Alien Critical Film Analysis

Introduction

The award-winning 1979 film Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, is a classic science fiction-horror film. The cinematography, mise en scène, and the score together create a horrifying image in the viewer’s mind, much more so than the actual alien. This makes Alien one of best films of its time. Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and Ian Holm make a memorable cast, and their characters are relatable. Weaver’s character the protagonist, Ellen Ripley, shows utter fear throughout the film. This is a refreshing alternative to the stereotypical, “never scared”, heroes in films today. The film also gives us a symbolic look at our society, nature, and humanity. The ideas of birth, rape, parasitism, and our insignificance in the grand scale of the universe are explored by using mise en scène, cinematography, and score techniques.

Ships Exterior

This highly praised production starts off with wide shots of space that is symbolic in showing the crew’s minuscule significances. Camera traveling across a planet with Saturn-like rings; as the camera travels slowly up the infinitely large stretch space is shown. This shot of space shows who minuscule the crews in comparison. The next scene is of the commercial towing vehicle Nostromo. This massive cargo ship contains four tower-like structures coming from the side of the ship; these structures look like spikes coming off the ventral side of the ship. This structure appears where the 20 million tons of mineral ore would be stored. The bottom of the ship looks like a half of a circle coming off the belly of the ship. The wide shots show vastness and emptiness of space; this highlights the insignificance of seven crew members in a mostly empty ship.

Here is a picture of the ship Nostromo. You can clearly see the towers and the circular bases. Also that ring planet may be the first scene of the film, when the camera travel across a planet with rings.

Ships Interior

The set for the interior of the ship is designed with the intention of making the ship appear confined and empty and at the same time making it sovereign from the crew. The corridors of the ship are described as being octagonal shape, this hall is “neither spacious nor oppressive” (Mulhall 14). The following scenes of the confined corridors show the viewer the “many potential hiding places where the alien might later be lurking” (Thompson 287). The cockpit of the ship contains two chairs with two emergency helmets on them. These emergency helmets may be intended to alert the crew of an emergency. The helmets are placed on the chairs so that once the computer flicks on the message on the screen can reflect off of the emergency helmets’ face shields. This gives the illusion that the helmet and the ship’s computer, called Mother, are communicating. This sense shows the ships “ability to guide itself safely across interstellar distances in the complete absence of conscious human control” (Mulhall 15). Mother is located in a small room that only authorized individuals can enter. This room has a low ceiling and multiple computer monitors surrounding a chair: Most noticeably there are thousands of light bulbs and buttons all across the room that symbolize Mother’s ability to control the ship. The use of such a small secluded room for the vital purpose of communicating with Mother makes this place appear isolated from the rest of the ship and crew. This separation from the crew reinforces the idea that the crew’s and Mother’s goals are distinct, and their need for one another is unidirectional. The crew is seen as “useful creatures for the ship’s purpose,” that purpose being the transport of the alien creature on board (Mulhall 15).

Here is a picture of the corridors that are described as neither "spacious nor oppressive". And here this hall contains good light which can be said during the end of the film.

Birth: Alien and Crew and Mother

The scenes of the alien’s birth from inside Kane and the awaking of the crew from deep sleep contain contrasting mise en scène elements. The alien’s birth out of Kane is brutal. The emergence of the alien from within Kane is as forceful as he’s “rape” in the first place. This forceful exit leads to the ripping of Kane’s chest and his blood gushing everywhere. This scene brings closure to Kane’s nightmarish “sexual intercourse, pregnancy and birth” with the alien (Mulhall 20). In contrast, the crew awakens in a white room with seven pod-like structures that they emerge out of. Mulhall states that the “crew appears to be undergoing a kind of rebirth” just like the alien, who was once an egg (16). The crew has cords attached to them like umbilical cords in childbirth. This “technological womb” gives the sense that Mother is in a way giving birth to the crew by awaking them (Mulhall 16). Once the camera enters the room, the score is simple and subtle. However, once the pods start to open, the music increases as the covers of the pods raise. On the other hand, there was no music in the birth of the alien out of Kane.

Here you can see the scene that can be described as rebirth. you can see how they are almost naked. As those clear cases raises the music began to increase. Below is a clip of the "birth" of the alien, notice the contrast in the sterile and clean the crews birth is as compared to the alien.

.

Cast of Nobodies

None of the cast had major roles in films prior to the film Alien, so the audience had no familiarity or favoritism towards a character from the get-go. Therefore, according to Thompson, it was “quite ingenious, in that it avoids using any stars who would obviously be expected to survive to the end” (284). Distinctively, the main protagonist, Ripley, is described as being “largely ignored . . . or in the background in most shots” (Thompson 288). The overlook of the main protagonist is not seen in many films; for most films the protagonist is known from the beginning and is front and center for most of the events. This lack of dependence for a main protagonist is unique in that the audience does not focus directly on one character. Thus, almost all the characters have the viewer’s sympathy. He or she does not cheer for the survival of any particular individual as this perfect specimen, the alien, murders them.

As "nobodies" I mean none of the cast members was well know before the film and that allowed for the Scott to kill them off as he saw fit. Also the viewers didn’t have a favorite actor or actress going into the film back in then.

The Prefect Specimen

This alien’s body is designed well to reflect its parasitic reproduction and its monstrosity which according to Ash makes it the perfect specimen. Its design resembles a humanoid-like form in that it has four appendages and a head with an opening for its two mouths. This bipedal creature, which appears to be a “mutation or distortion of the human” form, is horrifying (Mulhall 18). The elongation of the alien’s head resembles a male reproductive organ. Thus, the second mouth, which is used to penetrate victims, can be seen as a tool of intercourse or, in this case, rape. Parasites have always haunted our imagination, and the alien’s mode of reproduction feeds on this fear. The alien reproduction process is as the follows:

In order to reproduce, it must insert a long, flexible member into the host’s body through one of that body’s orifices, and deposit a version of itself within its host’s torso where it develops to the point at which it must force itself out again. (Mulhall 20)

The symbolism of parasitism is vividly shown throughout the film. The scene before the alien bursts out of Kane shows the short time period in which the host and the alien parasite can coexist. Mulhall explains how any species can be viewed as a parasite:

This parasitism is an extreme manifestation of the relationship any species has with the broader system of nature: it signifies at once their vulnerability to predation by other species with which they must inhabit the natural realm, and their dependence upon their environment for sustenance. (Mulhall 19)

Besides its parasitic reproductive process, the idea of the alien being a perfect specimen and almost invincible is alarming. Once Ash informs the crew of the alien’s invincibility, a feeling of hopelessness and dread descends upon the crew and the film’s audience. This sense makes the rest of the film more terrifying due to the idea that the crew cannot conquer or reason with this creature that has no morals, but they must continue to flee from it.

You can see the elongated head and the projecting second mouth. Also it is a bipedal organism that looks to have a deformed human form.

Sexuality: Alien Style

Sexuality is another obvious theme in the film. Interestingly the film ends with a battle scene between a feminizing alien and the ignored female protagonist; whose male counterparts were both slain and feminized in the process. Mulhall suggest that it is “only to be expected that the heroic human protagonist of the drama that unfolds on board the Nostromo should turn out to be a woman rather than a man” (23). This makes scene in that a creature that feminizes humans cannot be conquered by a masculine male, in a way it seems like fighting fire with fire to some extent. Another example of sexuality is the scene in which Ash tries to shove a magazine down Ripley’s throat. There is a parallel between this scene and the general alien killing mechanism. The relationship is through the killing through intercourse. This scene is unique in that instead of using a projecting organ, like the alien’s second mouth, Ash uses a rolled up adult magazine. This scene once again shows the film’s infatuation with the mouth, and it is one of numerous shots that have a close focus on the alien’s or crew’s mouth.

Female Voice: Can a Woman Speak???

Another reoccurring theme in the film is suppression of the female voice. The lack of the female voice is surprising due to the fact the film was made during late climax of the second feminism movement. Strangely, the two female characters for the majority of the film are negated, ignored, or their dialogue is unnecessary. The majority of the dialogue for Lambert consists of what seems to be whining. In the first scene with the cast at the breakfast table, Lambert is complaining about the temperature of the ship and simply says “I am cold” (Scott). This in contrast to the role of the lowly engineers of the ship, in particular Parker, whose voice is present throughout the film. While in Ripley’s case, her voice is either ignored or totally disobeyed. This is obvious when Ash, Dallas and even Lambert disobey the “quarantine policy” and enter the ship without waiting the 24 hours dictated for quarantine. There are numerous cases in which Ripley and Lambert are ignored or their opinions are dismissed.

The Score is ON or Is It OFF

The score was done well and horrified the viewers even though at times it is silent. For example, the scenes that introduce the viewer to the alien contain no music. The scene when the face-hanger attacks Kane on the alien ship also has no music. Similarly, with the scene where the alien emerges out of Kane’s chest contains no music. These two scenes that introduce the viewer to the two different alien forms contain no music that would make the creature’s metamorphosis more frightening. On the contrary, the scenes of the ship in the beginning contain numerous tracks. From the eerie music in the first scene of the interior of the ship, to the subtle and suspenseful music that introduces us to the crew as they awake in the deep sleep room.

Alien vs Lambert vs Parker: The Score

The battle scene at the end of the film between the crew and alien contains a different score than the rest of the film. In the scene before Parker and Lambert are killed, you can hear the sound of the engines and hear every noise made when Lambert loads the cart with the supplies. Then the music begins to build as the aliens approach Lambert and Parker. As the alien approaches Lambert, you can begin to hear the weird sounds made by alien, resembling the alien breathing and a high pitched screech. Then the camera shifts to the back side of Lambert to show the alien facing her. As the music gets louder you can hear a constant trombone in the background until Parker intervenes by jumping on the alien. Once the alien tosses Parker aside and begins to attack him, the trombones become louder, and then you begin to hear flutes and drums forming some sort of symphony with numerous other instruments. The score in this scene is unique in that the music in the beginning is repetitive and methodically gets louder as the alien approaches its victims. During the attack, the music is loud and contains the bashing of drums that relates to the alien’s brutality. As it swings at Parker the music gets louder, as well as when the alien’s second mouth begins to open up and Ripley begins to run towards the alien. Once Parker is killed and the alien turns towards Lambert, the music is gone and all you hear is Lambert frantic screams and Ripley’s footsteps as she rushes towards her. The camera cuts away and focuses on Ripley running down corridors of the ships as Lambert continues to scream for the rest of the scene. Then the screams stop, as does Ripley and you begin to wonder where the alien has gone. The lack of music is an excellent choice as it emphasizes the brutal killing of Lambert without the visual. The silence also makes the audience wonder where the creature has vanished to. This gives the viewer the idea that the alien is once again lurking silently in the dark corners of the Nostromo.

Alien vs Lambert vs Parker: The Cinematography

There is a particular scene in which the cinematography does very well in enhancing the alien’s monstrosity without action. This is occurs during the death of Parker; this shot is an extreme close up of the alien’s mouth with saliva pouring down as the first mouth opens slowly to show the second mouth. Then it cuts to a side view of the alien’s mouth and shows the second mouth emerges. If you slow down the film you can see there is a less than 2 second cut back to a pink object, which is supposed to be Parker’s body, in which the second mouth projects out and tears into it. This brief cut that lasts no more than a few seconds allows the director to kill Parker without the use of special effects that may not have been possible at that time. It still shows the alien violently killing Parker, without leaving it to the imagination of the viewer as in the death of Dallas and Lambert.

Alien vs Brett: While Jones Observes

Another scene where cinematography could not have been done better is in the death of Brett. In this scene there is a cut to an extreme close up on Jones’, the cat, face as Brett is attacked. In one shot all you can see is the cat’s face that has the light focused on it with darkness surrounding it. Here you can see the cat’s facial expression vividly while Brett gets killed, and you can see the horror in Jones’s eyes. This scene shows even Jones, who isn’t aware of the situation, is terrified of this creature’s monstrosity. This scene that shows how frightened the cat is, which in turn scares the audience

This picture sums up the film and the audience’s facial expression. You can see the utter horror in the cats face and eye. That is just a perfect shot.

Conclusion

Even though it is a horror film, Alien gives viewers a symbolic look at society. For example, the lack of the female voice, even with the main protagonist being a female, shows sexism is still a problem in our society. The contrast between this film and all other horror films afterward is the building of suspense and the lack of a “whammy” every 10 minutes. This is done with the help of foggy scenes and eerie music without the presence of the alien creature itself. We are shown this in the beginning of the film, with the camera travelling across the corridors of the ship in slow motion with eerie music. The purpose for this is to get the audience into the mentality that this is a science fiction horror film, especially since no alien/extraterrestrial being is shown until the alien eggs appear, 35 minutes into the film. Mulhall explains that “the slow, calm, controlled movements of the camera have established the basic rhythm of the direction- unhurried but supremely confident that what we will eventually be shown will be worthy of our investment of interest” (15). By the end, I felt that the cinematography, lighting and the mise en scéne made the film more horrifying than the alien itself, especially with the few actual violent scenes in the film.