Alien

Alien (1979)

Timing: 1:57 (117 min)

8.2/10
16196

8.079/10
348388

8.5/10
1100000

All about film

Video 60

Photo 542

Actors and characters

Release date

1979-05-25

Country

United States, United Kingdom

Production

20th Century Fox, Brandywine Productions, Twentieth Century-Fox Productions, Ronald Shusett Productions

Genre

Horror, Science Fiction

Budget

$11 000 000

Revenue

$104 931 801

Website

https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/alien

Director

Ridley Scott

Actors

Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Bolaji Badejo, Helen Horton, Roy Scammell
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

David Giler, Walter Hill, Gordon Carroll, Ronald Shusett

Operator

Derek Vanlint

Composer

Jerry Goldsmith

Artist

Benjamín Fernández, Jonathan Amberston

Audition

Mary Selway, Mary Goldberg

Editing

Terry Rawlings, Peter Weatherley
All team (86)

• Ridley Scott took the director's chair after four previous candidates had left.
• In the first draft of the script, Ripley was a man.
• The role of Ripley was initially offered to Veronica Cartwright, but Sigourney Weaver was ultimately chosen. However, Veronica also received one of the main roles in the project.
• Many of the dialogues are improvised.
• Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in Star Wars, could have played the Alien. The height of this British giant is 2.21 m. Ultimately, the role went to Bolaji Badejo (2.18 m).
• Three versions of the Alien were made for filming: the model itself and two costumes worn by extras.
• American science fiction writer A.E. van Vogt accused the filmmakers of plagiarism, claiming they stole his idea, as described in his books 'Discord in Scarlet' (1939) and 'Voyage of the Space Beagle' (1950). However, he lost the lawsuit.
• The script originally included a bedroom scene between Ripley and Dallas, but it was decided not to film it.
• In the initial sketches, the alien was equipped with eyes, but the decision was made to remove them for filming to give the creature a more menacing appearance.
• No film company wanted to take on this project, considering it too violent and bloody. However, Walter Hill, representing '20th Century Fox', soon emerged as a brave investor. Nevertheless, he also had his say in the film's fate, finding the first script draft too grim. Ridley Scott was forced to remove excessively violent scenes.
• The "rough" cut of the film lasted 192 minutes (the final version is much shorter – 117 minutes).
• Walter Hill and David Giler changed the names of all the characters in Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett's screenplay. In O’Bannon and Shusett’s script, the characters were written in such a way that they could be played by either men or women. According to the screenwriters, they originally wrote the role of Ripley exclusively as male.
• H.R. Giger created several models of the Xenomorph, from which the final version was selected.
• At one stage of the project’s development, the filmmakers considered making the Xenomorph’s body translucent.
• The well-known rumor – that none of the actors, with the exception of John Hurt, knew what would happen during the Xenomorph’s “birth” – is largely true. The actors were only told in general terms, without going into detail, about what would happen in the scene: for example, Veronica Cartwright did not expect to be sprayed with blood.
• According to Dan O'Bannon, the idea of gestating an alien organism inside a human body came to him after learning that road wasps lay their larvae in the abdomens of spiders. However, this species of wasp lays eggs on the body of its victim, not inside it. It is worth adding that some wasp species do lay eggs inside the bodies of other organisms: for example, ichneumon wasps and braconid wasps. The former lay eggs in various beetles, the latter – in certain species of caterpillars. In both cases, the host organism dies when the wasp is born.
• 130 alien eggs were created for the scene inside the alien spaceship.
• The director's cut of the film, released in 2003, was made possible by 100 boxes of the film's footage discovered in a studio warehouse.
• Details for the interior sets of the “Nostromo” were found at an aircraft graveyard.
• Originally, John Finch was supposed to play Kane, but he suffered a diabetes attack on the first day of filming. Ridley Scott knew that John Hurt was not involved in other projects and offered him the role. Hurt began filming the next day.
• To create the effect of the Nostromo's sudden acceleration, several people shook and rocked the chairs in which the actors were sitting.
• When customs officials saw H.R. Giger's facehugger models, they were so shocked that they immediately detained him at the American border. Dan O'Bannon had to come to Los Angeles airport and explain to the authorities that they were models for a horror film.
