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Alien
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Alien (1979) -- A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.
Alien (1979) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 15% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Dan O'Bannon (story) and
Ronald Shusett (story) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Alien on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 May 1979 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
In space no one can hear you scream. more
Plot:
A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 18 nominations more
User Comments:
Structural perfection matched only by its hostility more (826 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Directed by
Ridley Scott 
 
Writing credits
(WGA)
Dan O'Bannon (story) and
Ronald Shusett (story)

Dan O'Bannon (screenplay)

Produced by
Gordon Carroll .... producer
David Giler .... producer
Walter Hill .... producer
Ivor Powell .... associate producer
Ronald Shusett .... executive producer
 
Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith 
 
Cinematography by
Derek Vanlint 
 
Film Editing by
David Crowther (director's cut)
Terry Rawlings 
Peter Weatherley 
 
Production Design by
Michael Seymour 
Roger Christian (uncredited)
 
Art Direction by
Roger Christian 
Leslie Dilley  (as Les Dilley)
 
Set Decoration by
Ian Whittaker 
 
Costume Design by
John Mollo 
 
Makeup Department
Pat Hay .... makeup artist
Tommie Manderson .... makeup designer (as Tommy Manderson)
Sarah Monzani .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
Garth Thomas .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Raymond Becket .... assistant director
Steve Harding .... assistant director
Paul Ibbetson .... first assistant director
Bob Jordan .... trainee assistant director
 
Art Department
José María Alarcón .... assistant set decorator
Jonathan Amberston .... assistant art director
Ron Cobb .... concept artist
John Davey .... head painter
Benjamín Fernández .... assistant art director
Chris Foss .... concept artist
Jean Giraud .... concept artist (as Jean 'Moebius' Giraud)
George Gunning .... head carpenter
Dave Jordan .... property master
Dan O'Bannon .... visual design consultant
Jill Quertier .... production buyer
Bert Rodwell .... head plasterer
Bill Welch .... construction manager
Gari Bacon .... props (uncredited)
John Chisholm .... prop man (uncredited)
Paul James .... plasterer (uncredited)
Stuart Rose .... draughtsman (uncredited)
Keith Short .... sculptor (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Max Bell .... stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Andrew I. King .... sound re-recording mixer: director's cut
Derrick Leather .... production sound mixer
Ray Merrin .... sound re-recording assistant
Bill Rowe .... sound re-recording mixer
Jim Shields .... sound editor
Bryan Tilling .... dialogue editor
 
Special Effects by
Nick Allder .... special effects supervisor
Alan Bryce .... floor effects supervisor (as Allan Bryce)
Clinton Cavers .... alien effects coordinator
Carlo De Marchis .... additional alien mechanics
Roger Dicken .... small alien forms co-designer and maker
Guy Hudson .... special effects technician
Brian Johnson .... special effects supervisor
Phil Knowles .... special effects technician
Dennis Lowe .... special effects technician
Roger Nichols .... special effects technician
Carlo Rambaldi .... alien head effects
Neil Swan .... special effects technician
David H. Watkins .... special effects technician (as David Watkins)
Dr. David Watling .... additional alien mechanics
Anton Furst .... special effects (uncredited)
Philip Sharpe .... special effects technician (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Denys Ayling .... director of photography: miniature effects
Martin Bower .... supervising model maker: miniature effects
Eddie Butler .... modeller
Ray Caple .... matte artist
Shirley Denny .... modeller
Dick Hewitt .... electronics and video coordinator
David Litchfield .... operator: miniature effects
Bernard Lodge .... special graphic effects
Terry Pearce .... focus: miniature effects
Bill Pearson .... supervising model maker: miniature effects
Patti Rodgers .... modeller
Peter Voysey .... supervising modeller
Peter Woods .... key grip: miniature effects
Alan Buchan .... visual effects (uncredited)
Rick Cortes .... Inferno artist (2003 director's cut re-release) (uncredited)
Bob Keen .... modeller (uncredited)
Jon Sorensen .... visual effects miniatures (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Eddie Powell .... stunts
Roy Scammell .... stunt coordinator
Monty Jordan .... assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Adrian Biddle .... camera focus
Colin Davidson .... camera focus
Ray Evans .... gaffer
Bob Penn .... still photographer
Jimmy Walters .... key grip
Wick Finch .... electrician (uncredited)
David Johnson .... second assistant camera (uncredited)
Micky Wilson .... electrician (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Mary Goldberg .... casting: USA
Mary Selway .... casting: UK
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tiny Nicholls .... wardrobe supervisor
 
