If you’ve never seen a Ridley Scott film, where do you start? Here is my advice for discovering the world of the director of “Blade Runner” and “Gladiator”.
If you have seen Napoleon, but it was your first Ridley Scott film and you want to move forward in his rich career, here is the feature film that I think you absolutely need to see, and that is Alien, the Eighth Passenger from 1979.
Why not another historical film like the extended version of Kingdom of Heaven or Gladiator? Because with “Alien” you get an insight into another important part of his filmography: his love for science fiction. We follow the crew of the Nostromo who, after visiting an alien planet, are confronted with the presence of an impressive creature on board.
The first time I saw Alien I must have been 14 or 15 years old, and I was particularly struck by the contrast between the fact that the creature is shown very little and the fear I felt without really understanding at the time that you can’t go without the other person. It wasn’t until I understood it that I realized the film was brilliant.
Twentieth Century Fox
It is perfect for entering the world of Ridley Scott, because it is perfect in its genre, subtly constructed and even… inspiring. Three lessons that the filmmaker taught us very early in his career and that would continue throughout his entire filmography.
Lesson #3 – Perfect in your genre(s)
“Alien” is perfect in its genre because it gives the science fiction fan what it came for while distilling the tension that the thrill-seeking viewer has been looking for. This tension is the first reading of the film, underlining how panicked the crew is at harboring such a fearsome creature, perfectly capable of hiding in the depths of the ship.
Twentieth Century Fox
Every time he tackles a new genre, Ridley Scott will create truly solid films, even classics of the genre. It will be “The Duelists” or “The Last Duel” for the historical film, “Gladiator” for the epic, “Thelma and Louise” for the dramatic thriller, “1492: Christopher Columbus” for the adventure film, “The Sinking of the Black Falcon ” for the war film or “state lies” for the political thriller.
Lesson #2 – Subtly constructed
To gain final studio approval for the project, Ridley Scott storyboarded a majority of the sequences, and it was these images that convinced Fox that he was the right person for the project. Scott is a conscientious preparer, storyboarding his films from the oldest (The Duellists) to the newest (Alone on Mars, Alien: Covenant). This gives him a clear idea of what he wants every time, both in terms of staging and decoration. Here are examples from Alien:
Boards.com
In addition to this preparation, Scott wants to put the psychology of his characters at the center of the story and to do this he often shoots a version of the film that the studio rejects because it is too long (Napoleon, Blade Runner, Kingdom of). Heaven), but he takes the time to establish his heroes and show all their complexities and even their paradoxes (The Last Duel, The Associates).
When I look back at the making of “Alien,” what struck me most was the way the film begins. After presenting the spaceship from the outside to show us its isolation, the camera goes inside and shows us the main locations where much of the action will take place. The calm (before the storm) prevails. Only then do the characters slowly awaken from their hypersleep and we discover them, and I remember being quite taken aback by the wake-up scene.
I remember that in just a few conversations between these people I was able to classify them into archetypes: the greedy, the intellectual, the commanding, etc. Enough to introduce us to seven people in record time and give us the impression of knowing them. A demonstration of writing and directing that amazed me, variations of which can be seen at the beginning of other Scott films such as “Legend” (set scene followed by the villain’s portrayal), “Blade Runner” (same) or “Alone on Mars” (decoration) can then be found by the team).
Lesson #1 – An inspiring film
“Alien” also marks the first time that Ridley Scott highlights a heroine, played here by Sigourney Weaver. Ellen Ripley served as a role model to many young boys and girls through her courage, constitution and intelligence. By ensuring that the Weyland-Yutani Company never gets its hands on an alien specimen, it represents a final defense against the re-establishment of a threat from a company only interested in money and weapons. A modern heroine whose ideals have resonated and continue to resonate with multiple generations.
If you look at several of Scott’s films, you will find many very well-written heroines such as Thelma and Louise, Jordan O’Neill from “Equal Arms” or Marguerite de Carrouges in “The Last Duel”. With Alien, Ripley quickly becomes a pop culture icon, as do Maximus, Frank Lucas and Deckard, other characters that Scott’s camera makes iconic.
Twentieth Century Fox Ellen Ripley
Finally, I admire “Alien” for its ability to stimulate the imagination: thinking about what we can’t see, being afraid of what might come out at any moment, jumping at the sound of a ship while simultaneously projecting things to get worse could be.
Scott also indirectly addresses this lesson to all aspiring filmmakers: Don’t have any money for your film? Take a simple concept and rely on the viewer’s feeling rather than the demonstration. Limit the amount of what we say to better control it. And to scare, suggest rather than show.