• The scene of the alien's 'birth' was filmed in one take, using four cameras.
• To scare Jones's cat, they placed a German Shepherd in front of it.
• Ron Cobb, who created sketches for the film, suggested that the alien's blood should be acid.
• Jerry Goldsmith was furious to learn that Ridley Scott and the film's editor, Terry Rawlings, had significantly altered his music, which he had composed specifically for the film.
• Ash was absent from the first draft of Dan O'Bannon's screenplay.
• Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger met while developing Alejandro Jodorowsky's 'Dune' project – a project that never came to fruition.
• Sigourney Weaver was cast as Ripley after producers saw her screen test, in which she delivered the final monologue aboard the Nostromo rescue shuttle.
• The idea for the film came to Dan O'Bannon after he was disappointed with the realization of his first screenplay, 'Dark Star' (1974), directed by John Carpenter. O'Bannon wrote the 'Alien' screenplay aiming for a much larger budget than 'Dark Star' had, and significantly expanding the horror element.
• Even before work began on the script for "Alien," Ronald Shusett acquired the rights to Philip K. Dick's story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" (which would later be transformed into the screenplay for "Total Recall" (1990)) and asked Dan O'Bannon to help him adapt the work of the famous science fiction writer for the big screen. At the same time, O'Bannon came up with a story about an alien on a spaceship. The newly formed partners decided to first write a script about an alien monster, as, in their opinion, this project would be easier to implement.
• The film's original title was "Star Beast."
• The first six minutes of the film have no dialogue.
• The word "fuck" is uttered 5 times throughout the film (Ripley says "fuck" four times in the film).
• 20th Century Fox doubled the film's budget (from $4.2 million to $8.4 million) after Ridley Scott showed his storyboards.
• The two thirty-second countdowns in the film last 36 and 37 seconds respectively.
• Veronica Cartwright learned she hadn’t gotten the lead role only when she was asked to come to the set for fittings for several costumes of her character, Lambert.
• The space suits worn by Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, and Veronica Cartwright were extremely uncomfortable, made of nylon, and did not allow air to circulate. Actors wearing such suits suffered from incredible heat and often fainted. A nurse was constantly present on set, monitoring the physical condition of the three actors and providing them with first aid. Only after Ridley Scott and Derek Vanlint's (the cinematographer) children were dressed in the suits for a scene and also lost consciousness were some changes made to the suit designs.
• At the beginning of filming, Ridley Scott had to listen to instructions from nine producers every day, who constantly complained that Ridley was spending too much time filming one scene or another.
• On the first day of filming scenes with Jones the cat, Sigourney Weaver’s skin broke out in a rash. Sigourney was afraid she was allergic to cats and might be fired, as it would have been much easier for the studio to replace an unknown actress than to find four identical cats. As it turned out, Weaver was allergic to glycerin, which was used to simulate sweat on the actress’s skin.
• The company's name is Weyland Yutani. In the film "Aliens" (1986), James Cameron slightly adjusted the name – Weyland Yutani.
• The alien costume was made using plasticine and parts from Rolls Royce engines.
• Special effects creator Brian Johnson worked on this film and the movie "Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) simultaneously.
• After the first few weeks of filming, Dan O'Bannon asked the producers for permission to review the footage, but was refused. However, O'Bannon managed to see the material: he made an agreement with the projectionist and was in the room with the film projector during the showing of the rough cut.
• To film the scene of the alien's 'birth', John Hurt had to put his head, shoulders and arms through a special hole in a table connected to an artificial torso containing compressed air and numerous animal organs.
• The cry emitted by a newborn Xenomorph is a combination of the hissing of a viper, the squeal of a pig, and the wail of a baby.
• For scenes where the Xenomorph moves around the ship, the interior sets were specially rebuilt to suit Bolaji Badejo, to facilitate his movements and provide him with more places to hide. However, despite all the set designers' efforts, Bolaji tore the Xenomorph costume several times.
• In the scene where Ash performs an autopsy on the facehugger, the latter’s body was made from fresh mollusks, oysters, and sheep kidney.
• Some of the monitors from the Nostromo will also be used in the film Blade Runner (1982).
• The embryonic movements of the facehugger (before it jumps from the egg) were created by Ridley Scott’s hands, wearing rubber gloves.
• In the scene where Lambert, Dallas, and Kane examine the alien pilot, their roles were played by the children of Ridley Scott and Derek Vanlint to give the room and the alien a greater sense of size.
• The name of the company “Weyland Yutani” appears on a computer screen during the landing.
• The sound heard in the background in the laboratory where Kane lies with the facehugger on his head can also be heard in Deckard's room in the film “Blade Runner” (1982).
• Inverted and repainted milk bottle crates were used to decorate the floor on the “Nostromo”.
• Despite the release of a director's cut of the film in 2003, which included several new scenes, Ridley Scott made a special note on the DVD release stating that he considers the 1979 cut, edited before the film's release, to be the true director's version. The director's version currently available on DVD was labeled as such for commercial reasons only.
• To achieve the effect of steam coming from the helmets, an aerosol was used, which was sprayed from inside the helmets.
• Advertising slogan writer Barbara Gips came up with the famous tagline: “In space no one can hear you scream.”
• Bolaji Badejo, who played the Alien, took mime lessons and practiced Tai Chi Chuan (Chinese gymnastics) before filming.
• In the opening scene, as we see the various rooms of the 'Nostromo,' a 'Krups' coffee maker can be noticed. The exact same model of coffee maker was used as 'Mr. Fusion' in the movie 'Back to the Future' (1985).
• Most well-known producers have an entire staff of people who read scripts and then write a short version of the plot. The screenplay for 'Alien' was characterized as “it’s almost ‘Jaws,’ but in space.”
• A smoke machine borrowed from the band "The Who" was used to create a thin layer of fog covering the alien eggs.
• Robert Aldrich, Peter Yates, Jack Clayton, Dan O'Bannon, and Walter Hill were considered for the director's position.
• The interiors of the alien eggs that Kane examines contained real organic elements. Cow hearts and stomachs were used in their design. The facehugger’s tail was made from sheep intestines.
• Bill Patterson could have played one of the roles in the film.
• Wanting to get a female perspective on Sigourney Weaver in the role of Ripley, Ridley Scott showed her audition to several women from the production department, who responded positively to her performance.
• According to Ridley Scott, he was inspired to film the movie by "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" (1977) and "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) for their depiction of space, and "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974) for its atmosphere of fear.
• The Zeta-2 Reticuli star system mentioned in the film actually exists. It is a binary star system located 39 light-years from Earth.
• Ash tops the list of seven favorite horror movie characters of American film director, screenwriter, and producer Joss Whedon.
• Bolaji Badejo's only role.
• The Alien in this film is played by Nigerian Bolaji Badejo, a student and designer who was discovered in a bar by a member of the crew, who brought him to Ridley Scott. Scott believed that Badejo, with his height of 218 cm, could play the Alien, as his arms and legs appeared unnaturally long, creating the illusion that a human could not be inside the suit. Stuntmen Eddie Powell and Roy Scammell also portrayed the Alien in a number of scenes.
• The animatronic head of the Alien was created by Italian special effects master Carlo Rambaldi, who gained fame for his work on the film "King Kong" (1976).
• A real human skull was used to create the Alien's mask.
• H.R. Giger assembled the "Facehugger" and Alien egg from sheep and cow entrails, mollusks, and fish bones.
• The film's main heroine, Ellen Ripley, wears a Casio F-100 model digital watch with a double dial. After the film's release, it became much more widely distributed and a subject of fan art and imitations.
• Ridley Scott admitted in numerous interviews that he wanted to make a darker film with a fatal ending. In particular, the film was supposed to end with a scene of Ripley's head being bitten off. However, the "20th Century Fox" film company did not agree with the director and suggested softening the ending.
• Veronica Cartwright admitted after the film's release that in the scene where her character’s legs are entangled by the “Alien’s” tail, the legs were not actually hers. They belonged to Harry Dean Stanton (Brett), and this occurred during the filming of a completely different scene.
• In the scene where the “Nostromo” crew awakens from hypersleep, the chests of Veronica Cartwright and Sigourney Weaver were covered with canvas tape.
