Scott's Alien Masterpiece

Much like Steven Speilberg's "Jaws," Ridley Scott's, "Alien" took a new outlook on special effects in film. Alien was truely first of its kind, and started the horror/action genre. The film was much more frighting when it came out in 1979, compared to watching it now. Kristin Thompson would probably agree with my assessment as she said, "The film was probably far more frighting to watch, than it is to a new viewer today." According to Stephen Mulhall, "We should not expect the exact nature of this film to be any less alien to us than its eponymous protagonist-any less unpredictable from what we think we know that a science fiction or horror movie must be." In 1979, that quote was a great way to summarize the effect Alien had on audiences.

Alien really relies on camera shots and angles to engage the audience.
The ship, space, and the alien are all ackknowledged and understood through wonderful cinematography. The close-ups, as well as the extended view shots of the ship, really help the viewer get a feel for how big the ship compares to all of space. Space is captured perfectly, and is shown as this endless darkness with minature planets off in the distance. Shots of alien really bring it to life, and help the audience gain a better understanding of this mysterious creature. Through the different camera angles we can notice how it develops from a thing attached to Kane's face, into this enormous tenticled monster. "We can see Scott's confidence in his sets and special effects." (Mulhall 12)

Another key element to the films success and excitement is the background noises and score. Throughout the entirety of the movie, noises in the background are prevelant. This helps the audience get a feeling about all that is going on in the large ship.
Noises help us gain knowledge of the surrondings, where as the silence helps us key on when the alien will strike. The score for the most part is a very subtle one, and helps focus on the movie while giving the viewer a little more entertainment. Score is best used when it does not distract the viewer, but heightens his or her senses about what is taking place in the film.

Alien was truely a huge first step for how movies were going to be made in future decades. Movies such as Predator, Independence Day, and Event Horizon just to name a few have really benefitted from Alien. Though I prefer the sequel Aliens to the original, there is no mistaking what a great movie the original is. Without Alien, we could never have had Aliens, Alien3, Alien Ressurection, and Alien v.s. Predator, which were all fine films in there own right. Much is owed to Mr. Scott and his filmimg making endeavor of Alien.


Muhall, Stephen. "Kane's Son, Cain's Daughter." Routledge (2002): 1-12. Blackboard. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. .

Thompson, Kristin. "Alien." Storytelling in the New Hollywood (1999): 1-14. Blackboard. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. .

According to Kim Edwards "Pan's Labyrinth usurps the traditional male space of the Underworld, displaces it, and designates it a female realm." Guillermo del Toro's masterpiece shows us that it is women that have the most to deal with during wartime. Thru character's such as Ofelia, Carmen, and Mercedes we find a constant struggle to internally deal with what is going around them.
Ofelia struggles are for acceptance in this world and that of the fantasy.She is too young to realize the complexity of the adult world. Carmen's struggles are more internalized than the others but she deals with the biggest concerns. She still grieves for the loss of her husband but she remarried to provide a better life for her daughter. She does not love the Captain, but she knows that the life he provides for her daughter is the most important thing. I feel that throughout the entire movie Carmen knows her own fate. Mercedes struggles are easiest to understand and relate with, because it is one that many of us have dealt with. She despises who she works for and completely disagrees with what he stands for. Her role is to help the insergents from the inside, but all the while she can't stand her self for even being associated with the Captain.
Lighting is a huge underlying symbol in Pan's Labyrinth. The films colors are very true in nature to the times of the Spanish Civil War. Darkness prevails over the film which correlates with darkness that is going on in the world. A perfect example is the night that Ofelia dies it is completely dark even in the Labyrinth, which is to signify something terrible is on its way. The times that are bright and sunny are usually when she is in the woods or in the labyrinth. This seems to be when Ofelia is in a good mood or her fantasies are in full gear. An example of this is the day she goes into the tree to kill the evil frog, the day is so luminescent it brightens the screen.
Another attribute that helps the audience get closer to the film is the wonderful score. Javier Navarrete does an absolute great job with the score of Pan's. Score is one of the most important effects that separate good films from great ones. I found myself during many scenes thinking of the music in the background and how it ties in very well with the scene. The background noise goes hand in hand with the music and it also helps put the scenes together. My favorite scenes involving the score are when she went into the tree and the night she went to the underground feast.
"The intricate parallel plotting, by del Toro himself of course, heightens or tightens this tense and intense connection(Smith pg.5)." This quote really sums up how the film made me feel throughout. It is really sad to think that such a wonderful film took so much out of Guillermo del Toro that it nearly killed him. This film was one of those that actually puts you right with the characters and you feel for them. The film to me is even better in Spanish because it stays true to how it actually was during that time. Pan's Labrynth is truely a film not to be forgotten and easily will go down as a cinematic masterpiece.


Edwards, Kim. "Alice's Little Sister: Exploring Pan's Labyrinth." Web log post. Metro Magazine. Film as Text, 2008. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2010. .

Smith, Paul J. "Pan's Labyrinth." Web log post. Film Quarterly. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2010. .