Check out my other vids on the Alien franchise too. There are lots of them ... 10 subliminal tricks in ALIEN ISOLATION (game analysis) ua-cam.com/video/YVMhZtQCVL0/v-deo.html ALIEN - creature design - a visual analysis ua-cam.com/video/Y274MAueDdY/v-deo.html ALIEN - symbolism of the space jockey / dead pilot ua-cam.com/video/dLXfJGYhzq8/v-deo.html ALIEN - the corporate monster ua-cam.com/video/_7fn-QRVqe4/v-deo.html PROMETHEUS - alien fetus removal / cesarean (scene analysis) ua-cam.com/video/f9pjji5nwdo/v-deo.html 10 reasons Jim Cameron's ALIENS is the best feminism movie ever made ua-cam.com/video/DYk_NTdEXFg/v-deo.html Plus the following are available as downloads on my website ALIEN - Hypnotic by Design (2 hrs) ALIEN - The machinery of existence (90 min) Greatest Screen Villains - Ash in ALIEN (36 min) Chestburster scene analysis (27 min) Greatest screen heroes: The journey of Ellen Ripley in ALIEN & ALIENS (2hrs)
“Two decades have past since Sil, a beautiful human/alien hybrid created in the mid-1990's by U.S. Government Scientists, escaped from her creators, grew up really fast, and began a killing spree of trying to find perfect human men who she could have sex without them having any knowledge of what she truly was, helping her to produce her own species and wiping out humanity in the process. Sil's race has now destroyed the last living human beings known to exist, and after proclaiming victory over humanity and taking our world for themselves, a new threat for Sil and her kind has arresion. An Alien spacecraft [belonging to the Predators from the Predator films] has crash landed on earth, and Alien creatures [Xenomorph's] have survived, escaped the vessel, and are now going around killing Sil's own race whilst they try to free the most important Xenomorph of them all from the ship's cargo hold - an Alien Queen !!. Sil and her kind have killed off humanity and taken the earth for themselves, now it's time for them to face a new enemy who has acid for blood, and who now want's to destroy Sil and her race and take over the earth for themselves . . . ALIEN VS SPECIES”-DeviantArt User
Love these videos. Speaking of subliminal images. The shape of spaceship (the juggernaut) is actually very similar to the shape of the ancient man made hills of Knewgrange and Knownth (in Ireland and Scotland) that are referred to as the "Stonehenge" of their countries. Also on the inside of these historical sites there are rocks with ancient symbols hidden in plain site carved into the backs of the rocks. Literally occult (hidden) symbols that are said to be included in 1/8th of the artwork of the 17th and 18th centuries of western European art. Also the inside of the Alien set designs were literally made of cow bones. Which, could very likely be a reference to the gelatin that made up film and printed picture's. I only know this because i used to deliver food to a company that processed gelatin for Kodack and it smelled throughout the downtown area. One day someone told me all film was made of the gelatin from dead cow 🍖 bones, explaining the awful smell. This movie is filled with interesting details/ ideas.
The sound is another huge virtue of this film. The emergency sirens going off at the end mixed with the visuals and strobe light effects seem like they're specifically designed to elevate the viewer's heart rate. Amazing damn movie!!
The design of the Nostromo interiors are so effective than when the movie starts it already feels like the alien is hiding on board before they even land on the planetoid.
Alien is one of those movies where everytime i see a part of it i'm just awestruck at how beautiful it looks. Everything from the sets to the lighting to the creatures to the graphicdesign of the logo. Classy in all its simple industrial glory.
I never appreciated the subliminal imagery and audio of this film until now. The teeth imagery within the cinematography is especially subtle, I never noticed consciously... in retrospect I think it was effective at making me feel the ominous threatening presence of the Alien. Loved your stuff on 2001 A Space Odyssey and I'm looking forward to seeing more on Alien. Thanks.
I just realized how much the Nostromo reminds me of old tramp freighter ships I've been on; not the huge modern container ships, but the small bulk cargo carriers that travel the north Pacific rim. The only real comfortable space on the ship is the galley. Everything else, even the bunks and head, is strictly functional. Lots of marginally lit lockers and passages with stuff stowed basically everywhere. This makes sense to me as the Nostromo is way closer to being an interstellar USS Cyclops than a nuclear supercarrier.
Some of the sets were also heavily inspired by submarines, almost copied, in fact (mainly the corridors of the lower decks, where the tech crew works).
Since 1984, i have viewed ALIEN (1979) well over 200+ times. I have the scenes committed to my memory. I am lucky to possess Ron Cobb's book " Colorvision ", H.R. Giger's " ALIEN " book, the ALIEN graphic film novel, and the official ALIEN comic book. I have long felt, the Nostromo spacecraft is the 10th character in the film. It's actually the main character, it's also the very first character we are introduced visually to this story and film. For all of the times i watched the air shaft scenes with Dallas, the silver set pieces that he stands in the middle of, it never clicked in my mind that they could lend themselves over visually to the alien's steely looking teeth. I did feel the opening credit lettering absolutely represented teeth to me. I too thought the alien egg in the film poster, looked like a moon that had cracked. Such an iconic 1970s image to me. I am hoping against hope, that someday, a proper full edit of this seminal film will include the following scenes: The BEAUTIFUL circular tracking shot of the dining module area just after the crew exits their sleep pods. It shows just how DETAILED that area is. The original alien signal scene. The original sound design for that particular scene is so compelling to me. I feel that STRANGE sound perfectly embodies HR Giger's surreal aesthetic. The scene were the alien has his arm severed inside one of the airlocks. Though i forget if that scene was actually ever filmed(?) The alien "crab walking" towards Lambert. At least i can dream right. I'm looking forward to your next ALIEN film analysis. It's a film that just keeps giving, even 4 decades later. Simply BRILLIANT film art. Thee BEST.
" I admire its purity. A survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality. I can't lie to you about your chances, but, you have my sympathies. " - Ash
@Sanity Is Freedom It was in the 2003 Director's cut. However, for whatever reasons, Ridley chose to replace the original audio edit of that scene, with a newer sound design. It can barely be heard. Compared to the original sound, It's such a BASIC/BORING choice. Another WTF editing decision from Scott.
