Alien (1979)

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writers (WGA):

Dan O'Bannon (story) and
Ronald Shusett (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 May 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

In space no one can hear you scream.

Plot:

A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.

Plot Keywords:

Very Little Dialogue | Chest Pains | Disturbing | The Black Guy Dies | Paranoid

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Tom Skerritt	...	Dallas
Sigourney Weaver	...	Ripley
Veronica Cartwright	...	Lambert
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Brett
John Hurt	...	Kane
Ian Holm	...	Ash
Yaphet Kotto	...	Parker
Bolaji Badejo	...	Alien
Helen Horton	...	Mother (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Powell	...	Alien (uncredited)

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)
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
H.R. Giger	....	alien designer
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)
Bob Keen	....	modeller (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Denys Ayling	....	director of photography: miniature effects
Martin Bower	....	supervising model maker: miniature effects
Eddie Butler	....	modelmaker
Ray Caple	....	matte artist
Shirley Denny	....	modelmaker
David Litchfield	....	operator: miniature effects
Bernard Lodge	....	special graphic effects
Terry Pearce	....	focus: miniature effects
Bill Pearson	....	supervising model maker: miniature effects
Patti Rodgers	....	modelmaker
Peter Voysey	....	modelmaker supervisor
Peter Woods	....	key grip: miniature effects
Alan Buchan	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Rick Cortes	....	Inferno artist (2003 director's cut re-release) (uncredited)
Bob Keen	....	model maker (uncredited)
Keith Short	....	sculptor (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
Mark Haggard	....	production executive
Alice Harmon	....	assistant to producers
Dick Hewitt	....	electronics and video coordinator
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)
Philip Sharpe	....	effects technician (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Brandywine Productions
• Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Italia (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox (Japan) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2004) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (2003) (Germany) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (1997) (Germany) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Alien - O Oitavo Passageiro")
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1984) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (????) (New Zealand) (VHS) (original video release)
• CBS/Fox (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (laserdisc)
• Fox Video (video)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Netherlands Fox Film Corporation (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (video) (director's cut)

Special Effects

• Filmfex Animation Services Ltd. (special optical effects)

Other Companies

• Steve Frankfurt Communications  title design
• R/Greenberg Associates  title design (as R. Greenberg Associates)
• Tony Silver Films  title design
• Animals Unlimited  Jones trained by
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production (as Dolby Stereo)
• Panavision  filmed in
• Rank Film Laboratories  processed by
• Deluxe  prints by (as DeLuxe)
• Lee Lighting  lighting (as Lee Electrics)
• Sony U.K. Ltd.  video equipment
• Shepperton Studios  made at (as Shepperton Studio Centre, England)
• Bray Studios  made at
• Anvil Recording Studios  music recorded at (as Anvil Recording Studios, Denham England)
• E.M.I. Elstree Studios  post-production (as E.M.I. Elstree Studios, England)
• Intrada  soundtrack (complete score) (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Alien: The Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)
Star Beast (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore and language. (director's cut)

Runtime:

117 min | USA:116 min (director's cut)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (director's cut) (2003) | West Germany:16 (f) | Italy:T | Brazil:14 | New Zealand:M (re-release) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) (director's cut) (2003) | New Zealand:R16 (original rating) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | Finland:K-18 (director's cut) (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (re-rating) (2003) | Portugal:M/16 (DVD rating) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (director's cut) (2003) | Canada:18A (Manitoba) (director's cut) (2003) | Philippines:R-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)

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Brandywine Productions

Trivia:

According to a quote from Veronica Cartwright in a film magazine, in the scene where the alien's tail wraps around her legs, they are actually Harry Dean Stanton's legs, in a shot originally filmed for another scene entirely.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Dallas is crawling around through the bowels of the Nostromo before he is taken by the alien, you can see a dolly track lining the floor.

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?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Excerpts from 'Symphony no. 2 (Romantic)'

Classic tale of terror

This is one of the finest science fiction films ever made. Everything is so carefully and expertly constructed to the point that repeated viewings are just as good as the first. Also, the atmosphere, along with the amazing sets, is real shocker and few movies have managed to create the same kind eerie feeling.

The story starts with the crew of the cargo vessel "Nostromo" waking up before schedule. They soon realize their on-board computer has detected life on a nearby planet and they go to investigate. One of them unwillingly brings back an...ALIEN (!) which soon becomes a very unwanted passenger. The introduction of the title creature in the famous chest-burster scene is a real jolter. Especially if you watch it after dinner.

The music, too, must be mentioned and it moves the story along with unrelenting terror. However, the lack of music, in certain scenes, works just as well and this combination makes for one of the best musical montages to be put on film.

This is a classic film that spawned a series, which is good overall, and a bunch of copycats, many of which are just sad. "Alien" came first and it is easily one the best. 10/10

Rated R: violence/gore and profanity