Editorial Department
Peter Baldock .... assistant film editor
Peter Culverwell .... assistant film editor
Les Healey .... first assistant editor
Maureen Lyndon .... assistant film editor
Bridget Reiss .... assistant film editor
Brian Q. Kelley .... editor: additional material for special edition (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Robert Hathaway .... music editor (as Bob Hathaway)
Lionel Newman .... conductor
Percy Edwards .... alien vocalizator (uncredited)
Arthur Morton .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Stanley Bielecki .... advertising and publicity consultant
Lori Covel .... assistant to producers
Valerie Craig .... production assistant
Brian Doyle .... unit publicist
Kay Fenton .... continuity
Bill Finch .... production accountant
H.R. Giger .... alien designer
Mark Haggard .... production executive
Alice Harmon .... assistant to producers
Charles Lippincott .... advertising and publicity consultant
Sandy Molloy .... assistant to director
Saul Bass .... title designer (uncredited)
Robert H. Lemer .... associate to producer (uncredited)
Jake Scott .... stand-in (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Alien: The Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)
Star Beast (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore and language. (director's cut)
Runtime:
117 min | USA:116 min (director's cut)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby
Certification:
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:18A (Manitoba) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | New Zealand:M (re-release) | New Zealand:R16 (original rating) | Italy:T | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Finland:K-18 (director's cut) (DVD rating) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Portugal:M/16 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (re-rating) (2003) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | West Germany:16 (f) | Israel:16 | India:A | Czech Republic:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 (director's cut) (2003) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (director's cut) | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #25541)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The inside of the alien eggs as seen by Kane was composed of real organic material. Director Ridley Scott used cattle hearts and stomachs. The tail of the facehugger was sheep intestine. more
Goofs:
Continuity: During Parker's fight with Ash, the sleeve on his right shoulder suddenly becomes torn and a safety pin is visible holding it together. In the next shot we see his shirt intact and we see Ash tearing it. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Brett: This is the worst shit I've ever seen, man.
Parker: What you say? You got any biscuits over there?
Ripley: Here's some cornbread.
Parker: Cornbread. Yeah.
Lambert: I am cold.
Parker: Still with us, Brett?
Brett: Right.
Kane: Oh, I feel dead.
Parker: Anybody ever tell you you look dead, man?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Metroid (1986) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
Excerpts from 'Symphony no. 2 (Romantic)' more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Is the derelict the Predator ship from Alien Vs. Predator?
Why does the alien transform people into eggs?
more
178 out of 235 people found the following comment useful.
Structural perfection matched only by its hostility, 20 July 1999
Author: Cybrtypr from Gainesville, Fla.

Director Ridley Scott's well-honed talents of pacing and editing create a tense atmosphere that superbly conveys dread and fear of an unknown, unseen evil entity. In 1979, the technology didn't exist to generate a computer image of a Being from another world, and thank God, because this film would have sucked just like all these post-Alien creature features do. Everyone who loves this movie knows what I'm talking about. Ridley Scott had to be extremely careful not to show a full shot of the Alien, except in very brief scenes, and not to reveal exactly how it moves, because then we would see that it is just some tall, skinny guy in a rubber suit. Nowadays, some computer guy would whip up a really scary-looking, but nevertheless FAKE-looking (yes, computer guys, we can tell) Alien, and the director would not have to even think about trying to breathe life into H.R. Giger's hallucinations to make a successful picture.

The dark, cold beauty of this film will never be equaled.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why was Riply's nose bleeding? Chiscokid88-1
Did you notice the SFX? *tiny story spoiler* jenoor
Plot Help SPOILERS AngelinaRidesAgain
Lambert's Death mguevarra61-1
Alien or Aliens which film you like more ? PeaceLuvr1
The Alien's Nap in the Escape Craft (Spoiler) dcavalli
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