Memory: The Origins of Alien

Jan 24, 2019

1h 35m

★ 6.3

Before Alien, there was Starbeast. Before Starbeast, there was… Memory.

Overview

The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott's Alien - rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, the art of Francis Bacon, and the dark visions of Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger. A contemplation on the symbiotic collaborative process of movie-making, the power of myth, and our collective unconscious.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Screen Media Films

Legion M

Dogwoof

Memory: The Origins of Alien Trailers

Cast

Self

Ronald Shusett

Self

Roger Christian

Self

Ivor Powell

Self

Terry Rawlings

Self

Tom Skerritt

Self

Veronica Cartwright

Self

Roger Corman

Self

Gary Sherman

Self

Carmen Scheifele-Giger

Self

Clarke Wolfe

Self

Diane O'Bannon

Self

Adam Egypt Mortimer

Film director and screenwriter Seijun Suzuki (1923-2017), who in the sixties was the great innovator of Japanese cinema; and his collaborator, art director and screenwriter Takeo Kimura (1918-2010), recall how they made their great masterpieces about the Yakuza underworld for the Nikkatsu film company.

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0.0

Modern Noir: The Sights & Sounds of 'Bound'

Aug 18, 2014

Retrospective featurette included with the 2014 Blu-ray by Arrow Video.

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0.0

Hail Ceasar with Joe Pantoliano

Aug 18, 2014

Retrospective interview with Joe Pantoliano included with the 2014 Blu-ray by Arrow Video.

7.1

Score: A Film Music Documentary

Mar 16, 2017

Music is an integral part of most films, adding emotion and nuance while often remaining invisible to audiences. Matt Schrader shines a spotlight on the overlooked craft of film composing, gathering many of the art form’s most influential practitioners, from Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman to Quincy Jones and Randy Newman, to uncover their creative process. Tracing key developments in the evolution of music in film, and exploring some of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks, 'Score' is an aural valentine for film lovers.

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10.0

Femme Fatales with Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly

Aug 18, 2014

Retrospective interview with Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly included with the 2014 Blu-ray by Arrow Video.

0.0

Velvet Vision: The Story of James Bidgood and the Making of Pink Narcissus

Jul 6, 2025

Velvet Vision is a raw and intimate portrait of James Bidgood, the visionary artist behind the cult classic Pink Narcissus, who’s groundbreaking 1960s homoerotic imagery helped redefine queer aesthetics.

7.0

Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie

Jan 1, 2021

The story of the abandoned production of 'Day of the Champion', a movie about Formula 1 which was set to film in 1966.

0.0

Into the Woods: The Making of "Interchange"

Invalid Date

A making-of documentary of the analogue horror short film "Interchange" made by James Seed.

7.0

Yakuza Eiga, une histoire du cinéma yakuza

Feb 12, 2009

The history of the Yakuza Eiga at the TOEI studio is roughly outlined. Real Yakuza and also their connections to the movie business are discussed, and many important actors and directors of the genres are interviewed. Former real yakuza boss turned actor Noboru Ando, Takashi Miike, Sonny Chiba and many more get a chance to speak.

6.9

The Méliès Mystery

Jan 2, 2021

A documentary that details the process of restoring 270 of the 520 lost films of pioneering director Georges Méliès, all orchestrated by a Franco-American collaboration between Lobster Films, the National Film Center, and the Library of Congress.

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5.0

Fanalysis

Mar 5, 2002

Actor/cult icon Bruce Campbell examines the world of fan conventions and what makes a fan into a fanatic.

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8.1

The Making of Silent Hill 3

May 23, 2003

A short documentary about the making of the 2003 video game Silent Hill 3.

8.0

Bernard Blier, façon puzzle

Dec 23, 2020

In a career spanning more than half a century, Bernard Blier has shot more than 180 films. He alone represents a history of French cinema without having spent his time cultivating its legend. He crossed his century as an actor with the modesty of a craftsman. He believed in learning, know-how and transmission. He considered himself, like the butcher or the cabinetmaker, as a man useful to his fellow men. Bernard Blier found in Louis Jouvet, who was his teacher at the Conservatory, a master at playing, a mentor and even a spiritual father. Jouvet taught Blier the love of acting, theater and Molière. And if he knew how to take hold of Michel Audiard's best tirades like no one else, notably those of the "Tontons Flingueurs", it is to this apprenticeship that he owes it.

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5.5

The Exotic Locations of 'Goldfinger'

Oct 4, 2006

A tour of the exotic locations of 'Goldfinger'.

0.0

Made in China

May 1, 2005

A documentary about the making of Jia Zhangke's film the World.

6.5

Gifted and Challenged: The Making of 'Shortbus'

Mar 13, 2007

A look at the unusual process used in the making of the film Shortbus (2006) featuring interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from the feature film. Director John Cameron Mitchell starts with the concept of using real sex in a film with a positive message. The cast of unknowns is selected from homemade audition tapes and then a callback audition workshop. More acting workshops are used to develop the characters and script. The project overcomes a number of obstacles and the rest of the film's development is followed up until its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

7.2

Gena Rowlands: A Life on Film

Jun 5, 2019

An intimate portrait of the superb actress Gena Rowlands, icon of independent cinema. Together with her husband, legendary director John Cassavetes (1929-89), she lived an unusual life beyond the dream factory, a life in which reality and fiction were so perfectly intertwined that it made possible films that still today seem incredibly real.

7.0

Marvel's Behind the Mask

Feb 12, 2021

A documentary special that explores the power of identity behind the iconic superheroes we know and love today. These legendary Marvel creations and stories have not only reflected the world outside our window – they have become a reflection of our own identities and who we truly are.

7.5

The Making of… Barb Wire

Jan 1, 1996

Pamela Anderson Lee hits the screen in her new sci-fi action thriller that’s got everybody… talking. Now you can get a look at her in never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes footage.