An Alien DVD extra reveals an amusing behind-the-scenes detail from Director Ridley Scott that offsets the ensuing horror in the 1979 sci-fi horror classic. Alien rode its incredible practical effects, grotesque creature designs, and atmospheric world-building straight to the 1980 Academy Awards and picked up a well-deserved Oscar for Best Visual Effects. It's incredible that Ridley Scott’s best movie still holds up so well given it was released over four decades ago, but it turns out some of that memorable movie magic was secretly the filmmaking equivalent of tossing a roll of duct tape at an annoying problem.
According to Ridley Scott’s commentary on Alien’s DVD release, the director wanted it to look the actors and the spaceship’s interior were vibrating during the flying sequences at the beginning of the film, so he put “paint mixers under the seats of the actors.” Unfortunately, they were too fast so “if you watch carefully, you’ll realize that the actors are doing most of the work.” That information changes a decent portion of the Alien viewing experience, but it also provides another great excuse to rewatch a sci-fi masterpiece from the director who would eventually go on to direct Harrison Ford in Blade Runner.
How Ridley Scott's Alien Intro Secret Changes The Movie
The unintentional comedy of seeing the likes of Sigourney Weaver and John Hurt “juddering” around in their seats during tense, sweat-inducing moments definitely cuts the tension of those specific scenes, but it doesn’t completely kill Alien’s horror vibes. If anything, that behind-the-scenes context could prove beneficial for people who typically prefer to experience scary movies by reading their Wikipedia plot summaries. Alien has remained timeless despite huge technological advancements in the film industry, so there’s no reason why a relatively harmless bit of Alien trivia would adversely influence the entire movie.
Ridley Scott's Alien Intro Secret Adds Even More Rewatch Value To The Film
Ridley Scott's behind-the-scenes reveal does add a good amount of rewatch value to Alien through three distinct viewing experiences. The first is witnessing Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley go through the movie’s events without the context provided by Ridley Scott. The second is watching Alien with Scott’s commentary at the same time. The third is fully focusing on Alien with the knowledge that the beginning spaceship sequences are simultaneously really tense and really goofy.
Alien's cast deserve a lot of credit because even though the Gladiator director claims a careful viewing reveals that the actors are doing a lot of the vibrating themselves, it’s actually quite hard to tell the difference between the paint mixers’ contributions versus the actors and even the cinematography. Ridley Scott revealed a secret that might not do the beginning of his best horror movie any favors. However, it does provide another great excuse to revisit Alien's Ellen Ripley and the still-horrific sequence of events that decimated Nostromo's crew.