Alien is the greatest visual film of all time. The way Ridley uses the setting to convey the films unsettling thematic sexual undertones and the sterile, cold, vast and yet claustrophobic environment of the ship to the unnerving of the crew that inhabits the ship is unique in its level of depth and attention to detail. The ship is very much an amalgamation of the creature and works to unnerve the viewer, actors that worked in that space and the characters that are trapped within. 40 years of technological advancement cannot make a movie as technically brilliant, viscera and innovative as Alien was.
I think Ridley Scott was determined to make a classic from day one. If you hire artists like Jean "Moebius" Giraud and H R Giger, you are leaving nothing to chance.
He didn't hire Moebius though, did he? I know he took huge inspiration from his Heavy Metal comics, but he didn't work on the film. As for Cobb and Giger, that was O Bannon's idea. He had just worked with them on the failed Dune project
@@davidlean1060 I agree. Cobb and Giger were O Bannon's idea. He even paid for the design concepts out of his own pocket as the studio refused to use either artists for the movie's development.
Rob.. Overanalysis is your best strong suit, I love it! I think you're right about it every time making a very constructive argument for them and it's the BEST thing about you and your videos. I wish the world had not ended I'd buy them all!
What an interesting and scholastic take on sound, sound design, and also gaze framing. I can't unsee the external small Ripley shot surrounded by massive teeth now!😃 Great work.
One of the most clever sound design details in the Alien Isolation game is a small area located off a server farm. You can get to it for some extra supplies by solving a puzzle with the systems nearby. Inside; it’s completely silent until you walk into a corner with a useful storage cubby. As you face the cubby to loot it, a hissing noise plays directly behind you that is purposely designed to sound like the hiss of the Xenomorph when it catches a glimpse of you. This instantly sends you into a panic, as the Alien is already close by in that section of the game. Turning around reveals the source of the hiss to be a coffeemaker. The sound of the coffee maker is brilliantly timed and mixed so that as you realize what it is, it sounds much more like a coffee maker than an alien. I’ve played through the campaign multiple times, and that sound effect makes me jump every time. Overall, the Alien is well dipped in industrial aesthetic, enough so that many sounds our machines make can induce a panic if the Xeno is hunting you. It makes for a unique creature indeed.
Rob I just want to say I can't get enough of your work, you break down so me and my favorite movie is that I grew up with and everytime I see something that comes out on your UA-cam channel I have to watch it and listen to it. More than likely multiple times, I'm just getting ready to start buying some of your stuff off collative learning. Com so thanks again and keep up the good work mate
'Videodrome' was the first Cronenberg Film i ever owned as a kid. I bought it simply from its cover, I was maybe 8 or 9. My parents were always cool about letting me watch R-Rated films. Plus with 3 older brothers, they knew I'd see it anyway lol. To this day, its my favorite film of his. While I think his work in the 2000s is great as well, to me, 'Videodrome' and 'The Fly' are his masterpieces. Im shocked at the somewhat poor reception of 'Videodrome' when it came out. I love Professor O'Blivion and his quote about us all eventually having our own "TV Names", he was right. That film was far ahead of its time. The classic Body Horror that Cronenberg made so well, with Max's stomach looking like a vagina. Then being penetrated etc... Classic stuff and its not just schlock. Cronenberg always took great care in his work. That film came true in many ways. Side Note: I actually had the same fear Cronenberg did of somehow coming across something i wasn't supposed to see. So as a kid, that made it hit home even moreso.
Every time I watch a video of yours I find myself back and forth between being really interested and finding certain points of yours fascinating and then hearing something that makes me almost cringe in how far it reaches to back up your angle. Obviously I’m still watching so the balance must be working out, but I just think it’s interesting how I rapidly fluctuate between agreement and disagreement to what is almost a bizarrely violent degree
Those mechanical irises were absolutely incredible. The sound effect of them opening and closing as well was fantastic. I wonder if a foley did that or whether that was the actual sound of them opening. They looked greasy and gritty.
Some of my favorite Alien moments come from Alien Isolation; its environments feature similar alien machine mimics in the details, and seeing them in 3D space based on your own movements and sight lines is just *chef kiss*. And the Alien Derelict I always interpreted as a pelvis bone, all that remains of a womb after the winds of LV-246 stripped away the flesh.
@@collativelearning No shame in lowering the difficulty to keep the alien from menacing you too much. It's very iterative on the Alien experience, but Seegson & the Working Joe androids are breakout additions to the universe, good shotgun too.
Why this is the greatest horror movie ever made - The pacing is perfect. The atmosphere is some of the greatest in film history, thanks to the astounding set design, music and use of sound. The actors portray terror more convincingly than in almost every if not every other horror movie. The alien looks great and is used just enough so it isn't over or under done. The "threat" goes through several alterations so you can't be sure and have to anticipate what it's next form will be (face hugger, chest buster, xenomorph) when in any other horror it'd just be one form throughout. One of the best opening credits sequences in film history. It has not 1 but 2 heart pounding finales and a great "fake out" where you think it's finally all over. It has the best example ever of what they call a "strong female" lead, she doesn't feel forced and it's never worked better than here. It even has one of the more interesting directors cuts out there, deleted scenes, arguably the greatest sequel ever made and the best trailer of all time.
Shout out to Ron “I like drawing corridors” Cobb on his sketches and concept art for the film. He really was born to do it. If anyone ever has a chance to see one of the other Alien docs on UA-cam, you can tell he was a really sweet and talented guy who loved what he did.
I truly believe that you just make up everything with no authority & have no idea what you're talking about but I still watch every single video and enjoy them. So, there's my backhand compliment
What a fun and rich analysis. One of my favorite analyses because when I first saw ALIEN as a 14year old in the cinema I remember thinking how much the Nostromo seemed to be alive itself: the creature appeared to be made of the same stuff as the ship, This created constant tension for me as I kept thinking Xenomorph could be right there and leap out at any moment. A Masterpiece and my absolute favorite cinematic experience that is still with me to this day. Thank you for your excellent work.
