the Cast of Alien 1979 Acted Colder than Prometheus

lots of sci-fi from 70s/early 80s had "cold" acting imo. So probably just a product of time

huh i dont agree .... PArker and brett .... LAmbert whining ... Dallas so emotive and scared ...

Yeah, i agree. Actually it was the first thing That i noticed when i watched Alien for the Very first time, that the dialogs were somehow different to standard hollywood movies in the First half of the movie. The dialogs became intense after the chestburst scene imo.

i think this is why the movie was so great ,,,just down to earth people ,waiting to get home ,,,,

I believe they didn't have a clue about what to say. There may have been a standart script, but I have the feeling they were all improvising with what was going on [under strict supervision of Sir Ridley]. If that was the case, it makes it not only a great performance from the actors but also a realistic one.

Are you saying the cast of Alien were acting colder, as in their performance in the movie, or colder when they discussed acting in interviews?

What @paulr said + 1.

It's all relative to the times I guess...and i am trying to remember back and I do recall there was some secrecy but I think on this one there was a lot lot more. The secrecy back then centered more around What The Alien was actually going to look like. But for this one several cast members actually mentioned they were under specific RS Gag Orders not to Chirp, and then someone in the Prometheus cast got accused of chirping, saying they're all gonna die getting eaten by a creature(s) that chase them all around in the ship in the first half of the film...forget her name , we talked about I made a post about it I think...

There is quite a simple explanation really: Alien: Freight-Truckers/Haulers - Cold Prometheus: Scientific-Explorers - Not as Cold

@abordoli ..should be the exact opposite ! ... are the scientists that are supposed to act cold not the truckers ... anyway its impossible to derive that from trailers .

ncc1701, right. In ´79 the crew was just pissed, getting waken up still far away from home, the bonus situation discussions for some, the huge truck ship with empty corridors..not a very shiny place...really fine acting. the acting in Pro, we really dont know how it will come out..

I think "naturalistic" might be a better way. Yes, they were improvising much of the dialogue. Different era. Yaphet Kotto was so into the improvisation, he was actually convinced he was going to change the end of the movie and have Parker kill the alien. Now that is acting!

@Frantz, Yeah, you may have a point there. I was gonna say that the Alien crew didn't really know each other as evidenced in the [url=http://time.absoluteavp.com/time1.html]timeline[/url]*, thus they were cold like strangers, but the same could be said about the Prometheus crew. But here is, I think, a better explanation. Humans, as the years have passed, have grown more and more "distant" from each other (look at the typical family today with parents and children eating separatly - It ain't like the "Leave it to Beaver" days where the family was close (read - "warm") ) becoming emotionally distant (read - "cold"). But back to the Truckers-Cold/Explorer:Scientists-Warm explanation....Have you met any truckers? They live a hard life. They're not "warm" by and large (although obviously there are exceptions). But explorers CAN be quite "warm". Shaw and Holloway are obviously anthropologist/paleontologist schooled. Those two schools are relatively "warm" as compared to many of the other schools. @Kane77 and @Dallas!Dallas!: Great points! *-Ripped-off by Fox, btw.

yea that story in the Vault and in the commentary for the Quadrilogy package about it is awesome.

@Sparty: Off-topic> Did they make bubble-gum trading cards for Alien? (looking at your avatar image as it reminds me of the Star Wars/Superman ones I owned/some-still-own)

Yes Hold, I'll get you an entire set.... [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/LT.HIGHTIMES/1a1aliencards.jpg[/img] [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/LT.HIGHTIMES/1a1cards2.jpg[/img] I have to find it but I have the link to the entire thing somewhere and will post it as soon as I do

To me Alien approached the concept of the film as if it were utterly real and that included the dialogue and acting..Like documentary horror... I consider the first 40 minutes pretty much movie perfection in it's entirety... Everything was so well considered in super fine detail.... I havn't really seen that attention in the adds for Prometheus alltho it looks fanastic still... Time will tell...definately cannot wait...

Here ya go...and big thanks to [b]Gem]n[[/b] for sticking that in my original post about them... [url=http://www.mediafire.com/?gb6hbgx6hf2pdkz]AlienSetZip[/url]

@Sparty/Gem]n[, Thanks, I may be printing me a home-made set (which I've been doing lately). Does this set have backs that make puzzle-picture of is it just writing (factoids) on the back? (OK, I've got the set downloaded and notice some have text on certain backs 1,5,6,8, etc.... What do the ones in between have on the back? And did where there any sticker cards in the set? BTW, I own the complete set of 1982 Tron cards in mint condition. PM me there you're a Tron fan and interested in me scanning them.) Sparty, Where is the thread on this? Maybe we can expand it to include sets from other movies. @tachito, My apologies for going off-topic here for a second.

[i]I consider the first 40 minutes pretty much movie perfection in it's entirety...[/i] I'm the same way. I am obsessed with the first half of the movie, and rarely watch the whole movie these days. I usually watch right up to where Dallas is killed. I love from the opening credits until the Nostromo leaves LV-426. Beautiful. Oh, and the soundtrack from that part of the movie is something I listen to over and over.

The story of Alien is written on the backs from begining to end a bit on each card.

paulr: Me too and I agree with the music ... Although I turn off just before the chestburster scene... The creature itself unnerves me a bit after 30 yrs and I don't really like the depressing vibe of every1 getting skull fucked 1by1 an I must of watched the movie more times than I care to count ..The first 40 are the reason I wanted to work in films in the first place..

The crew of the Nostromo was pissed at getting woke up halfway home. The crew of the Prometheus is excited about finding a new race.

Good question but it's obviouse that the Prometheus crew are going on a mission that is exciting at first. In Alien they are done, on there way home to see friends and family and just like most companies they give them more last minute work and send them out to hunt a distress signal. Thats why they are cold. Plus they probably get paid way less than the Prometheus crew.

Yes, scientists in the US seem to get paid well. Scientists in the UK... not so much.

Except for a fleeting smile between Shaw and her boyfriend, I haven't detected a whole lotta warmth in the trailers so far. lol

"..Except for a fleeting smile between Shaw and her boyfriend, I haven't detected a whole lotta warmth in the trailers so far. ." It's been over 8 months since this poster made this point.. And after seeing this movie there is not much warmth, humanity connection amiong the charactors. True the movie depicts more warmth between Shaw/Holloway than in the trailer. Would scientific people on the Prometheus exhibit a greater warmth than the working class depicted in Alien? For all of the religious overtones in our movie there is a surprising lack of humanity shown by the cast toward the other charactors.

The crew of the Prometheus were largely strangers. No real reason for warmth. The crew of the Nostromo weren't and were probably heartily sick of each other. No real reason for warmth.