I found your excellent channel today and have been enjoying its content. Thank you! I do have one small critique, though: HR Giger's name is pronounced "Gee-ger," not "Guy-ger." I've included a link at the end of this comment that may be helpful. FWIW-Giger's name is (probably) mispronounced more often than it's pronounced correctly. Perhaps because it's a Swiss name?? I used to refer to him as "Guy-ger" too. A friend of mine (who knew Giger personally) corrected me, and I am glad that he did. Thanks for the excellent content! Link- m.ua-cam.com/video/y8ZXTgGgBJE/v-deo.html
Hey dude, thank you so much for this, it's always crazy to hear that people have actually gone and watched my other stuff, I get how specific the appeal of these vids is so it's very affirming! You're absolutely right on the Giger front and I think maybe I have heard that before, which I'm only saying to avoid being potentially rude to someone else who might have commented it. That being said it is an error, thanks for pointing it out, I'm actually just going to sticky your post as trying to edit the video would require taking it down. Cheers dude!
While his name might be properly pronounced as “geeger”, not a single fucking person on earth besides you pronounces it that way, so get used to hearing “guyger” :) nitpicking fool.
I want you to know these videos feel like sitting with a really good friend that’s really passionate about something and they’re explaining it all to you
That's so lovely to hear, thank you! I think all my friends are absolutely bored to death of hearing me talk about stuff like this so I'll take that as an absolute win! Hope you're having an awesome day!
Absolutely! I love deep diving into movies and it’s so lovely to watch these. Obviously made by someone who genuinely loves film. Exploring the themes, symbolism, philosophy, history, psychology and all the nuance that goes into the art of visual storytelling 🥰
I have been a MASSIVE SUPERfan of Alien since I first saw it in theater in 1979. I digest and absorb everything that has ever been written or made concerning what is BY FAR the best Sci Fi film ever made, and certainly the best of all of the Alien movies. However, THIS is the most complete, most authoritative and most well done academic analysis of this beloved movie that I have ever seen. Kudos. This is a fantastic work.
Came here after your hereditary video came up in my feed, absolutely awesome work these are the best video essays I've seen on this site. Truly such fresh air that you dive deep into these films without the usual cookie cutter lame humour
Came here from your Hereditary video, this was incredible. I'm a woman and Alien is my all time favourite movie, I love how amazing Ripley is and the incredible cinematography and sound work of the movie. I never thought about all the social subtext of the time! This has really enhanced my enjoyment of the film. I agree that the showing of Ripley's body at the end doesn't undercut the feminist angle of the movie or character. I thought her "comfy undies" and thin, muscular body made her look really cool while still being feminine and a woman. What a great tribute to what I consider the greatest film of all time. Thanks for putting in all the work to make this.
I wouldn't say Ripley comes off as asexual. Most of the crew is just arguably not of interest to her. There was a deleted sex scene between Ripley and Dallas in the original script. It would definitely explain the extra tension between them when they argue about bringing the face-hugged Kane onboard.
1:15:40 perhaps in mimicry of observed alien behavior. We know that ash admires the xenomorph, which is a similar but much more advanced and powerful biosynthetic lifeform, though operating independantly, as opposed to ash, who exists purely to serve the ship, mother and the company (hegemonic masculine capitalism, father). His choice to aurally penetrate ripley with a rolled up porn mag speaks to several of his aspirations: to force ripley back into a subservient, traditional position in service of mother and father, to imitate his admired x3nomorph, to perform his view of violent, subjegative masculinity, to compensate for ripley's earlier emqsculation of him. However, these desires are what doom him. Instead of simply killing ripley, which he could easily have done, he instead attempts tl satisfy his fantasies of corporate masculinity and is so focused on them that parker, ripley's coworker, is able to wound him.
Great video! I read the novelization of Alien and it was implied that the crew slept with one another as a matter of course, not even romantically. Ripley and Lambert have a discussion about Ash, each asking the other if they'd slept with him, and finding it odd that no one had.
@@BhaskarDhar141 Yeah man I saw that, really nice of the guy to post it. The mods took it down even though I messaged them asking very politely for them to leave it up. From what I could tell from the mod reply they took it down *because it wasn't making fun of me* and that's what the sub is for. I got 100 subs in like an hour from it and that mod(s) just didn't care. Little bit heartbreaking considering there's 2.6 mil people in that sub but still really grateful for those that did see it.
Lambert isn't trans. She was a "Despin Convert AT BIRTH". Assuming the surgeons didn't just turn a genetically and physically typical boy infant to a girl on a whim, she's intersex. If her agency wasn't involved, and she didn't even have a chance to realize her identity in the first place, she isn't trans, even based on the retcon. And it's by definition "retcon", since there was nothing about it in even in the scripts of Alien, and didn't become a thing until 7 years later in Aliens.
And even that retcon was not done by any of the original creators. It was created by some low level production person who created generic blocks of text to be used in the background shots where Ripley is in her review meeting.
I think your two essays I've watched so far, this and Lighthouse, have been one of if not the most in-depth and contextualized I've ever watched and have given me way more appreciation for those films. I can't understand how this video only got 186 likes and it makes me sad. Your videos enrich(ed) my day and I am grateful for you releasing them, even though they get so little traction!
Thank you so much Nathan! It makes me a little sad too but comments like this really help! I'm especially proud of this one so very hapy you've got to see it. There's lots more on the way very soon. Thanks again dude.
My guess as to why the "likes" are so low is that the majority of Joe six-paks that make up the movie-viewing audience, could not care less about deeper meanings and sub-contexts. There only in it for the action, female nudity and gore. Everything else shoots directly over there brain buckets.
@scottricci5063 Type in Collative learning. And Rob Ager. Same guy. He does in depth movie analysis too. This video is awesome though and I'm going to follow the guy 😊
Oh yeah because it's so obvious they're totally racist. Because people normally show so much respect for blue collar workers just so long as they're not black.
Omg, came here to be entertained by a podcast about Alien, and within minutes…”racial and gender issues.” No thanks. Think I’ve had more than my fill of that. 🙄
Brilliant video. Nice to see you condensed pretty much everything that's been floating arround (plus some more) into one place. Just one little observation for the sake of accuracy: at 15:40 you imply Giger designed the Nostromo and the stasis pod chamber; but H.R. was the designer of all the alien things (the xenomorph, the ship, etc.). Ron Cobb was the one tasked with the Nostromo.
You're quite right dude, that is awkwardly worded. I'll investigate if UA-cam will let me edit some disclaimer text over that! Thanks so much for watching and pointing that out dude you're 100% correct.
I’d love to see your analysis of the Blaire Witch Project on whether it’s a super natural event or if it was a murder of heather made to look like a witch encounter
Came across this video and as a fan of Alien and Aliens, I found it really interesting. One thing that's interesting about Lambert's death is that the footage is actually repurposed from the alien's attack on Brett. This doesn't change the intention of the scene, but I find it fascinating that this was initially shot to be part of Brett's death. The giveaway is that Lambert wears boots, while Brett wears sneakers and when the tail goes up between the legs, we can see the sneakers, not the boots.
I loved your Lighthouse video, and your points regarding what makes Ripley such a great protagonist is partly why I enjoyed (early) Sansa's character, for instance, in G.O.T. An underdog of sorts using their strengths to get ahead and not simply making them emotionless or act how a male character might. Really appreciate all the thought and effort you put into these videos!
That's a really good point dude!Yeah I agree totally, she's not the Mary Sue that Arya turns out to be, there's something more genuine in her routes to success and her shades of grey as a character. Thanks so much for watching dude (and continuing to watch) that's really awesome to hear.
Will you do Prometheus, too? I love your videos. I've been watching video essays for more than 5 years and just recently discovered your channel. Superb analyses! Tbh they even help me with my own literary work. I think God of War (2018) would be an interesting game for you to analyze, if you are even into games. Cheers, and have a nice one!
I’m honestly not sure about that one, I’m a fan of the movie (although it’s nowhere close to Alien the franchise is pretty much open game now anyway), it’s really just if I have the time to fit it all in. I guess final answer is ‘maybe but unlikely’. I absolutely love the God of War games, played the first one back on PS2! Haven’t played Ragnarok yet as I’m waiting for PC release. I actually drew a pretty dope Kratos poster that blew up a bit on Reddit. If you click on my portfolio from my YT profile screen you should be able to find it. I would love to do a complete guide on God of War as a whole series, but I’m guessing that there’s already ten ten-hour breakdowns on UA-cam covering every inch of it! If not then, hell yeah.
@@siamesetwincobra Haven't seen Lost Highway I'll add it to the watchlist, 12 monkeys I've seen a couple of times but I think the first time I was very young and it had just come out and the second I was very intoxicated so I'll give that a rewatch too and see if there's a lot to talk about!
It’s interesting to see how much crossover potential this has, for Raised By Wolves, which was also a Ridley Scott project. Some of the same tropes, and even the coincidence of the name “Mother” just were screaming at me lol
I fcking love Raised by Wolves. Tied with Westworld & True Detective Season 1 for my favourite intro credits ever! I was absolutely looking for linking factors like that because all of Ridley Scotts sci-fi seems to be tangentially connected. I can't remember any off hand but I remember there being a few. Love Travis Fimmel and I LOVE the necromancer idea/design.
@@Novum_YT yes!!!! I was so bummed when HBO cancelled it!!! I really want to see what Grandmother’s plan was for turning the humans into those acid ocean mer-creatures. I absolutely LOVED the necromancer design! I want to make a sculpture or art doll of one. I’d also love a prequel series, because the flashback scenes when Mother is being reprogrammed by Campion Sturges we’re great! I also adore Travis Fimmel! :😍 This was a really good video!!! Definitely gonna look at your other stuff ☺️
Please please do the exorcist it’s my favorite movie I’ve seen anyone break film down like you I know a lot about it probably to much but I love your take on hereditary who would love to see what you thought about the exorcist
Although I can certainly admire your thought process here, I'd also like to point to Freud when he said " Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar". We can easily assign meaning to many things not even thought about by the creator. As the "one big fanny" comment suggests an avoidance of sexual connotation or at least a toning down. This is an awareness of sexual suggestion but not for the sake of the production. The xenomorph doesnt escape from the abdomen of Kane. It would not kill him if it did. It rips open his chest, guaranteeing his demise. This is a parasitic process more than a reproductive subversion. The dead can be eaten. Lambert was weak and submissive and died easily because of this lack of flight or fight. Her panting could easily be suggested as a metaphor for childbirth. However, that same method was employed in Jaws. "I wanted to scare the shit out of people. That’s the job" is Ridley's interpretation of his work. I've worked with him on set. He doesnt micromanage everyone's performance to produce the nuances you think he is trying to in his films. He allows us to perform naturally and if it works, that's it. A lot of the dialogue is adlibbed by the cast. This was a technique adopted in the 1970s in order to produce more natural environments in the scene. A lot of what you are assigning to crewmen being prompted to say is actually just them deciding to talk about subjects they thought the employees of the corporation would be more likely to be concerned about. The phallus is a hydrodynamic shape, just the same as a rocket is an aerodynamic shape. A longer gun barrel allows for more gas pressure to build and fire further. Red on white is a medical colour scheme. Also, the men pursuing power over the nesting... they just wanted to save their friend and also Lambert was abrasive and dismissive of the danger too. She followed the rules set by that same capitalistic corporation. Those rules were broken by the machine of industry because profit comes before people. Women are just as greedy as men. What im saying is, a deep dive into a shallow pool produces headaches. In the case of this essay, it indicates a near deity like status and forethought to a man just wanting to make a horror flick. I am enjoying your interpretation but having worked in film for 15 years, i know its just not quite that cerebral:)
Sometimes a cigar is a cigar, sometimes the film we're discussing literally wrote the book on making everything look like genitalia. Here's the writer of the film describing the process as rape and birth, something you seem certain it isn't. It's a pretty famous quote that was included in the video. "One thing that people are all disturbed about is sex... I said 'That's how I'm going to attack the audience; I'm going to attack them sexually. And I'm not going to go after the women in the audience, I'm going to attack the men. I am going to put in every image I can think of to make the men in the audience cross their legs. Homosexual oral rape, birth. The thing lays its eggs down your throat, the whole number.'" Having "worked in film for fifteen years" I'd assume you'd know that "a man" (Ridley Scott I presume) is not responsible for 'a movie' and there are a great many people contributing creatively. Here you seem to have entirely ignored the role of the writer Dan O'Bannon, who I have quoted above and, I assure you, *was* that cerebral and did have these exact issues in mind as I think the quote quite nicely demonstrates.
I've been bingeing your video essays, they deserve so much more attention and I thank you for the hard work you've put in to make such illuminating content. I hope my comments go a small way to helping increase their visibility.
Absolutely loved your analysis of Alien, still one of my all time favorite movies! Admittedly most of the symbolism, like the crashed ship as spread legs with a vagina as entrance totally flew over my head every time I watched it. 😅 That's why I love an educated analysis like yours or Rob Ager's work. I would love to listen to the two of you talking about symbolism in Alien or other great works of cinematic art, like the shining or the thing. If you reach out to him, a collaboration could proove great fun and expand both of your audiences. 🖖
Thank you so much dude that’s super generous! So glad you enjoyed the video, hopefully you are(n’t) seeing vaginas everywhere you look now! I looked up Rob Ager when you (maybe someone else too) made a comparison. He certainly sounds from the accent like he lives close by me! That being said I think he’s probably a bit out of my league in terms of collaboration, so hopefully when I get a few more subscribers that’s a possibility! Thanks again dude!
The main thing from Freud applicable to this video though is his statement that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Obviously there are a lot of deeper themes in the movie but this video goes so far overboard it becomes mental masturbation.
Giger was not the only design influence in the movie there was also the French comic book artist Moebius whose influence appears in the Nostromo including the " Womb Room" on which Giger had no influence on at all. btw commercial surrogacy only frees one woman's body to enslave another's exactly analogous to implantation by an alien
Great video. However, the voluminous text overlays made me dizzy, frantic and seasick while trying to listen to the dialog, read a full-screen paragraph and inspect the image behind it in three to four seconds, but the rest was good. Also, I admired Giger's artwork in the 1970s and watched "Alien" numerous times, but not once did I remotely think of "racism". I'll leave that subtext to race-hustlers and Gen-Z social justice warriors, who believe that everything in the universe is "racist". They think things like "time", "rocks" and "salad" are racist, so I don't buy it.
Yeah I certainly don't agree that there's any racism on the part of the filmmakers, or the film itself for that matter, and the people suggesting that I think are being wilfully aggressive in their interpretation. Naturally though there was racism in 1970's America and that's the crucial anxiety they were looking to exploit. Really appreciate the note about the text being too much, I have toned it down a lot in more recent videos but I'll still look to streamline it even more in future. Glad you enjoyed the video dude!
Alien was released when I was nine years old. I was obsessed with it and knew the movie through and through by way of the heavy metal adaptation drawn by Walter Simonson and The photo novel I bought at Safeway earning money mowing lawns. it must’ve been re-released a couple of years later because that’s when I saw it with my older sister in the theater. It is my number-one, favorite movie (Wages of Fear,Mad Max 2, and Apocalypse Now are up there, too) No other movie had such a mesmerizing impact as Alien. I appreciate your insight with Conrad (i was obsessed with the name, Nostromo and Sulaco too!) Your section on Ash and Ripley’s assault is remarkable. Astounding insight, Novum. Thank you for this guide and your Trickster video!
going back and watching really solid older content from creators is always such a ride when they so clearly don't know how big they're going to get. you're thanking people in this video for hitting 1k subs and mention you weren't sure if it would ever get that far, and at this moment you're sitting at 13x that. here's hoping it only continues to grow -- you've got a great eye for detail and it's only developed since making videos like this one
That's funny I don't remember saying that I'll have to listen back! I don't think I'm 'big' by any stretch but hopefully one day! I'm just grateful the people that do watch are responding to it so well. Thanks so much dude, that was really awesome to read!
It fascinates me how some people read so much into films & run the risk of coming across as presumptuous or pretentious. I can't think of another film that's inspired as much over-analysis as Alien. No doubt some of the things you mentioned were deliberately implemented by the film's creators, but some of it is just conjecture. Having said that ii applaud your good taste & it's one of the better long-winded takes on this peerless sci-fi horror i've seen.
Agreed. Most times the director is like "that never entered my mind"! Total conjecture. Movie making and stories are much more basic than people think.
I am going down an alien rabbithole right now and reading a couple of different interpretations of it as a result. Among others I read a piece as part of "The Great Villain Blogathon" called "How to Develop Theme: The Perversion of Sex in Alien" right before watching this video and as a result perked up at some very specific wordings. 41:50 adds a single "is" to a direct quote from the piece. The two sentences prior also seem to be taken from it without properly quoting it. There is a lot more in this video than in that article - it is very much focused on just the stages of the Xenomoprh - so it doesn't feel plagiaristic as much as it feels poorly quoted. The video does a lot more than just look at the sexuality of the xenomorph, I enjoyed the discussion of how destabilizing equal black and female coworkers would have been to moviegoers at the time, but to me that just makes it more disappointing that improper citation doesn't make it clear to me what is actually your own work and what isn't.
I don't think you've ever seen an actual refinery. If you ever get the chance to see a real one in real life, you will see why the nostromo looks the way it does. I like everybody else Understand the sexual references in alien. But wow you are seeing it everywhere.
I would think as a fellow creator you'd be more respectful of other peoples work. Extremely disappointing. I could re-explain all the caveats in the video, why this comment is wrong, but given they didn't sink in the first time I don't see why I should bother. I enjoyed your work in Project Blue Book nevertheless.
I think a lot of what can be explained by realism should be used to explain abstract things. - The alien is black simply because it's a predator. Can you imagine it hiding in a dark ship and being any other color ? that wouldn't make sense at all.
Thank you. While well done overall, many parts of this analysis come off as a form of thematic apperception by the content creator,, rather than intent of the filmmaker. Regarding RIipley being female, for instance, It was a suggestion by a studio exec along the lines of “why not”, but not based on making some point about gender, as such.
It's also typical color of ants and other insects. Due to it's reproductive cycle there's no need for male/female distinctions or any sort of courting. I think it's mostly just about the ship like you said. Black is a very forgiving color to work with when you're controlling the light. But in the end, it's probably just the scariest thing possible.
Dude you're reading way too much into this. Basically it's just a fucking awesome and timeless movie that is ten times better than the crap Ridley makes these days!
“I said, 'That's how I'm going to attack the audience; I'm going to attack them sexually. And I'm not going after the women in the audience, I'm going to attack the men. I'm going to put in every image I can think of to make the men in the audience cross their legs. '” Dan O'Bannon Alien Screenwriter
@@Novum_YT Um, that's what horror is supposed to do?! Of course he went after the men, he knew only a handful of women would even be interested in seeing an unsettling violent blood bath on screen. Men WERE the audience.
@@razvansfirlogea3134 Damn man you're on a roll!. Firstly I'm glad we agree, men were the target audience for mainstream cinema back then. That's why attacking them sexually while putting a female action hero front and center was a bold thing to do! If you're interested in this I'd say Carol J Clover's 'Men, Women and Chainsaws' is the defining text and unsurprisingly it spends a large portion of it's time discussing exactly what we are now. That being said how you're trying to portray it is a false equivalency. Just from the quote you're literally discussing you can see that Dan O'Bannon acknowledges the women in the audience, he says "not the women", 'the women' implying the women in the audience. And I can't link it here because UA-cam but you can go google 'Alien 1979 test screening' and see a photograph of the test audiences first reaction which is about 80-90% female. A relatively small cross-section available in the photo but given it's a test screening it's also a purposefully selected audience. It's also just ignorant of cinematic history to say horror wasn't positioned/targeted at women back then. Psycho was made decades prior, do you think the naked woman being stabbed in the shower was targeted at men? The Birds? The Shining? I could go on for a long time there but the point is simply that this isn't true. They were made for a male lens in certain respects, how we put women on screen being the obvious one, but that doesn't mean they were the main target for discomfort. Alien's decision to break away from these trends is literally one of the main things that made this film a cultural classic.
Perhaps i haven't gotten to the part where to mention the alien was originally supposed to be a tranclucent white, completely changing the racial dynamics of the movie if they did, but im sure you'll mention it if your this thorough. If not that's rather unfortunate
I am 2 years late, but i am happy i discovered this video! Alien is one of my favorite films ever, and i was honestly not sure a 1:30 long video would be able to cover enough of the many things there is to say about it, but i think you did an amazing job covering most points in great detail! The part about Ash always interested me. He's clearly torn between his programming and objective, as well as what he desires as a thinking and learning entity, and it's hard not to notice his demeanor and every little action he makes on a second viewing of the film! I always wondered why he started shaking himself up as they start to investigate the derelict spacecraft, since no one else is there for him to try to convince anyone that he's in need of relaxing his muscles or anything, and i wonder if it's an oversight, or if he's actually mentally preparing himself because he knows exactly how close they are to finding the alien creature he's been anticipating this whole time. Similar to how his lips spasmed just before attacking Ripley. Maybe it could be that he has involuntary physical reactions in moments like these, when he's mentally overwhelmed. I might just be overthinking it, but i think he's a fun character to analyze!
i do have a few opinions but i just want to put forth a correction. The role of Ripley was not written for a man. It has been stated in interviews more than once that all roles were not gendered. they were written so anyone could play the role.