Thank you for giving us yet again more angles on such a well-loved and much-analysed piece of cinema. I've always enjoyed your observations, theories, ideas, and concepts. Looking forward to more as always.
Did anyone else notice how the grading of the new restoration basically removed all the shadow detail? I've seen this film so many times and have always been able to see stuff in the shadows, I saw the 4K restoration in the cinema and the shadows were just *black.*
Something similar but opposite happened in the restored version of Tarkovsky's Stalker.They brighter up the whole movie and as a result it lost a lot of it's feel.Before it felt more remote, forlorn and mysterious.Now parts of it seem pretty normal.Strange how people restoring movies miss key things like that...
I could always see stuff in the shadows too . . . like the hilariously fake wall behind Lambert when she dies. It's just as bad as the infamous bookcases in Last Crusade.
Well done. There’s got to be (or should be) a word for the happy accidents that arise in an organic process. They often go under-appreciated or are interpreted too literally. You grasp the ambiguous well, and let the meanings stay more phenomenological. Fitting, for a movie steeped in visual themes suggestive of the primal sides to consciousness. Horror often involves being reminded that we are animals just below the surface of our higher functioning. This film gets at it in a cool way, blurring the distinctions between technology and animals. So it’s not just about a monster that has adapted to technology, but a crack in the facade that our technology -and with it our higher functioning consciousness- makes us special or sets us apart. Suddenly all the technology is just another kind of primal biology again. Which in a way liberates us to feel that creepy, dangerous awe in the face of a vast indifferent nature. Intense. Thanks.
I remember zapping channels and by chance stumbling about the start of this movie. I missed the title fade in but was immediately on edge by the slow camera movements in empty hallways. For some resson I feared something will jump out on me. The visual design is so hypnotic.
I have consistently tried to convince someone I know that this film is the perfect storm of set design, sound and look without much success. I am glad I can include this video as evidence!
Alien has to be one of the most absorbing films ever made, the production design alone creates such an environment for the audience. Ridley was a genius in his day.
I was just looking for something engaging to watch - notification for a new video slides into view. Its not mind numbing entertainment, but its serves its place as a mind turning activity - for which I am very appreciative.
At 9:05 the big hanging, machine thingy? It's part of the Nostromos, dropships landing gear. That's why that scene with the Alien hanging there is so chilling. Its derisive of the "open the hatch" scene.
That chamber shown at 11:45. I always thought those things resembled coils of bullet chains. It also resembles the chamber where the tanks of black goo are stored in Prometheus and Alien Covenant, which are later revealed to be a form of weaponry meant for missile-like deployment. Perhaps these weird tank/teeth looking things are weapons? Though why would Weylanr Yutani need such large chambers for weapons? Weren’t they mining stuff?
Weyland Yutani were into mining operations, yes. But they were a conglomerate of different industries. They had factories that manufactured all kinds of stuff, such as androids and terra forming machinery. The Nostromo is a hauler, but the cargo is a refinery. A pertoleum refinery to be exact. So in the refining process there will be made liquids, gas and semi solids, and these will need to be stored separately in tanks. It is probably these tanks we see here.
11:38 Those are supposed to be the fusion drives. There is a fantastic behind the scenes picture of that miniature (bigature) where one of the drives are held up by a massive block of wood. No wonder Brett and Parker insisted on getting the ship to a drydock. That wood must swell.
Amazing video! I love this film so much. I took film studies at my first year of university, but quit after a year because I didn't like how the lecturers were intellectualising films. Of course, I was a first year uni boy back then, so obviously I knew everything. Fifteen years later and I'm in my final stages of doing a phd - in Japanese political philosophy. I really miss film studies and I wish I had continued. But I love my current work as well. So I watch these analysis videos for nostalgia, and as a way to fill that small hole in my heart.
The area of the ship you were querying at 11.23 is the Nostromo's reactor. The windows are from the engineering control room that looks out onto this vast chamber. There are some great wider shots of this online worth checking out. When the ship is landing on the planetoid, Parker and Brett are actually sat in this area rather than the cockpit for the purpose of monitoring the reactor etc, so they are even more separated from the officers than at first glance
Brilliant work CL! I'm always Fascinated with Your-Ideas, input, explanation of the Subliminal themes/deeper meanings/symbolism etc!!! Thanks Again And Keep up the Great Work 👍
The fact that you say things aren't sure, together with references to pareidolia is in itself enough to give this a like. I especially like the sound analysis at the end, I definitely _believe_ that the mix between ship and alien sounds was definitely intentional, just like the overall visuals. No matter whether you like the movie or not, in Alien 3 there's even an explicit scene about this (Ripley tries to find and hit the alien among various strange equipment and tubes but fails).
After watching many hours of your free content, I decided to purchase the full analysis for the very small sum of £4, thankyou for your excellent work!!
I served on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and the interior is very similar to the Nostromo, very industrial with pipes and electrical cables running through the passageways, and the hangar deck was cavernous inside just below the flight deck.
I suspect Giger's inspiration for the shape of the ship came from was a painting by Bocklin called Isle of the Dead. Giger liked this painting so much that he did his own version.
I've heard that mentioned before and the tips of the ship do suggest that but for the most part it's just a ginormous cock ring. I guess it's a 'portmanteau' of these "inspirations"
@@yoyohop Just get a picture of the whole ship then google 'cock rings' and it's super obvious. :) But no doubt the taper is leg like and is certainly consistent with any of Gigers images. Giger lacked the subtlety to be considered "Freudian" it's all obvious No cigars just lot's 'o' ginas 'n' enises every where.
Excellent. The Nostromo was a flying refinery cargo ship, so all those cylinders are related to that. Great stuff, I've often thought about a few of the things you've mentioned here, puzzling stuff.
Ash: "You still don't understand what you're dealing with do you?...A perfect organism...Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility." Lambert: "You admire it..." Ash: "...I admire its purity...a survivor... Unclouded...by conscience... remorse...or delusions of morality..." Parker: "Look, I have heard enough of this and I am asking you to pull the plug..." Ash: "Last word." Ripley: "What...?" Ash: "I can't lie to you about your chances, but... ...you have my sympathies..."
