How Alien Changed Sci-Fi Cinema in 1979

Explicit content warning

08/18/24 • 59 min

As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead!
For full detailed show notes (without character limits) you can choose the episode on the watch page here: https://www.everyscififilm.com/watch
This is a special crossover episode with The Lorehounds podcast. To learn more about The Lorehounds and their extensive coverage of multiple TV series you can visit their website here.
Description
It has been 45 years since the first Alien (1979) film released in the cinema receiving lukewarm reviews. Perhaps the impact of a different kind of science fiction film was completely lost on film critics having to deal with the many clasher films of the 70s and a slew of Star Wars rip offs? But since then, Alien has cemented its reputation as a sci-fi film classic. Although there were many sci-fi horrors in the 1950s B-movies this film was different. There is no dashing hero, no damsel in distress waiting to be rescued, no bug eyed monster that takes away from the gritty realism of the film. This film set science fiction cinema on a different course.
The Experts
Roger Luckhurst is a Professor at Birkbeck, University of London. He specialises in literature, film, and cultural history from the 19th century to the present. He has written/edited a crazy number of articles and books including the BFI Film Classics book on Alien.
Jason Eberl is a Professor for Health Care Ethics at St Louis University with a special interest in biotechnology, human enhancement and the philosophy of human nature. He has also written extensively including a range of books that examine the philosophy of various mainstream media such as Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica.
Co-Host
David is one third of The Lorehounds and is joining as co-host for this special crossover episode.
Chapters
00:00 Intro to the show and Alien’s bad reviews
02:55 The Origins of Alien
06:22 Why was Alien such a success?
08:06 Alien’s departure from the slick sci-fi aesthetic
09:15 Truckers in Spaaaace! Grittiness and the late 1970s political landscape
17:13 The protagonist: breaking away from gender stereotypes
24:00 Giger’s art and the Xenomorph's life cycle
26:50 A lack of eyes, Charles Darwin and Francis Bacon
30:31 The ship and the alien
33:43 The other monsters: Ash the android and the company
39:39 The history of heads speaking the truth
41:12 The Company: The factory line, Joseph Conrad & Belgians in the Congo
46:17 Jones the cat
51:22 The Philosophy of Alien
53:38 Recommendations
58:02 Outro
NEXT EPISODE!
Next episode we have a discussion about a long-lost pioneer of science fiction literature from the late 19th Century. Robert Duncan Milne’s work had largely vanished despite a book drawing attention to him in 1980. Milne was born in Scotland and died in San Francisco just before the dawn of the 20th century. Much of his legacy and work is thought to be lost due to the huge earthquake in San Francisco in 1906. My two wonderful guests are working hard to have him and his work recognised.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Alien: Romulus (2024) trailer reaction with The Lorehounds

Be warned: There are some potential spoilers ahead. Neither of us have watched Alien: Romulus yet but there is a lot of talk of the franchise and what we are expecting of the new film including a very clever theory from David which could be a spoiler.
This is a bonus episode which is part of my first ever crossover podcast!
Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever* is joining The Lorehounds podcast as both are a little too excited about a certain franchise.
Alien (1979) is 45 years old this year and Alien: Romulus is being released on the 16th of August. To celebrate we have this bonus episode is myself and David from The Lorehounds having a short chat about the trailer for the new film. The next full episode will be on Alien (1979) released on Sunday the 18th of August. The Lorehounds and myself will be having a fan discussion about Alien (1979) on their podcast and finally you can catch a discussion about the Alien: Romulus film over at The Lorehounds after its release.
For more details about The Lorehounds you can visit their website here.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Alien franchise. You can leave me a voice message here or catch up with what I’m working on or researching on my Instagram page.
Chapters
00:00 Intro to the show and the crossover project
04:06 Alien: Romulus synopsis and production details
05:57 Kids in Spaaaace!
08:02 Sound design
12:36 Infused with the original
13:05 Practical effects
16:10 Cultivating the next generation of fans
19:00 Expectations: Ayesha
20:36 Expectations: David
23:51 David’s brilliant theory (and potential spoiler!)
25:40 The Blade Runner and Alien universe
28:51 Outro

NEXT EPISODE!
As mentioned above the next episode will be a discussion with David from The Lorehounds and myself speaking to two wonderful guests about Alien (1979). All the Alien films are available on the Disney Plus channel but are also available to buy or rent in many places including Apple TV.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Robert Duncan Milne: A Lost Pioneer of Science Fiction

Unlike most episodes there are no film spoilers ahead!
For full detailed show notes please click the episode on this page and scroll down.
This episode we take a huge jump back to the end of the 19th century and a side step to science fiction literature rather than film.
Robert Duncan Milne is a lost pioneer of science fiction literature. Milne’s work had largely vanished despite a book drawing attention to him in 1980. Born in Scotland in 1844 he died in San Francisco at the dawn of the 20th century. During his time in San Francisco he worked as a journalist as well as writing science fiction short stories.
In the many stories Milne wrote he included themes of time travel, alien life, teleportation, cryogenic preservation, remote surveillance and much much more.
My fantastic guests today have spent many years researching and compiling Milne’s work and trying to discover as much as possible about his life and work.
The Experts
Keith Williams is a Reader in English Literature at the University of Dundee where he runs the science fiction programme. He has a special interest in the pre 1945 period.
Ari Brin completed her Masters at the University of Dundee where she began her PhD research which focuses on the life and work of Robert Duncan Milne.

The book that Ari and Keith have been working on will be released in January 2025. It is available for pre-order for the ungodly price of £117 in the UK or $175 in the USA. We all hope a cheaper, consumer friendly version will be released in the future.

Shownotes:
00:00 Introduction
01:59 Why was this pioneer’s work lost?
03:21 Milne’s contemporaries and the topics he wrote about
06:57 The promising young man who vanishes from Scottish society
12:32 San Francisco: an exciting literary hub in the late 19th century
14:18 Milne’s excessive drinking and the Keeley cure
19:27 Milne’s journalism and how it fed into his fiction
22:20 The Great Moon Hoax of 1835
25:51 Milne, Wells and visions of the future
33:17 The death of Milne and his work
36:32 Keith and Ari’s book and the crazy price
NEXT EPISODE!
WE ARE IN THE 1950s!!!!! It is an exciting but overwhelming time so please bear with me.
The next film we will be speaking about The Thing From Another World (1951). You can find out where you can watch it on Just Watch: https://www.justwatch.com/
It is available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play and other outlets. If you are in the USA I believe you can watch it for free (with ads) on Tubi.