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“Alien” (1979):
“From Jerry Goldberg’s Vision, To Ridley Scott’s Director´s Cut”
Graduation Thesis
Masters in Music of Scoring for Film,
Television and Videogames
Berklee College of Music
Valencia Campus
Alberto Vásquez Vargas
July 2014
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Table of Contents
Movie Synopsis ...................................................................................................................... 2
Jerry Goldsmith’s Musical Background and Style ........................................................... 8
Historical Context Of “Alien” (1979)................................................................................ 12
The Role of Music in “Alien”............................................................................................. 13
Goldsmith’s Vision And The Final Result........................................................................ 15
Jerry Goldsmith – Alien (Complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) ................. 18
Conclusions.......................................................................................................................... 30
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 33
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Movie Synopsis
Opening credits cut to a scene with a large planet. The vastness of space is apparent when
the Nostromo commercial towing ship appears carrying a refinery; on it’s way to Earth.
The crew is awoken from hyper sleep, and gathers at the mess hall. Captain Dallas is called
away by Mother, the super computer that controls the ship. The crew realizes they are still
far away from home, which is confirmed by Navigator Lambert. Dallas briefs the crew after
his conversation with Mother, and informs them that ship has picked up an unknown signal,
which repeats every 12 seconds. The crew has been awoken from hyper sleep to investigate
the signal, and as the engineers argue about not receiving compensation, Science Officer
Ash reminds them they are obligated by Company contract to investigate every signal
coming from an intelligent source.
As the crew gathers in the cockpit to listen to the signal, they note how strange and
unearthly it sounds. Lambert hones the signal and confirms it is coming from a small
planetoid.
The Nostromo separates from the refinery they are hauling and approach the small
planetoid, descending unto its surface. Landing causes some damage to the ship that will
take some time to repair. The planet’s atmosphere is shown to be extremely windy and
visibility is very low. Source of the signal is established at 2km away from the ship and the
sun will rise soon. Dallas, Kane and Lambert are to investigate on foot, while Ash takes
over the communication console inside the ship. In the mean time Warrant Officer Ripley,
is down below deck, monitoring the repairs on the ship. Ash informs Ripley that Mother
has not been able to decipher the signal, so she volunteers to try and decipher it herself.
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As the team on foot keeps clearing rocks, the sun rises and they discover the derelict
spacecraft of unknown origin. Despite their hesitation, they approach the ship, losing
contact with the Nosotromo as they enter it through one of its sides. Inside, the walls are
covered with surreal organic bone-like textures. There is a platform containing the remains
of a large fossilized alien, which upon examination has evidence of trauma to its chest: ribs
are bent outwards, as if something had burst from inside.
Meanwhile, the analysis of the signal suggests it is not an SOS but a warning signal. Ripley
decides it is safer to go after the search party but Ash persuades her to not go after them,
reasoning that the team will know hat the signal means, once they get there.
Back inside the ship, Kane is lowered inside a large tube-like hole where he finds himself
surrounded by thousands of organized basins laid on the floor. As he approaches one, he
notices they contain what resemble large eggs. As he moves to investigate, he trips and falls
inside the pit, where he ends up touching one of the eggs, that reacts when broken. When he
illuminates the egg he notices a strange, spider-like organism is inside. The egg’s flaps
open, revealing the inside. As Kane moves for a better look, the spider-like creature
suddenly leaps out and grabs a hold of his helmet.
Back in the ship, Ash notices Dallas and Lambert carrying Kane back to the ship, but as
Ash waits to open the airlock for them, Ripley is informed that the organism has attached to
Kane’s face. She is reluctant to bring the creature on board and cites quarantine protocols,
for the safety of the crew. Dallas fears Kane’s condition if put under the mandatory 24 hour
quarantine procedure and orders Ripley to open the airlock. She refuses and Ash simply
disregards her concerns by opening the airlock himself.
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Inside the medical facilities, they prepare Kane and remove his helmet. The crew notices
how the creature is attaching itself to Kane’s face, using 8 fingers and wrapping a long tail
around his neck. Ash attempts to remove the creature but it simply tightens its grip. Kane is
then put under a medical scanner and it is observed that the creature has inserted a
proboscis down his throat, and his feeding him oxygen. Ash deduces that removing the
creature might kill Kane, but Dallas is willing to risk it.
Ash tried to cut off one of the creature’s legs, only to have a fluid pour out the wound of the
creature and it begins to drip and eat off the floor, just like acid. The liquids corrosive effect
has burned through several decks of the ship, making it obvious the kind of defense
mechanism this creature has. Ash continues to collect data on the creature and is startled
when Ripley enters the infirmary to ask him what he knows about the creature. Ripley
confronts Ash with his decision to let the creature on board, and he defends himself by
stating he is the science officer of the ship. She then leaves.
Dallas is called to the infirmary by Ash and notified that something has happened. The
creature has detached from Kane’s face and is nowhere to be found. Dallas, Ash and Ripley
search the infirmary to find the dead creature. Ash is insistent on preserving the creature
given its uniqueness and wants to take it back to Earth for more tests. As he is the science
officer, the decision is up to him. Apparently, that is how things are done with the
Company, but they also note how Ash was assigned to the Nostromo just a few days before
departing. None of them trust Ash. Dallas decides to check how the repairs are going and
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decide to take off even though they have not been completed. After a successful takeoff, the
Nostormo recouples with the refinery and resumes its journey to Earth.
The crew is back in the mess hall and discusses what to do with Kane, at which point they
are interrupted by a call from Ash, and asks them to go to the infirmary. There, Kane has
awoken, still a bit groggy and remembers nothing of the event. He feels hungry and the
crew decides to have one last meal before all going into hyper sleep. Ash observes Kane
sharply, and then suddenly, Kane begins to choke. At first it seems he is choking on food,
but the mood changes when Kane seems to be in pain and convulses violently. His chest
bursts and a small snake-like creature emerges from his insides. Parker moves in to kill it
but is stopped by Ash. The alien screeches and runs away leaving them all horrified.
The crew assembles two teams in order to look for the creature. Brett assembles a cattle
prod and Ash assembles a tracking device. The team with Parker, Brett and Ripley check
out the lower deck and discover the power has been cut out despite the repairs being
finished. They pick up a signal in their tracking decide, and as they prepare to catch the
creature, they discover it’s the crew’s cat, Jones, who’s found a nice hiding place. Brett is
sent to catch Jones because they don’t want to it be picked up on the tracker again by
accident. As Brett tries to grab Jones, a huge shape drops behind him and as he turns
around, he sees the creature, now with four arms, an elongated head, and completely fullygrown, opening its mouth and biting him in the head. The creature drags him bloodies and
screaming into a near air vent duct. Ripley and Parker arrive only to catch of glimpse of the
creature and to see their fellow crewmember being dragged away.
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They regroup and decide what to do next, deducing the creature is using the air vents to
move around the ship, meaning they could use the vents to drive the creature into an
airlock. Ash suggests using fire as a weapon, and Ripley volunteers to drive the alien out, to
what Dallas responds with a negative and volunteers himself for the job.
The crew readies themselves, having Ripley and Ash prepare the ducts for decompression,
while Parker and Lambert position themselves to measure movement inside the ducts.
Dallas enters the shaft and uses the flamethrower to make sure the ducts are clear. Lambert
suddenly picks something moving towards Dallas. He is disoriented due to the cramped
space and erratically tries to scare the alien away, descending various ladders on the way
but when he turns around, the creature is seen extending its arms towards him. Leaving the
crew with only static sound coming from Dallas’ communication, then dead silence. They
decide to keep with the old plan and Ripley asks Ash for helpful information, but says he is
still analyzing data. She scoffs at him and decides to go to Mother for answers.
As Ripley queries Mother, it replies with “Special Order 937”, that is meant to be read only
by the Science Officer. Ripley uses a command to override Mother and force it to explain
what the order means, to which it reveals that the Nostromo was rerouted to new
coordinates, they were to investigate the life form and gather a specimen. First priority is to
insure the return of the organism for analysis. All other considerations are secondary and
the crew is expendable. As she tries to leave, she is attacked by Ash as he tries to choke her.
Parker shows up just in time and attacks Ash with a fire extinguisher and then Ash starts
convulsing violently and spitting out a white liquid, which should be blood. Parker resumes
assaulting Ash in order to release Ripley from his grip, until he is torn apart by the blows.
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Ash remains on the floor, decapitated and spewing out this strange white liquid that reveals
he is in fact an android. Once he is disabled, Ripley confirm that he was sent by the
company to make sure they recovered the alien life form and brought it back for analysis.
Ash refers to the alien as a “perfect organism” and stresses his admiration even more by
pointing out that the creature is “a survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse and
delusions of morality”.
The remaining survivors split up in order to obtain coolant liquid for the escape shuttle’s
life-support system. Ripley notices Jones is missing and ventures into the ship to rescue
him. Lambert and Parker work on gathering supplies but do not notice the alien creatures
presence. The creature closes in on Lambert but Parker is unable to get a clear shot with his
flamethrower. When Parker tries to charge the creature, it rapidly spins and grabs a hold of
him, piercing his head with its second mouth. Ripley rushes to their position but is
powerless to save Lambert. In terrible shock, Ripley rushes to the control room and
activates the self-destruct mechanism of the Nostromo and Mother starts a 10-minute count
down before destruction. As she moves through a shaft, she finds Dallas and Brett inside an
organic structure that seems to be used for laying eggs. They are being used to hatch and
mature these alien creatures inside their bodies. Dallas is still barely alive and asks Ripley
to end his life. She grants his dying request by using her flamethrower to burn them both
and the rest of the egg-laying chamber. As she tries to reach the escape shuttle, she
encounters the alien creature but manages to escape its grasp as fires start to erupt around
the ship. The creature is nowhere to be found as Ripley finally reaches the shuttle and
makes final preparations for the ship.