Haha Rob you pretty much gave away your age! I was a kid as well when this movie came out, and I wanted nothing else but to see it, but my mom (mum to you) wouldn't let me go near it, even when it was out on video in the 80's. I finally got my hands on a friends graphic novel around 1984, and that just made me want to want to see it more! I don't think I got to see it until I was around 17 or 18 when I rented it on VHS from our local video rental (remember those??). It's my favorite Space based Sci-fi movie to this day. You can see all the effort they put into making this movie from the sets, design and acting. They just don't make movies like this anymore, and I fear they never will. I pretty much curse the day CGI came out
A member of my family is a tattoo artist. She was an apprentice to Spider Mike on Coney Island. One item from those days is an original hardback sketchbook of H.R. Giegers from the 80s. It has newer alien designs in pencil by his hand....which she still has.
I was surprised when I learned the other female on the ship (can't recall the character's name) played by Veronica Cartwright , whom played the little girl in Hitchcock's "the Birds"
It’s funny that you mention the moon looking like a cracked egg since there’s (not sure which specifically) this story told by a certain people in Africa about the creation of the moon and how it was a hollowed out egg. We learned about it all the way back in the 1st or 2nd grade but it was a very memorable story
The tunnel scene with Dallas is such a Claustrophobic nightmare. With Lambert panicking, it heightens the fear. I suggest you play Alien Isolation and the DLC’s.
As a yank. I love the way you guys across the pond say the letter H. I’ve found myself saying it that way. Seems more proper to include the way the letter is pronounced in its name.
Check out my other vids on the Alien franchise too. There are lots of them ...
10 subliminal tricks in ALIEN ISOLATION (game analysis) ua-cam.com/video/YVMhZtQCVL0/v-deo.html
ALIEN - creature design - a visual analysis ua-cam.com/video/Y274MAueDdY/v-deo.html
ALIEN - symbolism of the space jockey / dead pilot ua-cam.com/video/dLXfJGYhzq8/v-deo.html
ALIEN - the corporate monster ua-cam.com/video/_7fn-QRVqe4/v-deo.html
PROMETHEUS - alien fetus removal / cesarean (scene analysis) ua-cam.com/video/f9pjji5nwdo/v-deo.html
10 reasons Jim Cameron's ALIENS is the best feminism movie ever made ua-cam.com/video/DYk_NTdEXFg/v-deo.html
Plus the following are available as downloads on my website
ALIEN - Hypnotic by Design (2 hrs)
ALIEN - The machinery of existence (90 min)
Greatest Screen Villains - Ash in ALIEN (36 min)
Chestburster scene analysis (27 min)
Greatest screen heroes: The journey of Ellen Ripley in ALIEN & ALIENS (2hrs)
“Two decades have past since Sil, a beautiful human/alien hybrid created in the mid-1990's by U.S. Government Scientists, escaped from her creators, grew up really fast, and began a killing spree of trying to find perfect human men who she could have sex without them having any knowledge of what she truly was, helping her to produce her own species and wiping out humanity in the process.
Sil's race has now destroyed the last living human beings known to exist, and after proclaiming victory over humanity and taking our world for themselves, a new threat for Sil and her kind has arresion.
An Alien spacecraft [belonging to the Predators from the Predator films] has crash landed on earth, and Alien creatures [Xenomorph's] have survived, escaped the vessel, and are now going around killing Sil's own race whilst they try to free the most important Xenomorph of them all from the ship's cargo hold - an Alien Queen !!.
Sil and her kind have killed off humanity and taken the earth for themselves, now it's time for them to face a new enemy who has acid for blood, and who now want's to destroy Sil and her race and take over the earth for themselves . . .
ALIEN VS SPECIES”-DeviantArt User
Can you look at Prometheus at the entrance of the cave or the pyramid there is holograms running from an alien that’s not saying until the ending
Cave paintings and dead bodies in the cave have the pyramid and the first alien movie try to let it guy in the ship Same happened Prometheus
Love these videos. Speaking of subliminal images. The shape of spaceship (the juggernaut) is actually very similar to the shape of the ancient man made hills of Knewgrange and Knownth (in Ireland and Scotland) that are referred to as the "Stonehenge" of their countries. Also on the inside of these historical sites there are rocks with ancient symbols hidden in plain site carved into the backs of the rocks. Literally occult (hidden) symbols that are said to be included in 1/8th of the artwork of the 17th and 18th centuries of western European art. Also the inside of the Alien set designs were literally made of cow bones. Which, could very likely be a reference to the gelatin that made up film and printed picture's. I only know this because i used to deliver food to a company that processed gelatin for Kodack and it smelled throughout the downtown area. One day someone told me all film was made of the gelatin from dead cow 🍖 bones, explaining the awful smell. This movie is filled with interesting details/ ideas.
0:11 😊❤,
The sound is another huge virtue of this film. The emergency sirens going off at the end mixed with the visuals and strobe light effects seem like they're specifically designed to elevate the viewer's heart rate. Amazing damn movie!!
yes, completely agree those sirens are the stuff of nightmares.
ua-cam.com/video/EO9x0y5lqD0/v-deo.html to help you sleep 👍🏻
My thoughts exactly, you really feel the panic and urgency to get to the escape pod!
"Seem?" Did you come up with that yourself, as a film expert, or did someone make that analysis for you?
Those sirens were also used in Don Coscarelli's Incident on and Off a Mountain Road to creepy effect.
The design of the Nostromo interiors are so effective than when the movie starts it already feels like the alien is hiding on board before they even land on the planetoid.
@@MeelatchiDaibukti Heh, like The 7th Guest. Sounds too much like a Hitchcock mystery or something, though.
Alien is one of those movies where everytime i see a part of it i'm just awestruck at how beautiful it looks. Everything from the sets to the lighting to the creatures to the graphicdesign of the logo.
Classy in all its simple industrial glory.
One of the most perfectly shot movies ever.
@@collativelearning It is a phenomenon. My favorite film of all time.
