Nonfiction

The Making of Alien

The Making of Alien

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  • Create Date：2022-03-04 08:51:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：J.W. Rinzler
  • ISBN：1789090555
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Summary

Comprehensive and definitive volume telling the complete story of how Alien was made， featuring new interviews with Ridley Scott and other production crew， and including many rarely-seen photos and illustrations from the Fox archives。

In 1979 a movie legend was born， as Twentieth Century-Fox and director Ridley Scott unleashed Alien and gave audiences around the world the scare of their lives。

To celebrate the movie's fortieth anniversary， author J。W。 Rinzler （The Making of Star Wars） tells the whole fascinating story of how Alien evolved from a simple idea in the mind of writer Dan O'Bannon into one of the most memorable sci-fi horror thrillers of all time。

With brand new interviews with Ridley Scott and other key members of the original production crew， and featuring many never-before-seen photographs and artworks from the archives， The Making of Alien is the definitive work on this masterpiece of popular cinema。

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Reviews

Bill ，

Of all the films in the Alien franchise the first is still my favourite & this superb book covers everything from early script ideas， through production， poster design & the release of the film in 1979。My favourite moments from the book are the detailed account of filming the 'chestbuster' scene & screenwriter Dan O'Bannon on using other people's ideas when he says "I don't borrow from anyone。 I borrow from everyone。"An excellent book from the author of The Making of the Planet of the Apes， whic Of all the films in the Alien franchise the first is still my favourite & this superb book covers everything from early script ideas， through production， poster design & the release of the film in 1979。My favourite moments from the book are the detailed account of filming the 'chestbuster' scene & screenwriter Dan O'Bannon on using other people's ideas when he says "I don't borrow from anyone。 I borrow from everyone。"An excellent book from the author of The Making of the Planet of the Apes， which is also well worth reading！ 。。。more

Randall Cook ，

Pretty good overview of the making of the film。 I wish that there was more Harry Dean Stanton / Brett info and vignettes。 Otherwise fairly thorough。

Mikael ，

Nice book: alot of detailed information on how this movie was done， story progress， casting， preproduction， filming scenes afterproduction and so on。

Joshua Lawson ，

I love Alien but my primary reason for reading this book is author J。W。 Rinzler， whose three books on the making of the original Star Wars trilogy represent perhaps the best behind the scenes filmmaking content I’ve encountered。 Having recently read Robert Caro’s Working I found myself even more impressed with the time and research that must’ve gone into Rinzler’s writing this book， though here researching， you know， Alien， rather than LBJ or one of Caro’s more monumental subjects。All that said， I love Alien but my primary reason for reading this book is author J。W。 Rinzler， whose three books on the making of the original Star Wars trilogy represent perhaps the best behind the scenes filmmaking content I’ve encountered。 Having recently read Robert Caro’s Working I found myself even more impressed with the time and research that must’ve gone into Rinzler’s writing this book， though here researching， you know， Alien， rather than LBJ or one of Caro’s more monumental subjects。All that said， my god making Alien sounds absolutely miserable。 。。。more

Marc ，

The book is absolutely brilliant and the author spared no expense in getting every minute detail into this “book that won’t fit on a shelf。” Yes the making of specials from the Alien Anthology set are by far the best documentaries about a making of movie， ever！ But this book focuses on a few more players in the game and it was an enjoyable read to have in between books！

Chris ，

An incredible examination of the process of making the film 'Alien' from first concept to completed film， covering all the stages in between and even after the release。 Highly readable and with a wealth of fascinating detail， there are also hundreds of photos included showing all stages of the production。 From the description of the fraught process involved in getting the film green-lit， it is an absolute wonder that any film actually gets made！ I would totally recommend this huge book to anyone An incredible examination of the process of making the film 'Alien' from first concept to completed film， covering all the stages in between and even after the release。 Highly readable and with a wealth of fascinating detail， there are also hundreds of photos included showing all stages of the production。 From the description of the fraught process involved in getting the film green-lit， it is an absolute wonder that any film actually gets made！ I would totally recommend this huge book to anyone with an interest in the film itself or in the process of film-making in general。 。。。more

