Alien (BFI Film Classics)

It's odd that at writing I didn't seem to see any reviews for this book-- which is weird, considering it's been out for a few months now. I think that may be in part due to the underground nature of BFI's library. To be fair, I didn't even know these books existed until my film professor at college brought in his copy of the BFI Terminator book to help us get a grip on narrative development.To any readers who are unaware (much like I was until recently,) the British Film Institute publishes neat little paperbacks that analyze popular films of the past few decades under their Modern Classics series, and Alien finally got its turn! In a nutshell, they analyze the film from many different angles-- to its thematic elements, to physical things such as how it was made. These books are well-written and I hope some of the other, older ones I ordered (Blade Runner and The Thing) stack up as well.It has some nice pictures and concept art from a multitude of Ridley Scott films, not just Alien, which was a nice touch-- this book considers all aspects of a film production and how it holds up in a modern age with fresh eyes and ears. Ridley is a sci-fi master, from his eponymous Alien, to the cult classic Blade Runner, and to his much-debated epic, Prometheus, his work will be talked about for the decades to come, even as Alien nears its 40th anniversary.While it certainly doesn't bring forth much new trivia or tidbits of pictures, it does allow the reader to get a better creative grasp on Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece and offers some great inspiration for the budding writer or director. The avid fan of xenomorphs and Space Jockeys will almost certainly have unearthed most of the information and pictures contained in this book, but for the price, the Alien addition to the BFI library of publications is a great resource, whether to fans of sci-fi cinema, film majors, or just fans of Alien in general.The cover painting by Marta Lech is a masterpiece as well-- it's not been since Giger's original "Big Chap" that the world has seen such a ghostly, perfect organism. Her rendering of the Alien serves as a great keystone to complement the aesthetic and design of both the original creature itself, as well as that of the film.All in all, this is a well-written, gem of a book totally (in my opinion) worth it's sticker price, and makes for a nice addition to the collection of an Alien fan, or a sci-fi fan in general.

As someone who has bought other entries in the BFI ‘Film Classics’ series and found them informative and useful, both for teaching purposes and my own edification regarding the films in question, I picked up the new Alien book too after watching the ‘quadrilogy’ of Alien films. While the BFI series offers an overview and analysis of each film, it also allows for the author’s ‘personal response’. In this case that means Roger Luckhurst, a professor of Modern Literature at Birkbeck College in London, who specializes in critical theory. Luckhurst’s professional (and professorial) interest in critical theory tends to get in the way, as while he gives a readable and informative overview of the problems surrounding the gestation and production of the film, and the people creatively involved in it, he tends to throw in academic jargon that might be of professional interest to him and other Critical Theory professors, but not to the rest of us. This material – mostly to be found in his section analyzing the alien itself - often strives desperately to come across as Deep And Meaningful, but which to anyone who isn’t another Critical Theory professor just seems to be trying too hard - pretentious twaddle at best, or, at worst, utter gibberish. This aspect of Luckhurst’s ‘personal response’ reaches its nadir at the end of the book, when he closes with a poem written by one of his old friends from grad school, who also did critical theory but who went on to become a poet, and who Luckhurst has watched the films with for several decades. So, while I generally found the book an informative read on the production of the film, there were times when it felt like Luckhurst was a professor wanting to show off that he knew all the latest academic theories, but at the same time wanted to be chummy by giving a shout-out to one of his old friends. Overall, then, not being, like some of the other reviewers, a film student, or an ardent fan of the film who has read everything else on the movie, I found this entry in the BFI series didn’t quite work for me as well as some of the others I’ve read.

These BFI books are the best!

This book is a gem. So you think that you have read everything or know everything about the classic film "Alien"? You have in your possession the Alien Vault or you have read the biographies of Ridley Scott? Then you still need to read this one. It gives an elegant and succinct introduction into the film, the characters, the social and film context, the place of the film in the genre of science-fiction/horror and sets this within a personal reminiscence which makes the whole piece come together. I have seen the film so many times and have collected so much works relevant to it over the years and yet there was so much to be learned from this work, To see new links and formulations and insights into the characters and their place in the story. Links with Gothic horror, psychoanalysis, technology and Hollywood history all appear. This book accomplishes so much in such a short space (85 pages of text). There are some things to which one can take exception Is Prometheus really "the very worst science-fiction film ever made?"(page 87). Anyone who has seen some films from the 1950s knows that this cannot be true. Anyone seen "Flight to Mars" or "Conquest of Space" recently? But these are small points. This is a book that illuminates the experience of film and makes one want to re-engage with the film yet again.

Short and sweet book that looks beautiful on my shelf. As a movie fanatic this book beautifully tells the creative process Ridley Scott and his team took when creating the first Alien.

Informative and perceptive essay on the film though I found the psychological analysis of what constitutes 'alien' rather precious

Excellent book for fans of the Alien series, and film buffs in general. If you know the subject matter, much is a refresher, but as with others in the BFI stable, this goes much deeper, contextualising the narrative of the movie and addressing its sociological impact.

f***ing great !

I did enjoy this, as I have the other books in the BFI series that I have read. I liked the author's style, though did not agree with all his allegorical conclusions, wherein lies the nub - some considerable time is devoted to varied analyses of the film by others, and they come across as the sort of cannibalistic ramblings that only seem to come from people with a pet theory that they are determined to bend things to fit. It's a little frustrating to not see things as referential, and instead to insist that they speak of deep underlying significance.(Or maybe I am thick?!)