There seems to be two kinds of people: Those that think the movie is slow and boring, and those who see the beauty and mesmerizing fright.
@Sanity Is Freedom I could have handled a longer ending. From about the time Ripley was alone on.
Well done. After almost 35 years of loving this movie and seeing something new in it, every time, you gave me a few new things I hadn't seen before.
I never appreciated the subliminal imagery and audio of this film until now. The teeth imagery within the cinematography is especially subtle, I never noticed consciously... in retrospect I think it was effective at making me feel the ominous threatening presence of the Alien.
Loved your stuff on 2001 A Space Odyssey and I'm looking forward to seeing more on Alien. Thanks.
Teeth, blood, heart-beat, pregnant silences before a loud sound (also used in The Exorcist). All primal fear stuff.
I just realized how much the Nostromo reminds me of old tramp freighter ships I've been on; not the huge modern container ships, but the small bulk cargo carriers that travel the north Pacific rim. The only real comfortable space on the ship is the galley. Everything else, even the bunks and head, is strictly functional. Lots of marginally lit lockers and passages with stuff stowed basically everywhere. This makes sense to me as the Nostromo is way closer to being an interstellar USS Cyclops than a nuclear supercarrier.
This. The nostromo was meant to be an industrial ship - a towing ship that was once a cruiser but retrofitted to become a space tow truck.
So the set of Alien managed to emulate a real-world freighter, but also managed to hint at the Alien menace?
That's fucking awesome!
Some of the sets were also heavily inspired by submarines, almost copied, in fact (mainly the corridors of the lower decks, where the tech crew works).
I think they used old airplanes for the set
Since 1984, i have viewed ALIEN (1979)
well over 200+ times. I have the scenes
committed to my memory.
I am lucky to possess Ron Cobb's book
" Colorvision ", H.R. Giger's " ALIEN " book,
the ALIEN graphic film novel, and the official
ALIEN comic book.
I have long felt, the Nostromo spacecraft is
the 10th character in the film. It's actually
the main character, it's also the very first
character we are introduced visually to
this story and film.
For all of the times i watched the air shaft
scenes with Dallas, the silver set pieces that
he stands in the middle of, it never clicked in
my mind that they could lend themselves over visually to the alien's steely looking teeth.
I did feel the opening credit lettering
absolutely represented teeth to me.
I too thought the alien egg in the film poster,
looked like a moon that had cracked.
Such an iconic 1970s image to me.
I am hoping against hope, that someday,
a proper full edit of this seminal film will
include the following scenes:
The BEAUTIFUL circular tracking shot of
the dining module area just after the crew
exits their sleep pods. It shows just how
DETAILED that area is.
The original alien signal scene.
The original sound design for that particular
scene is so compelling to me. I feel that
STRANGE sound perfectly embodies HR Giger's surreal aesthetic.
The scene were the alien has his arm severed inside one of the airlocks.
Though i forget if that scene was actually
ever filmed(?)
The alien "crab walking" towards Lambert.
At least i can dream right.
I'm looking forward to your next ALIEN
film analysis. It's a film that just keeps
giving, even 4 decades later.
Simply BRILLIANT film art. Thee BEST.
It's just an amazing movie.
@@dongately2817 Absolutely.
" I admire its purity. A survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality. I can't lie to you about your chances, but, you have my sympathies. " - Ash
@@atom6_
" Look, I've heard enough,
and i am asking you to pull the plug... "
@Sanity Is Freedom
It was in the 2003 Director's cut.
However, for whatever reasons,
Ridley chose to replace the original
audio edit of that scene, with a newer
sound design.
It can barely be heard.
Compared to the original sound,
It's such a BASIC/BORING choice.
Another WTF editing decision from
Scott.
Alien is the greatest visual film of all time. The way Ridley uses the setting to convey the films unsettling thematic sexual undertones and the sterile, cold, vast and yet claustrophobic environment of the ship to the unnerving of the crew that inhabits the ship is unique in its level of depth and attention to detail. The ship is very much an amalgamation of the creature and works to unnerve the viewer, actors that worked in that space and the characters that are trapped within. 40 years of technological advancement cannot make a movie as technically brilliant, viscera and innovative as Alien was.
Tyler St. Francis
Okey dokey. 👍🏼
Very true. Even Scott can't recapture this kind of atmosphere anymore. The prequels felt so superficial.
something i love is how the nostromos feels at times like living organism because of the sounds
I think Ridley Scott was determined to make a classic from day one. If you hire artists like Jean "Moebius" Giraud and H R Giger, you are leaving nothing to chance.
Amazing that it was only his second feature.
@@collativelearning What are your thoughts on his feature film debut, The Duellists?
He didn't hire Moebius though, did he? I know he took huge inspiration from his Heavy Metal comics, but he didn't work on the film. As for Cobb and Giger, that was O Bannon's idea. He had just worked with them on the failed Dune project
@@davidlean1060 I agree. Cobb and Giger were O Bannon's idea. He even paid for the design concepts out of his own pocket as the studio refused to use either artists for the movie's development.
Alien is the perfect mixture of SciFi, Horror, Haunted House and Creature Feature.
It's structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.
Agreed! I'd even argue there's a healthy dose of gothic horror in there as well.
That’s so crazy because so is your mom
Yep. No one's doing this...well except for below average films like a Quiet place
Hell yes it is.
My favourite film ever! Probably one the greatest films ever. Its the perfect organism.
Rob. You are a world champion of film analysis. You have taught me so much. I appreciate film making and movies on a deeper level now thanks to you.
Rob.. Overanalysis is your best strong suit, I love it!
I think you're right about it every time making a very constructive argument for them and it's the
BEST thing about you and your videos.
I wish the world had not ended I'd buy them all!
I loved his downloadable video "Let's Over-analyse ALIEN!!!" It's very funny.
What an interesting and scholastic take on sound, sound design, and also gaze framing. I can't unsee the external small Ripley shot surrounded by massive teeth now!😃
Great work.
Killing it my friend. Some of the most passionate work on this platform. Truly beautiful to hear you break films down.