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Right after putting Jones into hyper sleep, she finds the alien creature hiding inside the
shuttle behind some machinery. She runs to a space locker with space suits inside, dons one
of them and arms herself with a harpoon gun. She safely straps herself in and uses the
airlock control to try and lure the creature out, until she finally hits it with a blast of steam
that makes is screech and run. She suddenly notices the creature next to her, and urgently
opens the shuttle’s airlock door, sending everything inside the ship that is not secure, flying
into space. The alien, however, grabs to the ledges of the doorway to avoid being sucked
outside. Ripley fires the harpoon before the creature is able to haul itself in. The door closes
and manages to grasp the wire from the harpoon, allowing the creature to reel itself back
onto the ship, where it tries to climb inside one of the thrusters. Ripley seizes the
opportunity and fires the engines, incinerating the alien creature.
Before entering hyper sleep, Ripley records a log entry reporting the death of the crew, the
destruction of the cargo and the sip. She signs off and gets into hyper sleep.
Jerry Goldsmith’s Musical Background and Style
Born in 1929 to Tessa and Morris Goldsmith in Pasadena California and growing up in Los
Angeles, he started piano lessons at age 6. By age 14 he was studying composition, theory
and counterpoint with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Jacob Gimpel. He also attended
Miklos Rosza’s film scoring classes at the University of Southern California.
In 1950 he was employed as a clerk in the music department in CBS where he was given
his first composer job for live radio shows, which then led him to progress into TV shows
such as “Climax” and “Playhouse 90”. During the next 10 years he scored the sci-fi classic
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“The Twilight Zone” and was then hired by Revue Studios to score several projects, which
resulted in the famous themes from “Dr. Kildare” and “The Man From U.N.CL.E”. His first
theatrical score was done in 1957 for a movie called “Black Patch”.
In 1962 he was awarded the first Oscar nomination for his score for John Huston’s “Freud”
and during this time he met and became acquainted with the influential film composer
Alfred Newman. As Newman began recognizing Goldsmith’s talent, he influenced
Universal into hiring him for the western movie “Lonely Are The Brave”. From then on, he
established himself as the contract composer for 20th Century Fox, and by 1970 had
amassed a great number of landmark scores, which confirmed his reputation. These scores
are “A Patch Of Blue”, “Lilies Of The Field”, “The Sand Pebbles”, “The Blue Matrix” and
“Patton”. But it was during the end of the 60’s that his very intricate and modern
composition style, would come to a high point with the very powerful score for “Planet Of
The Apes”1.
Despite a dry patch during the 70’s, Goldsmith was one of the few composers to
successfully alternate between composing for films and TV. He augmented his repertoire
with successful compositions, such as the Emmy winning score for the first TV mini series
“QBVII”, as well as earlier episodes of “The Waltons”. By the middle of the decade,
Goldsmith was in his most successful period with a combination of thrillers and prestigious
assignments such as “The Wind And The Lion”, “Chinatown”, “The Wild Rovers” and
“Papillon”. The late 70’s brought him an Oscar for the avant-garde score to the Richard
1
Richard Kraft, Jerry Goldsmith Online Bio (2008):
http://www.jerrygoldsmithonline.com/.
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Donner horror film, “The Omen”. This powerful score proved to be critical to the movie’s
atmosphere and dramatic effect. His work proved to be one of the most dramatic moments
in film music with its mix of chilling choir and beautiful moments that convey the horror of
the story.
The decade ended with many softer toned scores for movies such as “The Swarm”, “The
Great Train Robbery”, “Alien” and “Star Trek The Motion Picture”. Here Goldsmith was in
charge of reinventing an existing franchise and establish a new musical theme, which later
became part of the spin-off, “The Next Generation”. In 1995 Goldsmith would write
another new theme for another spin-off known as “Star Trek Voyager” and curiously
enough, would later reveal that he was approached by Roddenberry, director of the original
TV series of “Star Trek”, to write music for the original but was unable due to scheduling.
During the 1980, he took a break from his hectic scoring schedule and took a couple of
assignments like the TV miniseries “Masada” which brought him another Emmy award. He
also completed the “Omen” trilogy in which he took his music to an even further level of
recognition and admiration. Some may regard his further work on the trilogy as of better
quality than the first original score, conveying an even more terrifying and beautiful
atmosphere to the sequels.
Goldsmith had proved by now to be a true musical chameleon, but it wasn’t until the
decade of the 80’s that he produced some of the most action packed scores of his career.
“First Blood”, “Rambo First Blood II” as well as the epic score for “Rambo III”. He then
worked on the animated movie “The Secret of Nimh” as well as obtaining critically
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acclaimed works for “Under Fire, Poltergeist” and the orchestral/electronic hybrid score of
“Hoosiers”. The middle of the decade brought him assignments in comedy films such as
“Gremlins”, cult hits like “Supergirl”, “The Twilight Zone The Movie”, and “Star Trek V”.
Goldsmith electronic development in his music started in the 60’s with “Freud”, but was
now taken further with his work in the sci-fi thriller “Runaway” by using an all-electronic
score. His final proper fusion of orchestral and electronics occurred during the 90’s, which
is one of the ages where composers could spend lots of time cultivating the technology in
music without departing the traditional orchestral world.
He started the decade of the 90’s with the action score for “Total Recall” on which he met
director Paul Verhoeven and went on to collaborate in the movie “Basic Instinct”.
Goldsmith also worked on the score for “Russia House” whose theme had originally been
composed for the cancelled score of “Wall Street”. He also scored the sports drama
“Rudy”, further “Star Trek” sequels and action epics such as “Air Force One” and “The
Mummy”, as well as more challenging assignments such as “Six Degrees Of Separation”
and the critically acclaimed thriller, “LA Confidential”.
He began the next decade working with Paul Verhoeven again for the sci-fi thriller “Hollow
Man”, “The Last Castle” and the box office hit “The Sum Of All Fears”. By the time he
was scoring “Along Came A Spider”, his health had began to deteriorate and prevented him
from working as much as he once did, but despite this he finished his work for the “Star
Trek” franchise. His Final scores were for friends, such as the movie “Timeline” directed
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by Richard Donner and “Looney Tunes Back In Action”. Jerry Goldsmith passed away on
July 21st 2004 after a long battle against cancer2.
Historical Context Of “Alien” (1979)
Science fiction has been known to interpret and express contemporary attitudes and
anxieties caused by developments in science and technology. The later part of the 70’s
brought a great deal of changes to North American culture. Many technological advances
had been made, the feminist movement was at its peak but the world was still immersed in
political turmoil. American troops had withdrawn from Vietnam in 1973 but the conflict
was still very fresh in the public’s mind. This sociocultural context facilitated the reception
of “Alien” and resonates within the audience on a conceptual level.
Fear of the unknown has been used in classic science fiction horror movies since the
1950’s, where movies such as “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers”, “It Came From Outer
Space”, all played on America’s fear for their lives being taken over by the threatening and
mysterious communist way of life. During the movie’s release in 1979, the Cold War
conflict was still active and very real.
Anxieties caused by technology were inherent in an ongoing Nuclear Age, where
technological advances in nuclear reactors and their application in favor of society, brought
with them an inherent fear of what could go wrong. A recent nuclear meltdown in
Pennsylvania in March of 1979 was a clear example of when technology loses control.
2
Mauricio Dupuis, Jerry Goldsmith. Music Scoring for American Movies (Roma, Italia:
Robin Edizioni, 2012), 201.
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Much like its conceptual predecessors, “Alien” creates an alternate reality where
technological accidents not only happen but are also caused by a Company’s greed by
giving little significance to the lives of their crew in favor of capturing an alien species that
could be potentially “weaponized” for their own economic benefit.
The Role of Music in “Alien”
Science Fiction has been an interesting area for composers. In general, the music is a blend
of post-Romantic and post-Viennese School idioms. These traditions allow composers to
depart themselves from the traditional tonal world and incentives exploration and
experimentation with new technologies, much as Jerry Goldsmith did on his scores,
previous to “Alien”.
As an opening example, we have the Main Theme of the movie, where dissonance is a
prominent musical characteristic. Its musical inspiration is a clearly taken from the Second
Viennese School and other modernists. Due to the fact that “Alien” is centered around
themes that involve life in the future and the fear of the unknown, music must invoke a
sense of the extraordinary, the unknown, the abnormal and most of all, the threatening.
Unlike other science fiction movies, where the main theme is heavily accentuated by
militaristic tones and corresponding heroic impulses, Alien’s opening theme promises all
the wonder and terror of the unknown. Goldsmith uses Ligeti-like tonal clusters that give
way to strings textures that closely resemble white noise with their swarm-like movement.
This texture is complemented with percussion that has been processed with Echoplex
effects and enriched with clear post-Romantic string motifs, creeping brass chords and tutti
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wave-like movements. Conceptually, the use of marked dissonances establishes our
encounter with the abnormal and unknown. Strings are constantly building up suspense by
means of trilling and swirling. The brass section implies violence when played forte and
with flutter tonging; and the winds interpret a soft counterpoint suggesting a passive state.
There are often times when dissonance is introduced into the woodwinds perhaps
suggesting that our passive state is being open to threats from the unknown.
The setting is of crucial importance because it establishes the mood of the film and
contextualizes the content and values of the society that is being threatened by an alien
presence; it is also the terrain where this said conflict will occur and will be the site for the
introduction of the alien. In order to pictorialize the unfamiliar and the totally alien,
composers often rely on a wide variety of musical idioms and gestures that establish the
mood and atmosphere of the setting. In the case of “Alien”, Jerry Goldsmith had to figure
out what was the sound of space and he had to convey the infinitesimal vastness of it. This
is when typical musical devices are employed; the string section is usually scoured in a
high register that usually plays ostinato or plays of arpeggios of certain chords. This allows
for a very clear difference of pitch which creates the illusion of feeling those higher notes
as coming from a place higher in spatial terms, compared to the lower register notes. In
other words, we translate the pitch difference into a spatial difference and this allows us to
create an image of the previously described vastness of space3.
