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BFI Film Classics
Alien
A legendary fusion of science fiction and horror, Alien (1979) is one of the most enduring modern myths of cinema - its famously visceral scenes acting like a traumatic wound we seem compelled to revisit. Tracing the constellation of talents that came together to produce the film, Roger Luckhurst examines its origins as a monster movie script called Star Beast, dismissed by many in Hollywood as B-movie trash, through to its afterlife in numerous sequels, prequels and elaborations. Exploring the ways in which Alien compels us to think about otherness, Luckhurst demonstrates how and why this interstellar slasher movie, this old dark house in space, came to coil itself around our darkest imaginings about the fragility of humanity. This special edition features original cover artwork by Marta Lech.
96 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2014
About the author
Roger Luckhurst
48 books39 followersRoger Luckhurst is a British writer and academic. He is Professor in Modern and Contemporary Literature in the Department of English and Humanities at Birkbeck, University of London and was Distinguished Visiting Professor at Columbia University in 2016. He works on Victorian literature, contemporary literature, Gothic and weird fiction, trauma studies, and speculative/science fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 23, 2017
I like these little BFI books, but sometimes you’re rolling the dice a bit. Some authors present a wide-ranging critical companion piece to the film in question, others pick a single interpretation and hammer away at it, and if their particular take doesn’t click, you can end up wondering if they’re talking about the film you expected to be reading about. I’m glad to say Roger Luckhurst’s look at one of my favourite films takes the former approach.
Concentrating on the original 1979 film, with only a brief look at the sequels (in a section wonderfully titled ‘Did IQs drop sharply while I was away?’), Luckhurst doesn’t go into a blow-by-blow account of the making of the film — a subject adequately covered in other books, as well as DVD and Blu-Ray extras — but provides a brisk critical commentary on various aspects of the film, including the evolving state of cinema at the time, and science fiction and feminist criticism, among other things. He even ends with a brief look at how the whole film might best be viewed as starring Jonesy the cat. Finally, there’s a more personal afterword on the film franchise’s place in his own life, which underlines his credentials as a fan as well as a critic.
Overall, one of the better BFI Film Classics books I’ve read.
Concentrating on the original 1979 film, with only a brief look at the sequels (in a section wonderfully titled ‘Did IQs drop sharply while I was away?’), Luckhurst doesn’t go into a blow-by-blow account of the making of the film — a subject adequately covered in other books, as well as DVD and Blu-Ray extras — but provides a brisk critical commentary on various aspects of the film, including the evolving state of cinema at the time, and science fiction and feminist criticism, among other things. He even ends with a brief look at how the whole film might best be viewed as starring Jonesy the cat. Finally, there’s a more personal afterword on the film franchise’s place in his own life, which underlines his credentials as a fan as well as a critic.
Overall, one of the better BFI Film Classics books I’ve read.
September 3, 2017
Roger Luckhurst's BFI: Alien (2014) is yet another outstanding entry in the series. After the introduction, Luckhurst discusses the development and context of the film Alien in the section titled "What's the story Mother?" It seems the script went through several rewrites and was connected to several directors before it landed in Ridley Scott's lap. It seems some credit should be given to art designer Hans Rudy Giger who came up with most of the alien designs and many of the interiors and other design features in the film. in the section "Nostomo" Luckhurst discusses the film in context of others and points out the Gothic elements present in the film as well as the Conradian references such as the ship's name, but points out that Scott found Conrad "hard going" and was not particularly a fan. Then he discusses the plot of the film by analyzing each spaceship member's death chronologically. However, in the middle there is a sort of diversion in "An Alien Primer", where Luckhurst analyzes the role of the alien as well as offering some theoretical applications of the meaning of the alien in the film. Whimsically he ends the book with a section about the spaceship's cat in"Jonesey" as well as a final world on the subsequent less interesting sequels and spinoffs in '"Did my IQs drop sharply while I was away?" the sequels, prequels, the franchise.' It was an informative and provoking look at one of my favorite science fiction films of all-time.
April 13, 2022
Great companion piece to the series from Roger Luckhurst, I recommend it
July 28, 2019
I’ve read two of this series so far (the other “Brazil”) and both have been highly rewarding. This take on “Alien” was excellent. Very well written. Just academic enough (but not too). Insightful. Dotted with production anecdotes. A learned celebration of the Gothic horror and science fiction combine that is “Alien”. I’ll never forget seeing it at the tender age of 15 in the theater and being utterly blown away. Hell, I even remember the trailer and saying aloud to my friend, “what the fuck was THAT?!” How often does that happen?? There’s just something about this film......
July 5, 2017
Excellent discussion from the reliable Luckhurst, whose similar volume on The Shining is also recommended. I'll seek out more of his writing.