Keep it up
I just watched the movie yesterday. Great timing!
Some of Giger's art looks like alien robot porn that would be degenerate even by alien robot standards.
It's funny. That's a great description, but no matter how you describe it the art itself always refuses to be boxed in by the description.
You'll have at least a small gaggle of pearl-clutchers among even your alien robot population.
that's what I like about it...
No1 ever mentions Gigers Satanic inspiration
@@thesmilingmercenary937 alien robots clutch nuts, my dear, and bolts
Maybe the alien has the innate ability to mimic the environment it grows in. Instant adaptation.
That would've made for a good Prometheus sequel.
instead they just alter the environment to its own liking by creating the hives it can sneak around in.
@Sanity Is Freedom yeah that scene's covered in this video
I'd rather watch Rob talk about Alien for 90 minutes than watch most new movies...
I’d rather watch him talk about Alien for 90 minutes than to watch the film itself… lol
Why? 90% of this is rubbish.
@@kevinwebster7868brain rot
One of the most clever sound design details in the Alien Isolation game is a small area located off a server farm. You can get to it for some extra supplies by solving a puzzle with the systems nearby. Inside; it’s completely silent until you walk into a corner with a useful storage cubby. As you face the cubby to loot it, a hissing noise plays directly behind you that is purposely designed to sound like the hiss of the Xenomorph when it catches a glimpse of you. This instantly sends you into a panic, as the Alien is already close by in that section of the game. Turning around reveals the source of the hiss to be a coffeemaker. The sound of the coffee maker is brilliantly timed and mixed so that as you realize what it is, it sounds much more like a coffee maker than an alien. I’ve played through the campaign multiple times, and that sound effect makes me jump every time. Overall, the Alien is well dipped in industrial aesthetic, enough so that many sounds our machines make can induce a panic if the Xeno is hunting you. It makes for a unique creature indeed.
Rob I just want to say I can't get enough of your work, you break down so me and my favorite movie is that I grew up with and everytime I see something that comes out on your UA-cam channel I have to watch it and listen to it. More than likely multiple times, I'm just getting ready to start buying some of your stuff off collative learning. Com so thanks again and keep up the good work mate
Hey Rob, I just watched "Videodrome", and I would love to see you do an analysis on it, as I know you've mentioned you want to eventually.
Love Videodrome. Not sure when but def intend to to that film.
Collative Learning long live the new flesh!
'Videodrome' was the first Cronenberg Film i ever owned as a kid. I bought it simply from its cover, I was maybe 8 or 9. My parents were always cool about letting me watch R-Rated films. Plus with 3 older brothers, they knew I'd see it anyway lol. To this day, its my favorite film of his. While I think his work in the 2000s is great as well, to me, 'Videodrome' and 'The Fly' are his masterpieces. Im shocked at the somewhat poor reception of 'Videodrome' when it came out. I love Professor O'Blivion and his quote about us all eventually having our own "TV Names", he was right. That film was far ahead of its time. The classic Body Horror that Cronenberg made so well, with Max's stomach looking like a vagina. Then being penetrated etc... Classic stuff and its not just schlock. Cronenberg always took great care in his work. That film came true in many ways.
Side Note: I actually had the same fear Cronenberg did of somehow coming across something i wasn't supposed to see. So as a kid, that made it hit home even moreso.
Dead Ringers is also high up there on the Cronenberg list.
Great insight, now that you mentioned the teeth in the airduct where Dallas is crawling. I also can’t unsee it
Every time I watch a video of yours I find myself back and forth between being really interested and finding certain points of yours fascinating and then hearing something that makes me almost cringe in how far it reaches to back up your angle. Obviously I’m still watching so the balance must be working out, but I just think it’s interesting how I rapidly fluctuate between agreement and disagreement to what is almost a bizarrely violent degree
Haha, that's fine. Keep you on your toes. ust keep in mind some of this stuff I DO cite as being just possibility, not fact.
On the subject of teeth, you could make the same argument for the doors opening out to the planet at 14:10 like to an immense maw.
First hellraiser, then an alien analyse. Thanks, and I really loved you H.R. Giger video too about his art.
That Giger vid was excellent.
Those mechanical irises were absolutely incredible. The sound effect of them opening and closing as well was fantastic. I wonder if a foley did that or whether that was the actual sound of them opening. They looked greasy and gritty.
This channel blows my mind every time. Cheers!
Some of my favorite Alien moments come from Alien Isolation; its environments feature similar alien machine mimics in the details, and seeing them in 3D space based on your own movements and sight lines is just *chef kiss*.
And the Alien Derelict I always interpreted as a pelvis bone, all that remains of a womb after the winds of LV-246 stripped away the flesh.
The atmos in the game was awesome. Couldn't stand the gameplay though. It put me off very quickly. A movie version would be great.
@@collativelearning No shame in lowering the difficulty to keep the alien from menacing you too much. It's very iterative on the Alien experience, but Seegson & the Working Joe androids are breakout additions to the universe, good shotgun too.
@@collativelearning same (for me)! I liked the graphics a lot,and atmosphere was awesome,but the game itself=crap!
@@Coypop The androids were really good yes.
Love that game.
Why this is the greatest horror movie ever made -
The pacing is perfect.
The atmosphere is some of the greatest in film history, thanks to the astounding set design, music and use of sound.
The actors portray terror more convincingly than in almost every if not every other horror movie.
The alien looks great and is used just enough so it isn't over or under done.
The "threat" goes through several alterations so you can't be sure and have to anticipate what it's next form will be (face hugger, chest buster, xenomorph) when in any other horror it'd just be one form throughout.
One of the best opening credits sequences in film history.
It has not 1 but 2 heart pounding finales and a great "fake out" where you think it's finally all over.
It has the best example ever of what they call a "strong female" lead, she doesn't feel forced and it's never worked better than here.
It even has one of the more interesting directors cuts out there, deleted scenes, arguably the greatest sequel ever made and the best trailer of all time.
Hear, hear. And I'll throw in the smartest tag line in cinema history to boot.
