Space and Environment: Cinematic Spaces Film Review

Alien, 1979

Figure 1.

The crew of the deep space towing vessel Nostromo are awaken from hypersleep to investigate a strange signal from a nearby planet. While investigating the signal, they discover it was intended as a warning, and not an SOS. Tinto. Upon arrival at the planet, three members of the crew investigate the signal's source. Dallas, Lambert and Kane find a derelict alien spacecraft where Kane is attacked by an alien organism. Despite Ripley, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, refusing to open the hatch for risk of contaminating the ship, Ash, the science officer who is later revealed to be a robot sent to ensure the retrieval of an alien organism, ignores her orders. After removing Kane's helmet they see that the alien creature has secured itself over his face and appears to be giving him oxygen, keeping him alive however in a comatose state. The crew find that they cannot remove the creature for it has corrosive acid for blood, however the alien soon removes itself and the crew find it dead after which Kane seems to make a full recovery. Then, in perhaps the most memorable scene, he begins choking and an alien bursts out of his chest, killing him and escaping onto the

ship. One by one the crew members are killed by the alien menace until only Ripley remains. She destroys the ship and escapes in the shuttle along with the crew's cat, Jones. Ripley soon discovers that the alien is aboard the shuttle. She straps herself into a spacesuit, opens the hatch and shoots the alien, forcing it out of the open doorway. Directed by Ridley Scott, 1979, 'Alien' is a science-fiction horror that has proved immensely successful, leading to numerous sequels and most recently the prequel 'Prometheus'.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Swiss artist-designer H.R. Giger supplied the distinctive "bio-mechanical" concepts for the film, which help make the alien one of cinema's scariest creations: a nightmare synthesis of humanoid form, insect-like appendages, and mechanized structure that is all the more effective for not being seen too clearly for most of the film. Scheinfield.

The construction of the film really makes an audience member feel like they are part of the action. From the opening sequence where the camera moves through the spacecraft and the audience can hear the doors opening and closing around them, to the repeating point-of-view shots used throughout the film, the audience is pulled into the action, making the horrors feel more real. A key example of this is in the build up to finding the alien when Brett moves around the ship alone, searching for Jones the cat. During this sequence point-of-view shots are used in conjunction with the sound of foot falls creating the illusions that what the audience is seeing is happening to Brett and themselves. This is also aided by the reality of the space. Due to it's age, when the film was produced everything you see was real so the actors really appear to be interacting with the space. Aliens practical effects and use of miniatures has a more tangible, gritty feel than a vast majority of modern sci-fi. Howard.

Figure 4. Ripley

Figure 5. Alien

In 'Alien' the stereotypical gender roles seem to be reversed. The character Ripley, played by actress Sigourney Weaver, was original intended for a man. This gives the character all the strength and leadership of a typical male protagonist, making Ripley a female action icon. While the male characters are shown to be weak, making mistakes and ultimately killed by the alien, Ripley survives due to her strength. In Alien the roles are clearly reversed, as Ripley is the strong female character who makes active judgements and survives what is trying to kill her. The male characters activity is largely passive most die quickly, others wait for her command. Top10Films

The film can be analysed using Freud's theory of dreams. This theory says that dreams are the gateway to the subconscious. 'Alien' can be looked at as a male nightmare. The combination of sexual symbols and weak male characters show male subconscious fear of rape or castration. In most of Freud's work, he links most psychological problems in adults back to the treatment they received as children from their mother. The ship's main computer system, that the crew member go to for guidance and instruction, is called 'Mother', showing another link to Freudian theory.

'Alien' can be summed up as a haunted house movie in space, in which a monster terrorises the trapped humans. Compared to other representations of futuristic worlds, the space created in the film is more gritty and real, and the alien menace is truly unlike anything experienced in film before.

Illustration List
Figure 1. Alien film poster 1979 At: http://ltquinn.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/alien-1979-review-04-30-12.html Figure 2. Still from Alien At: http://kecasfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/alien-1979-film-analysis.html Figure 3. Still from Alien At: http://www.empireonline.com/features/cinemas-creepiest-babies/p6 Figure 4. Still from Alien At: http://www.dailyfilmdose.com/2010/11/alien.html Figure 5. Still from Alien At: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres? q=alien+1979&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1280&bih=738&tbm=isch&tbnid=TAYzs 3Ji7OfgMM:&imgrefurl=http://www.propstore.com/warrior.htm&docid=_KNnhElbjbtexM&imgurl=http:// www.propstore.com/content/propstorecollection/warrior/dvd1.jpg&w=1000&h=563&ei=_OKGUM6wIaU0QXYqoHQBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=189&vpy=286&dur=1574&hovh=168&hovw=299&tx=251&ty= 103&sig=108892026383625342798&page=3&tbnh=127&tbnw=236&start=47&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:43,s :20,i:316

Bibliography
Tinto, C. Plot summary At: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/plotsummary Scheinfield, M. Alien: Review At: http://movies.tvguide.com/alien/review/111316 Howard, B. Alien At: http://www.graffitiwithpunctuation.net/2012/04/29/alien/ Top10Films. Analysis: Alien and Feminism At: http://www.top10films.co.uk/archives/1600