Alien

**Alien** is a UK VHS release by Magnetic Video, 20th Century Fox Video and CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. It was first released on Rental in May 1981 by Magnetic Video. It was re-released by 20th Century Fox Video in April 1982. It was again re-released by CBS/Fox Video in April 1987 (to coincide with Aliens). It was re-released on Sell Through by CBS/Fox Video on 9th February 1989 as part of the All Time Greats series. It was again re-released by Fox Video in both Widescreen and Pan and Scan in July 1992. On 22nd November 1993 it was re-released as part of the Alien Trilogy "Facehugger Collector's Box Set" by Fox Video. A THX Remastered version was re-released in 1997 by Fox Video. On 15th May 2000 it was released on DVD as both a stand alone release and as part of the "Alien Legacy Box Set" by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. On 8th December 2003 Alien: The Director's Cut was released as part of the Alien Quadrilogy Box Set by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

## Description

**In space, no-one can hear you scream.**

This chilling suspense thriller is set far away in space and time. Seven astronauts - five men and two women - are returning to Earth in their battered commercial starship for some well earned leave.

In response to a distress call which they cannot ignore, they become the victims of a galactic creature of unspeakable horror. Their desperate attempts to combat the alien and to escape from its loathsome presence make this a story and a motion picture that you could never imagine in your wildest dreams - or nightmares. In space, no-one can hear you scream...

Running Time Approx. 116 Minutes

Copyright 1979 Twentieth Century Fox

## Cast

* Tom Skerritt as Dallas, captain of the *Nostromo*. Skerritt had been approached early in the film's development, but declined as it did not yet have a director and had a very low budget. Later, when Scott was attached as director and the budget had been doubled, Skerritt accepted the role.
* Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, the warrant officer aboard the *Nostromo*. Weaver, who had Broadway experience but was relatively unknown in film, impressed Scott, Giler, and Hill with her audition. She was the last actor to be cast for the film, and performed most of her screen tests in-studio as the sets were being built. The role of Ripley was Weaver's first leading role in a motion picture, and earned her nominations for a Saturn Award for Best Actress and a BAFTA award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Role.
* Veronica Cartwright as Lambert, the *Nostromo*'s navigator. Cartwright had experience in horror and science-fiction films, having acted as a child in *The Birds* (1963) and *Invasion of the Body Snatchers* (1978). She originally read for the role of Ripley, and was not informed that she had instead been cast as Lambert until she arrived in London for wardrobe. She disliked the character's emotional weakness, but nevertheless accepted the role: "They convinced me that I was the audience's fears; I was a reflection of what the audience is feeling." Cartwright won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
* Harry Dean Stanton as Brett, the engineering technician. Stanton's first words to Scott during his audition were, "I don't like sci fi or monster movies". Scott was amused and convinced Stanton to take the role after reassuring him that *Alien* would actually be a thriller more akin to *Ten Little Indians*.
* John Hurt as Kane, the executive officer who becomes the host for the Alien. Hurt was Scott's first choice for the role, but he was contracted on a film in South Africa during *Alien'*s filming dates, so Jon Finch was cast as Kane, instead. However, Finch became ill during the first day of shooting and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which had also exacerbated a case of bronchitis. Hurt was in London by this time, his South African project having fallen through, and he quickly replaced Finch. His performance earned him a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
* Ian Holm as Ash, the ship's science officer who is revealed to be an android. Holm was a character actor, who, by 1979, had already been in 20 films.
* Yaphet Kotto as Parker, the chief engineer. Kotto, an African American, was chosen partly to add diversity to the cast and give the *Nostromo* crew an international flavor. Kotto was sent a script off the back of his recent success as villain Dr. Kananga in the *James Bond* film, *Live and Let Die* (1973), and said he rejected a lucrative film offer in the hope of being cast in *Alien*.
* Bolaji Badejo as the Alien. Nigerian Badejo, while a 26-year-old design student, was discovered in a bar by a member of the casting team, who put him in touch with Scott. Scott believed that Badejo, at 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm) (7 ft inside the costume) and with a slender frame, could portray the Alien and look as if his arms and legs were too long to be real, creating the illusion that a human being could not possibly be inside the costume. Stuntmen Eddie Powell and Roy Scammell also portrayed the Alien in some scenes.
* Helen Horton as the voice of Mother, the *Nostromo'*s computer.

## Credits

* Directed by Ridley Scott
* Produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler & Walter Hill
* Executive Producer Ronald Shusett
* Story by Dan O'Bannon & Ronald Shusett
* Screenplay by Dan O'Bannon, David Giler & Walter Hill
* Music by Jerry Goldsmith
* Cinematography by Derek Vanlint
* Editor Terry Rawlings
* Produced by Brandywine Productions
* Distributed by 20th Century Fox

Theatrical Release Date: 25th May 1979 (US) / 6th September 1979 (UK)