Alien (1979)

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writers (WGA):

Dan O'Bannon (story) and
Ronald Shusett (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 May 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

In space no one can hear you scream.

Plot:

A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.

Plot Keywords:

Egg | Spaceship | Parasite | Alien | Deep Space

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 12 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Tom Skerritt	...	Dallas
Sigourney Weaver	...	Ripley
Veronica Cartwright	...	Lambert
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Brett
John Hurt	...	Kane
Ian Holm	...	Ash
Yaphet Kotto	...	Parker
Bolaji Badejo	...	Alien
Helen Horton	...	Mother (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Powell	...	Alien (uncredited)

Directed by
Ridley Scott

Writing credits (WGA)
Dan O'Bannon		(story) and
Ronald Shusett		(story)
Dan O'Bannon		(screenplay)

Produced by
Gordon Carroll	....	producer
David Giler	....	producer
Walter Hill	....	producer
Ivor Powell	....	associate producer
Ronald Shusett	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
Derek Vanlint

Film Editing by
David Crowther		(director's cut)
Terry Rawlings
Peter Weatherley

Production Design by
Michael Seymour
Roger Christian		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Roger Christian
Leslie Dilley		(as Les Dilley)

Set Decoration by
Ian Whittaker

Costume Design by
John Mollo

Makeup Department
Pat Hay	....	makeup artist
Tommie Manderson	....	makeup designer (as Tommy Manderson)
Sarah Monzani	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Garth Thomas	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Raymond Becket	....	assistant director
Steve Harding	....	assistant director
Paul Ibbetson	....	first assistant director
Bob Jordan	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
José María Alarcón	....	assistant set decorator
Jonathan Amberston	....	assistant art director
Eddie Butler	....	modeller
Ron Cobb	....	concept artist
John Davey	....	head painter
Shirley Denny	....	modeller
Benjamín Fernández	....	assistant art director
Chris Foss	....	concept artist
Jean Giraud	....	concept artist (as Jean 'Moebius' Giraud)
George Gunning	....	head carpenter
Dave Jordan	....	property master
Dan O'Bannon	....	visual design consultant
Jill Quertier	....	production buyer
Patti Rodgers	....	modeller
Bert Rodwell	....	head plasterer
Peter Voysey	....	supervising modeller
Bill Welch	....	construction manager
Gari Bacon	....	props (uncredited)
John Chisholm	....	prop man (uncredited)
Paul James	....	plasterer (uncredited)
Brian Muir	....	sculptor (uncredited)
Stuart Rose	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Keith Short	....	sculptor (uncredited)

Sound Department
Max Bell	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Andrew I. King	....	sound re-recording mixer: director's cut
Derrick Leather	....	production sound mixer
Ray Merrin	....	sound re-recording assistant
Bill Rowe	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jim Shields	....	sound editor
Bryan Tilling	....	dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Nick Allder	....	special effects supervisor
Alan Bryce	....	floor effects supervisor (as Allan Bryce)
Clinton Cavers	....	alien effects coordinator
Carlo De Marchis	....	additional alien mechanics
Roger Dicken	....	small alien forms co-designer and maker
Guy Hudson	....	special effects technician
Brian Johnson	....	special effects supervisor
Phil Knowles	....	special effects technician
Dennis Lowe	....	special effects technician
Roger Nichols	....	special effects technician
Carlo Rambaldi	....	alien head effects
Neil Swan	....	special effects technician
David H. Watkins	....	special effects technician (as David Watkins)
David Watling	....	additional alien mechanics (as Dr. David Watling)
Anton Furst	....	special effects (uncredited)
Bob Keen	....	modeller (uncredited)
Philip Sharpe	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Christian Wolf-La'Moy	....	model maker (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Denys Ayling	....	director of photography: miniature effects
Martin Bower	....	supervising model maker: miniature effects
Ray Caple	....	matte artist
Dick Hewitt	....	electronics and video coordinator
David Litchfield	....	operator: miniature effects
Bernard Lodge	....	special graphic effects
Terry Pearce	....	focus: miniature effects
Bill Pearson	....	supervising model maker: miniature effects
Peter Woods	....	key grip: miniature effects
Alan Buchan	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Rick Cortes	....	Inferno artist (2003 director's cut re-release) (uncredited)
Jon Sorensen	....	visual effects miniatures (uncredited)