Alien’s soundtrack relies heavily on conceived atonal material to transform and pictorialize
alien landscapes. There is some implementation of 12-tone theme that are sometimes
3
Timothy E., Scheurer, Music and Mythmaking in Film: Genre and the Role of the
Composer (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers) 48-79.
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augmented with the use of Echoplex effect. On a rhythmic level, the music alternates
between 12/8, 15/8 and sometimes 9/8 meters, which further contribute to the distortion
effect Goldsmith achieves.
Goldsmith’s Vision And The Final Result
Terry Rawlings, veteran sound editor and music editor for Ridley Scott’s first film, “The
Dualists” was promoted to film editor in “Alien”. Rawlings developed a method of placing
temporary scores into his working cuts, versions that Ridley Scott would repeatedly see and
hear.
Rawlings recalled in 2004 that when it came to “Alien”, he temped the film with as much
Jerry Goldsmith music as he could since he was scoring the film. His intention with
creating a temp score was to set a mood that Goldsmith could elaborate upon, changing the
theme, orchestration but keeping in mind the mood that was intended.
His approach could have worked if “Alien” had not cast a director with little experience
communicating with composers against a veteran composer who detested temp scores.
Jerry Goldsmith had expressed his annoyance by indicating how he thought they were
giving him a compliment by using his own music, but he did not like it, he preferred they
had used someone else’s music.
After principal photography had started on July 5, 1978 at Shepperton Studios in England,
Rawlings and Scott decided to change to Bray Studios where miniature-modeling work was
being done. There were several rough cuts done to the film, which lasted up to two hours,
but it was until late 1978 that Goldsmith finally viewed a shorter 127-minute cut. He is
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known for saying how much the movie terrified him and how he had to repeat to himself it
was only a movie he was watching.
Goldsmith’s prior incursion into terror and suspense had yielded a very direct type of
sound. His work for “Omen”, while being quite demonic, was appropriately earthly in the
use of sonic effects. His approach to “Alien” was very similar to his approach in “Planet Of
The Apes, looking for a truly off world sound, implementing his recent experimentation
with brass, as he did in the movie “The Swarm” and his work with electronics used in
“Logan’s Run”. Goldsmith also took advantage of John Williams’ recent redefinition of
music for outer space adventures, and using it as an antithesis for his creation of music for
“Alien”. His search for new organic sounds led him to settle for the Didgeridoo and the
Serpent, which was used in Bernard Herrmann score for “Journey To The Center Of The
Earth”.
There was also a return to previous sound manipulation techniques used in his score in
“Patton” by using the Echoplex effect. In essence, the tape loop machine records a sound
and then circulates it past a playback head the desired level of repetition and dissipation.
This effect invoked a sense of cloning and insanity as it was applied to an Indian conch to
recreate and eerie reverberant swelling that was later known as “the alien effect”.
The complexity of blending exotic instruments, Echoplex and other live processing
required that Goldsmith be in the mixing booth, hence having Lionel Newman as a
conductor for the recording session that would be done in Anvil Studios. Under Newman’s
baton was the National Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra that had just recently begun
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scoring films. Recording began on February 20, 1979 and lasted about two days to
complete.
On February 24, after the recording were done, Scott and Rawlings ran a working cut of the
movie along with the music, and by the end of the day, Goldsmith was asked if he could
rewrite five of the cues, including the “Main Title”. The reason was that Scott didn’t think
the romantic theme worked for his film. The composer prepared replacement cues over the
course of two days and recording had to be scheduled around another booking done at
Anvil Studios. The soundtrack was completed over a half-day session on February 27 and a
full day one on March 1.
Over the remainder of post-production on “Alien”, Rawlings treated Goldsmith’s score as
library music, disregarding intended synchronization points. It is said that Scott’s years
directing television commercials had a part to play in this disregard for an overall musical
arc. Documentation suggests that “Alien” was shortened by eleven minutes from the
version Goldsmith scored. The editing done and suppressed scenes resulted in an
inconsistency of rhythm and tone with what had been scored by Goldsmith. In addition to
rescoring, some cues were completely dropped, cut or moved around to scenes other than
those that were initially intended, and in three sequences, Goldsmith's music from his 1962
score of Freud was retained over his “Alien” compositions. The composer was, as expected,
highly displeased with this fact and it was to such an annoying extent that he even got
letters commenting on how he was “starting to repeat himself”. To make matters even
worse, one of the most blatant alterations was the use of Howard Hanson’s Symphony No.
2 for the film’s end credits. Despite all this “mistreatment” of Jerry Goldsmith’s score, he
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later found some creative compensation while preparing his own soundtrack album. This
gave listeners a sample of the composer’s conceived score and has been cause for debate
over the filmmaker’s treatment. As a side note, the score with this film was eclipsed by the
success of his other scores like “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.
Jerry Goldsmith – Alien (Complete Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack)
The North American record label “Intrada”, which specializes in film scoring music,
realized Jerry Goldsmith’s creative compensation in the form of a 2 CD album set, that not
only contains Goldsmith’s complete original soundtrack, but also the rescored alternate
cues, the original 1979 soundtrack and 7 bonus tracks. In order to observe the major
differences of both versions, the following tables have been created:
Original Score
Cue
Cue Title
Comment
Musical Characteristics
Number
1M2
Main Title
Unused: Originally written Solo trumpet presents theme and a
to accompany a shot of the two-note pattern. Lower strings are
commercial
towing
ship hinting towards a pulsating rhythm.
passing over the camera.
Characteristic chord that will be shifted
in the rescore.
1M3
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Hyper
Unused: Meant to be used Two note permutations on flute. Sound
Sleep
for the sequence where the is processed. String patterns rise and
crew is waking up. It was speed up. Oboe takes up flute pattern
rescored later.
and trumpet presents theme. Low
strings have pulsating rhythm.
2M1
The
Used but re-edited after Successive statement of the theme on
Landing
scoring. Was intended for a trumpet, violin, horn and oboe. Had a
shot of the stars that was cut very romantic feel to it.
out of the movie.
3M1
The Terrain
Used but only a part of it Whole tone repetitions with processed
and during the hatchery percussion and striking effects on
sequence rather than the timpani.
walk on the alien planet.
3M2
The Craft
Used to follow the crew English horn and processed violins.
exploring the stranded ship.
4M1
Very similar to “The Terrain”.
The
Used but once again, just a Whole tones played by woodwinds and
Passage
fragment of it. It is used conch, their sound is processed. Strings
when the crew is exploring make brief gestures on highest strings.
the stranded ship.
4M2
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The
Used in originally intended Heavy use of Echoplex. Percussive
Skeleton
scene.
patterns on strings accompanied by
woodwinds playing the theme. Strings
build climax through Echoplex.
4M3
A
New Unused:
Face
Written
for
a Processed harp with string patterns and
deleted scene right after echo
effect.
Said
to
represent
Kane has the alien parasite “cloning”. Exotic percussions create
attached to his face.
pattern and lower strings execute a
very somber theme.
5M1
Hanging On Unused:
Intended
to Opening
with
all
the
exotic
accompany the complete instrumentation. Tension is maintained
sequence where the parasite through rhythmic patterns, horn does
is
analyzed
in
laboratory.
the main theme. Extended techniques on
percussion with different kinds of
beaters.
6M1
The Lab
Used as originally intended. Brass
ensemble
with
processed
Hints of Ash knowing more percussion through Echoplex. A Heavy
than the rest of the crew.
sense of mystery.
6M3
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Drop Out
Unused: It was written to Opening sustained tone on conch.
accompany the search for Patterns with serpent and flutes doing
the missing face hugger.
the whole tone statement and sporadic
percussion hits to enhance atmosphere.
7M1
Nothing To Used for the famous chest- Ominous strings with the eerie conch
Say
bursting scene.
sound.
Eventual percussion hits to
elaborate on the romantic atmosphere.
7M2
Cat Nip
Used during the cat search Extended
sequence. It was edited and mallets
implemented
Here Kitty
on
lower
techniques
piano
with
strings.
differently Variable string lines, which move up
than originally intended.
8M1
piano
and down.
Used in film during the Combination of conch, serpent and
sequence where Brett is extended piano techniques in allusion
killed when looking for the to the alien attack.
cat. It was fragmented and
later relabeled as 10M1.
9M1
22
The Shaft
Unused:
Intended
accompany
to Whole tone patterns on tuba and
the marimba
claustrophobic
combination.
Very
sequence atmospheric.
where Dallas is searching
for the alien in the venting
system.
10M1
It's A Droid
Used in film in combination High
strings
create
incisive
with cue 7M1 first minute. dissonances, which are accompanied
Accompanied the sequence with woodwind and brass textures
where a keen Ripley unveils underneath.
Ash’s conspiracy.
11M1
Parker's
Used in fragments during Aggressive brief gestures. Use of
Death
Parker’s death sequence. It Didgeridoo,
was
initially
scored
conch
and
serpent
to combined with brass for incisive,
another edited version of percussive high dynamic hits. Seem to
this scene.
emulate the menacing nature of the
alien.
11M2
23
The Eggs
Unused: It was intended to Again, heavy use of whole tones with
accompany a deleted scene processed strings with the use of
that illustrates the alien Echoplex.
creature’s life cycle. This
scene was recovered in the
Director’s Cut but scored
with “The Skeleton”.
12M1
Sleepy
Used partially. Scored to a Intense patterns on percussion and
Alien
longer scene where the strings that create various dissonances.
alien
interrupts
Ripley’s
escape to the shuttle.
12M2
To Sleep
Used in its entirety and Use of conch and serpent.
position
exactly
where
intended. It accompanied
the sequence where Ripley
launches
shuttle.
in
the
escape
13M1
24
The
Used and intended for the Brief
Cupboard
sequence
where
whole
Ripley rhythmically
discovers the alien hiding percussion
inside the escape shuttle.
tone
complex
with
gestures,
strings
staccato
and
brass
gestures. There are discrete echoes on
lower strings. Changes pattern between
strings and woodwinds.