Hey! I'm halfway through the video and it's amazing thus far. I saw you seem to still be responding to new comments, so figured I would try asking my question. Is there any reason that you refer to any idea relating to being trans as "transgenderism"? The only reason I can think of is because that'd be how it's referred to at the time the original movie came about. I'm trans myself and it's not a term any trans person uses- it's actually a term that almost exclusively anti-trans people use to discount how transgender people feel, implying being transgender is some type of religion and/or moral system.(think creationists referring to any scientist that believes in evolution as an "evolutionist".)I'm not sure if there is a reason or if you knew the above or not, but I myself couldn't help but notice the word stick out like a sore thumb. Sorry if this question has already been asked and you've already answered :)
Hey there, thanks for the comment. I always try and reply but UA-cam is pretty awful at notifying me once a few people are commenting at the same time. No one has brought it up on this video however I did make the faux pas of saying 'transexualism' on the Hereditary video which someone has corrected me about. The way I understood it 'transgenderism' was just an umbrella term for anything transgender related and actually I think what the person in the other video advised me to use. Obviously for a lot of this I am speaking in a historical sense but I get the feeling from your comment that I've said it in a way that applies to now. I guess the way you've explained it makes sense, and honestly I don't really mind adjusting my speech to not cause other people distress, that's all fine and dandy. I actually find the whole war-over-rhetoric in (and about) the trans community quite fascinating. And my opinions on it are probably a bit too nuanced for a UA-cam comment. But something that's always bothered me is the circularity to these terms, that there's some underlying bigotry that's never really escaped. I think this is kind of an example of that, I've had a quick google and as you say, it seems to have evolved into an offensive term via extensive use by anti-trans activists. Which is sad. But if the term 'transgenderism' is offensive and 'transgender' isn't, it's also a little bit confusing to people like me who are just trying to broach the subject as a whole, and more worryingly, it feels a lot like there's a hidden level of bigotry we aren't escaping. I think the prime example of this for me is the term 'coloured', which when I was growing up was still in use but absolutely considered offensive and something I was instructed to not say, and the term we're told to use now, 'people of colour' which is supposedly extremely non-offensive despite carrying the exact same meaning. It feels like we've just gone in a big circle and that we're still seeing white people in a non-coloured binary and everyone else in this 'coloured/of colour' category. So all that waffling aside, I guess my only question to you is what term is acceptable to use in place of that umbrella term? Is there updated vocabulary from within the trans community? As is clear people are going to comment on it and I see no reason to not use the correct terminology so what would you suggest if I am speaking about, for want of a better word obviously, 'transgenderism'? The practice, the principles and so on.
@@Novum_YT Hey, that's a very insightful response :D I can understand what you mean about terms being confusing and seeming to circle around to mean opposite things. It's incredibly common for terms to be reclaimed and repurposed in many groups, and even specific spellings can indicate different intentions that may not make sense to people outside of said groups, especially people that haven't had specific words used against them in a negative way. But like you said, that's a pretty nuanced and long discussion. I can understand your confusion towards terms, but what matters the most is that you're listening to people. To answer your question, here are some things I recommend. Instead of saying "given (character's) transgenderism", I recommend wording it something like this: "Given (character) is canonically/stated to be transgender." "Given (character) is transgender." If what gender the character is transitioning to is known, getting into specifics can also help show support, but this part isn't necessary or anything, and I can understand if it seems redundant. "Given (character) is a transgender woman." And instead of saying something such as: "During the time period people were against transgenderism" I recommend something such as: "During the time period people were against transgender individuals." "During the time period people considered the ability that someone could change their gender to be impossible." Being trans, just like being gay isn't an ideology. There isn't really a singular term that fully encompasses the experience that every trans person can relate to and agree with, at least, not yet. Simply stating that someone is trans acknowledges the existence of trans people without being offensive. No need to add -ism or -ist to a state of existence that someone can't control. As a whole, if you ever suspect your wording towards any minority group a person belongs to might come off as presenting said group as a philosophy/religion/ideology; I recommend re-wording your statement to simply state the facts of what someone is. Of course, this is my individual recommendation as a single Queer(hey, that's one of those reclaimed terms!)and ND person. Other people of various groups might have better advice. I also have a very minor addition to @1:08:19 in the video. I understand if this doesn't make sense to someone who isn't transgender, but saying something such as "the only born female" can come off wrongly. A common wording people in the trans community use is "assigned female at birth", or "assigned male at birth" respectively. In this scenario the wording would be "the only person assigned female at birth." The best way I can explain it is that saying someone was born as a certain gender implies they'll always be seen as such, whereas saying someone was assigned a specific gender at birth tends to account for an individual's anatomy while recognizing that many medical systems still only account for the gender binary and thus assign to people what they believe them to be without knowing if it's true. It's a very small wording change, and it's another confusing thing I can see people outside the community not understanding, but normalization of such terms is still helpful and appreciated.
I really loved your video. Came here from your Hereditary video, which was excellent as well. But I wanted to second what the first comment says. I'm Transgender, and the phrase "Transgenderism" is almost exclusively used by bigots and part of discriminatory anti-trans extremists, at least over here in the United States. The phrases "Transvestite" or "Transsexual" are also considered out-dated terms that most of the trans community doesn't look favorably upon. I can't say enough how well done your work is, and how enjoyable it is to watch. I have a channel as well, do I realize sometimes comments can be really bad. So please know, I am commenting in good faith. You seem to be very well educated and thoughtful, so I actually came to the comments just to see if another Trans person had commented. Anyways, just echoing what they said, and wanted to add to it so you know for future videos, if the subject comes up. I see your thoughtful response to the comment above. I appreciate that as well. I look forward to seeing more of your work. Take care. Shalom.
@@pokeypoker6208Awesome response. I again wanted to second all this. These terms & phrasings are what the transgender community uses, and most experts in Transgender Healthcare use these phrasing as well. I basically came to the comments to see if another Transgender person had commented lol and so you did. Thanks.
There is no "race" .... We are all of the same race .... Human race. The colour of the skin or the culture is not a different race. The word "race " was implemented to define the human differences by racism. We are ethnically diverse but the same race . Stop using the word race to define some one living in the next city of yours!
Giger had nothing to do with the Human future ships etc designs, this was done by Ron Cobb and Chris Foss and Ridley himself, this was to show the contrast between human and Alien. So the overtly sexual overtones were not present on the human side.
Watched your Hereditary video which was amazing and led me to this. tysm for your content and also glad to hear you're better from your illness. New subscriber and on to watch more of your stuff :)
It's so awesome to hear people are checking out my other stuff, feels totally surreal! Thank you so much for watching, and supporting, me. Very glad to have you on board! And thanks for the well wishes too!
@@Novum_YT Sigourney was the speaker at my commencement at Santa Clara University. Even before then she was my hero bc of Alien. I'm new to your stuff but I'm guessing you're a fan of scifi and I went to a book reading in my neighborhood for Brian Herbert's latest Dune novel for his dad's novels. I'm hoping you're a Dune fan but even if you're not this is fun: the bookstore owner had a hairless cat named Ripley - ha! Only 6 of us were there which was great bc Brian could get really in depth. It was so fun to learn about their family life. Apparently his mom/Frank's wife was the inspiration for Jessica and Brian told us tons of instances where his mom was intuitive/psychic or whatever you want to call it. So glad I went bc I was tired after work and thinking of bailing.
saw this film in cinema in 1979 when it first came out, thought it was a brilliant horror movie- never realised there was a racial undertone to the film-what a load of rubbish
Bro yes! I thought it was so well done. I haven't watched Season 2 because I feel like it's the exact same thing as 'True Detective' where the first season is someones magnum opus and then they tell them to have a whole different but equally good idea ready for next year. Cheers for commenting dude! Oh, p.s. love the gothic fallacy/naming convention of 'Tuun Baq'. Right out of Turn of the Screw or Woman in Black etc.
I just found your channel few days ago through the Hereditary video and watched that and then Midsommar and can't stop raving to my friends about you. The amount of work and detail and thought you put in is absolutely astonishing. I am now going back through your work as it seems you love the same movies and I will enjoy them while waiting for your next video on The Witch. It's like having a new friend who is having the same obsessions, but knows so much more. Thank you.
10:48 You're absolutely right. As Im watching this Im thinking, "What primal fears does this film tap into?" The setting is clean, white and technical but there is blood and gore and goo and ickyness around every corner. This is the fear that technology hurts. That it can poke us, gouge us and make us bleed despite its clean, healthy and antiseptic appearance. A very similar fear is presented in much the same way in THX1138.
Okay, this was completely brilliant. You have opened up my eyes to a film I thought I knew better than any other film from my childhood. New sub, indeed...
What the heck. I excepted 1.5 hours of remembering a great movie and new viewpoints. Well the viewpoints are 6 minutes of Woke commentary in the first 7 minutes. What a shame.
Alien is one of my top ten movies of all time but in all my viewings, it never occurred to me that there was a racial component to the shade of the alien or an interplay between that and the character of Parker. The alien resembled gun-metal to me. I never thought it looked black...I thought it was meant to resemble a weapon. If anything, the Queen alien was a juxtaposition against Ripley by showing the frightening side of female empowerment to people of the 70's (working off the idea that women may one day be able to impregnate men or at the very least they'll destroy society if they have the power to do so- the alien head was meant to look like a penis, but it also looks like a bomb) vs the actually human/rational side of female empowerment which shows that women are capable of being logical and doing what's best for everyone in the face of existential danger. The scare of bombs dropping would still have been prevalent for many viewers when it hit movie screens and the film also came out in the midst of/or directly after second wave feminism (depending on how you define those eras). I saw Parker as being someone who inherently understood the danger in ways the white men did not, but his overall masculine sensibilities still led him astray. I guess looking over it now ... Maybe there is something there and problematic in the Queen (black, or just otherwise a weaponized other) vs a white Ripley. I never saw the racial component growing up though, and maybe that's my own privileged bias. To me it was always about how the power to birth is usually a weakness- a beauty and a blessing but ultimately, something that renders women physically compromised and a vessel to be fought over. But what if you could turn the tables? What if giving birth was the most violent and horrifying thing you could do ... To anyone? And if a man had the ability to design that/turn that idea into a reality, what would it look like? Maybe it would look like a penis-bomb the color of a gun, dripping with c*m that could impregnate men and women alike? And the one person capable of fighting against that is... a very reasonable woman who does not want anyone else to be impregnated against their will -obviously- and she also likes cats 😂 Edit: it's important to note that Sigourney Weaver would not wear bigger panties or shave for those final scenes in her undies. They paid someone thousands of dollars to brush out her pubic hair because that wasn't something you could show on screen regardless of your gender/sex. I don't know if she refused to shave because it went against her principals, because it was retaliation for them forcing her to do a scene in her underwear, or if it was just the case she didn't think she should have to. I lean towards the latter because the role/script originally had a guy in a tank top and his boxers- the equivalent would've been what she was wearing, for a woman because women didn't wear boxers back then. But a man wearing boxers doesn't have to shave so I'm guessing she didn't think she should have to either. Or maybe she's just a bad bitch.
This makes me wanna read and write lit analysis again. Like in high school. Your videos are massively inspired. Thought provoking and detailed. I’m surprised you didn’t mention the co-Ed shower scene.
That makes me so happy to hear! I think it's a great route to understanding people and developing yourself in a multitude of different ways. A very good practice! Co-ed shower scene? Are we talking Starship Troopers here or Alien Covenant? Man I wanna do a Starship Troopers video.
I kind of respectfully disagree. Of all the people on the crew, Parker (the black man) had the most common sense. If they would have listened to Parker and just frozen Kane until they got back to Earth, the whole crew survives, they bring their cargo back, and Weyland has their frozen Alien they can safely remove from Kane (hopefully). Unfortunately, the captain is a spineless idiot that’s easily manipulated because he just wants to go home.