Shout out to Ron “I like drawing corridors” Cobb on his sketches and concept art for the film. He really was born to do it. If anyone ever has a chance to see one of the other Alien docs on UA-cam, you can tell he was a really sweet and talented guy who loved what he did.
Thanks as always Rob.
I truly believe that you just make up everything with no authority & have no idea what you're talking about but I still watch every single video and enjoy them. So, there's my backhand compliment
What a fun and rich analysis. One of my favorite analyses because when I first saw ALIEN as a 14year old in the cinema I remember thinking how much the Nostromo seemed to be alive itself: the creature appeared to be made of the same stuff as the ship, This created constant tension for me as I kept thinking Xenomorph could be right there and leap out at any moment. A Masterpiece and my absolute favorite cinematic experience that is still with me to this day. Thank you for your excellent work.
Love your stuff. I even bought some of your videos about the Exorcist, Nightmare on Elm Street and Eyes Wide Shut. Worth it.
Thanks for the support.
@@collativelearning thanks for the years of work
That was a great video mate, I found you because of your videos on "The Thing" and can't get enough of your channel. Cheers!
Well done, very nice prospecitive and observation.
My word, this is an amazing piece of work by you. Seeing this masterpiece in new ways now. Keep making them please.
Thank you for giving us yet again more angles on such a well-loved and much-analysed piece of cinema.
I've always enjoyed your observations, theories, ideas, and concepts. Looking forward to more as always.
6:35 Woah, that is a take on a famous ancient Egyptian art scene: the sky goddess Nut.
Oh you noticed too, good eye Rob!
Masterful analysis, as always, Rob. Well done.
An amazing analysis. Truly genius
Really great study, have never heard this analysis content before. Nicely done.
Did anyone else notice how the grading of the new restoration basically removed all the shadow detail? I've seen this film so many times and have always been able to see stuff in the shadows, I saw the 4K restoration in the cinema and the shadows were just *black.*
Something similar but opposite happened in the restored version of Tarkovsky's Stalker.They brighter up the whole movie and as a result it lost a lot of it's feel.Before it felt more remote, forlorn and mysterious.Now parts of it seem pretty normal.Strange how people restoring movies miss key things like that...
😬 Damn.
I could always see stuff in the shadows too . . . like the hilariously fake wall behind Lambert when she dies.
It's just as bad as the infamous bookcases in Last Crusade.
Both the Star Wars Original Trilogy and the Burton/Schumacher Batman Rereleases have also messed with the shadows and color grading.
Theaters suck. Watch the 4K version on an OLED TV and you'll be happy.
Well done. There’s got to be (or should be) a word for the happy accidents that arise in an organic process. They often go under-appreciated or are interpreted too literally. You grasp the ambiguous well, and let the meanings stay more phenomenological. Fitting, for a movie steeped in visual themes suggestive of the primal sides to consciousness.
Horror often involves being reminded that we are animals just below the surface of our higher functioning. This film gets at it in a cool way, blurring the distinctions between technology and animals. So it’s not just about a monster that has adapted to technology, but a crack in the facade that our technology -and with it our higher functioning consciousness- makes us special or sets us apart. Suddenly all the technology is just another kind of primal biology again. Which in a way liberates us to feel that creepy, dangerous awe in the face of a vast indifferent nature. Intense. Thanks.
Nice commentary on these design elements--provides for a richer rewatching of this classic horror film.
I remember zapping channels and by chance stumbling about the start of this movie.
I missed the title fade in but was immediately on edge by the slow camera movements in empty hallways.
For some resson I feared something will jump out on me.
The visual design is so hypnotic.
"This is Rob Ager, signing off" nice
I have consistently tried to convince someone I know that this film is the perfect storm of set design, sound and look without much success. I am glad I can include this video as evidence!
Really good film analysis. Nice
Saw that movie countless times, now I will see it yet again with more intriguing thoughts in mind, thanks for the interessting video!
Alien has to be one of the most absorbing films ever made, the production design alone creates such an environment for the audience. Ridley was a genius in his day.
Rob I just want to say that you help me appreciate cinema more. Always looking forward to your latest insights and analyses.
I was just looking for something engaging to watch - notification for a new video slides into view. Its not mind numbing entertainment, but its serves its place as a mind turning activity - for which I am very appreciative.
Class job as per usual!
To further your point, at 13:30 the segments of the letters as shown in sequence start with what appears to be a hint towards an egg-like shape.
At 9:05 the big hanging, machine thingy? It's part of the Nostromos, dropships landing gear. That's why that scene with the Alien hanging there is so chilling. Its derisive of the "open the hatch" scene.
That chamber shown at 11:45. I always thought those things resembled coils of bullet chains. It also resembles the chamber where the tanks of black goo are stored in Prometheus and Alien Covenant, which are later revealed to be a form of weaponry meant for missile-like deployment. Perhaps these weird tank/teeth looking things are weapons? Though why would Weylanr Yutani need such large chambers for weapons? Weren’t they mining stuff?
Weyland Yutani were into mining operations, yes. But they were a conglomerate of different industries. They had factories that manufactured all kinds of stuff, such as androids and terra forming machinery. The Nostromo is a hauler, but the cargo is a refinery. A pertoleum refinery to be exact. So in the refining process there will be made liquids, gas and semi solids, and these will need to be stored separately in tanks. It is probably these tanks we see here.
11:38 Those are supposed to be the fusion drives.
There is a fantastic behind the scenes picture of that miniature (bigature) where one of the drives are held up by a massive block of wood.
No wonder Brett and Parker insisted on getting the ship to a drydock. That wood must swell.
I love you channel. Also, thanks for turning up the volume a little. Much better now
I would love a complete storyboard book of all Of Ridleys drawings for Alien. Thank you for another awesome video Rob!
i'd pay top dollar for that.
Amazing video! I love this film so much. I took film studies at my first year of university, but quit after a year because I didn't like how the lecturers were intellectualising films. Of course, I was a first year uni boy back then, so obviously I knew everything. Fifteen years later and I'm in my final stages of doing a phd - in Japanese political philosophy. I really miss film studies and I wish I had continued. But I love my current work as well. So I watch these analysis videos for nostalgia, and as a way to fill that small hole in my heart.
The area of the ship you were querying at 11.23 is the Nostromo's reactor. The windows are from the engineering control room that looks out onto this vast chamber. There are some great wider shots of this online worth checking out. When the ship is landing on the planetoid, Parker and Brett are actually sat in this area rather than the cockpit for the purpose of monitoring the reactor etc, so they are even more separated from the officers than at first glance
Brilliant work CL! I'm always Fascinated with Your-Ideas, input, explanation of the Subliminal themes/deeper meanings/symbolism etc!!! Thanks Again And Keep up the Great Work 👍
The fact that you say things aren't sure, together with references to pareidolia is in itself enough to give this a like. I especially like the sound analysis at the end, I definitely _believe_ that the mix between ship and alien sounds was definitely intentional, just like the overall visuals. No matter whether you like the movie or not, in Alien 3 there's even an explicit scene about this (Ripley tries to find and hit the alien among various strange equipment and tubes but fails).
After watching many hours of your free content, I decided to purchase the full analysis for the very small sum of £4, thankyou for your excellent work!!
I,ve always said the Alien was a Chameleon but none of my friends believed what i was saying, once again good job Rob
This film was lovingly crafted like an art piece. It astounds me to this day.
I served on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and the interior is very similar to the Nostromo, very industrial with pipes and electrical cables running through the passageways, and the hangar deck was cavernous inside just below the flight deck.
Everything about this film, is mesmerizing. A filmic renaissance born from the collaboration of multiple artistic geniuses.
I suspect Giger's inspiration for the shape of the ship came from was a painting by Bocklin called Isle of the Dead. Giger liked this painting so much that he did his own version.
I've heard that mentioned before and the tips of the ship do suggest that but for the most part it's just a ginormous cock ring. I guess it's a 'portmanteau' of these "inspirations"
@@kellyjackson7889 Maybe cock ring. Maybe splayed legs. Giger was also Freudian.
@@yoyohop Just get a picture of the whole ship then google 'cock rings' and it's super obvious. :) But no doubt the taper is leg like and is certainly consistent with any of Gigers images. Giger lacked the subtlety to be considered "Freudian" it's all obvious No cigars just lot's 'o' ginas 'n' enises every where.
Yes i've seen giger's version. Such a weird image - both versions.
@@yoyohop And he clearly enjoyed a bit of exotic slap and tickle, so to speak!
9:10 IIRC, this is meant to be the landing leg from earlier that has retracted up into the ship.
Excellent. The Nostromo was a flying refinery cargo ship, so all those cylinders are related to that. Great stuff, I've often thought about a few of the things you've mentioned here, puzzling stuff.
Another good video Rob. Thanks for making it.
That's awesome, love your film analysis of Alien, blow my mind with what you said about its teeth, never looked the movie like what before!
Yet another excellent vid, Rob! I also thought about the egg from the post being planet like from a young age.
The machine at 8:58 is one of the Nostromo's landing gear struts.
Ash: "You still don't understand what you're dealing with do you?...A perfect organism...Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility."
Lambert: "You admire it..."
Ash: "...I admire its purity...a survivor... Unclouded...by conscience... remorse...or delusions of morality..."
Parker: "Look, I have heard enough of this and I am asking you to pull the plug..."
Ash: "Last word."
Ripley: "What...?"
Ash: "I can't lie to you about your chances, but... ...you have my sympathies..."
Sanity Is Freedom
Powerful scene, for sure.
Somebody designed Ash with sarcasm in mind.
40 years and counting and we are still discussing the movie Alien. It's the movie that keeps on giving and to me that's a beautiful thing!
Great video, thank you. Great observation about the teeth, I never noticed that before.
By far my favorite sci-fi movie...And great analysis, Rob!
Haha Rob you pretty much gave away your age! I was a kid as well when this movie came out, and I wanted nothing else but to see it, but my mom (mum to you) wouldn't let me go near it, even when it was out on video in the 80's. I finally got my hands on a friends graphic novel around 1984, and that just made me want to want to see it more! I don't think I got to see it until I was around 17 or 18 when I rented it on VHS from our local video rental (remember those??). It's my favorite Space based Sci-fi movie to this day. You can see all the effort they put into making this movie from the sets, design and acting. They just don't make movies like this anymore, and I fear they never will. I pretty much curse the day CGI came out
Those "metal teeth" around Dallas in the shafts are amazing. As many times as I've seen this movie, I've never noticed that!
A member of my family is a tattoo artist. She was an apprentice to Spider Mike on Coney Island. One item from those days is an original hardback sketchbook of H.R. Giegers from the 80s. It has newer alien designs in pencil by his hand....which she still has.
I was surprised when I learned the other female on the ship (can't recall the character's name) played by Veronica Cartwright , whom played the little girl in Hitchcock's "the Birds"
Great as always Mr. Ager!
Design your monster first, and work backward from there. Genius film.
Fantastic stuff Rob!!!
Great job as always Rob!
? you have a unique way of expressing your emotions we feel exactly the same as you new movies are crap😊😊❤❤❤
"Punctuation, motherf*cker, do you speak it?!"
It’s funny that you mention the moon looking like a cracked egg since there’s (not sure which specifically) this story told by a certain people in Africa about the creation of the moon and how it was a hollowed out egg. We learned about it all the way back in the 1st or 2nd grade but it was a very memorable story
@Lee Judd what are you trying to imply?
The tunnel scene with Dallas is such a Claustrophobic nightmare. With Lambert panicking, it heightens the fear.
I suggest you play Alien Isolation and the DLC’s.
Collective Learning have the absolute best analysis videos.
I'm planning a double bill of Alien and The Fog tonight. Happy days
Very enlightening and entertaining...
As a yank. I love the way you guys across the pond say the letter H. I’ve found myself saying it that way. Seems more proper to include the way the letter is pronounced in its name.
very cool, interesting observations. you are next level, sir! thanks for sharing.
Good stuff, Rob. Very astute.
I revisited this last night after about 15 years. My god... such a good movie.