13M2
Out
The Used. It accompanied a Action type cue with heavy use of
Door
much longer scene where tritones and whole tones. There is no
the alien is still tethered to heroic brass statement as would be
the shuttle and tried to re- expected of such a scene. Instead, there
enter through one of the are very discrete re-statements of the
engine ports.
13M3
End Title
theme.
Unused: A majestic finale Majestic theme statement that reaches
statement of the main film a bright climax. Brass tritones evoke a
theme
dropped.
but
was
later dark sentiment.
25
Final Release Version
Time
Cue
Comments
00:00:16:00 1M1 - Intro
Additional percussion patterns added here.
00:03:02:10 1M2 - Main
Swarm patterns on strings and processed percussion composer
Title
00:04:45:19 1M3 – Hyper
sleep (rescore
the “Alien Effect”. Main chord not used until later in the piece.
Developed theme on woodwinds and suppression of trumpet
theme. Last 30 seconds of original cue are dropped.
version)
00:12:52:00 2M1 - The
Landing
Fragments of the original cue. Successive statements of the
main theme on trumpet, violin, horn, oboe. Last 30 seconds are
dropped.
00:23:53:13 3M1 - The
Passage
Echoplex conch parts. High string swells and low string
patterns produce a menacing atmosphere. Cue is edited and
used in other parts of the movie. Last 30 seconds dropped.
00:28:20:05 4M1 - The
Skeleton
00:31:10:04 4M2 - The
Craft
Return to main theme. Atmosphere enhanced with processed
pizzicato. Last 30 seconds are dropped.
Two-note pattern on flute and marimba. It is essentially the
same track as “The Terrain” which is used only briefly during
the hatchery scene.
26
00:33:11:12 1M1 - Main
Title
Flute theme implemented and used again inside the chamber. It
is possible this cue is still part of 4M2 but it is difficult to say
do to editing.
00:37:00:16 4M3 - Freud -
Theme from Jerry Goldsmith’s “Freud”. The original temp
Charcot’s
track was conserved instead of using “A New Face” or
Show
“Hanging On”.
00:39:30:14 4M4 - Freud Main Theme
00:42:08:03 5M1 – The
Terrain
Main theme from “Freud”. Favored temp track instead of using
“Hanging On”.
Additional Echoplex effects on high strings and piano. It was
originally scored to accompany scenes of the exterior of the
ship that showcase the planet´s geography. Instead, very brief
sections are used right before Ripley investigates Ash´s
discoveries about the alien creature.
00:45:30:09 5M2 - Eine
Kleine Musik
Mozart. Diegetic presentation of cue. Dallas is listening to this
particular piece when he receives a call from Ash, asking him
to report to the lab.
00:51:08:02 5M3 - The
Landing
Used again but mixed with pieces of Freud and string theme.
Ironically, used for the take off of the Nostromo instead of the
original intended spot; the landing.
00:57:18:01 6M1 -
Used in a different cut than initially scored for. It accompanies
27
Nothing to
Kane´s funeral in it´s most opulent chordal section, evoking
Say
some romantic material used before. It closes abruptly with a
two note processed pattern.
01:00:30:13 6M2 - Catnip
Used only as a fragment of what it was intended for; it starts
later and ends sooner than written.
01:07:26:13 6M3 - Here
Kitty
Used only as a fragment but at its most interesting sonic point.
The use of exotic instruments and the Echoplex effect applied
on them, sharply accentuate the scene where the alien eats one
of the crewmembers.
01:09:45:00 7M1 -
Used again to accompany exterior shots of the Nostromo and
Nothing to
transition into a scene where Dallas is inquiring Mother about
Say
their mission.
01:11:02:18 7M2 - Freud -
Temp track favored over “The Shaft”. The whole sequence is
Desperate
elaborated with cuts from different “Freud” cues in order to
Case
build up the suspense of the scene where Dallas is trying to
01:12:42:12 7M3 - Freud Charcot’s
Show
corner the alien creature, inside the ventilation shafts. Simple
themes are repeated on piano and high strings. Sudden chords
are attacked in order to create an uneasy atmosphere and
tighten the audiences’ expectations.
01:14:38:22 7M4 - Freud Desperate
Low brass and string notes alternated with sudden stops
heighten the sequence of events until the creature finally
28
Measures
01:21:16:02 8M1 - Freud -
reaches Dallas.
Temp track favored over the initial part of “The Droid”.
Main Theme
01:23:10:09 8M2 - The
Droid
Its first section is suppressed and further material is used during
this brutal attack on Ripley. The cue enters when it is visually
evident that Ash is indeed an android. Only a very high
dynamic fragment is used for this sequence.
01:31:26:15 8M3
Processed Harp recording, possibly originating from
additionally recorded material.
01:32:47:01 8M4 -
Used to accommodate the menacing didgeridoo, conch, serpent
Parker’s
and saxophone textures. The sequence alternates between shots
Death
of Lambert and shots of Ripley.
01:37:20:04 9M1 - Sleepy
Alien
Cue is edited and accommodated to accompany brief instances
of the alien creature interacting with the cat. It then briefly cut
to Ripley trying to disengage the self-destruct mechanism of
the ship.
01:43:50:11 9M2 - To
Sleep
This is one of the original cues that were used just as recorded.
The exotic instrumentation makes its eventual appearances with
sparse statements of the main theme, retaining an incredibly
29
romantic air, combined by the characteristic uneven feeling of
the tritones used for the main theme.
01:46:45:01 9M3 - The
Cupboard
Entrance of the serpent in order to emulate the incredible
menacing nature of the alien. It is actually fragmented into
stingers that are intelligently used to underline the scary and
abrupt moment of the scene. It is one of the few moments
where the alien creature is shown in greater detail.
01:51:47:06 9M4 - Out
The Door
A heavy action like oriented cue with exotic instrumentation. It
is fragmented and used only partially to accompany the scene
where the alien creature attempts to reenter the ship through an
engine shaft.
01:53:45:17 10M1 -
Howard Hanson’s second symphony is used in favor of Jerry
Symphony no. Goldsmith’s end credit music.
2
After having the opportunity of listening to both the original Jerry Goldsmith score, and
compare it Ridley Scott’s final music editing for his Director’s Cut of the movie, it is
apparent that such decisions were not taken lightly and a lot of thought had gone into the
selection and shifting around of cues.
30
Conclusions
Movies intend to entertain and move audiences in order to attract them to this creative
epitome we call a finished movie. During 1979, “Alien” was following the success of “Star
Wars” in 1977, and movies like “Jaws”. This was an indication that mainstream audiences
were definitely interested in movies that went beyond the typical “slasher” film, allowing
“Alien” to cash in on the fact that it was based around a fictional universe, with characters
that were easy to identify with due to their blue-collar nature. Also, not being specific as to
what year the events in the movie take place on, made it easier for audiences to assume it
was in a not so distant future, allowing them to create an even more convincing bond with
the whole “Alien” universe.
On a commercial level, its famous tagline “In space no one can hear you scream” had a
very good effect in detailing its true nature of being a horror movie based in space and this
set it apart. As previously mentioned, science fiction horror films provide a threat that
comes from the unknown, but in “Alien” there are many elements borrowed from other
horror films such as “Psycho” where the use of shadows is a vital part of creating this
uneasy aura that frightens and enriches the audiences’ experience. Of course, this approach
is not limited to the visual aspect of the film, but also to the sonic aspect of it.
The music that was to be implemented in the film had to provide an exhilarating feeling
that would be easily manipulated with in order to increase the “scare factor” of the film.
Jerry Goldsmith’s music is known for an ominous instrumentation, which would be able to
provide lush romantic moments that he could easily contrast with his incredibly interesting
use of exotic instruments and audio processing effects that would recreate alien auras and
31
worlds. With such versatile musical colors, would also come a very solid narrative and
musical arc, and in a movie where you want to scare audiences, this narrative arc would
sometimes not be suitable. Rawlins, as a music editor, knew the insides and outs of the
movie and he also knew exactly what Ridley Scott would need and want in order to achieve
his vision. So it comes as no surprise that various original cues from the original soundtrack
were suppressed. It still is very curious how tracks from “Freud” were used when they
could have requested the composer to create something appropriate. In retrospect, it is
things like these that make it evident that there was not a good level of communication
between the composer and the director. In the end, it is in favor of the conjunction of music
and film that both the composer and the director should communicate effectively and
thoroughly. It is known that this was not the case during the creation of the score, and
despite the immense talent of both creators, this was an evident flaw that lead to future
controversies over the score. Fortunately, we have the opportunity of listening to the
original intended score for “Alien”, something that cannot be said about almost none of the
movies pertaining to our contemporary Hollywood catalogue.
Despite Jerry Goldsmith’s masterful interpretation of such a complex and interesting
pioneering film of the genre, it was Ridley Scott’s vision -from the very start of the creation
of the movie- that would prevail. It if of upmost importance that we as composers
understand that despite all the hardships that come with composing the best score we can
for a picture, it is the director’s vision, which we serve. And as a creative that is under the
service of another mind, we must embrace the fact that our music may serve more than one
purpose. “Alien” is full of examples of cues being used in other scenes, other than the ones
they were intended with. We must make sure that when creating narrative arcs with music,
32
these should be as close as to what has been requested of us. In the end, the finalized
product will almost always be altered to serve the best interest of the studios.
33
Bibliography
Alien. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, Tom Skerritt. 20th Century
Fox, 1979.
Dirks, Tim. Filmsite Movie Review: Alien (1979). Copyright Tim Dirks.
http://www.filmsite.org/alie.html
Dupuis, Mauricio. Jerry Goldsmith. Music Scoring for American Movies (Roma, Italia:
Robin Edizioni, 2012), 201.
Kraft, Richard. Jerry Goldsmith Online Bio (2008): http://www.jerrygoldsmithonline.com/.
Pimley, Daniel. Representation Of The body in Alien: How can science fiction be seen as
an expression of contemporary attitudes and anxieties about human biology?. Copyright ©
2003 Daniel Pimley. http://pimley.net/documents/thebodyinalien.pdf
Scheurer, Timothy, E. Music and Mythmaking in Film: Genre and the Role of the
Composer (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers) 48-79.