A postmodern lens tends to view everything as a power dynamic. Where one is either dominating or dominated. Which in reality may not be the case. It ends up being a projection which skews or distorts reality. Further leaving us more deluded than we were before. I feel that constantly and excessively viewing the world or in this case film through such a "feminist" slant does a disservice to the more timeless and universal themes actually present in the film. The fact that the character of Ripley wasn't initially written as a woman is exactly why Ripley is such a great character. Writing in mind that said character must exhibit certain qualities and characteristics is exacty how good characters should be written. No agenda or propaganda in mind being pushed. Simply great writing. Egalitarian societal values/structure based on an individuals merit are the way forward. An Egalitarian Meritocracy is the path towards a more hopeful future.
Agreed. Most good films can be examined in any number of ways but I feel like examining Alien from only a feminist lens narrows the universal themes, imagery, and characterization of the film significantly.
I agree, I feel many of the points made here are reaching a bit and not fully hitting certain notes of the true themes and intentions of the filmmaker. IMO there are far too many reaches into deeper meanings of a “capitalist” society as well as racial and feministic equivocations that I lay claim aren’t really there. He also mentions of a deeper societal racism that points to why Parker (a black man) is paid less than the others but fails to mention Brett (a white man) is also paid less; as one could deduce from him showing a desire for Parker to speak up on both of their behalves to receive better shares.
100% agree here. This is so far reaching and out of touch with reality. Unfortunately, universities have totally corrupted the next generation with this post modernist crap, to the point where they can’t enjoy a good sci-fi horror without trying to see through a microscope of confirmation bias in hopes that the movie is some type of pro postmodernism time capsule that it is simply not. You see, “back in my day” people just made cool movies with purely hypothetical visions of the future. Not everything had to be a virtue signaling social commentary for brownie points. It probably sucks to hear that, as this doc maker put tons of time into trying to gain his extreme leftist professors favor, but this was simply a huge waste of time and energy and simply incorrect. Maybe you should do a video about how amazing the economy was during the Republican 80s.
Outstanding video, thank you for the hard work and thorough analysis of a true classic film. Also, if I ever start a band, I'm absolutely calling it "Alien Sex Monster."
Someone actually (almost exactly) beat you to it by quite a few years - interestingly just a couple years after 'Alien' was released: the British gothic/industrial rock band Alien Sex Fiend, which formed in 1982. ua-cam.com/video/gYMLwLTzGUg/v-deo.html I live in Siberia, Through no fault of my own. We're a blank generation, In the danger zone Paracidal slumbers from 7 to 23... Only the blind follow me....
So this film is about racial tension and white positions of power; but it’s also about IVF; but it’s also about transgressive technological transhumanism; but it’s also about forced and unwanted pregnancies; goodness me, you’re grasping at straws and know nothing about this film.
Nope. There are 8 characters on the ship in the beginning of the film. You are forgetting about Jonesy the Cat. And you also said the ship's name was Mother. That was the name of a computer. The ship's name is The Nostromo.
I had to stop watching after 20 min. It's alright dude, you put a lot of efforts into this video and of course you can share your opinion freely. But I won't let you get away with this utter certainty that your analysis reflects 100% of the film makers intentions.
>be me >ensure at the start I tell everyone that not only is this an amalgamation of differing academic analysis from many people across decades, but also that I don't agree with 100% of it >lockheed737 appears >Iwon'tletyougetawaywiththis.png
Hey Novum! Recently found your channel and just wanted to say that your film analysis, especially when it pertains to a film you a passionate about, is on a tier of quality few other creators can match. I have watched your Lighthouse, Hereditary and now Alien videos almost back to back over two days. I cannot imagine the amount of work and research you have put into them. I am looking forward to your Midsommar video and whatever else you have planned for the future!
Funny how this portrays all of these themes that people were worried about and beautifully twists them into a horror movie. Now these themes are almost fully realized and we sure seem like we are living in times of horror. The impotent male, the “strong” female forced upon that position by media and government, children being groomed from an early age about gender. The future is female eh as they say these days. I can’t wait to see those glory days, I’ll have a front row seat and popcorn ready.
@MBG.426 From what I read it was male but they changed it through development. Lambert for example is very much put in the shoes of a screaming over emotional woman. Dalas is stern and reserved, typically male traits.
We were lucky to have Ripley, Sarah Connor, and many others in our formitive years... and wuthout the woke rolling back all the progress we had made up until 2015-16.
Wow I’m blown away with the depth and thought you’ve put into this video. I’ve always loved Alien but now I have a whole new respect for the film makers and artist that brought it to life. Good work !
Wow. This is extremely in-depth. I can't imagine an Alien fan not forming a deeper connection to the film due to this analysis. I can't imagine how much research, scripting and editing went into this video. Superb work indeed. I wonder if the soundtrack in this video is from the Alien film. It's been years since I've seen it.
I've also found your channel and have been watching your vids. I've had a comment about the 'birthing scene' with their pods and correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they wake in the order they die, so since John Hurt's character wakes first he dies first. Or am I completely wrong?
I can assure you all this overcoming the patriarchy and racial inequality subtext was not the intent of the original story teller. If you listen/watch Dan obanan interviews and recounting of the process. Not saying the parallels aren't there just that THAT was not the intent
this is a good video, except i think you shoul play the graphic title cards of your transitions while youre saying it so it is less disconnected to your audience. because you say the thing and then a beat later it shows up on screen. i dont know if these breaks are deliberate tho to break up the pace cause boy youre really spking, but if you just fade the lil music in under the end of your section it will make a smoother transition and make the video feel a lil more polished. idk
Thank you so much for taking the time to write that, it's really good advice that I will definitely take to heart for future videos. My production has got a bit better since this but it still has a long way to go! Cheers!
Exploration was "traditionally a masculine endeavor "... uh... it was ONLY a masculine endeavor... as far as the condescending references to "white endeavors", you grew up reading European works so what did you expect? If you would have grown up in East Asia or Northern Africa or the Middle East you would find their heroes were images of the dominant culture in which they were written... it's OK to celebrate European fiction...
great work here, amazing stuff but: about 1/5 of the way through this I am damn sick of regularlyputting my day to a screeching halt, coming to the computer and scrolling back to read some more fucking extraneous text. and none of it is actually skippable or irrelevant in any way! also, some people who watched 70s movies are now blind! QUITE MANY ACTUALLY! (ETA: I really love the video anyway- please take this as a snapshot into the emotional impact of inaccessibility on the unimagined but very real disabled viewer who finds themself unable to simultaneously process main video, audio, main text AND text presented simultaneously but at some remove from the other content.)
You are right, 1000%. I hate it too. For quotes and stuff I will continue to do it because it can just be too much of a timesink to read out fully and often people want the wider context. But the main reason you'll see it in video essays, certainly in my stuff anyway, is that you've got weeks of working with the editing software once you've already recorded the voice over. During that time you're going to realise 100 things you didn't include and while you can get the audio matching pretty well, as people we're very changeable in how we sound moment to moment. So in the past when I have recorded new bits and inserted them in, it's sounds for a moment like I've been replaced by a clone of myself. That's not hyperbole either, that's something I've actually been accused of on my other, more conspiracy driven, channel! Now I am steadily getting better at treating sound and I am being far more thorough in how I present information, so hopefully in the future there is a lot less of it. If you look at my Hereditary video in comparison to this one I think it's already got a lot better, but you're absolutely right. I do consider it a failure if people have to pause my work to be able to receive all the *necessary* information and it's something I'll be hyper vigilant of in future. So glad you enjoyed the video otherwise, thank you so much for the healthy criticism, it's essential to my improvement.
Glad to help! I'm a little embarrassed at the emotional state I shared about it because as you say, there are real practical concerns when it comes to editing information into videos that have already been cut. Thanks for being cool about it! Sounds like you've got your head screwed on, at any rate@@Novum_YT
![[FFXI-Bahamut] Part 7: First Limit Breaks, grind, and maybe Windurst 3-2! [VOD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0K4J6OIEWd4/mqdefault.jpg)
I found your excellent channel today and have been enjoying its content. Thank you!
I do have one small critique, though: HR Giger's name is pronounced "Gee-ger," not "Guy-ger." I've included a link at the end of this comment that may be helpful.
FWIW-Giger's name is (probably) mispronounced more often than it's pronounced correctly. Perhaps because it's a Swiss name?? I used to refer to him as "Guy-ger" too. A friend of mine (who knew Giger personally) corrected me, and I am glad that he did.
Thanks for the excellent content!
Link- m.ua-cam.com/video/y8ZXTgGgBJE/v-deo.html
Hey dude, thank you so much for this, it's always crazy to hear that people have actually gone and watched my other stuff, I get how specific the appeal of these vids is so it's very affirming!
You're absolutely right on the Giger front and I think maybe I have heard that before, which I'm only saying to avoid being potentially rude to someone else who might have commented it. That being said it is an error, thanks for pointing it out, I'm actually just going to sticky your post as trying to edit the video would require taking it down. Cheers dude!
Keep your college propaganda out of the movie guide, "loss of white male power". What a fucking joke.
While his name might be properly pronounced as “geeger”, not a single fucking person on earth besides you pronounces it that way, so get used to hearing “guyger” :) nitpicking fool.
I imagine it's due to people conflating it with Geiger, as in Geiger Counter for detecting radiation?
Yes you're right i before e
Like rod steiger but giger is different.
I want you to know these videos feel like sitting with a really good friend that’s really passionate about something and they’re explaining it all to you
That's so lovely to hear, thank you! I think all my friends are absolutely bored to death of hearing me talk about stuff like this so I'll take that as an absolute win! Hope you're having an awesome day!
explaining it super well too!
You distilled my feeling of this video into words exactly :)
Absolutely! I love deep diving into movies and it’s so lovely to watch these. Obviously made by someone who genuinely loves film. Exploring the themes, symbolism, philosophy, history, psychology and all the nuance that goes into the art of visual storytelling 🥰
Hearing this is a breath of fresh air into my ear drums 💚
it's hilarious to me that they made children's toys out of the aliens, knowing how explicit geiger's work is...
I had all these toys lol and even got banned from bringing them in for recess
@@damissingframe I guess the teachers must've been secretly fans: they absolutely would've got it.
I have been a MASSIVE SUPERfan of Alien since I first saw it in theater in 1979. I digest and absorb everything that has ever been written or made concerning what is BY FAR the best Sci Fi film ever made, and certainly the best of all of the Alien movies. However, THIS is the most complete, most authoritative and most well done academic analysis of this beloved movie that I have ever seen. Kudos. This is a fantastic work.
Came here after your hereditary video came up in my feed, absolutely awesome work these are the best video essays I've seen on this site. Truly such fresh air that you dive deep into these films without the usual cookie cutter lame humour
Ohh a fellow ENTP eh? Aquiring useless knowledge as you would expect! 🤝🏻haha
Came here from your Hereditary video, this was incredible. I'm a woman and Alien is my all time favourite movie, I love how amazing Ripley is and the incredible cinematography and sound work of the movie. I never thought about all the social subtext of the time! This has really enhanced my enjoyment of the film.
I agree that the showing of Ripley's body at the end doesn't undercut the feminist angle of the movie or character. I thought her "comfy undies" and thin, muscular body made her look really cool while still being feminine and a woman.
