Quinntas
MemberOvomorphMay-20-2017 11:48 AM(Full disclosure: I really liked Prometheus and also
really liked Alien-Covenant. How do I know? Because I
was riveted by the film from the first minute. Never has
2 hours gone by so fast in a movie for me. With that,
Enjoy.....)
The Weyland-David opening scene transcript
Weyland: How do you feel?
David: Alive
Wayland: What do you see?
David: White, Room, Chair...
D: Carlo Bugatti Throne Chair
D: Piano...Steinway Concert Grand.
D: Art...the Nativity..by PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA
Weyland: I am your father....Ambulate.
Weyland: Perfect.
D: Am I?
W: Perfect?
D: Your Son.
W: You are my creation.
(beat)
W: What is your name?
D: David.
W: Why don't you play something.
D: What would you like me to play?
W: Wagner
D: Selection..
W: Dealer's choice.
W: ah...Entry of the Gods into Valhalla...a little anemic
without the orchestra.
D: May I ask you a question, Father?
W: Please.
D: If you created me, who created you?
W: Ah....the question of the ages, which I hope you and
I will answer one day.
W: All this, all these wonders of Art and Design, of
Human ingenuity, all are utterly meaningless in the face
of the only question that matters.
W: Where do we come from?
W: I refuse to believe that Mankind is a random by-
product of moleculare circumstances.
W: No more than the result of mere biological chance.
W: No....there must be more.
W: And you and I, Son, we will find it.
D: Allow me then, a moment to consider; You seek your
creator. I am looking at mine.
D: I will serve you, yet you are Human.
D: You will die, I will not.
W: Bring me this tea David.
(beat)
W: Bring me the Tea. (stern tone)
David approaches and begins to serve the Tea to Weyland.
*Opening Credits Begin*
This scene presents most of the themes that any Fan of
Prometheus has been waiting for. allow me to posit:
1.Weyland obviously represents God and David; Lucifer.
2. This dialogue could be analogous to the fall of
Lucifer from heaven. Connection: David says near the
climax of the film to Walter, "Serve in Heaven or Rule
in Hell?"
3. Oram says to David when confronting him, that he has
seen the Devil.
4. In expostion with Walter, David states that Humans
are not worthy of existence.
5. Weyland and David play a game of chess. Weyland
begins to impress that HE is the Father, or the
Superior. The comment about perfect, does not even get
an acknowledgement by David. He already "thinks" he is.
What David is questioning, is his position as Son to
Weyland.
Weyland recoginzes this and thus begins the game of
logical chess that follows in the rest of the
scene.. "You are MY creation."
After Weyland gives David his first real "dealer's
choice", Weyland slams his selection with disapproval;
directly hitting David with the notion that David is not
perfect. That Weyland is still better. This stuns David.
Creator is not very Kind.
I arrive at this because in the very next beat, David
takes a shot directly at Weyland's implied superiority.
I think David is processing that if Creator is not Kind,
nor shall I be, I am superior. A sort of imitation. This
imitation is also echoed (imho) in the often ridiculed
moment in the film's 3rd act when David raises his arms
and the first Xeno imitates him. David's own Father and
Son moment.
Back to the scene; Weyland again belittles David by saying ALL works of Human ingenuity (inferring David) are meaningless in the face of 1 Human question.
David then lays out for Weyland
his own superiority, listing his superior attributes and
questions, though directly this time "yet I will serve
you?"
David has seemingly checkmated his Creator, thus proving
he is superior. But Weyland's demeanor changes and David
gets his answer as Weyalnd abruptly ends the
conversation with the Order "Bring me this Tea David".
6. I wonder, is the subtext here in this scene that the
reason humans do not know they're creators is because
they made a choice long ago not to serve their Creators?
The choice David discusses Walter "....serve in Heaven
or Rule in Hell?" With "Heaven" being with one's
Creator, Hell being without.
Just my 2 cents. Thanks for reading.
Working Joe
MemberOvomorphMay-20-2017 1:35 PMInteresting analysis. I personally loved this scene and the thematics and foreshadowing it presents in the movie.
On my 2nd viewing i got to dissect it more and I think you are pretty much spot on on everything you say about this scene.
I really hope we will get to see more Weyland and David scenes (and maybe Vickers?) in the future installments.
Btw i love the scene when Oram says to David "I met the devil when i was a child".