December 17, 2023
This short and informative monograph on the legendary sci-fi film classic 'Alien' has plenty to recommend it, and some drawbacks that have a negative impact on Luckhurst's work. A combination of historical and textual study, with some cultural analysis thrown in and garnished by a few personal anecdotes, this is a solid read that will find a ready audience among both fans of the Alien franchise and of science fiction films.
Luckhurst makes a very good job at documenting the background to the 1979 film, reviewing both the influences of previous sci-fi texts on the scriptwriter Dan O'Bannon that led to the story that served as the basis for the movie, and the pre-'Alien' careers of O'Bannon, Ridley Scott, H.R. Geiger and other key crew and cast members. Whilst one suspects at times that the author has composed something more along the lines of an extended essay than a book, there is still plenty of factual 'meat' in this 'sandwich'. One cannot read the first third of Alien without developing an appreciation of how much artifice and intelligence went into a movie that could've been regarded as no more than a gory slasher flick set in space.
It is in this analytical context that the author develops his arguments about the film as a text, wherein he attempts (at times less successfully than in other sections of the book) to underline the movie's intellectual complexity. There are some interesting points made by Luckhurst as to the relationship between the movie and its narrative with the work of Joseph Conrad, and also how 'Alien' reflects gothic sensibilities. The discussion of how 'Alien' has been constructed in terms of gender is worthy of consideration, though to be honest I thought the queer theory angle was a dead end. Of course Luckhurst has to bring Freud and Derrida into the philosophical mix, and whilst I get the reason for this, I frankly thought this was a bit of a wank from the author.
Most of the remaining third of the book is focused on recounting the plot of 'Alien' and what happens in the film, with reflections on what it all might mean. There's no problems with this and Luckhurst is on mostly firm ground here. I wasn't that enamoured with his comments on the role of Jonesy the cat; yeah, it's an entertaining perspective on understanding the film, but I'm not sure it really adds any real meaningful understanding to the movie. On the other hand the discussion of Sigourney Weaver's role in the film and Ripley's characterisation is spot on.
The coda of this monograph is a short discussion of the sequels that were spawned by the first Alien movie, and it is worth reading. Perhaps the BFI or some other publisher could look at producing a similar volume on 'Aliens', as it might be said that what James Cameron brought to the franchise is just as fascinating at Ridley Scott's original film. Oh, and the less said about the latter movies perhaps the better.
All up, if you love science fiction films in general, and 'Alien' specifically, Luckhurst's book will be a much appreciated text. If you aren't really that fascinated by the murderous xenomorph and its victims in the fictional universe of the film franchise you might pass on this monograph.
Luckhurst makes a very good job at documenting the background to the 1979 film, reviewing both the influences of previous sci-fi texts on the scriptwriter Dan O'Bannon that led to the story that served as the basis for the movie, and the pre-'Alien' careers of O'Bannon, Ridley Scott, H.R. Geiger and other key crew and cast members. Whilst one suspects at times that the author has composed something more along the lines of an extended essay than a book, there is still plenty of factual 'meat' in this 'sandwich'. One cannot read the first third of Alien without developing an appreciation of how much artifice and intelligence went into a movie that could've been regarded as no more than a gory slasher flick set in space.
It is in this analytical context that the author develops his arguments about the film as a text, wherein he attempts (at times less successfully than in other sections of the book) to underline the movie's intellectual complexity. There are some interesting points made by Luckhurst as to the relationship between the movie and its narrative with the work of Joseph Conrad, and also how 'Alien' reflects gothic sensibilities. The discussion of how 'Alien' has been constructed in terms of gender is worthy of consideration, though to be honest I thought the queer theory angle was a dead end. Of course Luckhurst has to bring Freud and Derrida into the philosophical mix, and whilst I get the reason for this, I frankly thought this was a bit of a wank from the author.
Most of the remaining third of the book is focused on recounting the plot of 'Alien' and what happens in the film, with reflections on what it all might mean. There's no problems with this and Luckhurst is on mostly firm ground here. I wasn't that enamoured with his comments on the role of Jonesy the cat; yeah, it's an entertaining perspective on understanding the film, but I'm not sure it really adds any real meaningful understanding to the movie. On the other hand the discussion of Sigourney Weaver's role in the film and Ripley's characterisation is spot on.
The coda of this monograph is a short discussion of the sequels that were spawned by the first Alien movie, and it is worth reading. Perhaps the BFI or some other publisher could look at producing a similar volume on 'Aliens', as it might be said that what James Cameron brought to the franchise is just as fascinating at Ridley Scott's original film. Oh, and the less said about the latter movies perhaps the better.
All up, if you love science fiction films in general, and 'Alien' specifically, Luckhurst's book will be a much appreciated text. If you aren't really that fascinated by the murderous xenomorph and its victims in the fictional universe of the film franchise you might pass on this monograph.
August 30, 2024
Some excellent points made in this one but, akin to my feelings for the Big Lebowski BFI Film Classics book, there’s a decent amount in here where you feel the author is either overanalysing certain aspects of the movie, or exploring the wider context to a degree that makes you wish for a more focused treatise. I realise those two opinions contradict each other, but there is a truly great middle ground in this book (especially the commentary on Sigourney Weaver and Ripley, and how deeply Weaver was involved in her character) and I wish we’d had a bit more of that.
September 27, 2023
Good but not great. The film was great. The a analysis got to overly intellectual for my tastes. This is a problem with these brilliant English film academics. They over intellectualize certain aspects of the film, and before you know it, you are lost in the weeds. The best part of these books is always the history of the production and the challenges in making said film. This was delivered nicely in that area.
July 9, 2023
I’ve read in the region of a dozen BFI Film Classics. The quality varies. The analysis and approach to Alien in this volume is the most impressive so far. Luckhurst knows his subject matter intimately and obviously adores Alien. He brought a lot of ideas to the table I’d never considered and I’ve watched the movie a couple of dozen times and I think I’m soooooooo smart. Not as smart as Roger.
August 22, 2024
Any book that theorizes Jonesy was the main character of Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979) is a banger in my eyes!
December 25, 2023
3.5 stars rounded down
Из-за своего небольшого объема 100-страничные книжки серии BFI Film Classics по умолчанию не предполагают глубокого погружения в материал. Но в случае с «Чужим» несоразмерность текста фильму ощущается сильнее, чем хотелось бы. Вместе с тем, в вопросе знакомств�� с ��осмическим хоррором Ридли Скотта сочинение Роджера Лакхёрста вполне сойдет за отправную точку (немаловажно, что частота упоминаний Деррида, Кристевой и даже Фрейда не нарушает рамки приличий).
reason to read: "Alien", BFI Film Classics
Из-за своего небольшого объема 100-страничные книжки серии BFI Film Classics по умолчанию не предполагают глубокого погружения в материал. Но в случае с «Чужим» несоразмерность текста фильму ощущается сильнее, чем хотелось бы. Вместе с тем, в вопросе знакомств�� с ��осмическим хоррором Ридли Скотта сочинение Роджера Лакхёрста вполне сойдет за отправную точку (немаловажно, что частота упоминаний Деррида, Кристевой и даже Фрейда не нарушает рамки приличий).
Alien's occupation of our cultural imagination is located in the chest-bursting scene. It is one of those moments of horror that pass into the collective memory: watched, rewatched or never watched, but nevertheless supremely well known. 'For better or worse, Alien brought believable, graphic gore into the mainstream.'
reason to read: "Alien", BFI Film Classics
July 26, 2015
Alien is arguably the greatest example of a perfect horror AND science fiction film. The two genres have gone hand-in-hand for years, but this was the first film to effectively blend the two in a way that didn't just produce giant humans or bugs of some sort. Although Luckhurst discusses the ideas of Darwin and reproduction with regards to this film's themes, it's interesting to hear about ideas connected to Francis Bacon and the parasitoid wasp (a major influence on the ideas surrounding the aliens' existence in this film). Additionally, the thematic explanations associated with each character in the movie is explained as they die off one-by-one in the movie (Agatha Christie also may have something to say about this). Overall, it is a very pleasant essay on this classic film that is a part of the canon in both the horror and sci fi genres.
February 28, 2016
Jolly good summary of the film and the known and acknowledged sources. The trouble with Film Studies is that it's full of intellectually insecure writers who feel the need to take on Big Ideas and show they can chatter about them, leading to empty waffling about neoliberalism and Lacan; luckily the short format means it gets cut back here.
March 15, 2015
The first really poor book in this brilliant BFI Classics series. A disappointment, rather badly written, with limited interest in its insights and some pretty superficial politico/critical theory/psychoanalytical takes on the film.
December 27, 2015
An excellent analysis of Alien as a gothic horror film. Plus in the footnotes you learn of a fan novel written from the viewpoint of the ship's cat. All in all, a great discussion of the sublime terror of Alien.
September 25, 2015
L'auteur invite son lecteur à revoir Alien au travers d'un kaléidoscope analytique : script, décors, cycle évolutif du monstre, équilibre précaire de l'équipage du Nostromo. Très bon ouvrage qui aurait pu être plus développé encore.
April 9, 2017
It takes a very perceptive film scholar to make you see something new in a film you've seen countless times and thought about endlessly, and Roger Luckhurst made me see at least fifty new things about Alien: a compact masterpiece of weird film criticism.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews