Alien (1979) - Film Review

Fig. 1 - Official Film Poster

Alien (1979) is a science-fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott. The film depicts a small crew aboard a ship travelling through space to get back to earth, all seems well until they land on an unknown planet only to bring back an alien species that begins to kill off the crew one by one. The film spawned 3 sequels and has been highly successful. Part of this success is due to the shocking scenes included and the use of suspense throughout, as said by Derek Malcolm, "No film I have seen in the last year or so, excluding perhaps The Deer Hunter, emanates so strong a whiff of palpable, nerve-straining shock." (Malcolm, 2009)

As previously mentioned, Alien uses the elements of surprise to really pull the watchers into it's world. The film centers heavily around the idea of suspense and the unknown in regards to the alien itself, it is rare to see a full shot of the life form for the majority of the feature, a choice that Scott made to allow the audience to imagine it as horribly, or not, as they wanted to. This idea of never being sure of it's real form instills a real fear and uncertainty in the viewer.

Fig. 2 - The Alien

In regards to both the alien and the set design there have been countless opinions and thoughts on the idea that the entire film production alludes to both the fear of sex and in some cases, rape. The alien sets and the creature itself were designed by H. R. Giger and Veronica Cartwright - part of the cast - spoke of his designs in regards to the idea of sex, "so erotic...it's big vaginas and penises...the whole thing is like you're going inside of some sort of womb or whatever...it's sort of visceral." (Cartwright, 2003) 

The film is said to portray a fear of sex due to the actions and attacks of the Alien towards the crew and the way the crew themselves act towards each other, for example, when Ash attacks Ripley. He firstly pushes her down before rolling a magazine, attempting to force it down her throat to choke her, coupled with the designs and further imagery the opinions about this are fairly well supported and agreed upon by many.

Giger's designs are highly praised and revered for their portrayal of an extraterrestrial landscape, all of the sets used during the scenes on the alien planet are full of eerie structures and organic looking materials that contrast starkly to the man-made, practical and mechanical design of the Nostromos. Brian Eggert speaks of Giger's designs paired with Scott's directing, stating, "As we writhe about in fear from Giger’s suggestive designs, the film infiltrates its audience deeper than most could ever hope to achieve, doing so with fewer characters and deliberate pacing." (Eggert, 2012)

Fig. 3 - The crew gathered around one of the Alien sets which they had nicknamed the 'Space Jockey'.

Another surprising part of Alien is it's lead, Ripley. Portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, Ripley is everything most heroines were not. She is strong, appears intelligent and rather than to scream and run her first instinct is to find out how to kill the alien, at first not even willing to allow the smaller version of the creature on to the ship. Although many believe the scene where she undresses, unaware of the Alien still aboard her escape vessel, negate all of what the character had built up during the film. It can be argued that the scene played out this way to suggest vulnerability, possibly still suggestive of the psycho-sexual nature of other aspects of the film.

Fig. 4 - The Nostromos

Much like it's predecessors, Alien (1979) utilised miniatures in it's production. Most notably with one of the opening scenes, the Nostromos flying through space in a shot that much resembles the iconic scene from George Lucas' Star Wars (1977). The use of miniatures to produce sets can also be compared to other, much older, films we've watched such as Metropolis.

Fig. 5 - (Above) Star wars (1977)
Fig. 6 - (Below) Alien (1979)

Overall, Alien is a classic horror film, with the use of suspense to keep the watcher on their toes and the designs of it's sets and creatures perfected to give an uncomfortable feeling that will unsettle most. It as Brian Eggert said, 

"Made with uncommonly crafted skill to unsettle the minds and bodies of its audiences, Alien is a profoundly influential work and a lasting classic. The risks taken by this film make it a rarity, while its methods yield a paradigmatic specimen whose combination of genre thrills, bound by great artistry and innovation, have yet to be bested by imitators." (Eggert, 2012)

Bibliography:

Quotes used:

 Malcolm, Derek | 2009 | The Guardian | Derek Malcom's Alien Review From 1979
At: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/13/derek-malcolm-alien-review
Accessed on 24/10/2013

Eggert, Brian | 2012 | Alien (1979)
At: http://www.deepfocusreview.com/reviews/alien.asp
Accessed on 24/10/2013

Cartwright, Veronica | 2003 | The Beast Within: The Making of Alien

Accessed on 24/10/2013

Images used:

Figure 1 | Alien (1979) [Poster] at http://www.blankmaninc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/alien-movie-poster-1979.jpg

Figure 2 | The Alien [Still image] at http://www.sabotagetimes.com/wp-content/uploads/alien_from_the_movie.png

Figure 3 | The 'Space Jockey' set [Still Image] at http://extendededition.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/tumblr_m1df18gvqi1r8oqq3o1_1280.jpg

