Memory: The Origins of Alien

By Reggie's Take on September 21, 2019

Alexandre O. Philippe, writer and director takes a deep dive into Ridley Scott‘s 1979 film, Alien in a new documentary.

Alexandre O. Philipp documentary about Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi film, Alien debuted at Sundance earlier this year and will finally make its way into theaters this coming October. The documentary will tell the origin story of how Ridley Scott, screenwriter Dan O’Bannon, and designer H.R. Giger teamed up to create such a horror masterpiece in space.

Memory: The Origins of Alien will take an in depth look at one of the most famous scenes in the movie, the chestbursting scene, from its inception, to Scott and his team pulling the effect off.

In an online interview Alexandre O. Philippe talked about why he’s interested in particular moments that happen in movies and why they become cultural moments.

“I’m very interested in the moments in cinema that essentially become cultural moments. You can certainly argue that the shower scene was that and that the chestburster was equally significant. Initially, the impulse was to actually make a feature about the chestburster, very specifically, but then I very quickly realize that you can’t approach the chestburster scene the same way as the shower scene. They’re very different because Psycho and Alien resonate with audiences for completely different reasons. I’d argue that the reason Alien resonates with audiences around the world is because it taps into ideas and images that essentially connect with our ancient past. So Memory is, of course, an origin story but it’s also very much a mythological take on Ridley Scott’s Alien.”

Memory: The Origins of Alien, burst into theaters and on demand on October 4th!

Memory: The Origins of Alien will feature interviews with Veronica Cartwright, Roger Christian, Tom Skerritt, Ronald Shusett and Roger Corman.

Runtime: 93 minutes
Release Date: 2019
Genre: Documentary

Memory: The Origins of Alien Synopsis:
Take an in depth voyage into the sci-fi masterpiece ALIEN with the visionary filmmakers who created it. See how one of the most terrifying movies of all time burst to life 40 years ago, inspired by ancient mythology and our universal fears. Presented by Screen Media & Legion M.