The documentary film ‘Memory: The Origins of Alien,’ has secured a distribution partner and will be seeing a wide release this summer. The film premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and thankfully fans won’t have to wait too long before they’re able to watch it.
Legion M, a fan-owned media company best known for their involvement in last year’s indie hit ‘Mandy’ which starred Nicolas Cage, has joined with Screen Media to release the film.
“We couldn’t be more excited to announce that we have teamed up with Screen Media to acquire all North American rights to Alexandre O. Philippe’s fascinating documentary feature film Memory: The Origins of Alien, which premiered to rave reviews in the Midnight Section at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival! We’re planning to release the film in theaters later this summer, perfectly timed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the theatrical release of Alien!”
The film will see a theatrical release, though I would guess it will likely be a limited one, and timed close to the 40th Anniversary of Alien. According to LegionM co-owner Terri Piñon, there will also be a home media release after. Dogwoof will be handing the UK distribution.
I had the opportunity to see the film during its Sundance run and quite loved it, giving it an 8 out of 10 in our review. Be sure to check out our interview with the film’s director Alexandre Philippe if you haven’t already.
Make sure you stick with Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest on the Alien 40th Anniversary celebrations! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums!
Neither under nor over
engulf, submerge, or bury.
Which kind of whelmed, Val? Which?!
-Windebieste.
Tickets are here mate.
.... could be possible.
It's always a money thing. Not sure I could get to London cheaply within the next week
It screened here a couple weeks ago, the publicly funded radio station did a decently long interview with Alexandre too.
My thought exactly...
Thurs., July 18 (7:15 p.m.-8:15 p.m.) "Fans Celebrating 40 Years of Alien" Panel, Room 6BCF, San Diego Comic-Con
A deep dive into the origins of "Alien" and its fandom with documentary director Alexandre O. Philippe ("The People vs. George Lucas," "Doc of the Dead," "78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene"), Diane O'Bannon (Dan O'Bannon Estate), Will Linn (Joseph Campbell Foundation), David Baxter (Legion M) and special guests as they discuss Philippe's upcoming feature documentary "Memory: The Origins of Alien" and the sustaining power of Ridley Scott's horror/Sci-Fi masterpiece with fandom. Trailer debut from the "Memory: The Origins of Alien" documentary will be shown.
Fri., July 19 (10:00 p.m.- 12:00 a.m.) "Memory: The Origins of Alien" Fan Premiere and Q&A, Theater Box
Come see the critically-acclaimed documentary "Memory: The Origins of Alien" followed by a special Q&A with the film's director Alexandre O. Philippe ("The People vs. George Lucas," "Doc of the Dead"). The feature-length film, which premiered to rave reviews in the Midnight Section at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, unearths the largely untold origin story behind Ridley Scott's cinematic masterpiece, and reveals a treasure trove of never-before-seen materials from the archives of "Alien" creators Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger, including original story notes, rejected designs and storyboards, exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, and O'Bannon's original 29 page script from 1971, titled Memory. The documentary also takes fans on an exploration of the mythical underpinnings of "Alien" and dedicates focus on the film's iconic "Chestburster" scene. "Memory: The Origins of Alien" screening and Q&A hosted by Legion M and Screen Media is a must-see SDCC event for "Alien" fans celebrating the epic horror/Sci-Fi film's 40th anniversary. Ticket info coming soon at www.legionm.com/sdcc2019!
And tickets booked.
Alien was pretty mainstream back in 79. Even more so now.
From that Facebook page......."From writer Dan O'Bannon's original script Star Beast, to H. R. Giger's startling designs, the influences of Egyptian and Greek mythology"
I thought O'Bannon's influences was the old sci-fi/horror films, but Dan does reference Greek drama several times in his book albeit mainly for historical purposes. I suppose this is where Phillipe sees Greek mythology as one of Dan's driving influences.
However, never once does Dan mention Greek mythology in his book. As for connecting from the influence of Greek drama (or in this case, mythology) for historical purposes to modern script writing, this could be said for countless screenwriters.
Okay, I think I got it sorted it out. It's a matter of applying the 'Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon' game . . . sorta.
Influenced by numerous old sci-fi/horror films, O'Bannon created the Alien universe, which Giler and Walter Hill, who is largely influenced by Westerns, gave Dan's script a "complete makeover" (contested by O'Bannon). In turn, Ridley Scott was tasked with bringing it to the box office.
In creating the chestburster, Ridley was influenced by Francis Bacon. And in turn, Francis was influenced by Greek mythology for his Crucifixion triptych paintings. So Ridley tasked Giger to create the chestburster with the influence of Francis Bacon, which in turn is influenced by the Greek Furies, though Giger's strongest influences were surrealists Dado and Dali.
So if you go back far enough, eventually you will bump into Greek drama or mythology . . . . though you could pretty much apply that to any modern story. Phillipe decided to hoist the Furies from the back row of influences to a front row showcase of his documentary......and that's why we see wicked witches of the mess rising from the Alien 79's illuminated blue mist.
And there you have it.....The Seven Degrees of Francis Bacon game.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2198200837067221/?notif_t=plan_user_invited¬if_id=1561993826974399
Thanks to HuDa for the link. We're thinking of going but not sure when yet.
Maybe. But "stealth" is still plausible it was the author's intent.
Certainly a possibility.
I pondered if subterranean feminist horror meant a female character(s) confronting horrors in the dark crevices of a given cinematic environment/locale.
Probably the less muddled and best approach to take.
I did a search on 'subterranean feminist horror film,' but Mr. Google reports, "sorry, I got nothing."
The first listing it shows is......
13 Best Feminist Horror Movies - Top New Horror Films for Women
Jul 18, 2018 - 13 Feminist Horror Movies That Will Make You Appreciate the Genre in a .... adventure goes terribly wrong when they get trapped underground.
I will leave the symbolic interpretation to those more knowledgeable than I. What I am hoping for is to see sketches,doodles,notes on early ideas and concepts. Something from his own hand we haven't seen.
Edit: Also, it's funny to note that what they did with this documentary is the same thing that some fans have done in the prequels section of this site. I mean the interpretation and search of symbols.
Well....at the very least, The Descent is a subterranean feminist horror film....literally.
https://i.imgur.com/WVFuRFO.jpg
Jonesy was the only one who wasn't attacked by the Alien, though
https://youtu.be/fX746b8pDVg
"And it expands on a theme that's often been talked about: that "Alien" was a subterranean feminist horror film — not just because Sigourney Weaver's Ripley turns into one of the most potent heroines in cinema, but because the movie, drawing on the Greek mythology of the Furies, conjures a symbolic nightmare fantasy of a man getting raped (by the face-hugger) and then, in the chest-bursting scene, giving birth."
Digging further since I don't know much about Greek Mythology, apparently the Furies were three goddesses of vengeance who punished men for crimes against the natural order.
So there's the connection....I guess....kinda....sorta.....if you squint your eyes. Apparently that's why we see three witches rising through Alien 79's illuminated blue mist.
I guess the next thing I need to dig for is WTF is a subterranean feminist horror film.
The poor things been analyzed down to a cellular level at this point.
I don't doubt it's a well crafted video by the praise it's getting, but it feels like a philosophical fan theory got bankrolled. Attempting to attach some ancient human lore to the world of Alien feels like it taking the "alien-ness" out of Alien. I prefer my Alien to remain pure alien rather than an anthropomorphic connect the dots to us via ancient Greek mythology. "Nahh, man, Alien is really not alien at all, it's just the Gray Sisters regurgitated."
I see in Phillipe's filmography, he's working on a sequel to Memory......
MEMORY Part 2: Parker Meets Medusa
And to think evil flying monkees were just the beginning...
Sounds about right. And I'm guessing Deino, Enyo, and Pemphredo use Alien 79's illuminated blue mist to keep the eye preserved.
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fscifimoviezone.com%2Fmemorybluray.png&hash=23ba4c2ea0a962cad1c93a0d011ca7fb5cd64a8a