Alien (1979)
Country: GB
Technical: Eastmancolor/Panavision 117m
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto
Synopsis:
Astronauts returning from a deep space mission respond to a distress call from an apparently dead planet. On investigation one of them is 'impregnated' with an alien creature which in due course hatches, grows and kills all but one of the crew.
Review:
The appeal of the film lies in its look, design and the process by which, as in Carpenter's 'The Thing', the scientists on board work out what is happening. The monster itself is rarely seen clearly, apparently for logistical reasons, though the result is effectively enervating thanks to superb production design and astute lighting and mise en scène. Put simply, the film was the most coldly calculated and technically proficient model of old dark house moviemaking yet put on celluloid, and it might still hold that title. It certainly caught the imaginations of the 'children of Star Wars' and studio bosses set to work devising imitations as execrable as Xtro and Inseminoid. The Alien sequels embraced differing emphases, but Weaver stayed the course.
Country: GB
Technical: Eastmancolor/Panavision 117m
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto
Synopsis:
Astronauts returning from a deep space mission respond to a distress call from an apparently dead planet. On investigation one of them is 'impregnated' with an alien creature which in due course hatches, grows and kills all but one of the crew.
Review:
The appeal of the film lies in its look, design and the process by which, as in Carpenter's 'The Thing', the scientists on board work out what is happening. The monster itself is rarely seen clearly, apparently for logistical reasons, though the result is effectively enervating thanks to superb production design and astute lighting and mise en scène. Put simply, the film was the most coldly calculated and technically proficient model of old dark house moviemaking yet put on celluloid, and it might still hold that title. It certainly caught the imaginations of the 'children of Star Wars' and studio bosses set to work devising imitations as execrable as Xtro and Inseminoid. The Alien sequels embraced differing emphases, but Weaver stayed the course.
Country: GB
Technical: Eastmancolor/Panavision 117m
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto
Synopsis:
Astronauts returning from a deep space mission respond to a distress call from an apparently dead planet. On investigation one of them is 'impregnated' with an alien creature which in due course hatches, grows and kills all but one of the crew.
Review:
The appeal of the film lies in its look, design and the process by which, as in Carpenter's 'The Thing', the scientists on board work out what is happening. The monster itself is rarely seen clearly, apparently for logistical reasons, though the result is effectively enervating thanks to superb production design and astute lighting and mise en scène. Put simply, the film was the most coldly calculated and technically proficient model of old dark house moviemaking yet put on celluloid, and it might still hold that title. It certainly caught the imaginations of the 'children of Star Wars' and studio bosses set to work devising imitations as execrable as Xtro and Inseminoid. The Alien sequels embraced differing emphases, but Weaver stayed the course.