eventually ease into letters to greet us into the futuristic sci-fi horror movie. Mulhall goes into great detail describing the beginning of Ridley Scott’s film. It absolutely caught my eye when a flower looking device holding the members of the crew began to open and they started to stir. White room, white device, white (minimum amount of) clothing, hooked to the ship through white monitor pads; this is not something you see everyday. Very early on you are able to grasp the feel of this 1979 film. “The slow, calm, controlled movements of the camera have established the basic rhythm of the direction of unhurried but supremely confident that what we will eventually be shown will be worthy of our investment of interest” (Mulhall 15).
The crew is in process of returning to Earth. We are shown the inside and outside of the massive ship, Nostromo, and are told that there are seven crew members. Little do we know at that point that one of the members is actually an android, and things are even more so complicated when another species finds its way onto the ship to take charge. There are many instances where the mise en scene adds to the dramatic feel to the movie. The tight framing of crew members, the forever fog on the planet landed on, the sounds of the oxygen tanks, and the dark lighting, all add to the element of suspense.
Mulhall describes that, “The alien’s monstrosity derives further specificity from the fact that its mode of reproduction is parasitic” (19). While viewing the film the implications and meaning of such reproduction did not hit me. The alien attaches itself to Kane who then “undergoes a nightmare vision of sexual intercourse, pregnancy and birth” (20). This is depicted once again when Ripley and Ash have their scuffle. Ash tries to force a magazine down her throat in efforts to mimic the alien which he so admires.
AMC’s filmsite describes the alien by saying, “Freudian and sexually-charged symbolism and images abound - the beastly adult creature has both a phallic head and an open, dripping vaginal mouth” (American Movie Classics Company). The mouth symbolizes “different threats for men and women, in nature and in depth, such as the threat of castration and that of an infant’s limitless demands on its mother” (21). I think Scott had a very unique and innovative way of showing these fears. It’s interesting to see the way the film is pulled apart and the interpretations taken from it. I suggest looking at the AMC website for another way of looking at the meaning and summary of the film.
AMC filmsite. American Movie Classics Company, 2009. Web. 1 February 2010.
Mulhall, Stephen. “Kane's Son, Cain's Daughter.” On Film. London: Routledge, 2002. 12-32.
Print.
Scott, Ridley, dir. Alien. 1979. Twentieth Century Fox, 2009.
I really like how you got a different source other than Mulhall and Thompson when you wrote this post. The quote you gave is something that we didn't discuss in class and provides another way of looking at the alien as being both male and female. Sometimes I got confused by your in-text citations. Especially on your last quote, where you only provided the page number, but the quote follows the AMC quote. Other than that, good job!
ReplyDeleteI like your description of the films opening. The white flower like pod seems to symbolize purity and the preciousness of life, and if to place the passenger of the ship into a heavenly atmosphere, that is above all...Well at least until the Alien appears, who then begins to reap the lives of the crew.
ReplyDeleteThe scene in which the crew come out of deep space can be a symbolism of birth from a womb like structure. Along with the monitoring cords which look like some sort of placenta that connects the crew with Mother. This scene of birth which is clean and sterile is vastly different than that of the Alien. The aliens birth inside Kane is bloody and brutal which is the extreme opposite of the crew's birth.
ReplyDeleteThanks for including the URL to the outside website. I think it is a good idea to include further interpretations of the film. I loved the photos you included in this blog post because I thought they did an excellent job reinforcing your main points. In the first paragraph when you talk about all the white used by the director, maybe you could have elaborated on why you thought he used that technique. I wanted to know why! I also liked the quote you used about Kane's experience being a "...nightmare vision of sexual intercourse, pregnancy and birth". This is an interesting way for an alien to prey on humans and I think the director had a truly unique idea when he created this film. Thanks for the insight!
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