Stunts
Eddie Powell	....	stunts
Roy Scammell	....	stunt coordinator
Monty Jordan	....	assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Adrian Biddle	....	camera focus
Colin Davidson	....	camera focus
Ray Evans	....	gaffer
Bob Penn	....	still photographer
Jimmy Walters	....	key grip
Wick Finch	....	electrician (uncredited)
David Johnson	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Micky Wilson	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Mary Goldberg	....	casting: USA
Mary Selway	....	casting: UK

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tiny Nicholls	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Peter Baldock	....	assistant film editor
Peter Culverwell	....	assistant film editor
Les Healey	....	first assistant editor
Maureen Lyndon	....	assistant film editor
Bridget Reiss	....	assistant film editor
Brian Q. Kelley	....	editor: additional material for special edition (uncredited)

Music Department
Robert Hathaway	....	music editor (as Bob Hathaway)
Lionel Newman	....	conductor
Percy Edwards	....	alien vocalizator (uncredited)
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Stanley Bielecki	....	advertising and publicity consultant
Lori Covel	....	assistant to producers
Valerie Craig	....	production assistant
Brian Doyle	....	unit publicist
Kay Fenton	....	continuity
Bill Finch	....	production accountant
H.R. Giger	....	alien designer
Mark Haggard	....	production executive
Alice Harmon	....	assistant to producers
Charles Lippincott	....	advertising and publicity consultant
Sandy Molloy	....	assistant to director
Saul Bass	....	title designer (uncredited)
Robert H. Lemer	....	associate to producer (uncredited)
Jake Scott	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Brandywine Productions
• Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1979) (Japan) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Brazil (1979) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia-Fox (1979) (Cyprus) (theatrical)
• Columbia-Fox (1980) (Greece) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Film de Mexico (2003) (Mexico) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• 20th Century Fox Italia (2003) (Italy) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• 20th Century Fox Netherlands (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (2003) (Germany) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2004) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Alien - O Oitavo Passageiro")
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1984) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• CBS / Fox Video (1987) (Greece) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (198?) (New Zealand) (VHS) (original video release)
• CBS/Fox (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (198?) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Odeon (2004) (Greece) (DVD) (director's cut)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (1997) (Germany) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS) (director's cut)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (Alien Anthology)

Special Effects

• Filmfex Animation Services (special optical effects)

Other Companies

• Steve Frankfurt Communications  title design
• R/Greenberg Associates  title design (as R. Greenberg Associates)
• Tony Silver Films  title design
• Animals Unlimited  Jones trained by
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production (as Dolby Stereo)
• Panavision  filmed in
• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints by (as DeLuxe)
• Lee Lighting  lighting (as Lee Electrics)
• Sony U.K. Ltd.  video equipment
• Shepperton Studios  made at (as Shepperton Studio Centre, England)
• J.R. Bray Studios  made at
• Anvil Studios  music recorded at (as Anvil Recording Studios, Denham England)
• E.M.I. Elstree Studios  post-production (as E.M.I. Elstree Studios, England)
• Intrada  soundtrack (complete score) (uncredited)

Also Known As:

"Alien: The Director's Cut" - USA (director's cut)
"Alien - El octavo pasajero" - Argentina, International (Spanish title), Mexico, Peru
"Alien, el octavo pasajero" - Spain (imdb display title), Uruguay
"Osmi putnik" - Serbia (alternative title), Yugoslavia (Serbian title)
"Чужoй" - Russia
"A nyolcadik utas: a Halál" - Hungary
"Alien" - Sweden
"Alien" - Japan (English title)
"Alien - Das unheimliche Wesen aus einer fremden Welt" - West Germany
"Alien - Den 8. passager" - Denmark
"Alien - Director's Cut" - Germany (director's cut)
"Alien - Kahdeksas matkustaja" - Finland (imdb display title)
"Alien - Le huitième passager" - France
"Alien - O 8.º Passageiro" - Portugal
"Alien - den 8. passageraren" - Finland (Swedish title) (imdb display title)
"Alien den åttonde passageraren" - Sweden
"Alien, el octavo pasajero: El montaje del director" - Spain (director's cut)
"Alien, o Oitavo Passageiro" - Brazil
"Alien, o epivatis tou diastimatos" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Alien: Den åttende passasjer" - Norway
"Alien: Osmi putnik" - Yugoslavia (Croatian title) (imdb display title)
"Ha-Nose'a HaShmini" - Israel (Hebrew title)
"L'étranger: le huitième passager" - Canada (French title)
"Obcy - 8. pasazer Nostromo" - Poland (imdb display title)
"Osmi potnik" - Slovenia (imdb display title)
"Tudjin" - Serbia (imdb display title)
"Tulnukas" - Estonia (promotional title)
"Vetrelec" - Czechoslovakia (Czech title)
"Votrelec" - Czechoslovakia (Slovak title)
"Yaratik" - Turkey (Turkish title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore and language

Runtime:

117 min | 116 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:18A (Manitoba) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | New Zealand:M (re-release) | New Zealand:R16 (original rating) | Italy:T | Finland:K-18 (director's cut) (DVD rating) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Portugal:M/16 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (re-rating) (2003) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | West Germany:16 (f) | Israel:16 | India:A | Czech Republic:18 | Japan:G (2010) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 (director's cut) (2003) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (director's cut) | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #25541)

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Brandywine Productions

Trivia:

The blue laser lights that were used in the alien ship's egg chamber were borrowed from The Who. The band was testing out the lasers for their stage show in the soundstage next door.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The computer readout says to "insure" the safe return of the organism rather than to "ensure" it.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Brett:This is the worst shit I've ever seen, man.
Parker:What you say? You got any biscuits over there?
Ripley:Here's some cornbread.
Parker:Cornbread. Yeah.
Lambert:I am cold.
Parker:Still with us, Brett?
Brett:Right.
Kane:Oh, I feel dead.
Parker:Anybody ever tell you you look dead, man?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Halo (2001) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Excerpts from 'Symphony no. 2 (Romantic)'

Iconographic Horror

ALIEN received mixed reviews when it debuted in 1979--largely from science fiction critics, who accused it of being little more than a sort of Friday the 13th in Outer Space, a blood-and-gore horror flick given a futuristic twist via special effects. But while these accusations have more than a little truth, it has been an incredibly influential film--and even today, in the wake of CGI effects, it still holds up extremely, extremely well.

The story is well known: the crew of an interstellar craft responds to what seems a distress signal, only to encounter a remarkably lethal alien life form that boards their ship and sets about picking them off one by one. Some of the special effects are weak (the alien spacecraft and the android "revival" are fairly notorious). There is little in the way of character development, the film has a fairly slow pace, and the story itself is predictable; you can usually guess who is going to die next.

BUT. The art designs are incredible: the entire look of the film, from the commercial nature of the spacecraft to the iconographic alien itself (brilliantly envisioned by Giger) is right on the money. Director Ridley Scott encouraged his cast to ad lib from the script, and the result is a shocking sense of realism--and the somewhat slow pace of the film and the predictability of the story gives it a sense of relentless and ever-mounting paranoia that is greatly enhanced by the tight sets and camera set-ups. With its odd mixture of womb-like organics and cold mechanics, ALIEN is a film calculated to send even the most slightly claustrophobic viewer into a fit of hysteria.

The entire cast, led by Tom Skerrit and Sigorney Weaver, is very, very good--and the film abounds with memorable images and scenes ranging from John Hurt's encounter with the alien egg to Skerrit's search of the ship air ducts to Weaver's terrifying race against time as the ship counts down to self-destruct. Seldom has any film been so consistent in design, cast, direction, and out-and-out fear factor, and although certain aspects of ALIEN are open to legitimate criticism the end result is powerful enough to bring it in at a full five stars. A word of warning, however: you'll need to send the kids to bed for this one. And you'll probably be up half the night afterward yourself! Recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer