Alien on the human.
Ridiculous Reproduction Technique
While reading the article by Mulhall, I was quite intrigued by a quote that was describing how the Alien reproduced. The quote said, "For, in order to reproduce, it must insert a long, flexible member into the host's body through one of that body's orifices, and deposit a version of itself within its host's torso where it develops to the point at which it must force itself out again" (Mulhall 5). I liked this quote because it really showed the weird aspect of the alien. This part also makes you recognize that in order to create one life you have to take away another.
The crew.
Wages worth it?
"The characters are divided into two classes, the specialized officers and the working class support crew, bickering over wages" (Thompson 3). I thought this was an important aspect of the movie. During a few parts they focus on the monetary value of the expedition. You could easily tell that the specialized officers didn't care about the monetary value. They focused on more on the exploration. As for the working class support crew, they found it very important to go on the mission and get back as soon as possible to receive their reward.
Ash making decisions.
Kind or Heartless?
"Ash's decision to open the hatch might be seen as a gesture of mercy-as Dallas points out, Kane could well die as a result of the delay" (Thompson 6) This point of the movie was very interesting to me. Ash knows the rules about the ship but he shows that out the movie and becomes more concerned with his friends health instead. On the other hand, he could have just been thinking about the benefit he could receive as a result of watching the effects of the alien on the human. Was Ash being kind or heartless?
Score and Cinematography
The movie had an interesting score to it. There were many times that there was a lot of excitement in the movie. During these times the music was more high pitched. However, when something bad was happening, the score had a lower pitch or there was no music. It was nice that sometimes there wasn't any music because I felt that it made it more suspenseful because the music didn't pick the mood you were supposed to feel. As for the lighting, I liked the way this was worked into the movie. When they were trying to fight off the Alien, it was really dark. Also, many of the times there was fog added. Then, when they were just eating or working on the ship, there was a lot of lighting. I didn't think that there was very much influential cinematography. The only thing that I could tell was when the camera was angled at Ash the camera looked up at him. This way the audience could see how the other crew saw Ash.
Works Cited
Mulhall, Stephen. “Kane's Son, Cain's Daughter.” On Film. London: Routledge, 2002. 12-32.
Print.
Scott, Ridley, dir. Alien. 1979. Twentieth Century Fox, 2009.
Thompson, Kristin. "Alien." Storytelling in the New Hollywood. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1999.
283-306. Print
I thought that the part of your critical discourse where you talked about how the alien has to take one life to create another was a very good thought that I did not think about. Also, what you described about the score is the same thing that I thought about the score while watching the film.
ReplyDeleteAs with Matt, I focused on your quote about how the alien has to take another life to continue its species. My question for you though is how does that parasitic nature represent progress in science without regard to human life or dignity? How is the Yakutani corporation (the owners of the ship) like the alien itself? What does this all mean regarding the voice of women and those of lower income?
ReplyDeleteFinally, try to find higher resolution images and work on writing captions that explain a bit more, such as discussing a concept or metaphor in the film.
I really liked your analysis when you say, "it was nice that sometimes there wasn't any music because I felt that it made it more suspenseful because the music didn't pick the mood you were supposed to feel." That is a key technique that Scott used well.
After reading your post, a few questions arose. How is the alien's silencing of Kane (facehugger) related to how Ripley's orders are disobeyed, or Parker's suggestion to freeze Kane until they return to earth is completely ignored?