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Select media
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Stills must not be reproduced, copied or downloaded in any way.
Film details
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Featuring
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Director
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Countries
United Kingdom USA
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Year
1979
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Genres
Horror Science Fiction
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Type
Film
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Category
Fiction
Alternative titles
- Alien: The Director's Cut Alternative
Introduction
“Fans of Hitchcockian thrillers like it because it’s moody and dark. Gorehounds like it for the chest-burster. Men love the battle-for-survival element, and women love not being cast as the helpless victim.”
David McIntee, Beautiful Monsters, 2005
A synopsis suggests little difference between Alien and a Fifties B-movie like It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958): both films are about a spaceship crew being terrorised by a murderous and largely unseen alien presence. But Alien’s genius lies in its visual and conceptual design, which impressed its backers enough to double the production budget, a decision that paid off in spades.
The film brought an unprecedented level of realism to the science fiction genre, while its graphically sexual imagery (much of it originating from the mind of Swiss artist H.R. Giger) fuelled PhD theses galore: the notorious ‘chest-burster’ set-piece as a bizarre allegory of childbirth for example.
At the time, none of the impressive cast could fairly be described as a star (the two Britons, John Hurt and Ian Holm, were closest, but Sigourney Weaver was then totally unknown), and this added to the suspense: anyone could be picked off at any time.
Alien spawned several direct sequels and countless rip-offs: Leviathan (1982), Event Horizon (1997) and Pitch Black (2000) are among the better ones, while John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) clearly shows its influence.
Cast & Credits
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Cast
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Captain Dallas
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Ripley
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Lambert
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Brett
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Kane
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Ash
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Parker
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'Alien'
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voice of 'Mother'
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Credits
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Direction:
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Directed by
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Assistant Director (1st)
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Assistant Director
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Assistant Director
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Assistant to Director
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Trainee Assistant Director
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Continuity
Production:
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©
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Production Company
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Made by
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Executive Producer
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Produced by
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Produced by
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Produced by
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Associate Producer
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Production Executive
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Production Manager
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Production Accountant
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Production Assistant
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Assistant to Producers
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Assistant to Producers
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Studio
Casting:
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Casting (USA)
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Casting (UK)
Writing:
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Screenplay by
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[Screenplay]
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[Screenplay]
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Story by
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Story by
Photography:
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Director of Photography
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Director of Photography (Miniature Effs)
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Operator (Miniature Effects)
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Camera Focus
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Camera Focus
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Focus (Miniature Effects)
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Lighting Gaffer
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Key Grip
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Key Grip (Miniature Effects)
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Electronics/Video Co-ordinator
Stills:
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Stills
Special Effects:
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Matte Artist
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Special Effects (Supervisor)
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Special Effects (Supervisor)
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Special Effects (Technician)
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Special Effects (Technician)
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Special Effects (Technician)
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Special Effects (Technician)
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Special Effects (Technician)
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Special Effects (Technician)
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'Alien' Design
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Small 'Alien' Forms Co-designed/Made by
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'Alien' Head Effects Created by
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'Alien' Effects Co-ordinator
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Additional 'Alien' Mechanics
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Additional 'Alien' Mechanics
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Floor Effects Supervisor
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Supervising Model Maker
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Supervising Model Maker
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Supervising Modeller
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Modeller
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Modeller
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Modeller
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Special Graphic Effects by
Editing:
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Film Editor
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Film Editor
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1st Assistant Editor
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Assistant Film Editor
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Assistant Film Editor
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Assistant Film Editor
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Assistant Film Editor
Design:
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Production Designer
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Visual Design Consultant
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Art Director
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Art Director
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Assistant Art Director
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Assistant Art Director
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Set Decorator
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Concept Artist
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Concept Artist
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Concept Artist
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[Sculptor]
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Property Master
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Production Buyer
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Head Carpenter
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Head Plasterer
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Head Painter
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Construction Manager
Costumes:
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Costume Designer
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Wardrobe Supervisor
Make-up:
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Make-up Supervisor
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Make-up
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Hairdresser
Titles:
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Title Design
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Title Design
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Title Design
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Titles
Music:
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Music by
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[Music] Conducted by
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Music Editor
Sound:
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Production Sound Mixer
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Re-recording Mixer
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Dolby Sound Consultant
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Re-recording Assistant
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Sound Editor
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Dialogue Editor
Stunts:
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Stunt Co-ordinator
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Stunt Work
Consultant:
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'Jones' Trained by
Publicity:
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Advertising/Publicity Consultant
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Advertising/Publicity Consultant
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Unit Publicist
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