Sean Boyer ，

Beautiful book， and a nice， chronological breakdown of the production of Alien。 The quality of the book is superb。 Thick， glossy page stock for beautiful image reproduction and crisp text; reader-friendly text and sidebar layouts; outstanding use of white on cover; this is just an all-round beautifully produced book。Rinzler's writing is crisp and clean。 Nothing flowery or philosophical; he's simply reporting on the production of Alien， from concept to its sequels。 But it's very readable and not Beautiful book， and a nice， chronological breakdown of the production of Alien。 The quality of the book is superb。 Thick， glossy page stock for beautiful image reproduction and crisp text; reader-friendly text and sidebar layouts; outstanding use of white on cover; this is just an all-round beautifully produced book。Rinzler's writing is crisp and clean。 Nothing flowery or philosophical; he's simply reporting on the production of Alien， from concept to its sequels。 But it's very readable and not dry。That said， because of its size and page stock， this thing weighs around five pounds， so it's not always the most comfortable tome to hold or sit on your lap。 。。。more

Jesse Young ，

Comprehensive and wonderfully detailed。 The best， in-depth （and gorgeous！） look into the making of the film that I've yet read。 Comprehensive and wonderfully detailed。 The best， in-depth （and gorgeous！） look into the making of the film that I've yet read。 。。。more

Craig McQuinn ，

I want J。W。 Rinzler's book about the making of The Shining more than anything ever。 I want J。W。 Rinzler's book about the making of The Shining more than anything ever。 。。。more

Sebastian ，

The first 'Making of' book about a movie I read。 You definitly need to be a true fan of the movie and a movie aficionado to enjoy that kind of books （I'm both）。 The sheer volume of photos from the set and other material from the shoot and first-hand information from the people involved is impressive for a book written 40 years after the movie was released。 The first 'Making of' book about a movie I read。 You definitly need to be a true fan of the movie and a movie aficionado to enjoy that kind of books （I'm both）。 The sheer volume of photos from the set and other material from the shoot and first-hand information from the people involved is impressive for a book written 40 years after the movie was released。 。。。more

Michael Clark ，

Kick ass。

Klaus ，

Kerrassaan huikea teos， jossa todellakin näkyy kirjoittajan intohimo elokuvaa kohtaan。 Erittäin mielenkiintoista tarinaa ja taustoitusta tekoprosessista pieniäkään yksityiskohtia unohtamatta。 Kaiken kruunaa upea kuvitus Gigerin konseptitaiteesta lähtien。 Viiden tähden leffa on tämän viiden tähden kirjan ansainnut。

Ben ，

Rinzler is about as exhaustive as you are going to find。 I'm learning more and more that the number of stories and the sheer volume of information involved in the making of a film of any size is more than the market for making of books can really bear。 So much is poorly documented and lost forever in a sea of ego in this industry。 Rinzler does his best to restore balance。Unlike the sister volume about Star Wars， it's not a happy tale。 Stress and problems followed the cast and crew down every rab Rinzler is about as exhaustive as you are going to find。 I'm learning more and more that the number of stories and the sheer volume of information involved in the making of a film of any size is more than the market for making of books can really bear。 So much is poorly documented and lost forever in a sea of ego in this industry。 Rinzler does his best to restore balance。Unlike the sister volume about Star Wars， it's not a happy tale。 Stress and problems followed the cast and crew down every rabbit hole and the payoff was not up to expectations either critically or financially。 At the heart of the nerve center stands O'Bannon。 Equal parts genius and maniac and 100% deserving of a film in his own right。 。。。more

Book collector ，

This brilliant book has been published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott's Alien。 Now a lot of the information will be familiar as it's been previously used in both books and on DVD extras but this has new interview material and a wealth of fantastic photographs and artworks。 It's a fascinating read and I found myself frustrated along with the makers at the office politics displayed by the higher ups。 It's an honest telling of the development and making of a true classic of c This brilliant book has been published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott's Alien。 Now a lot of the information will be familiar as it's been previously used in both books and on DVD extras but this has new interview material and a wealth of fantastic photographs and artworks。 It's a fascinating read and I found myself frustrated along with the makers at the office politics displayed by the higher ups。 It's an honest telling of the development and making of a true classic of cinema。 One thing I was sad to see is that the future of alien movies may be in jeopardy from Disney's takeover of fox due to their pg13 stance not a a rating that is suitable for a future alien film。 We can live in hope though。 It's also sad to note the number of cast and crew who have passed away in the last few years。 A quick note on price。 Yes it's expensive but the costs of printing photographs in books always raises the price and there are a lot of full colour photos here。 It's well worth the money and is a great book。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Robin Burkin ，

