[Flashback] Alien (1979)—Ripley Was Supposed To Be This Instead
In this claustrophobic scare film that’s been described as a “haunted house movie set on a spaceship,” a space merchant vessel answers a distress call and the crew inadvertently brings aboard a mysterious and deadly life form. 1979’s science fiction horror classic Alien, written by Dan O’Bannon and directed by Ridley Scott, follows a spaceship crew fighting for their lives when a hostile extraterrestrial is loose on the ship. The film stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. The Alien—also known as a Xenomorph—and the alien artifacts were designed by artist H. R. Giger.
The character of Ellen Ripley, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, set a precedent for female action heroes. But the surprising truth is that her character was originally written to be played by a man. The director told the L.A. Times:
“I think the idea actually came from Alan Ladd Jr. I think it was Alan Ladd [then president of 20th Century Fox] who said, 'Why can’t Ripley be a woman?' And there was a long pause, that at that moment I never thought about it. I thought, why not, it’s a fresh direction, the ways I thought about that. And away we went.”
The success of Alien spawned several official films, a lot of knockoffs, novels, comic books, video games, and toys. The series even crossed over with the Predator series for the Alien vs. Predator films. In 2002, Alien was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Director Scott returned to the series for a pair of prequels, 2012’s Prometheus and 2017’s Alien: Covenant.
Director Ridley Scott wrote for American Cinematographer:
“I want to emphasize that I don’t think of ALIEN as an ‘effects’ film. It’s not. I had decided in advance that it wouldn’t be an effects film, in the usual sense of the term. I think there is a danger in that sort of designation. All too often what people refer to as “effects films” won’t stand on their own, because of weak story or weak characterizations. I felt that ALIEN should be primarily a film with a story about seven real characters—and that this would be the strength of the film, not the effects.”
From critic Roger Ebert:
“One of the great strengths of ALIEN is its pacing. It takes its time. It waits. It allows silences (the majestic opening shots are underscored by Jerry Goldsmith with scarcely audible, far-off metallic chatterings).”
RELATED:
Terror in Space: 16 Horror Movies Set In Outer Space
Flashback: John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ (1982)
VOTE: Monster Hunter Series—Which Are Your Favorites?
Quiz: Was That Episode On Twilight Zone or Outer Limits?
Flashback: PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (1965)
FLASHBACK: John Carpenter’s Ghosts Of Mars (2001)
Alien (1979) - Movie
Buy the movie on Amazon (affiliate link)