“From Jerry Goldberg’s Vision, To Ridley Scott’s Director´s Cut”
Graduation Thesis
Masters in Music of Scoring for Film,
Television and Videogames
Berklee College of Music
Valencia Campus
Alberto Vásquez Vargas
July 2014
1
Table of Contents
Movie Synopsis ...................................................................................................................... 2
Jerry Goldsmith’s Musical Background and Style ........................................................... 8
Historical Context Of “Alien” (1979)................................................................................ 12
The Role of Music in “Alien”............................................................................................. 13
Goldsmith’s Vision And The Final Result........................................................................ 15
Jerry Goldsmith – Alien (Complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) ................. 18
Conclusions.......................................................................................................................... 30
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 33
2
Movie Synopsis
Opening credits cut to a scene with a large planet. The vastness of space is apparent when
the Nostromo commercial towing ship appears carrying a refinery; on it’s way to Earth.
The crew is awoken from hyper sleep, and gathers at the mess hall. Captain Dallas is called
away by Mother, the super computer that controls the ship. The crew realizes they are still
far away from home, which is confirmed by Navigator Lambert. Dallas briefs the crew after
his conversation with Mother, and informs them that ship has picked up an unknown signal,
which repeats every 12 seconds. The crew has been awoken from hyper sleep to investigate
the signal, and as the engineers argue about not receiving compensation, Science Officer
Ash reminds them they are obligated by Company contract to investigate every signal
coming from an intelligent source.
As the crew gathers in the cockpit to listen to the signal, they note how strange and
unearthly it sounds. Lambert hones the signal and confirms it is coming from a small
planetoid.
The Nostromo separates from the refinery they are hauling and approach the small
planetoid, descending unto its surface. Landing causes some damage to the ship that will
take some time to repair. The planet’s atmosphere is shown to be extremely windy and
visibility is very low. Source of the signal is established at 2km away from the ship and the
sun will rise soon. Dallas, Kane and Lambert are to investigate on foot, while Ash takes
over the communication console inside the ship. In the mean time Warrant Officer Ripley,
is down below deck, monitoring the repairs on the ship. Ash informs Ripley that Mother
has not been able to decipher the signal, so she volunteers to try and decipher it herself.
3
As the team on foot keeps clearing rocks, the sun rises and they discover the derelict
spacecraft of unknown origin. Despite their hesitation, they approach the ship, losing
contact with the Nosotromo as they enter it through one of its sides. Inside, the walls are
covered with surreal organic bone-like textures. There is a platform containing the remains
of a large fossilized alien, which upon examination has evidence of trauma to its chest: ribs
are bent outwards, as if something had burst from inside.
Meanwhile, the analysis of the signal suggests it is not an SOS but a warning signal. Ripley
decides it is safer to go after the search party but Ash persuades her to not go after them,
reasoning that the team will know hat the signal means, once they get there.
Back inside the ship, Kane is lowered inside a large tube-like hole where he finds himself
surrounded by thousands of organized basins laid on the floor. As he approaches one, he
notices they contain what resemble large eggs. As he moves to investigate, he trips and falls
inside the pit, where he ends up touching one of the eggs, that reacts when broken. When he
illuminates the egg he notices a strange, spider-like organism is inside. The egg’s flaps
open, revealing the inside. As Kane moves for a better look, the spider-like creature
suddenly leaps out and grabs a hold of his helmet.
Back in the ship, Ash notices Dallas and Lambert carrying Kane back to the ship, but as
Ash waits to open the airlock for them, Ripley is informed that the organism has attached to
Kane’s face. She is reluctant to bring the creature on board and cites quarantine protocols,
for the safety of the crew. Dallas fears Kane’s condition if put under the mandatory 24 hour
quarantine procedure and orders Ripley to open the airlock. She refuses and Ash simply
disregards her concerns by opening the airlock himself.
4
Inside the medical facilities, they prepare Kane and remove his helmet. The crew notices
how the creature is attaching itself to Kane’s face, using 8 fingers and wrapping a long tail
around his neck. Ash attempts to remove the creature but it simply tightens its grip. Kane is
then put under a medical scanner and it is observed that the creature has inserted a
proboscis down his throat, and his feeding him oxygen. Ash deduces that removing the
creature might kill Kane, but Dallas is willing to risk it.
Ash tried to cut off one of the creature’s legs, only to have a fluid pour out the wound of the
creature and it begins to drip and eat off the floor, just like acid. The liquids corrosive effect
has burned through several decks of the ship, making it obvious the kind of defense
mechanism this creature has. Ash continues to collect data on the creature and is startled
when Ripley enters the infirmary to ask him what he knows about the creature. Ripley
confronts Ash with his decision to let the creature on board, and he defends himself by
stating he is the science officer of the ship. She then leaves.
Dallas is called to the infirmary by Ash and notified that something has happened. The
creature has detached from Kane’s face and is nowhere to be found. Dallas, Ash and Ripley
search the infirmary to find the dead creature. Ash is insistent on preserving the creature
given its uniqueness and wants to take it back to Earth for more tests. As he is the science
officer, the decision is up to him. Apparently, that is how things are done with the
Company, but they also note how Ash was assigned to the Nostromo just a few days before
departing. None of them trust Ash. Dallas decides to check how the repairs are going and
5
decide to take off even though they have not been completed. After a successful takeoff, the
Nostormo recouples with the refinery and resumes its journey to Earth.
The crew is back in the mess hall and discusses what to do with Kane, at which point they
are interrupted by a call from Ash, and asks them to go to the infirmary. There, Kane has
awoken, still a bit groggy and remembers nothing of the event. He feels hungry and the
crew decides to have one last meal before all going into hyper sleep. Ash observes Kane
sharply, and then suddenly, Kane begins to choke. At first it seems he is choking on food,
but the mood changes when Kane seems to be in pain and convulses violently. His chest
bursts and a small snake-like creature emerges from his insides. Parker moves in to kill it
but is stopped by Ash. The alien screeches and runs away leaving them all horrified.
The crew assembles two teams in order to look for the creature. Brett assembles a cattle
prod and Ash assembles a tracking device. The team with Parker, Brett and Ripley check
out the lower deck and discover the power has been cut out despite the repairs being
finished. They pick up a signal in their tracking decide, and as they prepare to catch the
creature, they discover it’s the crew’s cat, Jones, who’s found a nice hiding place. Brett is
sent to catch Jones because they don’t want to it be picked up on the tracker again by
accident. As Brett tries to grab Jones, a huge shape drops behind him and as he turns
around, he sees the creature, now with four arms, an elongated head, and completely fullygrown, opening its mouth and biting him in the head. The creature drags him bloodies and
screaming into a near air vent duct. Ripley and Parker arrive only to catch of glimpse of the
creature and to see their fellow crewmember being dragged away.
6
They regroup and decide what to do next, deducing the creature is using the air vents to
move around the ship, meaning they could use the vents to drive the creature into an
airlock. Ash suggests using fire as a weapon, and Ripley volunteers to drive the alien out, to
what Dallas responds with a negative and volunteers himself for the job.
The crew readies themselves, having Ripley and Ash prepare the ducts for decompression,
while Parker and Lambert position themselves to measure movement inside the ducts.
Dallas enters the shaft and uses the flamethrower to make sure the ducts are clear. Lambert
suddenly picks something moving towards Dallas. He is disoriented due to the cramped
space and erratically tries to scare the alien away, descending various ladders on the way
but when he turns around, the creature is seen extending its arms towards him. Leaving the
crew with only static sound coming from Dallas’ communication, then dead silence. They
decide to keep with the old plan and Ripley asks Ash for helpful information, but says he is
still analyzing data. She scoffs at him and decides to go to Mother for answers.
As Ripley queries Mother, it replies with “Special Order 937”, that is meant to be read only
by the Science Officer. Ripley uses a command to override Mother and force it to explain
what the order means, to which it reveals that the Nostromo was rerouted to new
coordinates, they were to investigate the life form and gather a specimen. First priority is to
insure the return of the organism for analysis. All other considerations are secondary and
the crew is expendable. As she tries to leave, she is attacked by Ash as he tries to choke her.
Parker shows up just in time and attacks Ash with a fire extinguisher and then Ash starts
convulsing violently and spitting out a white liquid, which should be blood. Parker resumes
assaulting Ash in order to release Ripley from his grip, until he is torn apart by the blows.
7
Ash remains on the floor, decapitated and spewing out this strange white liquid that reveals
he is in fact an android. Once he is disabled, Ripley confirm that he was sent by the
company to make sure they recovered the alien life form and brought it back for analysis.
Ash refers to the alien as a “perfect organism” and stresses his admiration even more by
pointing out that the creature is “a survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse and
delusions of morality”.
The remaining survivors split up in order to obtain coolant liquid for the escape shuttle’s
life-support system. Ripley notices Jones is missing and ventures into the ship to rescue
him. Lambert and Parker work on gathering supplies but do not notice the alien creatures
presence. The creature closes in on Lambert but Parker is unable to get a clear shot with his
flamethrower. When Parker tries to charge the creature, it rapidly spins and grabs a hold of
him, piercing his head with its second mouth. Ripley rushes to their position but is
powerless to save Lambert. In terrible shock, Ripley rushes to the control room and
activates the self-destruct mechanism of the Nostromo and Mother starts a 10-minute count
down before destruction. As she moves through a shaft, she finds Dallas and Brett inside an
organic structure that seems to be used for laying eggs. They are being used to hatch and
mature these alien creatures inside their bodies. Dallas is still barely alive and asks Ripley
to end his life. She grants his dying request by using her flamethrower to burn them both
and the rest of the egg-laying chamber. As she tries to reach the escape shuttle, she
encounters the alien creature but manages to escape its grasp as fires start to erupt around
the ship. The creature is nowhere to be found as Ripley finally reaches the shuttle and
makes final preparations for the ship.