What a great tribute to what I consider the greatest film of all time. Thanks for putting in all the work to make this.
I wouldn't say Ripley comes off as asexual. Most of the crew is just arguably not of interest to her. There was a deleted sex scene between Ripley and Dallas in the original script. It would definitely explain the extra tension between them when they argue about bringing the face-hugged Kane onboard.
Yeah I don’t see her as asexual, sex just isn’t part of the story.
1:15:40 perhaps in mimicry of observed alien behavior. We know that ash admires the xenomorph, which is a similar but much more advanced and powerful biosynthetic lifeform, though operating independantly, as opposed to ash, who exists purely to serve the ship, mother and the company (hegemonic masculine capitalism, father). His choice to aurally penetrate ripley with a rolled up porn mag speaks to several of his aspirations: to force ripley back into a subservient, traditional position in service of mother and father, to imitate his admired x3nomorph, to perform his view of violent, subjegative masculinity, to compensate for ripley's earlier emqsculation of him. However, these desires are what doom him. Instead of simply killing ripley, which he could easily have done, he instead attempts tl satisfy his fantasies of corporate masculinity and is so focused on them that parker, ripley's coworker, is able to wound him.
Does the estate of Sigmund Freud have you on the payroll?
Great video! I read the novelization of Alien and it was implied that the crew slept with one another as a matter of course, not even romantically. Ripley and Lambert have a discussion about Ash, each asking the other if they'd slept with him, and finding it odd that no one had.
Sex in the future is basically using a other person as a masturbation tool.
I came looking for silver and found gold
My man!
@@Novum_YT btw man you were blowing up on a sub reddit
@@Novum_YT that's how I discovered this gold mine of content you have made
@@BhaskarDhar141 Yeah man I saw that, really nice of the guy to post it. The mods took it down even though I messaged them asking very politely for them to leave it up. From what I could tell from the mod reply they took it down *because it wasn't making fun of me* and that's what the sub is for. I got 100 subs in like an hour from it and that mod(s) just didn't care. Little bit heartbreaking considering there's 2.6 mil people in that sub but still really grateful for those that did see it.
@@Novum_YT although i am just one person and cant make much of a difference but i will try my best to spread the word
Lambert isn't trans. She was a "Despin Convert AT BIRTH". Assuming the surgeons didn't just turn a genetically and physically typical boy infant to a girl on a whim, she's intersex. If her agency wasn't involved, and she didn't even have a chance to realize her identity in the first place, she isn't trans, even based on the retcon.
And it's by definition "retcon", since there was nothing about it in even in the scripts of Alien, and didn't become a thing until 7 years later in Aliens.
And even that retcon was not done by any of the original creators. It was created by some low level production person who created generic blocks of text to be used in the background shots where Ripley is in her review meeting.
I think your two essays I've watched so far, this and Lighthouse, have been one of if not the most in-depth and contextualized I've ever watched and have given me way more appreciation for those films. I can't understand how this video only got 186 likes and it makes me sad. Your videos enrich(ed) my day and I am grateful for you releasing them, even though they get so little traction!
Thank you so much Nathan! It makes me a little sad too but comments like this really help! I'm especially proud of this one so very hapy you've got to see it. There's lots more on the way very soon. Thanks again dude.
My guess as to why the "likes" are so low is that the majority of Joe six-paks that make up the movie-viewing audience, could not care less about deeper meanings and sub-contexts. There only in it for the action, female nudity and gore. Everything else shoots directly over there brain buckets.
@scottricci5063 Type in Collative learning.
And Rob Ager.
Same guy. He does in depth movie analysis too.
This video is awesome though and I'm going to follow the guy 😊
This video seems to be picking up steam. I’m a huge Alien fan and I can’t believe this flew under my radar for so long.
this is such a sweet comment seeing how the channel has grown. i’m jealous of you early fans
AAAAAAnd Parker was right wanting to freeze Cain and was ignored by the crews. The black man voice was as ignored as the female.
The fact that you are turning this into woke shit is revolting
Good God you...people.
Oh yeah because it's so obvious they're totally racist.
Because people normally show so much respect for blue collar workers just so long as they're not black.
@@CreepyHollow😂 wtf does this mean
Omg, came here to be entertained by a podcast about Alien, and within minutes…”racial and gender issues.” No thanks. Think I’ve had more than my fill of that. 🙄
Brilliant video. Nice to see you condensed pretty much everything that's been floating arround (plus some more) into one place. Just one little observation for the sake of accuracy: at 15:40 you imply Giger designed the Nostromo and the stasis pod chamber; but H.R. was the designer of all the alien things (the xenomorph, the ship, etc.). Ron Cobb was the one tasked with the Nostromo.
You're quite right dude, that is awkwardly worded. I'll investigate if UA-cam will let me edit some disclaimer text over that! Thanks so much for watching and pointing that out dude you're 100% correct.
Ron Cobb . One Cool Dude .
Your encouragement for him
to receive credit . . . B R A V O ! ! !
I’d love to see your analysis of the Blaire Witch Project on whether it’s a super natural event or if it was a murder of heather made to look like a witch encounter
Re-watching that movie with that theory in mind makes that movie A LOT scarier in my opinion.
Came across this video and as a fan of Alien and Aliens, I found it really interesting. One thing that's interesting about Lambert's death is that the footage is actually repurposed from the alien's attack on Brett. This doesn't change the intention of the scene, but I find it fascinating that this was initially shot to be part of Brett's death. The giveaway is that Lambert wears boots, while Brett wears sneakers and when the tail goes up between the legs, we can see the sneakers, not the boots.
I loved your Lighthouse video, and your points regarding what makes Ripley such a great protagonist is partly why I enjoyed (early) Sansa's character, for instance, in G.O.T. An underdog of sorts using their strengths to get ahead and not simply making them emotionless or act how a male character might. Really appreciate all the thought and effort you put into these videos!
That's a really good point dude!Yeah I agree totally, she's not the Mary Sue that Arya turns out to be, there's something more genuine in her routes to success and her shades of grey as a character. Thanks so much for watching dude (and continuing to watch) that's really awesome to hear.
Will you do Prometheus, too? I love your videos. I've been watching video essays for more than 5 years and just recently discovered your channel. Superb analyses! Tbh they even help me with my own literary work. I think God of War (2018) would be an interesting game for you to analyze, if you are even into games. Cheers, and have a nice one!
I’m honestly not sure about that one, I’m a fan of the movie (although it’s nowhere close to Alien the franchise is pretty much open game now anyway), it’s really just if I have the time to fit it all in. I guess final answer is ‘maybe but unlikely’.
I absolutely love the God of War games, played the first one back on PS2! Haven’t played Ragnarok yet as I’m waiting for PC release. I actually drew a pretty dope Kratos poster that blew up a bit on Reddit. If you click on my portfolio from my YT profile screen you should be able to find it. I would love to do a complete guide on God of War as a whole series, but I’m guessing that there’s already ten ten-hour breakdowns on UA-cam covering every inch of it! If not then, hell yeah.
Hey guys, let me know what film you'd like to see get 'The Complete Companion Guide' treatment next! (After Hereditary)
Would you have any interest in doing a companion to some Lynch?
@@grimsq6634 Yes, you're not the only person to ask about that actually so I'd say there's a good chance it's coming soon(ish).
@@siamesetwincobra Haven't seen Lost Highway I'll add it to the watchlist, 12 monkeys I've seen a couple of times but I think the first time I was very young and it had just come out and the second I was very intoxicated so I'll give that a rewatch too and see if there's a lot to talk about!
@@siamesetwincobra Cheers dude!
Would Pandorum or Event Horizon fit? EH especially has so much story lost or scattered due to the unfortunate production and editing...
Absolute nonsense.
LOL,yeah,its pretty sick.
It’s interesting to see how much crossover potential this has, for Raised By Wolves, which was also a Ridley Scott project. Some of the same tropes, and even the coincidence of the name “Mother” just were screaming at me lol
I fcking love Raised by Wolves. Tied with Westworld & True Detective Season 1 for my favourite intro credits ever! I was absolutely looking for linking factors like that because all of Ridley Scotts sci-fi seems to be tangentially connected. I can't remember any off hand but I remember there being a few. Love Travis Fimmel and I LOVE the necromancer idea/design.
@@Novum_YT yes!!!! I was so bummed when HBO cancelled it!!! I really want to see what Grandmother’s plan was for turning the humans into those acid ocean mer-creatures.
I absolutely LOVED the necromancer design! I want to make a sculpture or art doll of one. I’d also love a prequel series, because the flashback scenes when Mother is being reprogrammed by Campion Sturges we’re great! I also adore Travis Fimmel! :😍
This was a really good video!!! Definitely gonna look at your other stuff ☺️
As soon as you started talking about race i turned to right off. You think you come off as smart but it really just sounds contrived.
Please please do the exorcist it’s my favorite movie I’ve seen anyone break film down like you
I know a lot about it probably to much but I love your take on hereditary who would love to see what you thought about the exorcist
Fantastic job mate! I'd love to see what you do with Aliens or Jacob's Ladder.
Aliens is a strong bet for the future. I haven't seen Jacobs Ladder so I'll get that downloaded now! Thanks so much dude!
I hope you enjoy it! It's one of my favorites.
Although I can certainly admire your thought process here, I'd also like to point to Freud when he said " Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar". We can easily assign meaning to many things not even thought about by the creator. As the "one big fanny" comment suggests an avoidance of sexual connotation or at least a toning down. This is an awareness of sexual suggestion but not for the sake of the production. The xenomorph doesnt escape from the abdomen of Kane. It would not kill him if it did. It rips open his chest, guaranteeing his demise. This is a parasitic process more than a reproductive subversion. The dead can be eaten. Lambert was weak and submissive and died easily because of this lack of flight or fight. Her panting could easily be suggested as a metaphor for childbirth. However, that same method was employed in Jaws. "I wanted to scare the shit out of people. That’s the job" is Ridley's interpretation of his work. I've worked with him on set. He doesnt micromanage everyone's performance to produce the nuances you think he is trying to in his films. He allows us to perform naturally and if it works, that's it. A lot of the dialogue is adlibbed by the cast. This was a technique adopted in the 1970s in order to produce more natural environments in the scene. A lot of what you are assigning to crewmen being prompted to say is actually just them deciding to talk about subjects they thought the employees of the corporation would be more likely to be concerned about. The phallus is a hydrodynamic shape, just the same as a rocket is an aerodynamic shape. A longer gun barrel allows for more gas pressure to build and fire further. Red on white is a medical colour scheme. Also, the men pursuing power over the nesting... they just wanted to save their friend and also Lambert was abrasive and dismissive of the danger too. She followed the rules set by that same capitalistic corporation. Those rules were broken by the machine of industry because profit comes before people. Women are just as greedy as men. What im saying is, a deep dive into a shallow pool produces headaches. In the case of this essay, it indicates a near deity like status and forethought to a man just wanting to make a horror flick. I am enjoying your interpretation but having worked in film for 15 years, i know its just not quite that cerebral:)
Sometimes a cigar is a cigar, sometimes the film we're discussing literally wrote the book on making everything look like genitalia. Here's the writer of the film describing the process as rape and birth, something you seem certain it isn't. It's a pretty famous quote that was included in the video.
