R0BTRAIN's Bad Ass Cinema: Alien

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It’s difficult to think of a time when Science Fiction wasn’t a viable genre for studios. In this day and age of modern movie effects and big box office, Science Fiction is such a part of the motion picture landscape, it’s hard to think of a Hollywood without it. This was what Hollywood was in the early 1970’s. Sci-Fi films were mostly B-Movies that cost little and made just a little more. One such title was John Carpenter’s Dark Star, a Sci-Fi film with a cult following.

One of the writers and stars of the film, Dan O’Bannon, was unhappy with how Dark Star turned out, as the budget had forced film makers to make a picture that was less than believable. Looking for a more serious Sci-Fi project he traveled to England to join Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt at adapting Frank Herbert’s epic Dune. That project fell through, but luckily O’Bannon met a man who would be very important to his future… H.R. Giger.

Finally, O’Bannon ended up teaming with a man named Ronald Shusett. Shusett was actually working on an adaptation of Phillip K. Dick’s We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, which would eventually become Total Recall. In the meantime, the two put their energy towards developing an idea of O’Bannon’s about intergalactic truck drivers who get wiped out by an extraterrestrial in a film called Star Beast.

Very much like movies such as It! The Terror from Beyond Space, and other countless B-films, there was one scene that really set it apart. According to Shusett, it was his idea to have the beast impregnate one of the members of the crew, as an interesting way of getting it on board. After telling the idea to O’Bannon, the two developed the scene in which the developed monster bursts out of the chest of the crewman. They also decided to rename the film Alien.

Still, no studio aside from low-budget guru Roger Corman, wanted to produce Alien, citing it as B-Movie material and protesting that it was too bloody. Then two events occurred that would change the fate of all involved. First was the interest of Walter Hill, who would go on to direct cult favorite The Warriors and Buddy Cop actioner 48 Hours, and David Giler, the writer of Myra Breckinridge and The Parallax View. The two loved the chest bursting scene and rewrote the screenplay, also adding the character of Ash.

The second major event that affected Alien was the release of Star Wars in 1977. Breaking through with audiences in a way that no Science Fiction film had done before, George Lucas’s picture had studios scrambling to cash in on this phenomenon. Apparently, the only Sci-Fi picture that 20th Century Fox had in its pipeline, was Alien. Overnight, the film went from a low budget flick to an A-list film.

An exhaustive search for the film’s director went through many candidates such as Robert Aldrich, Peter Yates, Jack Clayton, Dan O’Bannon and Walter Hill. Finally, the producers and studio execs screened a film by director Ridley Scott called The Duelists. Scott was a virtual unknown, but was offered the job, which he eventually accepted. While Scott was researching what the alien was going to look like, Dan O’Bannon mentioned this artist he knew named H.R. Giger. This was the beginning to one of the greatest films in either Science Fiction or Horror.

Alien Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. Directed by Ridley Scott

For a man who had never directed a Science Fiction film before, or even really been a fan of the genre, it’s obvious that Ridley Scott is in complete control of this picture from the very start. There is no bombastic score or typical opening heraldry, but instead simple silence, as if to drive home the truth of the films tagline, “In space no one can hear you scream”. Scott then goes on to set the mood with Jerry Goldsmith’s evocative score and images of the interiors of the Commercial Towing Ship, the Nostromo.

When Star Wars premiered in 1977, it was the first film of its kind to do away with the type of bright, shiny future in favor of one that is “used”. All the ships were barely functional, and engine rooms resembled industrial facilities or the inner workings of a submarine. In Alien’s original screenplay, this was apparently greatly emphasized and Ridley Scott took this style deeply to heart. Scott and Designer Ron Cobb made the Nostromo a vast, dark, almost cathedral setting that sets probably more mood than any piece of music or direction could.

We learn that our seven crew members are not the explorers from the adventures of Gene Roddenberry, but grunts, simply out in space doing a job that is never really specified in the film. They argue over their wages, the quality of food, and how work is handed out. You can see how these characters are much easier for the movie-going public to identify with compared to Starfleet Captains and Jedis.

The Nostromo’s Captain, Tom Skerritt, isn’t a swaggering pirate, but a laid back working man, simply trying to keep the peace between these crewmates so they can get home and get paid. He seems kind of miffed that the ship’s computer system, Mother, has woken he and the others up from hyper-sleep to answer some sort of distress call. Reluctantly, he sets his ship down on a planet to answer the call.

