The Making of Alien

I'll get straight to the point. As a huge fan of the first Alien film since I was a young boy, I have collected many books on Alien and other films in the series over the years, in addition to many art books and other items by HR Giger (at great expense!), and I have to say that this masterfully researched and written volume is the cherry on the cake. I am still fairy early on in the book and I am constantly surprised by new insights and archive material I have never read about or seen elsewhere. This stunning book has gone so far beyond my expectations that I am finding myself shaking my head in awe at the sheer depth of the information presented.In terms of the physical qualities of the book, it is very large, heavy and solidly made. Beneath the dust jacket is a smooth black cover with a small sketch by Giger of an early Facehugger concept on the front and a smaller sketch of a Facehugger leaping from its egg on the back. There are a large number of illustrations and photographs throughout the book that are beautifully printed on high quality paper. Quite a few pages are all-black with white text which not only matches the dark theme of the material but is quite costly to produce.In summary, I can only suggest that if you are a serious fan of Alien and wish to revel in an abundance of fascinating information about all manner of topics relating to this incredible film you will most certainly need to buy this wonderfully authoritative book as soon as possible.I would also like to send a huge thank you to the author J. W. Rinzler who is deserving of all the high praise he is receiving for his talent and unparalleled efforts in creating what will certainly become a classic amongst film books.Very highly recommended!

Author J.W Rinzler, 1st edition July 2019, 11" by 12" landscape format, 336 pages, B/W Color Illustrations.This is a luxuriant heavy volume giving us the story of the creation and production of ALIEN, from the fevered imagination of Dan O' Bannon to the realization by British director Ridley Scott. Rinzler goes through each stage and chapter quite methodically though not into complete detail--(there is a very useful Sources chapter at the end to take any detailed enquires further--Books, Magazines, internet sites etc.)--as the movie slowly but surely takes shape added with early concept sketched some of which are splashed across the page, other are thumbnail sized, of interest is each chapter is annotated with a nice Cobb Semiotic Symbol which i really liked.If you have read or have Rinzler's previous volumes of Star Wars and Plane Of The Apes you can an equal companion with this book and expect the same level of attentiveness and information, Rinzler doesn't miss a beat and makes for an informative volume especially for the younger and newer ALIEN fan, he draws upon a mine of material such as continuity Polaroids, pre-production blueprints, sketches, production notes and photographs most of which were taken by the late Bob Penn. Interestingly Rinzler does not voice any personal opinion regarding the stories, comments and history of ALIEN but silently keeps supplying a ream of information, politics and constant changes during production which can be hard to keep track off, but Rinzler allow us to be distracted and tucks in those elements as the story goes along.To the much older veteran ALIEN fan like myself there isn't really any magical breathless revelations but it is i feel a very important book, a well written constructed volume worthy of (To date..) the 40th anniversary of the premiere of ALIEN and a wonderful salute to the whole production who brought us this seminal landmark movie and a notable worthy reference tome for the library, of personal interest is a bit more information regarding the air duct scenes involving Dallas (Tom Skerritt) which for some reason over the years hardly any information and instead endless viewing and careful study gave some of us an idea but no real clarification of how long it took to film, and location etc, there is a pre-production schematic of the air ducts for you to study but the set was hastily built and just as quickly struck after filming the required scenes but a very interesting interval nevertheless.The book takes us from the final scenes in ALIEN and carries us into post-production involving editing a rough 3 hour version down to the average 118 minute edition, soundtrack and music construction with Jerry Goldsmith and other incidental music added into the footage, we then go toward test screenings and selected theater showings before finally the after the Monte Carlo Premiere in May 1979 we have the iconic premiere at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles complete with lavish prop and set displays -- we remember famously the Space Jockey construction being brutally incinerated by a arsonist thus losing forever a very large portion of Giger's creation, the other elements such as the eggs, Lunar vehicle, the entry vestibule to the computer terminal (one of the very few surviving elements of the sets as Ridley had most of the sets destroyed at the end of production at Shepperton.) a scale model of the Nostromo and large Refinery model which was slightly modified and some scale models of the shuttle, landing legs and hypersleep chamber making for a very attractive entry into the theater for a rollicking paced rollercoaster of a movie!we finally see a variety of promotional items such as posters, TV spots etc before finally we reach the end of this magnificent volume and i must say well done and many thanks for a remarkable study and salute to ALIEN and i personally like to see as a suitable memorial to those who are no longer with us: Dan O' Bannon, Gordon Carroll, H.R Giger, Bolaji Badejo, John Hurt, Terry Rawlings, Derek Vanlint and Harry Dean Stanton. (To Date.)Of particular excitement is possibly Rinzler is working on a Making of The Shining!Highly recommended and a landmark volume to the ALIEN Library.

Sadly, the author and film historian J.W. Rinzler passed away from pancreatic cancer in August 2021 (aged only fifty-eight), but he's left behind a remarkable series of books. Among the very best of these works is The Making of Alien, a heavy-duty 336-page hardback that explores the creation and legacy of Ridley Scott's seminal sci-fi horror masterpiece. In fastidious detail, Rinzler documents every stage of the film's production, and is assisted in this effort by an abundance of sketches, concept art, blueprints, continuity Polaroids, stills, notes, posters, and associated promotional materials. The research he has undertaken is commendable as is the writing and the layout. This book is simply an essential purchase. It also stands as a fitting tribute to those important contributors who, like Rinzler, are no longer with us: writer Dan O' Bannon, designer H.R Giger, actors John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto, Bolaji Badejo, and Helen Horton, composer Jerry Goldsmith, producers Gordon Carroll and David Giler, cinematographer Derek Vanlint, editor Terry Rawlings and Peter Weatherley, stuntmen Roy Scammell and Eddie Powell, and finally chestburster creator Roger Dicken (who died just yesterday).As a long-time collector of books on Alien (beginning, appropriately enough, with Paul Scanlon and Michael Gross' The Book of Alien) this is a high-quality but affordable book designed for anybody with a serious interest in genre film history.

For anyone who enjoys the film, or a fan, or for anyone who enjoys reading 'behind the scenes', this book is for you.Filled with correspondence and letters, scripts, stroryboards, pictures, interviews, bloopers, setbacks, and interesting titbits of information, all related to how Alien started as an idea, to a major blockbuster motion film.I learned so much about how this film was made, (and how ot nearly wasn't), which made me appreciate Alien even more.A must for any fan of the film or the genre.

Gorgeous book well worth it.