8
Right after putting Jones into hyper sleep, she finds the alien creature hiding inside the
shuttle behind some machinery. She runs to a space locker with space suits inside, dons one
of them and arms herself with a harpoon gun. She safely straps herself in and uses the
airlock control to try and lure the creature out, until she finally hits it with a blast of steam
that makes is screech and run. She suddenly notices the creature next to her, and urgently
opens the shuttle’s airlock door, sending everything inside the ship that is not secure, flying
into space. The alien, however, grabs to the ledges of the doorway to avoid being sucked
outside. Ripley fires the harpoon before the creature is able to haul itself in. The door closes
and manages to grasp the wire from the harpoon, allowing the creature to reel itself back
onto the ship, where it tries to climb inside one of the thrusters. Ripley seizes the
opportunity and fires the engines, incinerating the alien creature.
Before entering hyper sleep, Ripley records a log entry reporting the death of the crew, the
destruction of the cargo and the sip. She signs off and gets into hyper sleep.
Jerry Goldsmith’s Musical Background and Style
Born in 1929 to Tessa and Morris Goldsmith in Pasadena California and growing up in Los
Angeles, he started piano lessons at age 6. By age 14 he was studying composition, theory
and counterpoint with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Jacob Gimpel. He also attended
Miklos Rosza’s film scoring classes at the University of Southern California.
In 1950 he was employed as a clerk in the music department in CBS where he was given
his first composer job for live radio shows, which then led him to progress into TV shows
such as “Climax” and “Playhouse 90”. During the next 10 years he scored the sci-fi classic
9
“The Twilight Zone” and was then hired by Revue Studios to score several projects, which
resulted in the famous themes from “Dr. Kildare” and “The Man From U.N.CL.E”. His first
theatrical score was done in 1957 for a movie called “Black Patch”.
In 1962 he was awarded the first Oscar nomination for his score for John Huston’s “Freud”
and during this time he met and became acquainted with the influential film composer
Alfred Newman. As Newman began recognizing Goldsmith’s talent, he influenced
Universal into hiring him for the western movie “Lonely Are The Brave”. From then on, he
established himself as the contract composer for 20th Century Fox, and by 1970 had
amassed a great number of landmark scores, which confirmed his reputation. These scores
are “A Patch Of Blue”, “Lilies Of The Field”, “The Sand Pebbles”, “The Blue Matrix” and
“Patton”. But it was during the end of the 60’s that his very intricate and modern
composition style, would come to a high point with the very powerful score for “Planet Of
The Apes”1.
Despite a dry patch during the 70’s, Goldsmith was one of the few composers to
successfully alternate between composing for films and TV. He augmented his repertoire
with successful compositions, such as the Emmy winning score for the first TV mini series
“QBVII”, as well as earlier episodes of “The Waltons”. By the middle of the decade,
Goldsmith was in his most successful period with a combination of thrillers and prestigious
assignments such as “The Wind And The Lion”, “Chinatown”, “The Wild Rovers” and
“Papillon”. The late 70’s brought him an Oscar for the avant-garde score to the Richard
1
Richard Kraft, Jerry Goldsmith Online Bio (2008):
http://www.jerrygoldsmithonline.com/.
10
Donner horror film, “The Omen”. This powerful score proved to be critical to the movie’s
atmosphere and dramatic effect. His work proved to be one of the most dramatic moments
in film music with its mix of chilling choir and beautiful moments that convey the horror of
the story.
The decade ended with many softer toned scores for movies such as “The Swarm”, “The
Great Train Robbery”, “Alien” and “Star Trek The Motion Picture”. Here Goldsmith was in
charge of reinventing an existing franchise and establish a new musical theme, which later
became part of the spin-off, “The Next Generation”. In 1995 Goldsmith would write
another new theme for another spin-off known as “Star Trek Voyager” and curiously
enough, would later reveal that he was approached by Roddenberry, director of the original
TV series of “Star Trek”, to write music for the original but was unable due to scheduling.
During the 1980, he took a break from his hectic scoring schedule and took a couple of
assignments like the TV miniseries “Masada” which brought him another Emmy award. He
also completed the “Omen” trilogy in which he took his music to an even further level of
recognition and admiration. Some may regard his further work on the trilogy as of better
quality than the first original score, conveying an even more terrifying and beautiful
atmosphere to the sequels.
Goldsmith had proved by now to be a true musical chameleon, but it wasn’t until the
decade of the 80’s that he produced some of the most action packed scores of his career.
“First Blood”, “Rambo First Blood II” as well as the epic score for “Rambo III”. He then
worked on the animated movie “The Secret of Nimh” as well as obtaining critically
11
acclaimed works for “Under Fire, Poltergeist” and the orchestral/electronic hybrid score of
“Hoosiers”. The middle of the decade brought him assignments in comedy films such as
“Gremlins”, cult hits like “Supergirl”, “The Twilight Zone The Movie”, and “Star Trek V”.
Goldsmith electronic development in his music started in the 60’s with “Freud”, but was
now taken further with his work in the sci-fi thriller “Runaway” by using an all-electronic
score. His final proper fusion of orchestral and electronics occurred during the 90’s, which
is one of the ages where composers could spend lots of time cultivating the technology in
music without departing the traditional orchestral world.
He started the decade of the 90’s with the action score for “Total Recall” on which he met
director Paul Verhoeven and went on to collaborate in the movie “Basic Instinct”.
Goldsmith also worked on the score for “Russia House” whose theme had originally been
composed for the cancelled score of “Wall Street”. He also scored the sports drama
“Rudy”, further “Star Trek” sequels and action epics such as “Air Force One” and “The
Mummy”, as well as more challenging assignments such as “Six Degrees Of Separation”
and the critically acclaimed thriller, “LA Confidential”.
He began the next decade working with Paul Verhoeven again for the sci-fi thriller “Hollow
Man”, “The Last Castle” and the box office hit “The Sum Of All Fears”. By the time he
was scoring “Along Came A Spider”, his health had began to deteriorate and prevented him
from working as much as he once did, but despite this he finished his work for the “Star
Trek” franchise. His Final scores were for friends, such as the movie “Timeline” directed
12
by Richard Donner and “Looney Tunes Back In Action”. Jerry Goldsmith passed away on
July 21st 2004 after a long battle against cancer2.
Historical Context Of “Alien” (1979)
Science fiction has been known to interpret and express contemporary attitudes and
anxieties caused by developments in science and technology. The later part of the 70’s
brought a great deal of changes to North American culture. Many technological advances
had been made, the feminist movement was at its peak but the world was still immersed in
political turmoil. American troops had withdrawn from Vietnam in 1973 but the conflict
was still very fresh in the public’s mind. This sociocultural context facilitated the reception
of “Alien” and resonates within the audience on a conceptual level.
Fear of the unknown has been used in classic science fiction horror movies since the
1950’s, where movies such as “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers”, “It Came From Outer
Space”, all played on America’s fear for their lives being taken over by the threatening and
mysterious communist way of life. During the movie’s release in 1979, the Cold War
conflict was still active and very real.
Anxieties caused by technology were inherent in an ongoing Nuclear Age, where
technological advances in nuclear reactors and their application in favor of society, brought
with them an inherent fear of what could go wrong. A recent nuclear meltdown in
Pennsylvania in March of 1979 was a clear example of when technology loses control.
2
Mauricio Dupuis, Jerry Goldsmith. Music Scoring for American Movies (Roma, Italia:
Robin Edizioni, 2012), 201.
13
Much like its conceptual predecessors, “Alien” creates an alternate reality where
technological accidents not only happen but are also caused by a Company’s greed by
giving little significance to the lives of their crew in favor of capturing an alien species that
could be potentially “weaponized” for their own economic benefit.
The Role of Music in “Alien”
Science Fiction has been an interesting area for composers. In general, the music is a blend
of post-Romantic and post-Viennese School idioms. These traditions allow composers to
depart themselves from the traditional tonal world and incentives exploration and
experimentation with new technologies, much as Jerry Goldsmith did on his scores,
previous to “Alien”.
As an opening example, we have the Main Theme of the movie, where dissonance is a
prominent musical characteristic. Its musical inspiration is a clearly taken from the Second
Viennese School and other modernists. Due to the fact that “Alien” is centered around
themes that involve life in the future and the fear of the unknown, music must invoke a
sense of the extraordinary, the unknown, the abnormal and most of all, the threatening.
Unlike other science fiction movies, where the main theme is heavily accentuated by
militaristic tones and corresponding heroic impulses, Alien’s opening theme promises all
the wonder and terror of the unknown. Goldsmith uses Ligeti-like tonal clusters that give
way to strings textures that closely resemble white noise with their swarm-like movement.
This texture is complemented with percussion that has been processed with Echoplex
effects and enriched with clear post-Romantic string motifs, creeping brass chords and tutti
14
wave-like movements. Conceptually, the use of marked dissonances establishes our
encounter with the abnormal and unknown. Strings are constantly building up suspense by
means of trilling and swirling. The brass section implies violence when played forte and
with flutter tonging; and the winds interpret a soft counterpoint suggesting a passive state.
There are often times when dissonance is introduced into the woodwinds perhaps
suggesting that our passive state is being open to threats from the unknown.
The setting is of crucial importance because it establishes the mood of the film and
contextualizes the content and values of the society that is being threatened by an alien
presence; it is also the terrain where this said conflict will occur and will be the site for the
introduction of the alien. In order to pictorialize the unfamiliar and the totally alien,
composers often rely on a wide variety of musical idioms and gestures that establish the
mood and atmosphere of the setting. In the case of “Alien”, Jerry Goldsmith had to figure
out what was the sound of space and he had to convey the infinitesimal vastness of it. This
is when typical musical devices are employed; the string section is usually scoured in a
high register that usually plays ostinato or plays of arpeggios of certain chords. This allows
for a very clear difference of pitch which creates the illusion of feeling those higher notes
as coming from a place higher in spatial terms, compared to the lower register notes. In
other words, we translate the pitch difference into a spatial difference and this allows us to
create an image of the previously described vastness of space3.
Alien’s soundtrack relies heavily on conceived atonal material to transform and pictorialize
alien landscapes. There is some implementation of 12-tone theme that are sometimes
3
Timothy E., Scheurer, Music and Mythmaking in Film: Genre and the Role of the
Composer (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers) 48-79.
15
augmented with the use of Echoplex effect. On a rhythmic level, the music alternates
between 12/8, 15/8 and sometimes 9/8 meters, which further contribute to the distortion
effect Goldsmith achieves.
Goldsmith’s Vision And The Final Result
Terry Rawlings, veteran sound editor and music editor for Ridley Scott’s first film, “The
Dualists” was promoted to film editor in “Alien”. Rawlings developed a method of placing
temporary scores into his working cuts, versions that Ridley Scott would repeatedly see and
hear.
Rawlings recalled in 2004 that when it came to “Alien”, he temped the film with as much
Jerry Goldsmith music as he could since he was scoring the film. His intention with
creating a temp score was to set a mood that Goldsmith could elaborate upon, changing the
theme, orchestration but keeping in mind the mood that was intended.
His approach could have worked if “Alien” had not cast a director with little experience
communicating with composers against a veteran composer who detested temp scores.
Jerry Goldsmith had expressed his annoyance by indicating how he thought they were
giving him a compliment by using his own music, but he did not like it, he preferred they
had used someone else’s music.
After principal photography had started on July 5, 1978 at Shepperton Studios in England,
Rawlings and Scott decided to change to Bray Studios where miniature-modeling work was
being done. There were several rough cuts done to the film, which lasted up to two hours,
but it was until late 1978 that Goldsmith finally viewed a shorter 127-minute cut. He is
16
known for saying how much the movie terrified him and how he had to repeat to himself it
was only a movie he was watching.
Goldsmith’s prior incursion into terror and suspense had yielded a very direct type of
sound. His work for “Omen”, while being quite demonic, was appropriately earthly in the
use of sonic effects. His approach to “Alien” was very similar to his approach in “Planet Of
The Apes, looking for a truly off world sound, implementing his recent experimentation
with brass, as he did in the movie “The Swarm” and his work with electronics used in
“Logan’s Run”. Goldsmith also took advantage of John Williams’ recent redefinition of
music for outer space adventures, and using it as an antithesis for his creation of music for
“Alien”. His search for new organic sounds led him to settle for the Didgeridoo and the
Serpent, which was used in Bernard Herrmann score for “Journey To The Center Of The
Earth”.
There was also a return to previous sound manipulation techniques used in his score in
“Patton” by using the Echoplex effect. In essence, the tape loop machine records a sound
and then circulates it past a playback head the desired level of repetition and dissipation.
This effect invoked a sense of cloning and insanity as it was applied to an Indian conch to
recreate and eerie reverberant swelling that was later known as “the alien effect”.
The complexity of blending exotic instruments, Echoplex and other live processing
required that Goldsmith be in the mixing booth, hence having Lionel Newman as a
conductor for the recording session that would be done in Anvil Studios. Under Newman’s
baton was the National Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra that had just recently begun
17
scoring films. Recording began on February 20, 1979 and lasted about two days to
complete.
On February 24, after the recording were done, Scott and Rawlings ran a working cut of the
movie along with the music, and by the end of the day, Goldsmith was asked if he could
rewrite five of the cues, including the “Main Title”. The reason was that Scott didn’t think
the romantic theme worked for his film. The composer prepared replacement cues over the
course of two days and recording had to be scheduled around another booking done at
Anvil Studios. The soundtrack was completed over a half-day session on February 27 and a
full day one on March 1.
Over the remainder of post-production on “Alien”, Rawlings treated Goldsmith’s score as
library music, disregarding intended synchronization points. It is said that Scott’s years
directing television commercials had a part to play in this disregard for an overall musical
arc. Documentation suggests that “Alien” was shortened by eleven minutes from the
version Goldsmith scored. The editing done and suppressed scenes resulted in an
inconsistency of rhythm and tone with what had been scored by Goldsmith. In addition to
rescoring, some cues were completely dropped, cut or moved around to scenes other than
those that were initially intended, and in three sequences, Goldsmith's music from his 1962
score of Freud was retained over his “Alien” compositions. The composer was, as expected,
highly displeased with this fact and it was to such an annoying extent that he even got
letters commenting on how he was “starting to repeat himself”. To make matters even
worse, one of the most blatant alterations was the use of Howard Hanson’s Symphony No.
2 for the film’s end credits. Despite all this “mistreatment” of Jerry Goldsmith’s score, he
18
later found some creative compensation while preparing his own soundtrack album. This
gave listeners a sample of the composer’s conceived score and has been cause for debate
over the filmmaker’s treatment. As a side note, the score with this film was eclipsed by the
success of his other scores like “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.
Jerry Goldsmith – Alien (Complete Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack)
The North American record label “Intrada”, which specializes in film scoring music,
realized Jerry Goldsmith’s creative compensation in the form of a 2 CD album set, that not
only contains Goldsmith’s complete original soundtrack, but also the rescored alternate
cues, the original 1979 soundtrack and 7 bonus tracks. In order to observe the major
differences of both versions, the following tables have been created:
Original Score
Cue
Cue Title
Comment
Musical Characteristics
Number
1M2
Main Title
Unused: Originally written Solo trumpet presents theme and a
to accompany a shot of the two-note pattern. Lower strings are
commercial
towing
ship hinting towards a pulsating rhythm.
passing over the camera.
Characteristic chord that will be shifted
in the rescore.
1M3
19
Hyper
Unused: Meant to be used Two note permutations on flute. Sound
Sleep
for the sequence where the is processed. String patterns rise and
crew is waking up. It was speed up. Oboe takes up flute pattern
rescored later.
and trumpet presents theme. Low
strings have pulsating rhythm.
2M1
The
Used but re-edited after Successive statement of the theme on
Landing
scoring. Was intended for a trumpet, violin, horn and oboe. Had a
shot of the stars that was cut very romantic feel to it.
out of the movie.
3M1
The Terrain
Used but only a part of it Whole tone repetitions with processed
and during the hatchery percussion and striking effects on
sequence rather than the timpani.
walk on the alien planet.
3M2
The Craft
Used to follow the crew English horn and processed violins.
exploring the stranded ship.
4M1
Very similar to “The Terrain”.
The
Used but once again, just a Whole tones played by woodwinds and
Passage
fragment of it. It is used conch, their sound is processed. Strings
when the crew is exploring make brief gestures on highest strings.
the stranded ship.
4M2
20
The
Used in originally intended Heavy use of Echoplex. Percussive
Skeleton
scene.
patterns on strings accompanied by
woodwinds playing the theme. Strings
build climax through Echoplex.
4M3
A
New Unused:
Face
Written
for
a Processed harp with string patterns and
deleted scene right after echo
effect.
Said
to
represent
Kane has the alien parasite “cloning”. Exotic percussions create
attached to his face.
pattern and lower strings execute a
very somber theme.
5M1
Hanging On Unused:
Intended
to Opening
with
all
the
exotic
accompany the complete instrumentation. Tension is maintained
sequence where the parasite through rhythmic patterns, horn does
is
analyzed
in
laboratory.
the main theme. Extended techniques on
percussion with different kinds of
beaters.
6M1
The Lab
Used as originally intended. Brass
ensemble
with
processed
Hints of Ash knowing more percussion through Echoplex. A Heavy
than the rest of the crew.
sense of mystery.
6M3
21
Drop Out
Unused: It was written to Opening sustained tone on conch.
accompany the search for Patterns with serpent and flutes doing
the missing face hugger.
the whole tone statement and sporadic
percussion hits to enhance atmosphere.
7M1
Nothing To Used for the famous chest- Ominous strings with the eerie conch
Say
bursting scene.
sound.
Eventual percussion hits to
elaborate on the romantic atmosphere.
7M2
Cat Nip
Used during the cat search Extended
sequence. It was edited and mallets
implemented
Here Kitty
on
lower
techniques
piano
with
strings.
differently Variable string lines, which move up
than originally intended.
8M1
piano
and down.
Used in film during the Combination of conch, serpent and
sequence where Brett is extended piano techniques in allusion
killed when looking for the to the alien attack.
cat. It was fragmented and
later relabeled as 10M1.
9M1
22
The Shaft
Unused:
Intended
accompany
to Whole tone patterns on tuba and
the marimba
claustrophobic
combination.
Very
sequence atmospheric.
where Dallas is searching
for the alien in the venting
system.
10M1
It's A Droid
Used in film in combination High
strings
create
incisive
with cue 7M1 first minute. dissonances, which are accompanied
Accompanied the sequence with woodwind and brass textures
where a keen Ripley unveils underneath.
Ash’s conspiracy.
11M1
Parker's
Used in fragments during Aggressive brief gestures. Use of
Death
Parker’s death sequence. It Didgeridoo,
was
initially
scored
conch
and
serpent
to combined with brass for incisive,
another edited version of percussive high dynamic hits. Seem to
this scene.
emulate the menacing nature of the
alien.
11M2
23
The Eggs
Unused: It was intended to Again, heavy use of whole tones with
accompany a deleted scene processed strings with the use of
that illustrates the alien Echoplex.
creature’s life cycle. This
scene was recovered in the
Director’s Cut but scored
with “The Skeleton”.
12M1
Sleepy
Used partially. Scored to a Intense patterns on percussion and
Alien
longer scene where the strings that create various dissonances.
alien
interrupts
Ripley’s
escape to the shuttle.
12M2
To Sleep
Used in its entirety and Use of conch and serpent.
position
exactly
where
intended. It accompanied
the sequence where Ripley
launches
shuttle.
in
the
escape
13M1
24
The
Used and intended for the Brief
Cupboard
sequence
where
whole
Ripley rhythmically
discovers the alien hiding percussion
inside the escape shuttle.
tone
complex
with
gestures,
strings
staccato
and
brass
gestures. There are discrete echoes on
lower strings. Changes pattern between
strings and woodwinds.