• The scene in which Dallas chases the Alien through the ventilation shafts, while the rest of the ship’s crew warns him to leave the ventilation system as quickly as possible, was filmed in a single day.
• Dyed water was used as Ash’s “blood”.
• Walter Hill and David Giler came up with the idea for Ash to be a robot.
• To film Parker's death scene, a special rubber head of Yaphet Kotto was made, stuffed with pig brains. The forehead was made of wax so that the Alien's teeth could easily penetrate it.
• Roger Dicken, responsible for the special effects in the Alien's 'birth' scene, wanted the creature to emerge from Kane’s chest with small hands, but his idea was rejected.
• The death of the Ash robot began with a scene of his head being torn off. A torso with an animatronic head was made, which was put on a dwarf puppeteer, and when the robot's head hung next to the body, he ran in front of the camera, moving his hands. In the scene where Ash’s head is on the table and talking, it was planned to use an animatronic head, but it looked very unnatural, so a hole was made in the table through which actor Ian Holm inserted his real head; in each take, Ridley poured milk into his mouth, which began to leak from the actor’s mouth when he started to speak. The android’s insides consisted of pasta, caviar, marble balls, and milk, which served as the android’s blood.
• Scenes that were not included in the theatrical release, but were in the director's cut: At the very beginning of the film, there were two additional shots showing the external design of the tug. After Kane wakes up at the very beginning, he puts on a robe, goes to the dining room, turns on the coffee grinder, and greets Lambert, who has entered. Lambert is not shown in the frame and says nothing; in the script, Kane greets the other crew members as they enter one by one. The 'Nostromo' crew, standing on the bridge, listens to that mysterious signal and learns from which planet it originates. A scene of entering the alien ship and shots showing the alien ship from a different angle as Lambert, Dallas, and Kane approach it. Dallas, Kane, and Lambert find the body of the alien pilot. A scene of setting up the winch, preceding Kane’s descent into the underground tunnel. Lambert and Dallas carry Kane into the 'Nostromo’s' airlock. A confrontation between Lambert and Ripley over the latter's refusal to allow those who had gone to the planet’s surface to board the ship. Ripley asks Lambert what happened to Kane. Lambert recounts Kane’s words about the Alien eggs in the hold of the alien ship. The crew enters the medical bay and examines Kane. Lambert notices a spot on the scanner screen in Kane’s chest. A conversation between Parker and Brett in one of the auxiliary compartments during repairs. The crew discusses ways to find the Alien on the ship, after which Parker and Brett go to make an electric shocker. A bed scene between Ripley and Dallas. The death scene of Brett was described differently in the script. The Alien inserted its tail between Brett’s legs and thrust its stinger into the back of his head. This shot was filmed, but for some reason it was inserted into the scene of Lambert’s death. Subsequently, the concept of this scene was depicted in a comic book published by 'Heavy Metal'. There was an alternative version of Brett’s death scene: a growling Alien crushes his head with its paws, with blood gushing from it. After the Alien drags Brett away, Ripley and Parker run into the compartment. Blood drips onto Parker’s T-shirt from above. Before going to talk to Mother, Ripley comforts Lambert, asking if she slept with Ash. A long scene where the crew tries to lure the Alien into the airlock and throw it into space, but the plan fails because an emergency alarm suddenly goes off and the Alien escapes. Ripley suspects that Ash activated the signal. Lambert calls Ash over the communicator. Ripley discovers the cocoons with Dallas and Brett and burns the still-alive Dallas and the rest of the Alien’s activity with a stream of flame from a flamethrower. Before his death, Parker shouts to the Alien: “I'm going to kill you, you freak!” To insert new scenes, Ridley Scott cut 10-15 seconds from many scenes in the theatrical release: The dialogue between Ripley and Ash about decoding the signal with the computer. The scene of exploring the Space Jockey ship. The conversation between Ripley and Dallas about Ash. Dallas asks the ship's computer how to destroy the Alien, but receives no answer. The initial search for the Alien. The search for the Alien in the ventilation system. Ripley gaining access to 'Mother'. The preparation of Ash for interrogation. All of the ending—frames were cut from each scene.
• The script called for a bed scene between Ripley and Dallas, but it was decided not to film it.