Alien – Origin Story in our book review – Borg

It has now been more than 40 years since “Alien – The Uncanny Creature from a Strange World”, a thrilling and extremely scary film, appeared in German cinemas. The fact that fans of the film still talk about the film today, and in my opinion, that it still impresses upon repeated viewings, certainly speaks to the quality of the film. Nearly three years ago I provided you with an original script implementation here on ntower Graphic novel Today I would like to recommend to you a non-fiction book about the film, where more details about the production are highlighted. Down to the smallest detail and with many old and new illustrations and photographs: Alien – The Origin Story.

I already mentioned it in my review of the comic at the time: the production of the film had to take a lot of turns and was not under a good star from the beginning. In this book, author J. W. Rinzler brings together old and new interviews, fragments of text (translated into German), sketches, behind-the-camera photographs, short biographies, and much more into more than 300 large-format pages. From the difficulties of financing to script development, from the advantages and disadvantages of filming in England to creating the appropriate sets, no aspect is overlooked and is comprehensively discussed in this book.

The book was published in English-speaking countries to coincide with the film’s 40th anniversary in 2019. However, it was another four years before the German version became available, during which author J. W. Rinzler sadly also died. In addition to writing the books for the first two Alien films, Rinzler has also made a good name for himself by writing books for the Star Wars films. His scripts read fluently and give a good impression of what’s going on, even if he wasn’t there in person when the film was made. He also points out from time to time that different people have different memories of certain events, so you as the reader have to decide for yourself who you want to believe more.

“Alien – The Uncanny Creature from a Strange World” came to cinemas at a time when the science fiction genre was experiencing another renaissance in cinemas. This is not least due to the success of the first Star Wars film, in which a relatively unknown director named George Lucas ushered in a new era of space films. At the end of the 1970s, young directors in Hollywood unleashed their creative impulses and dazzled moviegoers with their interpretations of the distant future or distant galaxies.

Ridley Scott isn’t young anymore, directing his second feature film for 20th Century Fox, and showing how a movie set in space can be made exciting and unexpected. He has received support from other famous artists, which is beyond the scope of listing here. What stayed in my mind, of course, were the set designs and extraterrestrial lifeform designs by HR Giger, which are still very well known today.

Until the final film hit theaters, production went through a few bumpy years — unusual for Hollywood — as studio heads put a lot of pressure on the filmmakers so they could ride the sci-fi wave. A big part of the film’s success was played by the screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, who didn’t get all the details of their story figured out, but they got the gist of it. Over the course of filming, its script went through enormous additions and changes, but one premise was clear from the beginning: not all the characters on the spaceship were assigned a specific gender. This point was also reflected in the final film, where the casting of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley was a stroke of luck. If the film itself is a collective film for a long time, then Ripley alone is the sole survivor in the end. Through her performance, Sigourney Weaver laid the foundation for a strong female character, regardless of the male-dominated role of the hero.

Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon was not satisfied with all aspects of the final film version of his script, but he could not do anything about the decisions of the producers and bosses. Changes were made over and over during filming, and various final variations were discussed. Chapter by chapter, Alien – Origin Story reads like an exciting novel, also thanks to the successful translation by Felix Gass. Just when you think nothing can go wrong, the production, as described in the book, hits another snag and is on the verge of cancellation.

It’s amazing that it ultimately led to a very exciting and fascinating film that still works so well today. The film was always on the verge of becoming a minor B-movie production. However, when the right creative people come together, something great can be created that will last for decades. The book is available in stores individually and in a slipcase with the matching nonfiction back book “Aliens – The Origin Story.”

The non-fiction book “Alien – The Origin Story” is published by Cross Cult:

• ISBN: 978-3-98666-407-7
• Special format
• Hardcover
• 336 pages
• 59 euros

Order Alien – The Origin Story now from Amazon.de

This is the affiliate link. Our online magazine ntower is a member of the affiliate networks Amazon PartnerNet, Awin, Rakuten, Webgains, Media Markt E-Business GmbH and Saturn online GmbH. When you order through one of our affiliate links, we receive a variable commission from the relevant store operator. There are no additional costs for end customers.

Order Alien – Origin Story now on Buecher.de

If you want to purchase the book outright along with the matching book of the sequel, you can also choose a variant in a slipcase that contains both books:

• ISBN: 978-3-98666-410-7
• Special figure in a slipcase with aliens – the story of their appearance
• Hardcover
• 636 pages
• 118 euros

Order Alien & Aliens – An Origin Story in a Slip Case now from Amazon.de

Order Alien & Aliens – An Origin Story in a Slip Case now on Buecher.de

Our e-magazine ntower is a member of the affiliate networks Amazon PartnerNet, AWIN, Webgains, Rakuten Advertising, Media Markt E-Business GmbH and Saturn online GmbH. When you order through one of our affiliate links, we receive a variable commission from the relevant store operator. There are no additional costs for end customers.