"One thing that people are all disturbed about is sex... I said 'That's how I'm going to attack the audience; I'm going to attack them sexually. And I'm not going to go after the women in the audience, I'm going to attack the men. I am going to put in every image I can think of to make the men in the audience cross their legs. Homosexual oral rape, birth. The thing lays its eggs down your throat, the whole number.'"
Having "worked in film for fifteen years" I'd assume you'd know that "a man" (Ridley Scott I presume) is not responsible for 'a movie' and there are a great many people contributing creatively. Here you seem to have entirely ignored the role of the writer Dan O'Bannon, who I have quoted above and, I assure you, *was* that cerebral and did have these exact issues in mind as I think the quote quite nicely demonstrates.
I've been bingeing your video essays, they deserve so much more attention and I thank you for the hard work you've put in to make such illuminating content. I hope my comments go a small way to helping increase their visibility.
Absolute star, thanks for doing all that :p
Absolutely loved your analysis of Alien, still one of my all time favorite movies!
Admittedly most of the symbolism, like the crashed ship as spread legs with a vagina as entrance totally flew over my head every time I watched it. 😅
That's why I love an educated analysis like yours or Rob Ager's work.
I would love to listen to the two of you talking about symbolism in Alien or other great works of cinematic art, like the shining or the thing.
If you reach out to him, a collaboration could proove great fun and expand both of your audiences. 🖖
Thank you so much dude that’s super generous! So glad you enjoyed the video, hopefully you are(n’t) seeing vaginas everywhere you look now!
I looked up Rob Ager when you (maybe someone else too) made a comparison. He certainly sounds from the accent like he lives close by me! That being said I think he’s probably a bit out of my league in terms of collaboration, so hopefully when I get a few more subscribers that’s a possibility!
Thanks again dude!
Is it too much of a stretch to equate the opening door shot at 15:15 with vagina dentata, which was apparently a real fear some centuries ago?
I have no doubt that, had he lived at the time this movie came out, Alien would have been Sigmund Freud's favorite film.
I think you're right on the money there!
The main thing from Freud applicable to this video though is his statement that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Obviously there are a lot of deeper themes in the movie but this video goes so far overboard it becomes mental masturbation.
Giger was not the only design influence in the movie there was also the French comic book artist Moebius whose influence appears in the Nostromo including the " Womb Room" on which Giger had no influence on at all. btw commercial surrogacy only frees one woman's body to enslave another's exactly analogous to implantation by an alien
Well said. Surrogacy is creepy as hell, especially as practiced by narcissistic gays.
Morbius?
You deserve so much more success for putting so much hard work into these amazing videos!
Thanks so much George, honestly so long as people are having a good time watching them then I'm happy.
This is incredible. What film would I like to see dissected like this? Uhmmmm. Lars Von Triers “Antichrist.” Original Blade Runner. Apocalypse Now!
Thanks so much! Blade Runner will almost certainly happen at some point. Apocalypse Now is a really good shout too!
@@crushedorchids That is another one I'll check out!
Great video. However, the voluminous text overlays made me dizzy, frantic and seasick while trying to listen to the dialog, read a full-screen paragraph and inspect the image behind it in three to four seconds, but the rest was good. Also, I admired Giger's artwork in the 1970s and watched "Alien" numerous times, but not once did I remotely think of "racism". I'll leave that subtext to race-hustlers and Gen-Z social justice warriors, who believe that everything in the universe is "racist". They think things like "time", "rocks" and "salad" are racist, so I don't buy it.
Yeah I certainly don't agree that there's any racism on the part of the filmmakers, or the film itself for that matter, and the people suggesting that I think are being wilfully aggressive in their interpretation. Naturally though there was racism in 1970's America and that's the crucial anxiety they were looking to exploit. Really appreciate the note about the text being too much, I have toned it down a lot in more recent videos but I'll still look to streamline it even more in future. Glad you enjoyed the video dude!
Alien was released when I was nine years old. I was obsessed with it and knew the movie through and through by way of the heavy metal adaptation drawn by Walter Simonson and The photo novel I bought at Safeway earning money mowing lawns.
it must’ve been re-released a couple of years later because that’s when I saw it with my older sister in the theater. It is my number-one, favorite movie (Wages of Fear,Mad Max 2, and Apocalypse Now are up there, too)
No other movie had such a mesmerizing impact as Alien. I appreciate your insight with Conrad (i was obsessed with the name, Nostromo and Sulaco too!)
Your section on Ash and Ripley’s assault is remarkable. Astounding insight, Novum. Thank you for this guide and your Trickster video!
going back and watching really solid older content from creators is always such a ride when they so clearly don't know how big they're going to get. you're thanking people in this video for hitting 1k subs and mention you weren't sure if it would ever get that far, and at this moment you're sitting at 13x that. here's hoping it only continues to grow -- you've got a great eye for detail and it's only developed since making videos like this one
That's funny I don't remember saying that I'll have to listen back! I don't think I'm 'big' by any stretch but hopefully one day! I'm just grateful the people that do watch are responding to it so well. Thanks so much dude, that was really awesome to read!
It fascinates me how some people read so much into films & run the risk of coming across as presumptuous or pretentious. I can't think of another film that's inspired as much over-analysis as Alien. No doubt some of the things you mentioned were deliberately implemented by the film's creators, but some of it is just conjecture. Having said that ii applaud your good taste & it's one of the better long-winded takes on this peerless sci-fi horror i've seen.
Agreed. Most times the director is like "that never entered my mind"! Total conjecture. Movie making and stories are much more basic than people think.
I am going down an alien rabbithole right now and reading a couple of different interpretations of it as a result.
Among others I read a piece as part of "The Great Villain Blogathon" called "How to Develop Theme: The Perversion of Sex in Alien" right before watching this video and as a result perked up at some very specific wordings.
41:50 adds a single "is" to a direct quote from the piece. The two sentences prior also seem to be taken from it without properly quoting it.
There is a lot more in this video than in that article - it is very much focused on just the stages of the Xenomoprh - so it doesn't feel plagiaristic as much as it feels poorly quoted. The video does a lot more than just look at the sexuality of the xenomorph, I enjoyed the discussion of how destabilizing equal black and female coworkers would have been to moviegoers at the time, but to me that just makes it more disappointing that improper citation doesn't make it clear to me what is actually your own work and what isn't.
I don't think you've ever seen an actual refinery. If you ever get the chance to see a real one in real life, you will see why the nostromo looks the way it does. I like everybody else Understand the sexual references in alien. But wow you are seeing it everywhere.
Woke over analyzing bs. This is why the worlds in trouble!
I would think as a fellow creator you'd be more respectful of other peoples work. Extremely disappointing. I could re-explain all the caveats in the video, why this comment is wrong, but given they didn't sink in the first time I don't see why I should bother. I enjoyed your work in Project Blue Book nevertheless.
I think a lot of what can be explained by realism should be used to explain abstract things.
- The alien is black simply because it's a predator. Can you imagine it hiding in a dark ship and being any other color ? that wouldn't make sense at all.
Thank you.
While well done overall, many parts of this analysis come off as a form of thematic apperception by the content creator,, rather than intent of the filmmaker.
Regarding RIipley being female, for instance, It was a suggestion by a studio exec along the lines of “why not”, but not based on making some point about gender, as such.
@@justmemimi7338I'd go so far as to say the projection here is so thick it borders on academic mental masturbation.
It's also typical color of ants and other insects. Due to it's reproductive cycle there's no need for male/female distinctions or any sort of courting.
I think it's mostly just about the ship like you said.
Black is a very forgiving color to work with when you're controlling the light.
But in the end, it's probably just the scariest thing possible.
@@justmemimi7338 Even moreso - it was written directly into the very first drafts of the script that every single role could be played by either sex.
@@JoeCovenantLamb interesting Joe, thank you.
Dude you're reading way too much into this. Basically it's just a fucking awesome and timeless movie that is ten times better than the crap Ridley makes these days!
“I said, 'That's how I'm going to attack the audience; I'm going to attack them sexually. And I'm not going after the women in the audience, I'm going to attack the men. I'm going to put in every image I can think of to make the men in the audience cross their legs. '”
Dan O'Bannon
Alien Screenwriter
@@Novum_YT Um, that's what horror is supposed to do?! Of course he went after the men, he knew only a handful of women would even be interested in seeing an unsettling violent blood bath on screen. Men WERE the audience.
@@razvansfirlogea3134 Damn man you're on a roll!. Firstly I'm glad we agree, men were the target audience for mainstream cinema back then. That's why attacking them sexually while putting a female action hero front and center was a bold thing to do! If you're interested in this I'd say Carol J Clover's 'Men, Women and Chainsaws' is the defining text and unsurprisingly it spends a large portion of it's time discussing exactly what we are now.
That being said how you're trying to portray it is a false equivalency. Just from the quote you're literally discussing you can see that Dan O'Bannon acknowledges the women in the audience, he says "not the women", 'the women' implying the women in the audience. And I can't link it here because UA-cam but you can go google 'Alien 1979 test screening' and see a photograph of the test audiences first reaction which is about 80-90% female. A relatively small cross-section available in the photo but given it's a test screening it's also a purposefully selected audience.
It's also just ignorant of cinematic history to say horror wasn't positioned/targeted at women back then. Psycho was made decades prior, do you think the naked woman being stabbed in the shower was targeted at men? The Birds? The Shining? I could go on for a long time there but the point is simply that this isn't true. They were made for a male lens in certain respects, how we put women on screen being the obvious one, but that doesn't mean they were the main target for discomfort. Alien's decision to break away from these trends is literally one of the main things that made this film a cultural classic.
Perhaps i haven't gotten to the part where to mention the alien was originally supposed to be a tranclucent white, completely changing the racial dynamics of the movie if they did, but im sure you'll mention it if your this thorough. If not that's rather unfortunate
I am 2 years late, but i am happy i discovered this video! Alien is one of my favorite films ever, and i was honestly not sure a 1:30 long video would be able to cover enough of the many things there is to say about it, but i think you did an amazing job covering most points in great detail!
The part about Ash always interested me. He's clearly torn between his programming and objective, as well as what he desires as a thinking and learning entity, and it's hard not to notice his demeanor and every little action he makes on a second viewing of the film! I always wondered why he started shaking himself up as they start to investigate the derelict spacecraft, since no one else is there for him to try to convince anyone that he's in need of relaxing his muscles or anything, and i wonder if it's an oversight, or if he's actually mentally preparing himself because he knows exactly how close they are to finding the alien creature he's been anticipating this whole time. Similar to how his lips spasmed just before attacking Ripley. Maybe it could be that he has involuntary physical reactions in moments like these, when he's mentally overwhelmed. I might just be overthinking it, but i think he's a fun character to analyze!
i do have a few opinions but i just want to put forth a correction. The role of Ripley was not written for a man. It has been stated in interviews more than once that all roles were not gendered. they were written so anyone could play the role.
