Memory: The Origins of Alien

"Before Alien, there was Starbeast. Before Starbeast, there was… Memory."

2019 1h 35m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 108

Documentary

Synopsis

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The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott's Alien - rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, the art of Francis Bacon, and the dark visions of Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger. A contemplation on the symbiotic collaborative process of movie-making, the power of myth, and our collective unconscious.

“Before Alien, there was Starbeast. Before Starbeast, there was… Memory.”

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Cast

Ronald Shusett
Self
Roger Christian
Self
Ivor Powell
Self
Terry Rawlings
Self
Tom Skerritt
Self
Veronica Cartwright
Self
Roger Corman
Self
Gary Sherman
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
Writers: Alexandre O. Philippe
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, shot by Robert Muratore. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chad Herschberger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Ronald Shusett and Roger Christian and Ivor Powell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Before Alien, there was Starbeast. Before Starbeast, there was… Memory.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt8974964 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexandre O. Philippe directs. Robert Muratore behind the camera. Chad Herschberger cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 7 years ago.
2Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, shot by Robert Muratore. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Chad Herschberger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Ronald Shusett and Roger Christian and Ivor Powell carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "Before Alien, there was Starbeast. Before Starbeast, there was… Memory.".
6IMDB entry: tt8974964 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 13 themes, including "movie business", "pop culture", "making of", "based on movie".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Muratore
Editing: Chad Herschberger
Sound: Phillip Lloyd Hegel
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Memory: The Origins of Alien (2019)

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Alexandre O. Philippe

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Community reviews

What people are saying

SWITCH.2019-08-10
★ 6/10
What makes ‘Memory: The Origins of Alien’ interesting is the way, as one critic puts it, “it was a synthesis that wasn’t done consciously“ of Giger’s biomechanical designs, Scott’s eye for striking compositions and O’Bannon’s fear of insects and the unknown. The Xenomorph, a symbiotic monster and classic cinema nasty, was created through a vast melting pot of the different influences brought to the film by three preternaturally creative people. In regards to outlining the complexities of this origin story, O. Phillippe’s documentary is an unqualified success. - Jake Watt Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-memory-the-origins-of-alien-three-men-and-a-xenomorph
Sheldon Nylander2019-09-21
★ 6/10
Honestly, there's not much to say about "Memory." Or rather, there isn't much to say about "Alien" that hasn't really been said before. Most of the information is stuff that's been talked about before. It was interesting to see some more information about the original idea for "Alien," that being the screenplay for "Memory." To be honest, not only would I like to see more about that, but I would actually like to see that movie. It's nice to have a single encapsulated version of all the background info and critical analyses of one of the most symbolic films produced in recent memory, but if you're a fan who's studied this film to death already, you're not going to find anything new or revelatory here. This is really only for fans of the original film. Others probably won't get much out of it.