One of the best， and most detailed 'making ofs' I've ever read。 One of the best， and most detailed 'making ofs' I've ever read。 。。。more

Dan ，

Another impeccably detailed and fully engrossing behind-the-scenes epic from the prolific Rinzler， beautifully designed and full of great visuals。 Even for a production as intensely scrutinized and documented as this one， I still found his exhaustively researched writing to be intensely rewarding and full of perspectives I hadn't come across before。 Another impeccably detailed and fully engrossing behind-the-scenes epic from the prolific Rinzler， beautifully designed and full of great visuals。 Even for a production as intensely scrutinized and documented as this one， I still found his exhaustively researched writing to be intensely rewarding and full of perspectives I hadn't come across before。 。。。more

Jefferson ，

Great for anyone who is a fan of the film or interested in the filmmaking process。 Worth it for all the production artwork alone。

Tim ，

This author is on fire。 Having read making of star wars before this， I am even more in awe of the amount of facts and photos Rinzler has managed to uncover。 We're talking about a （damn good） movie that was filmed 4 decades ago， yet the it almost feels like the author was there on the set and during production， every minute seems to be recorded。If you're a movie buff， like me， and still think Alien is an epic movie， definitely read this hefty and glorious tome！ This author is on fire。 Having read making of star wars before this， I am even more in awe of the amount of facts and photos Rinzler has managed to uncover。 We're talking about a （damn good） movie that was filmed 4 decades ago， yet the it almost feels like the author was there on the set and during production， every minute seems to be recorded。If you're a movie buff， like me， and still think Alien is an epic movie， definitely read this hefty and glorious tome！ 。。。more

Tim Lapetino ，

I’ve read 5 Making Of books by J。W。 Rinzler， including the Star Wars trilogy set， Planet of the Apes， and the Indiana Jones saga。 This book might be the best of them。 Rinzler digs deep into the conflict， paranoia， discomfort， and claustrophobia of the Alien film’s making。 It was a grueling marathon of a production， and Rinzler helps you feel it at every step。 Highly recommended for fans of the film， movie buffs， and those working to tell the stories of creative makers and craftspeople。

Kevin ，

The book's only error was not publishing Scott's second pass storyboards in full。 That's the director's cut。 O'Bannon/Shusset's plan， Giler/Hill's Hollywood realism， Cobb/Foss/Giger's biomechanics-tech， and Scott's immersive Kubrick-Lucas visualizations + radical approach with letting the actors sort out their characters on their own。Highest levels of risk-taking rewards with a new genre， B-movie to A-levels。 The book's only error was not publishing Scott's second pass storyboards in full。 That's the director's cut。 O'Bannon/Shusset's plan， Giler/Hill's Hollywood realism， Cobb/Foss/Giger's biomechanics-tech， and Scott's immersive Kubrick-Lucas visualizations + radical approach with letting the actors sort out their characters on their own。Highest levels of risk-taking rewards with a new genre， B-movie to A-levels。 。。。more

Jason Bovberg ，

A fabulous， comprehensive look at the making of one of my favorite movies。 Some redundancy with the Alien Quadrilogy DVD set， but enough new stuff to be truly absorbing。