It isn’t until around the forty minute mark that anything really exciting happens, but Ridley Scott relishes this early portion of the film, letting you get to know the characters, even if it’s on a base level. Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton are very memorable as the Nostromo’s engineers, Parker and Brett, angry that they may not get a full share on this venture, and also usually very reluctant to do much work when expected. Ian Holm’s Ash is very creepy and says very little. The ship’s two females, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley (we know what happens to her) and Veronica Cartwright’s Lambert seem to be at odds as perhaps Ripley’s a bit too “by the book”.

The only character that seems to not get much development at all is John Hurt’s Kane. Then again, its Hurt that was lucky enough to be the Alien’s first victim in one of the most famous scenes in movie history. Before that, he’s the one doing most of the talking while standing in a live action H.R. Giger painting in the alien vessel. This set is one of the greatest pieces of art direction EVER. I always yell at Kane to “get the hell out of there!” when he stumbles down past the mist with the aliens eggs, but he never listens.

Odd that Hurt, nominated for two Academy Awards in his lifetime, will probably be remembered for this role more than any other. Then again, when you’re the focal point of a scene that has been imitated countless times like the chest bursting scene has, something like that tends to stick with you. Apparently, the rest of the cast was not even really aware of what was about to come. The scene in the picture is the first and only take. Scott did not mention they would all be sprayed with blood, or that real animal guts would be used. According to Veronica Cartwright, the sequence seemed so real and visceral, that the look of fear on everyone’s face was horribly genuine. I’m sure the faces of the audiences, who had never seen anything like that before, were equally horrified. It is in this moment, that Alien goes from mostly atmospheric Sci-Fi movie, to Horror symphony masterpiece.

Scott ratchets up the tension, not only with the monster on the loose, but with the crew members themselves. Tensions rise as crewmen die slowly. Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley soon takes charge of the film and then makes herself one of the greatest female heroines in film history. It’s hard to even gauge just how important this role was for Weaver and women in Action and Sci-Fi pictures in general. Certainly, no one expected Ripley to become the film’s, let alone the series’, main character and hero. Weaver even turned her second time out as Ripley in James Cameron’s Aliens into an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress.


Scott does a masterful job orchestrating the film’s stress level, even after the alien is exposed. You hardly ever get a full shot of the monster. Other shots pan across and you’re not even sure if you see the alien or not. The movie doesn’t really have a lot of “boo!” moments, but instead relies on sustained horror, especially when the Alien confronts Parker and Lambert toward film’s end. Ripley’s final rush to get to the ship’s escape pod is as terrifying a sequence as there’s ever been. Other scenes show how well Scott can manipulate a good performance out of his cast. In a scene where Ripley and Parker were supposed to get into an argument, Scott had Yaphet Kotto keep nudging and interrupting Weaver, even though it wasn’t in the script that way. Take after take it would happen until the actress got so agitated, by the time that she yelled “Will you listen to me, Parker? Shut up!” it was exactly what Scott wanted.

The film’s final showdown again is a slow buildup to an operatic, unforgettable finish. Apparently, originally Ripley was supposed to be naked, representing human frailty. Only executives crushed the dreams of fan boys forever when, already seething overAlien’s excessive bloodletting, Fox made sure the film contained no nudity either and made Weaver put on some, albeit skimpy, clothes. Similar censorship took place earlier in the film as well, according to imdb.com. Weaver and Veronica Cartwright apparently had to put tape on their nipples during the “waking” scene to not offend foreign censors.

Looking at the film now, there may not be a classier Horror film than Alien. Few of the film’s sequences are gratuitous; they just seem to put you on edge. This is due to the wonderful storytelling of all involved, from the director to all actors and film makers. All involved have now reached some degree of immortality due to it, as Alien remains one of the crown jewels of 70’s blockbusters, right up there with Jaws and Star Wars. Scott has stated that his main inspirations were always 2001, Star Wars and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. With Alien he made a film worthy of any of those he looked to for reference. Alien is absolutely one of the most important pictures ever whether talking about Science Fiction or Horror films.

Picture Credits:moviebox.se, filmhai.de, imp awards.com,outnow.ch

Robert Sutton feels the most at home when he's watching some movie scumbag getting blown up, punched in the face, or kung fu'd to death, especially in that order. He's a founding writer for the movies section of Insidepulse.com, featured in his weekly column R0BTRAIN's Badass Cinema as well as a frequent reviewer of DVDs and Blu-rays. Also, he's a proud Sony fanboy, loves everything Star Wars and Superman related and hopes to someday be taken seriously by his friends and family.