Hey! I'm halfway through the video and it's amazing thus far. I saw you seem to still be responding to new comments, so figured I would try asking my question. Is there any reason that you refer to any idea relating to being trans as "transgenderism"? The only reason I can think of is because that'd be how it's referred to at the time the original movie came about. I'm trans myself and it's not a term any trans person uses- it's actually a term that almost exclusively anti-trans people use to discount how transgender people feel, implying being transgender is some type of religion and/or moral system.(think creationists referring to any scientist that believes in evolution as an "evolutionist".)I'm not sure if there is a reason or if you knew the above or not, but I myself couldn't help but notice the word stick out like a sore thumb. Sorry if this question has already been asked and you've already answered :)
Hey there, thanks for the comment. I always try and reply but UA-cam is pretty awful at notifying me once a few people are commenting at the same time. No one has brought it up on this video however I did make the faux pas of saying 'transexualism' on the Hereditary video which someone has corrected me about. The way I understood it 'transgenderism' was just an umbrella term for anything transgender related and actually I think what the person in the other video advised me to use. Obviously for a lot of this I am speaking in a historical sense but I get the feeling from your comment that I've said it in a way that applies to now. I guess the way you've explained it makes sense, and honestly I don't really mind adjusting my speech to not cause other people distress, that's all fine and dandy. I actually find the whole war-over-rhetoric in (and about) the trans community quite fascinating. And my opinions on it are probably a bit too nuanced for a UA-cam comment. But something that's always bothered me is the circularity to these terms, that there's some underlying bigotry that's never really escaped. I think this is kind of an example of that, I've had a quick google and as you say, it seems to have evolved into an offensive term via extensive use by anti-trans activists. Which is sad. But if the term 'transgenderism' is offensive and 'transgender' isn't, it's also a little bit confusing to people like me who are just trying to broach the subject as a whole, and more worryingly, it feels a lot like there's a hidden level of bigotry we aren't escaping. I think the prime example of this for me is the term 'coloured', which when I was growing up was still in use but absolutely considered offensive and something I was instructed to not say, and the term we're told to use now, 'people of colour' which is supposedly extremely non-offensive despite carrying the exact same meaning. It feels like we've just gone in a big circle and that we're still seeing white people in a non-coloured binary and everyone else in this 'coloured/of colour' category.
So all that waffling aside, I guess my only question to you is what term is acceptable to use in place of that umbrella term? Is there updated vocabulary from within the trans community? As is clear people are going to comment on it and I see no reason to not use the correct terminology so what would you suggest if I am speaking about, for want of a better word obviously, 'transgenderism'? The practice, the principles and so on.
@@Novum_YT Hey, that's a very insightful response :D I can understand what you mean about terms being confusing and seeming to circle around to mean opposite things. It's incredibly common for terms to be reclaimed and repurposed in many groups, and even specific spellings can indicate different intentions that may not make sense to people outside of said groups, especially people that haven't had specific words used against them in a negative way. But like you said, that's a pretty nuanced and long discussion. I can understand your confusion towards terms, but what matters the most is that you're listening to people.
To answer your question, here are some things I recommend.
Instead of saying "given (character's) transgenderism", I recommend wording it something like this:
"Given (character) is canonically/stated to be transgender."
"Given (character) is transgender."
If what gender the character is transitioning to is known, getting into specifics can also help show support, but this part isn't necessary or anything, and I can understand if it seems redundant.
"Given (character) is a transgender woman."
And instead of saying something such as:
"During the time period people were against transgenderism"
I recommend something such as:
"During the time period people were against transgender individuals."
"During the time period people considered the ability that someone could change their gender to be impossible."
Being trans, just like being gay isn't an ideology. There isn't really a singular term that fully encompasses the experience that every trans person can relate to and agree with, at least, not yet. Simply stating that someone is trans acknowledges the existence of trans people without being offensive. No need to add -ism or -ist to a state of existence that someone can't control. As a whole, if you ever suspect your wording towards any minority group a person belongs to might come off as presenting said group as a philosophy/religion/ideology; I recommend re-wording your statement to simply state the facts of what someone is. Of course, this is my individual recommendation as a single Queer(hey, that's one of those reclaimed terms!)and ND person. Other people of various groups might have better advice.
I also have a very minor addition to @1:08:19 in the video. I understand if this doesn't make sense to someone who isn't transgender, but saying something such as "the only born female" can come off wrongly. A common wording people in the trans community use is "assigned female at birth", or "assigned male at birth" respectively. In this scenario the wording would be "the only person assigned female at birth." The best way I can explain it is that saying someone was born as a certain gender implies they'll always be seen as such, whereas saying someone was assigned a specific gender at birth tends to account for an individual's anatomy while recognizing that many medical systems still only account for the gender binary and thus assign to people what they believe them to be without knowing if it's true. It's a very small wording change, and it's another confusing thing I can see people outside the community not understanding, but normalization of such terms is still helpful and appreciated.
Was also curious on this
I really loved your video. Came here from your Hereditary video, which was excellent as well.
But I wanted to second what the first comment says. I'm Transgender, and the phrase "Transgenderism" is almost exclusively used by bigots and part of discriminatory anti-trans extremists, at least over here in the United States.
The phrases "Transvestite" or "Transsexual" are also considered out-dated terms that most of the trans community doesn't look favorably upon.
I can't say enough how well done your work is, and how enjoyable it is to watch. I have a channel as well, do I realize sometimes comments can be really bad. So please know, I am commenting in good faith. You seem to be very well educated and thoughtful, so I actually came to the comments just to see if another Trans person had commented. Anyways, just echoing what they said, and wanted to add to it so you know for future videos, if the subject comes up.
I see your thoughtful response to the comment above. I appreciate that as well. I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Take care. Shalom.
@@pokeypoker6208Awesome response. I again wanted to second all this. These terms & phrasings are what the transgender community uses, and most experts in Transgender Healthcare use these phrasing as well.
I basically came to the comments to see if another Transgender person had commented lol and so you did. Thanks.
There is no "race" .... We are all of the same race .... Human race. The colour of the skin or the culture is not a different race. The word "race " was implemented to define the human differences by racism.
We are ethnically diverse but the same race .
Stop using the word race to define some one living in the next city of yours!
Giger had nothing to do with the Human future ships etc designs, this was done by Ron Cobb and Chris Foss and Ridley himself, this was to show the contrast between human and Alien. So the overtly sexual overtones were not present on the human side.
Watched your Hereditary video which was amazing and led me to this. tysm for your content and also glad to hear you're better from your illness. New subscriber and on to watch more of your stuff :)
It's so awesome to hear people are checking out my other stuff, feels totally surreal! Thank you so much for watching, and supporting, me. Very glad to have you on board! And thanks for the well wishes too!
@@Novum_YT Sigourney was the speaker at my commencement at Santa Clara University. Even before then she was my hero bc of Alien. I'm new to your stuff but I'm guessing you're a fan of scifi and I went to a book reading in my neighborhood for Brian Herbert's latest Dune novel for his dad's novels. I'm hoping you're a Dune fan but even if you're not this is fun: the bookstore owner had a hairless cat named Ripley - ha! Only 6 of us were there which was great bc Brian could get really in depth. It was so fun to learn about their family life. Apparently his mom/Frank's wife was the inspiration for Jessica and Brian told us tons of instances where his mom was intuitive/psychic or whatever you want to call it. So glad I went bc I was tired after work and thinking of bailing.
saw this film in cinema in 1979 when it first came out, thought it was a brilliant horror movie- never realised there was a racial undertone to the film-what a load of rubbish
I love the terror. And every time someone says Tuunbaq should have just been a big polar bear i think " way to miss the whole point"
Bro yes! I thought it was so well done. I haven't watched Season 2 because I feel like it's the exact same thing as 'True Detective' where the first season is someones magnum opus and then they tell them to have a whole different but equally good idea ready for next year. Cheers for commenting dude! Oh, p.s. love the gothic fallacy/naming convention of 'Tuun Baq'. Right out of Turn of the Screw or Woman in Black etc.
Someone is obsessed with sex.
I just found your channel few days ago through the Hereditary video and watched that and then Midsommar and can't stop raving to my friends about you. The amount of work and detail and thought you put in is absolutely astonishing. I am now going back through your work as it seems you love the same movies and I will enjoy them while waiting for your next video on The Witch. It's like having a new friend who is having the same obsessions, but knows so much more. Thank you.
10 Minutes in and I cant take it anymore. Good explanation, but my opinion over kill, over think, over philological.
5 minutes into this and the pc language already got me BORED INTO OBLIVION. Saluti, và! ...a tià ed a u' Nostromo"! ...ma che cazzo??...
10:48
You're absolutely right. As Im watching this Im thinking, "What primal fears does this film tap into?"
The setting is clean, white and technical but there is blood and gore and goo and ickyness around every corner. This is the fear that technology hurts. That it can poke us, gouge us and make us bleed despite its clean, healthy and antiseptic appearance. A very similar fear is presented in much the same way in THX1138.
It's a scifi slasher movie, stop with all this racism nonsense. It's super annoying and ruins the video essay.
Okay, this was completely brilliant. You have opened up my eyes to a film I thought I knew better than any other film from my childhood.
New sub, indeed...
That's so awesome to hear! Very glad to have you on board!
The pods they emerge from after hypersleep represent embryonic sacks. Like multiple twins or clones gestated simultaneously
This and the Hereditary video are excellent work. Keep doing your craft splendidly big dog.
That 'big dog' made me crease. Thanks so much dude.
What the heck. I excepted 1.5 hours of remembering a great movie and new viewpoints. Well the viewpoints are 6 minutes of Woke commentary in the first 7 minutes.
What a shame.
wow... enlightening! I knew about the themes and some of the symbolism, but didn't realise just how hard the film goes. Amazing work as ever.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
The franchise went to shit now
Alien is one of my top ten movies of all time but in all my viewings, it never occurred to me that there was a racial component to the shade of the alien or an interplay between that and the character of Parker. The alien resembled gun-metal to me. I never thought it looked black...I thought it was meant to resemble a weapon.
If anything, the Queen alien was a juxtaposition against Ripley by showing the frightening side of female empowerment to people of the 70's (working off the idea that women may one day be able to impregnate men or at the very least they'll destroy society if they have the power to do so- the alien head was meant to look like a penis, but it also looks like a bomb) vs the actually human/rational side of female empowerment which shows that women are capable of being logical and doing what's best for everyone in the face of existential danger.
The scare of bombs dropping would still have been prevalent for many viewers when it hit movie screens and the film also came out in the midst of/or directly after second wave feminism (depending on how you define those eras).
I saw Parker as being someone who inherently understood the danger in ways the white men did not, but his overall masculine sensibilities still led him astray.
I guess looking over it now ... Maybe there is something there and problematic in the Queen (black, or just otherwise a weaponized other) vs a white Ripley. I never saw the racial component growing up though, and maybe that's my own privileged bias.
To me it was always about how the power to birth is usually a weakness- a beauty and a blessing but ultimately, something that renders women physically compromised and a vessel to be fought over.
But what if you could turn the tables? What if giving birth was the most violent and horrifying thing you could do ... To anyone?
And if a man had the ability to design that/turn that idea into a reality, what would it look like? Maybe it would look like a penis-bomb the color of a gun, dripping with c*m that could impregnate men and women alike?