C。J。 Bunce ，

Originally published online at BORG。com。So many books that go behind the scenes of films take a similar approach， skimming the surface with interviews of only top production heads， providing diehard fans of the property who have read all the fanzines little that is new。 So when you get an immersive treatise like The Making of Alien， you must take a few weeks to digest every story， quote and anecdote found inside。 Maybe it’s because so much of the inception of the other classics J。W。 Rinzler has Originally published online at BORG。com。So many books that go behind the scenes of films take a similar approach， skimming the surface with interviews of only top production heads， providing diehard fans of the property who have read all the fanzines little that is new。 So when you get an immersive treatise like The Making of Alien， you must take a few weeks to digest every story， quote and anecdote found inside。 Maybe it’s because so much of the inception of the other classics J。W。 Rinzler has written about is the stuff of sci-fi movie legend， but Rinzler’s research this time around is completely enthralling。 Writer Dan O’Bannon， writer and initial director Walter Hill， concept artist H。R。 Giger， director and storyboard artist Ridley Scott， actors Sigourney Weaver， Yaphet Kotto， Veronica Cartwright， and Ian Holm–Rinzler’s chronology is framed by the entry of these people into the project and their key roles。 The account of their intersected careers and efforts resulting in the 1979 sci-fi/horror classic provide a detailed understanding of studio productions in the 1970s。 For fans of the film and the franchise， you couldn’t ask for more for this year’s 40th anniversary of Alien。Rinzler， who has also created similar deep dives behind the scenes of Star Wars， The Empire Strikes Back， Return of the Jedi， the Indiana Jones films， and last year’s The Making of Planet of the Apes， has established the best format for giving sci-fi fans the ultimate immersive experience。 In many ways The Making of Alien is an account of the necessary vetting process behind any major creative endeavor。 The first draft of any story is never the best， and sometimes neither is the 100th draft。 But the best books and the best movies get reviewed by other people， usually producers， editors， studios， departments， some with prestige and money backing them， sometimes over and over， with changes made to every chapter， with creators and ideas that are tried on for size， dismissed， re-introduced， and sometimes brought back again。 By the end of many a film， the contributors are exhausted and disenchanted， some even devastated。 Only sometimes this is alleviated by a resulting success。 It was even more difficult working on a project like Alien–a mash-up of science fiction and horror pulled together in the 1970s， when drama was in， and science fiction meant either the cold drama of 2001: A Space Odyssey or the roller coaster spectacle of Star Wars。 Behind the scenes there would be overlaps in creative types， like famed set “graffiti artist” Roger Christian and sound expert Ben Burtt。 But ultimately Alien had to be something different to get noticed。The stories of O’Bannon and Giger’s contributions and conflicts are the most intriguing of the bunch， and if you’ve read everything available on the film you’ll be surprised there is far more to their stories you haven’t read。 The influence of John Carpenter was paramount to getting the idea of the film past the first step， particularly his films Dark Star and The Thing。 Along the journey other creators would intersect with the project–people like Steven Spielberg， Alan Ladd， Jr。， John Dykstra， Brian Johnson， Nick Allder， Ron Cobb， Jerry Goldsmith， and even Jean “Moebius” Giraud。2001 got science fiction films noticed。 Star Wars made them popular。 But Alien cemented the professions of visual effects and an entire segment of moviemakers in Hollywood and around the world。 Science fiction could thereafter also be terrifying and carry an R rating。In Rinzler’s book you’ll find some good tidbits about Alien′s casting。 Like Meryl Streep was the initial frontrunner for the role of Ripley， a role that wasn’t initially even written for a woman。 In fact it was the success of films starring women like Jane Fonda that prompted a change to a leading woman for Alien–so the execs at the studios might take notice。 Behind the camera Ridley Scott and the assistant directors played age-old tricks on the actors throughout the shoot。 In addition to a well-known story of Veronica Cartwright’s reaction to the chestburster alien being her own real reaction （she passed out on set）， Scott & Company pushed the actors， especially Yaphet Kotto， to agitate Sigourney Weaver， both to keep her off-balance and edgy and to force her to take charge as their leader once the camera started to roll。Fans of concept art will love Ridley Scott’s personally drawn storyboards。 Rinzler also includes key pieces of several drafts of the screenplay， illustrating various plot and character changes。 Readers will leave with a better understanding of why Giger’s own accounts of the trials of working with 20th Century Fox were so problematic， and why the various phases of the alien creatures were so difficult for all the contributors to visualize and finalize。J。W。 Rinzler’s The Making of Alien is a big， over-sized hardcover with a massive 336 pages and 1，000+ mostly color photographs and concept drawings。 It’s a must for film buffs and fans of the franchise。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Making of Alien

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Making of Alien&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Making of Alien&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0