Prometheus and Alien: Ridley Scott’s feeling for flutes

[Corporal Hicks]

http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/ridley-scott-alien/58449/prometheus-and-alien-ridley-scott-s-feeling-for-flutes

For years, that seemed to be as far as we could get with the flute mystery. But then, in 2017 - almost exactly five years after we talked to Anil Biltoo - we finally got to raise the subject with Ridley Scott. Ostensibly, Scott was in the country to promote Blade Runner 2049 - the sequel to his own 1982 classic, which he produced and Denis Villeneuve directed. But Scott's mind is far too alive and restless to stick to one topic for long, and so our conversation veered quite dramatically from Blade Runner to World War II bombs to the question of whether Leonardo da Vinci was some form of artificial intelligence.

From there, Scott began to muse on the subject of ancient aliens - and whether the extraordinary creativity displayed by someone like Da Vinci or Mozart might have been the result of an intervention by an extraterrestrial power. Seizing the moment, we asked: was that why the flute was in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant? Was it Scott's way of saying that music was something given to us by ancient aliens?

"Well, yeah," Scott said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The flute would probably be the most basic instrument - you get a reed, you punch a hole through it, blow, and you get sound. So I felt the flute was the most basic of all instruments - the air. Or you could have percussion, drums. But I think it was air, to get an interesting, magical sound. But I always revolve around the idea of, I like the genius of Michelangelo. In terms of his brain, his mathematical, engineering, artistic mind. It makes him one of the absolute greats, really. He was 100 years ahead of his time. So yeah, the flute is a symbol of simplicity, but also, it's a sonic lock: you play the right notes, it opens a door."

[whiterabbit]

So the gift was not fire but air...

Well we all know where this is headed. David is the pied piper and the aliens are the rats.

[The Old One]

David doots as he pleases.

[Baron Von Marlon]

So the gift was not fire but air...

Well we all know where this is headed. David is the pied piper and the aliens are the rats.

That'd be a little too much for me but I could accept it.
Would be cool if he could operate (parts of) the colony with a flute.
And then another android (Walter?) would have to learn to play too. But in order to fix things, he has to create tunes himself. This will somehow set him free and turn him into another android with a mind of its own.

David doots as he pleases.

Yes, he does. Hail, David!

[Huggs]

David bringing about the apocalypse by playing the solo from Stairway would almost be enough to save the prequels for me. I can see him now, riding on the back of his queen xenomorph, leading thousands of Aliens on a charge.

[Scorpio]

I'm pretty open to the idea of Ancient Aliens also.  It's entirely plausible that aliens exist or have existed, and have visited Earth, and influenced human beings somehow.  People like Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick seem to think so.

[Immortan Jonesy]

I'm pretty open to the idea of Ancient Aliens also.  It's entirely plausible that aliens exist or have existed, and have visited Earth, and influenced human beings somehow.  People like Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick seem to think so.

Three things:

1- The high profile guys in your comment are artists, not scientists. Maybe they have their own opinions about it (like you and me), but these are just that; opinions.

2- Even if they were scientists, it doesn't mean that every statement that comes out of their mouths is a fact (see Argument from authority).

Now, don't get me wrong as I also like to keep an open mind. And maybe, and as you mentioned, it's quite possible that there is extraterrestrial life somewhere in the universe.

But the claim that we have been visited by such life forms, without reliable evidence, is just a belief. In that sense, it's not very different from a religious ideology, since you are literally making a leap of faith.

Some real scientists, like Carl Sagan, showed a cautious interest in the subject. But eventually, they opted to become skeptical due to the lack of evidence and hoaxes. Now, the main promoters of the hypothesis are charlatans and pseudo-archaeologists like Erich von Däniken or Giorgio A. Tsoukalos.

3- If Ridley Scott really feels great respect for someone like Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, he shouldn't be underestimating the man's ingenuity by giving all the credit for such knowledge to the 21st century's gods aliens.

[Scorpio]

I'm not arguing from authority (such and such says so, so it's true), you're arguing from authority:  "lack of evidence" - according to whom?  Promoters of the 'ideology' are 'charlatans', are they?  How do you know?  You are making the leap of faith. 

[SM]

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

[Immortan Jonesy]

"lack of evidence" - according to whom?

Where is the evidence?

Promoters of the 'ideology' are 'charlatans', are they?  How do you know?  You are making the leap of faith.

You obviously don't know enough about the hypothesis of the ancient astronauts or about the people who support it. However, that is not my problem.

[whiterabbit]

I have but one recommendation, lets change the flute to a saxophone.

[SM]

*parp*

[Scorpio]

"lack of evidence" - according to whom?

Where is the evidence?

You have to go look for it, it's not going to magically appear before you, maybe start by opening your mind a bit and listening to what these 'promoters of the ideology' are saying.

You obviously don't know enough about the hypothesis of the ancient astronauts or about the people who support it. However, that is not my problem.

Ah, I see.  So you know better than me? 

[SM]

Is that a trick question?

[Immortan Jonesy]

"lack of evidence" - according to whom?

Where is the evidence?

You have to go look for it, it's not going to magically appear before you, maybe start by opening your mind a bit and listening to what these 'promoters of the ideology' are saying.

You obviously don't know enough about the hypothesis of the ancient astronauts or about the people who support it. However, that is not my problem.

Ah, I see.  So you know better than me?

Argument from authority. Again, I don't care who says it but where is the evidence?

Von Däniken used to promote this as an authentic ancient cave painting.



However, the illustration was drawn in 1967.



The real one it's a piece of shamanic art.



FAKING ANCIENT ART IN UZBEKISTAN

There are other hoaxes like The Tayos Cave:


Remembering Neil Armstrong's Brush with Ancient Astronauts


Father Crespi and the Toilet Tank Float of the Gods

and more and more...but I don't have enough time for this.