Figure 4 | The Nostromos [Still Image] at http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111224171811/alienfilmspedia/images/4/48/USCSS_Nostromo_002.jpg

Figure 5 | Star Wars (1977) [Still Image] at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNyKzxc2P81NKf4ZT5-mL79Dt_sGo_h6xL8nFVUgYRNj_j03sFXknTxdEQ_tAVLO0J_R2EcqoxbAQg1IcunCtYaoDhbEWxn2xyZvpbGZgPde7-5sW61B3g8Bw5E3STbI7xOSkIytqZQin/s1600/A-New-Hope-Opening-Scene-Star-Destroyer-and-Tantive-IV.jpg

Figure 6 | The Nostromos [Still Image] at http://www.zen171398.zen.co.uk/Alien/0004Jon%20Sorensen's%20Half%20Size%20Nostromo%20Model%20for%20ALIEN%20FX%201978%20HQ.%20www.jonsorensen.co.uk.jpg

Metropolis (1927) Film Review

 (Figure 1: "Metropolis" film poster.)

 Metropolis (1927), directed by Fritz Lang, is a silent, black and white film depicting an almost Utopian society that is powered and kept alive by it's counterparts, the working citizens who reside underneath the city, working dangerously long hours to make sure Metropolis remains plugged in to all of it's electrical luxuries, the tension between both parties soon increases and a rebellion is imminent. 

 Lang depicted the workers as being almost identical in fashion and movements, scenes featuring the working class citizens tend to be wide and centered with each part expertly regimented, for example one of the first scenes shows the workers heading to and from their shifts, they move with synchronised marching, their heads hanging low and they do not change until they reach their stations. This expression of suppressed workers pushed aside by the upper class can be translated back to the events that were happening in Germany during the era in which the film was made. 

 Despite the whole film being in black and white, which nowadays we often use to portray something old or something rather melancholy, the scenes in which the upper areas of Metropolis feature are full of grandeur. The sets depict towering skyscrapers and wide motorways full to the brim with cars and other vehicles and despite this industrial like setting the city seems full of light with minimal smoke or pollution present, cementing it as the opposite of the lower class work place and residency, which is depicted as dull, heavily shaded and smokey (Shown below in Figure 2). 

                          

(Figure 2: A still from the film, depicting the workers at their stations.)

         (Figure 3: The city of Metropolis as shown in the film, created using a miniature set.)

 While watching Metropolis one cannot help to think about how ahead of it's time it seems, with seemingly huge sets and scenes brimming with people, even certain ideas and designs are almost modern in comparison with the other films of it's time, in a review by Jonathan Romney he states, "The film's futurism is still breathtaking, from its Art Deco titles to the neon spiral in Rotwang's lab: this surely must the first film to imagine people communicating by video screen." (Jonathan Romney, 2010.) Proving how looking back at Lang's film helps us to discover how much it has influenced the film industry of today.

 Another key feature to mention is the camera work, compared to the film we watched previously, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), the camera seems to move much more freely and on many occasions adds new perspective or movement to an otherwise still shot. As said by Roger Ebert in his review of Lang's film "The result was astonishing for its time. Without all of the digital tricks of today, “Metropolis” fills the imagination." (Roger Ebert, 1998). 

In conclusion, during it's original time of release Metropolis (1927) offered a modern cinematic experience with innovative behind the scenes work in the form of set design and camera action, with some scenes being almost prophetic about what was to follow in the world of film after it's release. While there are charming points for both, the use of real but miniature sets offers a welcome alternative to the often overused special effects in today's cinema. Even after so many years, Lang's characters, designs and work methods from Metropolis continue to influence directors, set designers and more today, including the 2002 Japanese animated movie, also named Metropolis, which is based on the 1949 manga by Tezuka Osamu, which uses images straight from Lang's work. 

Illustrations Used:

Figure 1: Metropolis (1927) Film Poster at http://images.moviepostershop.com/metropolis-movie-poster-1926-1020433586.jpg

Figure 2: Metropolis (1927) Film still depicting workers at http://media.screened.com/uploads/0/985/300007-metropolis_productionstill_300dpi_09.jpg

Figure 3: Metropolis (1927) Depiction of the city at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitj3R49ZVInf2VvQYm9NwnCXEaBye_lztxrDHtw-_Z0YfPftblUQlvyDDEKIGbbddv3JoDB-ff0lZMtpbvQFFYg-YnRwRJxlR1nfdSgmnbCspOkG2WkLMma5qX3wOLhplvV-uD-DaiDXA/s1600/Metropolis+1926.jpg

Bibliography:

Ebert, Robert
1998
Metropolis
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-metropolis-1927

Romney, Jonathan
2010
Metropolis, Fritz Lang
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/metropolis-fritz-lang-145-mins-pg-2076981.html