Ridley Scott and Sigouney Weaver went to the performance, so cool, didn't know any of that! Also glad a new generation is appreciating the masterpiece in a fantastic way to stage a terrific play.
2:09 - THAT actually was NOT something so unique to THIS movie. MANY low-budget horror films and even some war movies from the same era as this flick, or even older than it, used THAT particular technique - of using AUTHENTIC ORGANIC materials, acquired from either a butcher shop or slaughterhouse, for gore effects.
Well holy shit, I hadn't heard about the religious zealots' vandalism of the space jockey! And that high school production was damn cool. Well done, WC.
I'm like that with the Exorcist, there's another documentary out soon, I know there is nothing I don't know about that film, but I'll watch it. Meanwhile I'm not really an Alien fanatic so I will enjoy this
I love the fact that the alien only has 4 mins of screen time across the whole film. Leaves much more to the imagination and only adds to the horror imo.
Exactly Jason Riordan,much like the shark in Jaws...sometimes not seeing the monster enhances the fear factor...this take usually works best when the story & character development is strong & the monster/creature design and effects are great,instead of being crappy & hidden to mask that fact.
I'm genuinely pissed that the space jockey prop was destroyed at the film's premiere. It was a striking piece of original work by H.R. Giger, and now an important part of motion picture history
@funkmasterjee Nationality is a delusion..humans are this stupid in every corner of the world... and when the time comes, they will be in any corner of the universe as well...
@funkmasterjee Theres this place called the Middle East, made up entirely of religious extremists that do way more horrible shit than burning a movie prop. Honor killings of their own children come to mind, and the funding of terrorist cells that revolve around murdering people of other cultures.
I remember hearing of who destroyed the prop, and being completely disgusted that morons like that should consider doing such a thing. If you don't like it - stay away. It's nothing to do with you. I don't have any time for religion - any religion. At no point in my life have I thought: 'I don't like that. I know, I'll burn down a church.'
@ItsStillRealToMe DamnIt exactly, sometimes, those religious fanatics and morons are worse than dictators. If decision is to me, i would ban all public religious "preaching", because some of them are like nazi or racist. I would put them in special places to "preach", and with permission.
When I saw Alien playing at the local theater, I was in the military, and due to military training, stress, and that overall feeling of invincibility that teenagers have, hadn't slept in over 72 hours. I decided to check it out before heading back to the barracks for some sleep. So let me add fun fact 26: If you have no idea what Alien is about, don't go see it when you are exhausted to the point that you are already seeing flashes of things out of the corner of your eye! I swear I was seeing that thing around every corner for a week! :)
It would probably be almost impossible now, sadly. Phones in every pockets with cameras, it would take some very strict security for somebody to not be able to sneak a picture, assuming of course that they even bothered to try rather than reveal everything in the first trailer.
My favorite bit of trivia is one you didn't mention and I only recently found out. One of the creators, Dan O'Bannon, was inspired to create the chestburster by his agony in dealing with Crohn's Disease. As a fellow Chronie - I can certainly understand how he came to that conclusion.
I'm also a Crohnie and came to the comments to say this. I learned about this several years ago but many years after being diagnosed. I thought it was a bit ironic given that I described the pain of Crohn's as "feeling like something is trying to claw its way out of me," long before I knew it was the inspiration for the chest burster scene.
I'm sorry for your difficulties. I have so much more admiration now for a creative who can transform his pain into Art. Be well folks, I wish you all the best.
4 года назад
Was I the only one who's eyes popped then couldn't stop smiling at that last fact? Mr. Scott sounds like a really cool guy, to embrace/accept what what the students did then encourage them to refine it instead of trying to barrage the school with lawsuits. That genuinely made me smile and mutter 'oh cool! That's super nice!' :D
2:09 - THAT actually was NOT something so unique to THIS movie. MANY low-budget horror films and even some war movies from the same era as this flick, or even older than it, used THAT particular technique - of using AUTHENTIC ORGANIC materials, acquired from either a butcher shop or slaughterhouse, for gore effects.
I dont mean to be so offtopic but does anyone know of a trick to get back into an instagram account? I somehow forgot the password. I would love any help you can give me!
@@Oxygenep12 It was an American high School. In the USA Alien is R rated, ie Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian but under 17s can still see it.
@@Oxygenep12 Greg Breden is correct, but adding to it: it was unlikely any of those kids would have seen it in a theater anyway. You can find literally any movie online for free (legally or not). So they either saw it that way, or watched their parents' DVDs or Blu rays of the movie. Or even on Amazon or Netflix.
That last fact, that uber cool. Not only did Ripley actually attend the high school play but they got money from Riddly Scott himself. That is a story they will never forget and tell over and over again, huh??
I remember hearing about that play last year in the news. It got such huge reviews that once funded by Scott they ran it again for the next couple of weekends. There was talk about some big NYC theatre offering to host them on their stage to run it there, too.
I'm surprised the movie studio didn't try to sue them for some sort of copyright breach, or at the very least charge the producers a tonne of money for the rights. Good on Riddly Scott for supporting what were genuine fans.
To Ash, one more detail that I know of is the escape vessel near the end of the movie there is a screen that says 'purge'. That same video screen that says 'purge' is also ised in Bladerunner 1981.
And now for another bonus fact: The alien was supposed to act more animalistic and rabid, adding to it's aura as an unpredictable creature. But Bolaji Badejo had the idea to make the movements slow and measured, adding a sense of not just eeriness to the alien, but malice and sinister intent to it's actions.
to me the xenos acting ultra aggressive and rabid in covenant is exactly what I hated about them. I think fincher managed a good middle ground in 3 tbh
I was 8 years old, flying on a plane from Hawaii to California when I saw this for the first time in the 70's. Thankfully they don't show R movies on a drop-down movie screen in planes anymore... or let people smoke cigarettes.
The production design, the serious, gritty acting style, the portrayal of reluctant, grumbling, working class crew (as opposed to the dashing heroism of Star Wars), the incredibly detailed and claustrophobic sets, as well as the genuinely "alien" style of Giger's monster and derelict/Space Jockey, were startling enough, before we even get to the gruesome life-cycle of the creature: Horrific, yet plausible. And to think it nearly became a B Grade Roger Corman movie!
@@martinharris5017 Roger Gorman! Nooooooooooooo! That there is 1 good reason for thanking the fact that Ridley Scott exists - aside from any other reasons you can mention. xxx
So do I, so does anyone who cares for the first 4 films. Or films in general. Prometheus was disjointed garbage that tried to kill the majestic mystery of the Space Jockey, and Covenant was more garbage. I honestly don’t understand people who try to cheapen and destroy their legacy. Doesn’t Sir Ridley have enough money? What, does he need a bigger gravestone?
@@gordondavis6168 That's bullshit. 4 is almost as crap as 3. That's why the proposed Bloomcamp sequel was to pick up after Aliens with Newt and Hicks still alive, therefore blowing 3 and 4 out of the god-damn canon airlock. I guess Prometheus and Covenant were just too artsy for the action fans. Both prequels have serious issues but both are far superior attempts at smart film making than 3 or 4. I would rate them in this order. Alien,Aliens,Covenant,Prometheus,Resurrection,3.. If Ridley had continued the franchise to begin with and not Cameron, it would have headed straight towards the direction Covenants heading. It's a far more interesting story than continuing with the action angle. But, that's just my opinion.
@@user-ig3vb4gx8g I don't get the hate. I just don't get it. Sure the prequels have issues but the general story is far more interesting than the rubbish of 3 and 4..
Interesting video. This is my all-time favorite movie series. So many awesome and really memorable moments. I hope we will see more Alien movies and video games in the nearest future
I was lucky enough (thank you Brian) to see Alien at it's Canadian Premiere press screening in Toronto. No poster, a small printed cast list handout and buttons with a starfield background which read "You are my lucky star" were the only clues of what would follow in the theatre. The press screening took place on the anniversary of the release of Star Wars, and because there was no information provided about the movie, we all expected a spiritual successor to what is now known as A New Hope. None of us knew we were about to see a horror movie.
I still remember seeing the start of the film for the very first time with the green shaded space and the white lines forming at the top of the screen- the suspense & the not knowing what was coming next. As a space loving 10 year old I liked dark stars wield alien but this was on a whole new level. I think kids today missed out on filming evolution and they don't make them like this any more. 1 was the best!!! Some films can never be made again. " Except for the time machine & the first men in the moon " 🚀👽❤️
After years of dealing with the big studios and the 'commercial' side of moviemaking, Ridley probably understands better than anyone the dangers of losing control over one's creations.
@@NotMorganFreeman. Excellent point! BTW, doesn't a corporation qualify as 'evil' if they not only steal and 're-merchandise' ageless fairy tales and the imaginings of childhood (Snow White, Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, etc.)... but then they also go and 'colonize' the popular terrain of the adult imagination as well?!
Alien, Jaws, iconic monster movies who understood that the imagination can produce more terror than the actual confrontation with the monster. Masterful! I saw this in theaters with my mother when it came out and I have loved it ever since.
One of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. I don't even think Scott could make it that way again, because much of the mood, pace, and lighting of the film would be lost with modern special effects and people don't care for a slower pace film, which allowed for character development. Though, Alien Covenent wasn't bad, its just that Alien and Aliens were so good that nothing can live up to them.
I was just a bit too young to see Alien when it first came out, but I can still remember the photographs of audience members being absolutely terrified that appeared in the newspapers of the time. Again, it proves that what you don't see is more terrifying than what you do. xxx
I know Scott has settled on the idea that the Alien hid in the Narcissus just to die, but in the director's cut and theatrical cut, the Alien studies Jones in his container; this has always puzzled me. It's as if the Alien knew Ripley was coming back for Jones, as if the human quota that it took from its host gave it a vague sense that Ripley would come back to the shuttle, and that the shuttle was the place to be when all the warning sirens blared. Even when it's casually examining Ripley from it's nook without attacking, this looks like it's unhurried certainty that Ripley has no place else to run to. Despite Scotts statement, there is nothing in his directorial decisions that indicates that the Alien is dying, that it just chose the shuttle to do so -- I think this idea is an afterthought on Scott's part, just like his disappointing take on what the space-jockey ACTUALLY was, and it's certainly NOT in any version of the script to my knowledge. Neither does Alan Dean Foster's fleshing-out of the script into novel indicate such. C'MON Ridley, YOUR Alien was depicted as a stealthy CUNNING beast, and NOT one of Cameron's mindless BUGS !!!
I think the chest burster scene was the best! Especially considering the fact that the cast had no idea what was going to happen and therefor had genuine expressions of fear, terror and disgust
I don't think it was getting ready to die in that final scene, but that it was about to transform from a drone into a warrior. I'm a wicked Alien/Predator geek. ; )
The movie plays heavily on the fear of sex and rape (in particular the "impregnation" of Kane, and the death of Lambert) so I could see how this idea could have be considered.
Atheist Orphan I was about 8 years old in Scottsdale, Arizona. I wanted so much to see Aliens, but my very British Grandmama forbade it. As a result, I now own the CD collection and happily share with my young nephews to this day. After all, the series is an classic! All the best to you.
Hello Katt. I wanted to be Princess Leia when I grew up, (I miss Carrie Fisher so much) then I met Ellen Ripley! Because of those strong female characters, I grew up never doubting that girls could be heroes.
I'm a HUGE Alien fan. Saw it in its original release with my mum and friends. THIS list, is a great one, and there are some things on here that even I didn't know, so, Kudos Ash and co.!
there are 2 screens in blade runner and alien that are shared.... the graphic when the nostromo breaks away from the mining rig is used in the flying car in blade runner, and the purge screen shown when Ripley escapes the Nostromo in the Narcissus is also shown in the flying car again in bladerunner
- It's revealed in the inquest scene at the start of Aliens that Lambert is actually transgender (male to female) in her crew bio. - There's an ongoing debate what Parker's last words are - In another screen test with Sigourney Weaver, Ripley and Dallas were having an affair which explains why they bicker and also why Dallas rushes to protect Ripley from the dead facehugger in the infirmary. - Those are Ridley Scott's hands as the facehugger inside the egg. - Those are Harry Dean Stanton's legs in the scene where the aliens tail starts going behind Lamberts legs. - They built a swing for the guy who played the alien as the tail prevented him from sitting down properly. - When Dan O'Bannon met HR Giger, Giger offered him some Opium. When O'Bannon asked why he takes Opium, Giger replied that his drawings scare him. O'Bannon looked through Giger's portfolio/Necronomicon, and understood completely.
@@PopeyeBjj86 Aliens (1986) in the inquest scene at around 10 minutes into the film, the camera is on Ripley as she says "because I threw it out of the g**mned airlock!" - behind her shoulder shows Lambert's "mother" file on the tv screen, listing "gender: female (unnatural)"
Fucking alt-right morons have to politicise everything. Some things are just things and aren't designed specifically to offend your fragile sensibilities.
Some of the facts I got from the documentary Star Beast: The Making of Alien, and the Alien Theory channel on RU-vid. Honestly, I'd love to see a movie based on the making of Alien from O'Bannon's perspective.
The OP is just stating a fact, and does so nicely, without arrogance or smarm. He is not being nasty, rude or demeaning in any way I am sure that if someone mispronounced the name of someone you admire, etc. you would comment too. I am sure all Artists, whatever form their art takes, appreciates having their name pronounced correctly, so give the guy a break!
Hey- I didn’t see your comment, so I commented a correction, too. Yours sounds so much friendlier than how mine came across- I probably sounded like a jerk- but thanks for pointing it out, as well.
Adam Savage took a tour of their prop room. It has a huge Millennium Falcon made from literal junk and an 8 foot tall Hulk. The guy said they made them just to see if they could. I think it's on the Tested profile and it's pretty amazing.
I saw Aliens first. They had on show all the 3 parts back then, with a week delay in between. I couldn't watch the first one, cause my mom didn't let me, but she fall asleep early when the second one was on tv. Hell, I fall in love with the whole thing from the first second.
Being an acolyte of this film, I of course knew most of this. But a couple of these I didn't (the destroyed cockpit jockey, the high school revival). And it's great to see so many other acolytes. I need stuff like that. Thanks, WC.
Alejandro Jodorowsky's DUNE the most famous movie never made brought together a crazy cast that never met (Mick Jagger, Orson Welles, Salvador Dali, David Carradine), top progressive rock bands for a soundtrack never made, but it did bring together a creative crew that went onto the next big project ALIEN including Moebius, HR Giger and Dan O'Bannon.
I seen this Alien when I was 16 years old. Slipped in when nobody was looking. I had nightmares for months afterwards. It was the 2nd scary movie I’d seen up to that point. The 1st being Exorcist when I was 7 years old. My uncle took me, my brother, and 3 of my cousins. That movie scared the Hell outta me!!
@@Baalenciaga666 lol. oh I know and agree. I'm a huge Giger fan. His architecture and sculpting prowess was unmatched. If it weren't for him, Alien wouldn't exist. Or that reason for sexy biomechanicals. I just think his airbrush technique was something specific and special. I love Dali too. That man wore a whole diving suit to his own gallery show. And made me stare at that painting of the eye above a desert for far too long. Strange men but worth the price of admission.
Just wanted say, I think this one of your best video. Also, Ridely later said that not showing the Alien’s movements showed its speed by having appear suddenly.
I was a little boy when this came out and my family went to see the drive-in double feture with Alien being on 2nd... Needless to say I fell asleep very shortly after it started (slow start = boring to kids), of course after seeing it years later it became one of my all time favorites!
Alien is getting bought out by Disney so it's seen a jump in Popularity . I'm not complaining, Disney actually does well but this is new territory for them so I'm kind of worried but I'm hopeful it'll work out
Did you know that Dan O’Bannon had Crohn’s disease was the inspiration for the 1979 science fiction horror film alien the iconic film put filmmaker Ridley Scott on the map and was an international blockbuster hit he came up with the chest bursting xzenomorp as he was trying to describe how painful Crohn's disease is
Ridley Scott donates to a school faithfully recreating much of the movie as a play and the actors actually support and attend it. Meanwhile; CBS shuts down the amazing Stage 9 project, a fan driven fully interactive 3D recreation of the Enterprise D.
I had heard about the 'special effects' long before seeing the film. I was watching a father, sons, and friends two rows in front who didn't know the scenes. They were frightened repeatedly, deeply frightened. The kids were pre-teens and should NOT have seen the film. There was considerable trouser soiling, even the Dad. And me? Yeah, I knew what was going to happen but it was still the most terrifying movie I've ever seen.
No mention of the 2 scenes from the novelization that didn't appear in the film? One scene was the crew discovering the ship's pantry raided by the Alien. Showing it too needs to eat, it didn't grow from larvae to full-grown Xeno out of nothing. Second scene was the crew accidentally finding the Xeno in an airlock, looking out a window. They were going to flush it out, but the traitor Ash sounded an alarm, spooking the Xeno. Bonus: in the computer core where Ripley was trying to get answers. She directly asked Mother "Is Ash protecting the Alien?" Mother answers "Yes."
Actually I did know all these facts, but then I'm an obsessive fan of the movie! Two corrections: It was Scott who pushed for the Space Jockey prop, not Cobb. And originally, O'Bannon had an all male crew in the screenplay but there was a caveat that he was willing to change one character to female to allow for a Hollywood romance addition. It was Walter Hill and David Giler, who reworked the script, that made it more "inclusive" as well as changing all the character names and adding the Ash robot. Still, good list and very informative and I agree about the film's importance and influence. Also vital is that the film only came about because of the collapse of Jodorowsky's Dune project: O'Bannon and all the production artists that subsequently worked on Alien first got together to work on Dune.
Something many may not know is that ALIEN was in many ways a re-make of a 1958 film called IT: THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE. The alien sneaks aboard the ship while it is landed, moves about in the air vents of the space ship, and is finally destroyed by being sucked out of the ship by the vacuum of space.
Recently watched this series for the 1st time. I am obsessed. Watched the extended cuts, and rewatched every single one a few weeks later. For some reason, my parents thought it was ok for me to see arnold schwarzeneggar's private parts on the big screen at 8 yrs old, watch people being brutally murdered and have their faces ripped off by serial killers, watch the predator gut and skin people... but NOT the scary alien that operates mostly on terror, not gore. That being said, though, i understand why they think it was so scary. This movie is still horrifying, and very believable to this day. Also, having grown up with a father who is both a hardware and software engineer, seeing the 70s take on advanced tech is so cool! I love old tech.
2:06 cameo of Dan O’Bannon (and the subplot of DARK STAR that led to the creation of ALIEN) 9:33 can we get a hearty heigh ho “Chest Manmeat” with those names? 14:00 I love that shot... I wish outtake shots like this were released in HD as an extra feature on the Blu-ray
Great job, I consider myself a fan of the series, but barely knew any of the things on this list! Mind going ahead and making similar lists for the sequels...? ;) Well done overall!
Just found out the two of my relatives have never seen Alien (the most important sci-fi/horror film of all time imho) Guess what they're getting for Christmas
If we wanna talk about sci-fi horror, I still personally believe that 2001 A Space Odyssey is king. It’s not the typical gore/blood/scary horror that we’re use to but a more personal, dark existential horror that I feel is more relatable to our the human psyche. But Alien was great. The production value alone didn’t make it seem like a movie from the late 70’s.
There is an explicit link between Aliens and Blade Runner, but can only be seen in higher resolution versions. When Ripley is being debriefed by the WY assholes, there is the screen behind her showing the dead crew. I think it was int the captains notes, but one of them is a former Tyrell Corp employee.
I read that Harrison Ford turned down the role of Dallas on the advice of friends and maybe his agent, who thought he could better parlay his good guy image from "Star Wars" into getting better scripts. It was hard to fault him as the science fiction-horror genre in the 1970's (and, indeed, into the early 80's) was hit-and-miss at best. However, when "Alien" became a blockbuster hit, Ford didn't let Ridley Scott's door knock get to a second rap, jumping on board "Blade Runner" like Indiana Jones on a priceless trinket.
