‘Memory: The Origins of Alien’ Is A Fascinating Deep Dive Into A Sci-Fi/Horror Classic [Sundance Review]

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott‘s “Alien,” a cinematic behemoth that influenced the next four decades of science fiction and horror. And because of this milestone, many fan tributes will pour in, as will countless opinion pieces detailing its lasting impact. That being said, one cannot see a more thorough and invigorating dissection of the classic being released than “Memory: The Origins of Alien,” Alexandre O. Philippe’s feature-length analysis of the DNA that molded “Alien” into the horror masterpiece that it is known as today.

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‘Memory’ is, in essence, another 90-minute visual essay from the same director who gave you “78/52,” which is an obsessive look at the shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” Although Phillipe may have concentrated his lens on a single sequence in “78/52,” ‘Memory’ finds the filmmaker tackling numerous entities that helped bring “Alien” to fruition, especially writer Dan O’Bannon.

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O’Bannon, who died in 2009, is best known for having written the original draft of “Alien,” adapted from a story called “Memory” that he wrote with Ronald Shusett in the ’70s. If anything, this new documentary is an efficient tribute to an underrated sci-fi legend, who seems to have been forgotten over the years. In the movie, O’Bannon’s widow, Diane, manages to find the original “first act” screenplay of “Alien,” titled “Starbeast,” which stopped at page 29. Part of the reason for the sudden halt of the screenplay writing was O’Bannon’s painstakingly recurrent problem of trying to find a coherent way to get the monster on board the ship to start its horrific assault on the Nostromo crew. Walter Hill and David Giler eventually came aboard and made uncredited edits, which led to the creation of Sigourney Weaver’s iconic character, Ripley.

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The number of stories and amount of knowledge given to the audience by O’Bannon’s widow is absolutely priceless for film fans. She walks us through his childhood, his tiring battle with Crohn’s Disease, and perhaps more importantly, the influences he gathered while working with John Carpenter on the 1974 sci-fi “Dark Star.” “Dan didn’t steal from anyone,” Diane says when interviewed, “he stole from everyone.” Swiss painter and illustrator H.R. Giger‘s immaculately surreal drawings and creatures turn out to have directly inspired O’Bannon, who was also obsessed with H.P. Lovecraft, Francis Bacon, Egyptian mythmaking, and various comic books.

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‘Memory’ features talking head academics and critics appearing onscreen to try and dissect the themes of “Alien,” including an oddly resonant theory of patriarchal guilt ruminating through the course of the film. It all blends marvelously well with Phillipe’s eloquent and sturdy editing. However, the O’Bannon portions are the central core of Phillipe’s doc.

That being said, ‘Memory’ is all-the-more fascinating when it concentrates, in its final act, on the production “Alien,” including the famous chestburster scene, which, it seems, could have easily deserved a “78/52″ approach, with a few famous directors showing up to dissect the iconic sequence almost shot-by-shot. Phillipe is an expertly knowledgeable cinephile who fascinates us with the smallest details of a scene by amassing many intricate details of the subtlest of things.

Rather conspicuous is Ridley Scott’s refusal, or unavailability, to be interviewed, as well as Sigourney Weaver’s absence, with Ripley earning nary a mention. ‘Memory’ also suffers from a rather slow start, only delving into the thick of its interests when O’Bannon’s story is introduced.

Nevertheless, ‘Memory’ earns its place among the same passionate and obsessive cinephile docs, such as “Room 237” and “78/52.” It’s an oral history, an in-depth video essay if you will, of the nooks and crannies that managed to produce an influential cinematic statement. This is a hearty, four-course meal for film fans, which, once again, demonstrates that the study of a film can be just as invigorating an experience as the actual film itself. [B+]

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