripley’s character portrays her as a bureaucratic stiff in the beginning and by the end of the film she is a hardened survivor. The circumstances make her realize that it is not always best to follow protocol as her instincts take over which make her the action heroine centerpiece of the movie. The original script actually had Ripley as a male which Ridley Scott changed as to flip a common movie cliché on its head. Without Alien, strong female roles in Hollywood films may never have happened.

I have compiled a list of some interesting trivia about Alien:

• Ridley Scott’s original ending had the Alien biting off Ripley’s head in the spacecraft. The Alien was to then sit in her chair and send a message to Earth in Ripley’s voice (I guess this was back when studio intervention was a good thing)
• The Alien was actually a man in a suit. One of the casting directors met a 7-foot tall Masai tribesmen (Bolaji Badejo) at a local pub and asked him if he wanted to audition for a film
• The models had to be repainted every evening of the shoot because the slime (KY Jelly) used on-set removed the acrylic paint from their surfaces
• The computer graphics displayed on Ripley’s screen of the spacecraft were later used in the Spinner vehicle in Blade Runner
• The 2003 Director’s Cut came about after roughly 100 boxes of original footage were found in a vault in London
• H. R. Giger’s initial designs for the facehugger were held by US Customs who were alarmed at what they saw. Writer Dan O’Bannon had to go to LAX to explain to them that they were designs for a horror movie
• The mechanism used to open the Alien egg had so much torque that it could tear off a hand
• The original title of the film was “Star Beast”
• The original spacesuits used in the film had no outlet for oxygen and caused all of the actors to pass out during filming
• The Alien costume was made out of Plasticine and parts of a Rolls Royce engine
• In the wide shots of the Space Jockey prop, Ridley Scott used his two sons in place of the actors in the space suits to make the prop seem bigger
• The dead facehugger that Ash autopsies was made using fresh shellfish, four oysters, and a sheep kidney to recreate the internal organs
• The grid-like flooring on the Nostromo was achieved using upturned milk crates, painted over
• The original cut of the film ran 3 hours and 12 minutes
• Bolaji Badejo beat Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) to the part of the alien
• Ridley Scott cites three films as the shaping influences on his movie: Star Wars (1977) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) for their depiction of outer space, and Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) for its treatment of horror

I recommend Alien to any film lover who has not yet had the opportunity to watch such a work of art. Even if one has not seen the film in a while, I suggest a revisiting due to the beautifully crafted philosophical tone.  It had been a long while since I have seen Alien and I suppose my mind was a bit muddled by the flash and flair of current films because I forgot the brilliance of Ridley Scott’s space horror. In the many discussions I have had with fellow movie lovers and casual fans alike, most, if not all prefer James Cameron’s follow-up Aliens. The sequel is a much more action-packed picture (possibly the most exciting film ever made) than Ridley’s slow-burning horror-centered original. I am partial to Alien over Cameron’s effort but that is not to say that Aliens is an inferior film. In fact, Aliens is probably the smartest sequel ever made but it is also more “user friendly” than Alien. By that I mean to say that Ridley’s original is much more sagacious and interesting than Cameron’s successor. Simply put, they don’t make em’ like this anymore.

Have a better one

-Deckard

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