Analysis of Alien

Rating: 3/10 (3 December 2002)

The worst part of ALIEN has got to be the appallingly pretentious Freudian psychoanalytical interpretation of the film put forth by Barbara Creed in The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis (London, 1993). The assumption that the fear produced by ALIEN is based upon the fear of the castrating archaic mother is so general it fails to carry any weight. While instances of maternal separation are seen (the Alien bursts through Kane's body) and the notion of individuality being achieved by these means is an interesting one, the attribution of Freudian philosophy to this film as a whole is a stretch to say the least. How can one argue against such a sweeping analysis when all other arguments are countered with subconscious motivation?! The unconscious argument assumes that society as a whole maintains the same subconscious interpretation, a fact I find very hard to believe. It would also imply some sort of unlevelled genius in the film making process who could transcend consciousness and develop a conscious idea into a subconscious response - again, doubtful on such a scale. Creed's approach also fails to take into account filmic industrial history and the audience's interpretation of the movie.
My interpretation of the fear induced by ALIEN holds with the idea of primordial instinct. The natural fight-or-flight instinct found in animals when confronted with a predator is masterfully used to create a feeling of fear due to the setting in which ALIEN takes place. Trapped in a spacecraft, there is no place to hide from the super-predator. The setting acts as a prison rather than a womb as asserted by Creed. The appearance of the Alien in such abject terms serves not to equate it with "monstrous femininity", but simply to disturb through the abject itself. While not as repulsive as many other scenes (the eye-cutting scene in Bunuel and Dali's UN CHIEN ANDALOU being the most disturbing filmic scene in my opinion), the image of the Alien is nonetheless unattractive to human emotion in all its puss-filled, slimy glory.
Creed goes on to say that the film deals with the mother's rejection and deception of her children - we find that 'Mother' had been following the robotic science officer's commands all along and had thought of the humans as "expendable". I would add to this argument the role that the company (who the crew are working for) play in deceiving humanity. It was, after all, the company who sent the crew to their ultimate deaths. Whether this fact should be interpreted as a commentary on unseen evils or on the soulless and inhumane nature of the corporation, I leave open to debate. However, I would argue that this aspect of the film should be examined further in order to assess the claims of Ridley Scott as auteur.
Personally I did not like the film and am not a great fan of the sci-fi/horror genre. However, if you are interested in film analysis (and not just necessarily psychoanalysis-as is commonly held with this particular film) then I would urge you to see this film if for no other reason than as a subject of debate. After that, rent THE SHINING and enjoy the best horror movie ever made.