And the one person capable of fighting against that is... a very reasonable woman who does not want anyone else to be impregnated against their will -obviously- and she also likes cats 😂
Edit: it's important to note that Sigourney Weaver would not wear bigger panties or shave for those final scenes in her undies. They paid someone thousands of dollars to brush out her pubic hair because that wasn't something you could show on screen regardless of your gender/sex. I don't know if she refused to shave because it went against her principals, because it was retaliation for them forcing her to do a scene in her underwear, or if it was just the case she didn't think she should have to. I lean towards the latter because the role/script originally had a guy in a tank top and his boxers- the equivalent would've been what she was wearing, for a woman because women didn't wear boxers back then. But a man wearing boxers doesn't have to shave so I'm guessing she didn't think she should have to either.
Or maybe she's just a bad bitch.
This makes me wanna read and write lit analysis again. Like in high school. Your videos are massively inspired. Thought provoking and detailed.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the co-Ed shower scene.
That makes me so happy to hear! I think it's a great route to understanding people and developing yourself in a multitude of different ways. A very good practice!
Co-ed shower scene? Are we talking Starship Troopers here or Alien Covenant? Man I wanna do a Starship Troopers video.
I kind of respectfully disagree. Of all the people on the crew, Parker (the black man) had the most common sense.
If they would have listened to Parker and just frozen Kane until they got back to Earth, the whole crew survives, they bring their cargo back, and Weyland has their frozen Alien they can safely remove from Kane (hopefully).
Unfortunately, the captain is a spineless idiot that’s easily manipulated because he just wants to go home.
A postmodern lens tends to view everything as a power dynamic. Where one is either dominating or dominated. Which in reality may not be the case. It ends up being a projection which skews or distorts reality. Further leaving us more deluded than we were before. I feel that constantly and excessively viewing the world or in this case film through such a "feminist" slant does a disservice to the more timeless and universal themes actually present in the film. The fact that the character of Ripley wasn't initially written as a woman is exactly why Ripley is such a great character. Writing in mind that said character must exhibit certain qualities and characteristics is exacty how good characters should be written. No agenda or propaganda in mind being pushed. Simply great writing. Egalitarian societal values/structure based on an individuals merit are the way forward. An Egalitarian Meritocracy is the path towards a more hopeful future.
Agreed. Most good films can be examined in any number of ways but I feel like examining Alien from only a feminist lens narrows the universal themes, imagery, and characterization of the film significantly.
I agree, I feel many of the points made here are reaching a bit and not fully hitting certain notes of the true themes and intentions of the filmmaker. IMO there are far too many reaches into deeper meanings of a “capitalist” society as well as racial and feministic equivocations that I lay claim aren’t really there. He also mentions of a deeper societal racism that points to why Parker (a black man) is paid less than the others but fails to mention Brett (a white man) is also paid less; as one could deduce from him showing a desire for Parker to speak up on both of their behalves to receive better shares.
This. This right here is something that breadtubers and hoidy toidy video essayists will never understand. Great comment John.
100% agree here. This is so far reaching and out of touch with reality. Unfortunately, universities have totally corrupted the next generation with this post modernist crap, to the point where they can’t enjoy a good sci-fi horror without trying to see through a microscope of confirmation bias in hopes that the movie is some type of pro postmodernism time capsule that it is simply not. You see, “back in my day” people just made cool movies with purely hypothetical visions of the future. Not everything had to be a virtue signaling social commentary for brownie points. It probably sucks to hear that, as this doc maker put tons of time into trying to gain his extreme leftist professors favor, but this was simply a huge waste of time and energy and simply incorrect. Maybe you should do a video about how amazing the economy was during the Republican 80s.
you do realize class consciousness and feminism were two extremely hot topics in the late 70s right?
Interesting Ripley was written as a man and nothing was changed about her character or dialogue when she was cast as a woman
Outstanding video, thank you for the hard work and thorough analysis of a true classic film. Also, if I ever start a band, I'm absolutely calling it "Alien Sex Monster."
Ahaha, that would be a good name for something Steel Panther-esque. So glad you enjoyed the vid dude, thanks so much for watching!
Someone actually (almost exactly) beat you to it by quite a few years - interestingly just a couple years after 'Alien' was released: the British gothic/industrial rock band Alien Sex Fiend, which formed in 1982.
ua-cam.com/video/gYMLwLTzGUg/v-deo.html
I live in Siberia,
Through no fault of my own.
We're a blank generation,
In the danger zone
Paracidal slumbers from 7 to 23...
Only the blind follow me....
At 7:10. DONE.
This shit is super woke
So this film is about racial tension and white positions of power; but it’s also about IVF; but it’s also about transgressive technological transhumanism; but it’s also about forced and unwanted pregnancies; goodness me, you’re grasping at straws and know nothing about this film.
I mean three of those things are the same thing but go off king
Nope. There are 8 characters on the ship in the beginning of the film. You are forgetting about Jonesy the Cat. And you also said the ship's name was Mother. That was the name of a computer. The ship's name is The Nostromo.
I had to stop watching after 20 min. It's alright dude, you put a lot of efforts into this video and of course you can share your opinion freely. But I won't let you get away with this utter certainty that your analysis reflects 100% of the film makers intentions.
>be me
>ensure at the start I tell everyone that not only is this an amalgamation of differing academic analysis from many people across decades, but also that I don't agree with 100% of it
>lockheed737 appears
>Iwon'tletyougetawaywiththis.png
Hey Novum! Recently found your channel and just wanted to say that your film analysis, especially when it pertains to a film you a passionate about, is on a tier of quality few other creators can match. I have watched your Lighthouse, Hereditary and now Alien videos almost back to back over two days. I cannot imagine the amount of work and research you have put into them. I am looking forward to your Midsommar video and whatever else you have planned for the future!
Funny how this portrays all of these themes that people were worried about and beautifully twists them into a horror movie. Now these themes are almost fully realized and we sure seem like we are living in times of horror. The impotent male, the “strong” female forced upon that position by media and government, children being groomed from an early age about gender. The future is female eh as they say these days. I can’t wait to see those glory days, I’ll have a front row seat and popcorn ready.
Quick Guide: 1. Obtain movie. 2. Start movie. 3. Watch movie. 4. Enjoy movie.
Iirc Geiger designed the alien and related sets but the human ship had a different designer
Ripley was written for a male character though, so a lot of this does not take that into account.
This is untrue - all of the roles were written without any sex attached.
@MBG.426 From what I read it was male but they changed it through development. Lambert for example is very much put in the shoes of a screaming over emotional woman. Dalas is stern and reserved, typically male traits.
alien; best date movie ever.
Honestly, underrated channel. Love your videos!
um.... no.
We were lucky to have Ripley, Sarah Connor, and many others in our formitive years... and wuthout the woke rolling back all the progress we had made up until 2015-16.
So the aliens are like Black people right?
Wow I’m blown away with the depth and thought you’ve put into this video. I’ve always loved Alien but now I have a whole new respect for the film makers and artist that brought it to life. Good work !
Thank you so much dude so glad you enjoyed it!
The franchise went to shit the Prometheus movies!
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
44:31 feminine clarity ?
Hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha
Wow, I just discovered your channel through this video, and I gotta say this is one of the best video essays I've seen. Amazing work!
That's extremely high praise, thank you so much!
A truly in depth video. Thanks for making it!
Thanks for watching Liz!
And the dominant invader does take your women and children
Absolutely!
Wow. This is extremely in-depth. I can't imagine an Alien fan not forming a deeper connection to the film due to this analysis. I can't imagine how much research, scripting and editing went into this video. Superb work indeed.
I wonder if the soundtrack in this video is from the Alien film. It's been years since I've seen it.
Impressive analysis.
But, sometimes a cigar, is just a cigar. 🐿
Right.
I jest, fantastic video my friend very well put together essay.
Sorry Barry I never saw this, thanks so much you cheeky devil, from one year in the future!
I didn't read into the themes this much.
I mean i just found your video on reddit. Keep making videos! This was awesome!
Thanks so much man, I’m going to!
I've also found your channel and have been watching your vids. I've had a comment about the 'birthing scene' with their pods and correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they wake in the order they die, so since John Hurt's character wakes first he dies first. Or am I completely wrong?
I can assure you all this overcoming the patriarchy and racial inequality subtext was not the intent of the original story teller. If you listen/watch Dan obanan interviews and recounting of the process.
Not saying the parallels aren't there just that THAT was not the intent
this is a good video, except i think you shoul play the graphic title cards of your transitions while youre saying it so it is less disconnected to your audience. because you say the thing and then a beat later it shows up on screen. i dont know if these breaks are deliberate tho to break up the pace cause boy youre really spking, but if you just fade the lil music in under the end of your section it will make a smoother transition and make the video feel a lil more polished. idk
Thank you so much for taking the time to write that, it's really good advice that I will definitely take to heart for future videos. My production has got a bit better since this but it still has a long way to go! Cheers!
@@Novum_YT yes i’ve seen a newer video keep up the great work 🫡!
Exploration was "traditionally a masculine endeavor "... uh... it was ONLY a masculine endeavor... as far as the condescending references to "white endeavors", you grew up reading European works so what did you expect? If you would have grown up in East Asia or Northern Africa or the Middle East you would find their heroes were images of the dominant culture in which they were written... it's OK to celebrate European fiction...
not if you are a white far leftist that is ashamed of being white, just like this guy is
great work here, amazing stuff but: about 1/5 of the way through this I am damn sick of regularlyputting my day to a screeching halt, coming to the computer and scrolling back to read some more fucking extraneous text. and none of it is actually skippable or irrelevant in any way! also, some people who watched 70s movies are now blind! QUITE MANY ACTUALLY! (ETA: I really love the video anyway- please take this as a snapshot into the emotional impact of inaccessibility on the unimagined but very real disabled viewer who finds themself unable to simultaneously process main video, audio, main text AND text presented simultaneously but at some remove from the other content.)
You are right, 1000%. I hate it too. For quotes and stuff I will continue to do it because it can just be too much of a timesink to read out fully and often people want the wider context. But the main reason you'll see it in video essays, certainly in my stuff anyway, is that you've got weeks of working with the editing software once you've already recorded the voice over. During that time you're going to realise 100 things you didn't include and while you can get the audio matching pretty well, as people we're very changeable in how we sound moment to moment. So in the past when I have recorded new bits and inserted them in, it's sounds for a moment like I've been replaced by a clone of myself. That's not hyperbole either, that's something I've actually been accused of on my other, more conspiracy driven, channel! Now I am steadily getting better at treating sound and I am being far more thorough in how I present information, so hopefully in the future there is a lot less of it. If you look at my Hereditary video in comparison to this one I think it's already got a lot better, but you're absolutely right. I do consider it a failure if people have to pause my work to be able to receive all the *necessary* information and it's something I'll be hyper vigilant of in future. So glad you enjoyed the video otherwise, thank you so much for the healthy criticism, it's essential to my improvement.
Glad to help! I'm a little embarrassed at the emotional state I shared about it because as you say, there are real practical concerns when it comes to editing information into videos that have already been cut. Thanks for being cool about it! Sounds like you've got your head screwed on, at any rate@@Novum_YT