13M2
Out
The Used. It accompanied a Action type cue with heavy use of
Door
much longer scene where tritones and whole tones. There is no
the alien is still tethered to heroic brass statement as would be
the shuttle and tried to re- expected of such a scene. Instead, there
enter through one of the are very discrete re-statements of the
engine ports.
13M3
End Title
theme.
Unused: A majestic finale Majestic theme statement that reaches
statement of the main film a bright climax. Brass tritones evoke a
theme
dropped.
but
was
later dark sentiment.
25
Final Release Version
Time
Cue
Comments
00:00:16:00 1M1 - Intro
Additional percussion patterns added here.
00:03:02:10 1M2 - Main
Swarm patterns on strings and processed percussion composer
Title
00:04:45:19 1M3 – Hyper
sleep (rescore
the “Alien Effect”. Main chord not used until later in the piece.
Developed theme on woodwinds and suppression of trumpet
theme. Last 30 seconds of original cue are dropped.
version)
00:12:52:00 2M1 - The
Landing
Fragments of the original cue. Successive statements of the
main theme on trumpet, violin, horn, oboe. Last 30 seconds are
dropped.
00:23:53:13 3M1 - The
Passage
Echoplex conch parts. High string swells and low string
patterns produce a menacing atmosphere. Cue is edited and
used in other parts of the movie. Last 30 seconds dropped.
00:28:20:05 4M1 - The
Skeleton
00:31:10:04 4M2 - The
Craft
Return to main theme. Atmosphere enhanced with processed
pizzicato. Last 30 seconds are dropped.
Two-note pattern on flute and marimba. It is essentially the
same track as “The Terrain” which is used only briefly during
the hatchery scene.
26
00:33:11:12 1M1 - Main
Title
Flute theme implemented and used again inside the chamber. It
is possible this cue is still part of 4M2 but it is difficult to say
do to editing.
00:37:00:16 4M3 - Freud -
Theme from Jerry Goldsmith’s “Freud”. The original temp
Charcot’s
track was conserved instead of using “A New Face” or
Show
“Hanging On”.
00:39:30:14 4M4 - Freud Main Theme
00:42:08:03 5M1 – The
Terrain
Main theme from “Freud”. Favored temp track instead of using
“Hanging On”.
Additional Echoplex effects on high strings and piano. It was
originally scored to accompany scenes of the exterior of the
ship that showcase the planet´s geography. Instead, very brief
sections are used right before Ripley investigates Ash´s
discoveries about the alien creature.
00:45:30:09 5M2 - Eine
Kleine Musik
Mozart. Diegetic presentation of cue. Dallas is listening to this
particular piece when he receives a call from Ash, asking him
to report to the lab.
00:51:08:02 5M3 - The
Landing
Used again but mixed with pieces of Freud and string theme.
Ironically, used for the take off of the Nostromo instead of the
original intended spot; the landing.
00:57:18:01 6M1 -
Used in a different cut than initially scored for. It accompanies
27
Nothing to
Kane´s funeral in it´s most opulent chordal section, evoking
Say
some romantic material used before. It closes abruptly with a
two note processed pattern.
01:00:30:13 6M2 - Catnip
Used only as a fragment of what it was intended for; it starts
later and ends sooner than written.
01:07:26:13 6M3 - Here
Kitty
Used only as a fragment but at its most interesting sonic point.
The use of exotic instruments and the Echoplex effect applied
on them, sharply accentuate the scene where the alien eats one
of the crewmembers.
01:09:45:00 7M1 -
Used again to accompany exterior shots of the Nostromo and
Nothing to
transition into a scene where Dallas is inquiring Mother about
Say
their mission.
01:11:02:18 7M2 - Freud -
Temp track favored over “The Shaft”. The whole sequence is
Desperate
elaborated with cuts from different “Freud” cues in order to
Case
build up the suspense of the scene where Dallas is trying to
01:12:42:12 7M3 - Freud Charcot’s
Show
corner the alien creature, inside the ventilation shafts. Simple
themes are repeated on piano and high strings. Sudden chords
are attacked in order to create an uneasy atmosphere and
tighten the audiences’ expectations.
01:14:38:22 7M4 - Freud Desperate
Low brass and string notes alternated with sudden stops
heighten the sequence of events until the creature finally
28
Measures
01:21:16:02 8M1 - Freud -
reaches Dallas.
Temp track favored over the initial part of “The Droid”.
Main Theme
01:23:10:09 8M2 - The
Droid
Its first section is suppressed and further material is used during
this brutal attack on Ripley. The cue enters when it is visually
evident that Ash is indeed an android. Only a very high
dynamic fragment is used for this sequence.
01:31:26:15 8M3
Processed Harp recording, possibly originating from
additionally recorded material.
01:32:47:01 8M4 -
Used to accommodate the menacing didgeridoo, conch, serpent
Parker’s
and saxophone textures. The sequence alternates between shots
Death
of Lambert and shots of Ripley.
01:37:20:04 9M1 - Sleepy
Alien
Cue is edited and accommodated to accompany brief instances
of the alien creature interacting with the cat. It then briefly cut
to Ripley trying to disengage the self-destruct mechanism of
the ship.
01:43:50:11 9M2 - To
Sleep
This is one of the original cues that were used just as recorded.
The exotic instrumentation makes its eventual appearances with
sparse statements of the main theme, retaining an incredibly
29
romantic air, combined by the characteristic uneven feeling of
the tritones used for the main theme.
01:46:45:01 9M3 - The
Cupboard
Entrance of the serpent in order to emulate the incredible
menacing nature of the alien. It is actually fragmented into
stingers that are intelligently used to underline the scary and
abrupt moment of the scene. It is one of the few moments
where the alien creature is shown in greater detail.
01:51:47:06 9M4 - Out
The Door
A heavy action like oriented cue with exotic instrumentation. It
is fragmented and used only partially to accompany the scene
where the alien creature attempts to reenter the ship through an
engine shaft.
01:53:45:17 10M1 -
Howard Hanson’s second symphony is used in favor of Jerry
Symphony no. Goldsmith’s end credit music.
2
After having the opportunity of listening to both the original Jerry Goldsmith score, and
compare it Ridley Scott’s final music editing for his Director’s Cut of the movie, it is
apparent that such decisions were not taken lightly and a lot of thought had gone into the
selection and shifting around of cues.
30
Conclusions
Movies intend to entertain and move audiences in order to attract them to this creative
epitome we call a finished movie. During 1979, “Alien” was following the success of “Star
Wars” in 1977, and movies like “Jaws”. This was an indication that mainstream audiences
were definitely interested in movies that went beyond the typical “slasher” film, allowing
“Alien” to cash in on the fact that it was based around a fictional universe, with characters
that were easy to identify with due to their blue-collar nature. Also, not being specific as to
what year the events in the movie take place on, made it easier for audiences to assume it
was in a not so distant future, allowing them to create an even more convincing bond with
the whole “Alien” universe.
On a commercial level, its famous tagline “In space no one can hear you scream” had a
very good effect in detailing its true nature of being a horror movie based in space and this
set it apart. As previously mentioned, science fiction horror films provide a threat that
comes from the unknown, but in “Alien” there are many elements borrowed from other
horror films such as “Psycho” where the use of shadows is a vital part of creating this
uneasy aura that frightens and enriches the audiences’ experience. Of course, this approach
is not limited to the visual aspect of the film, but also to the sonic aspect of it.
The music that was to be implemented in the film had to provide an exhilarating feeling
that would be easily manipulated with in order to increase the “scare factor” of the film.
Jerry Goldsmith’s music is known for an ominous instrumentation, which would be able to
provide lush romantic moments that he could easily contrast with his incredibly interesting
use of exotic instruments and audio processing effects that would recreate alien auras and
31
worlds. With such versatile musical colors, would also come a very solid narrative and
musical arc, and in a movie where you want to scare audiences, this narrative arc would
sometimes not be suitable. Rawlins, as a music editor, knew the insides and outs of the
movie and he also knew exactly what Ridley Scott would need and want in order to achieve
his vision. So it comes as no surprise that various original cues from the original soundtrack
were suppressed. It still is very curious how tracks from “Freud” were used when they
could have requested the composer to create something appropriate. In retrospect, it is
things like these that make it evident that there was not a good level of communication
between the composer and the director. In the end, it is in favor of the conjunction of music
and film that both the composer and the director should communicate effectively and
thoroughly. It is known that this was not the case during the creation of the score, and
despite the immense talent of both creators, this was an evident flaw that lead to future
controversies over the score. Fortunately, we have the opportunity of listening to the
original intended score for “Alien”, something that cannot be said about almost none of the
movies pertaining to our contemporary Hollywood catalogue.
Despite Jerry Goldsmith’s masterful interpretation of such a complex and interesting
pioneering film of the genre, it was Ridley Scott’s vision -from the very start of the creation
of the movie- that would prevail. It if of upmost importance that we as composers
understand that despite all the hardships that come with composing the best score we can
for a picture, it is the director’s vision, which we serve. And as a creative that is under the
service of another mind, we must embrace the fact that our music may serve more than one
purpose. “Alien” is full of examples of cues being used in other scenes, other than the ones
they were intended with. We must make sure that when creating narrative arcs with music,
32
these should be as close as to what has been requested of us. In the end, the finalized
product will almost always be altered to serve the best interest of the studios.
33
Bibliography
Alien. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, Tom Skerritt. 20th Century
Fox, 1979.
Dirks, Tim. Filmsite Movie Review: Alien (1979). Copyright Tim Dirks.
http://www.filmsite.org/alie.html
Dupuis, Mauricio. Jerry Goldsmith. Music Scoring for American Movies (Roma, Italia:
Robin Edizioni, 2012), 201.
Kraft, Richard. Jerry Goldsmith Online Bio (2008): http://www.jerrygoldsmithonline.com/.
Pimley, Daniel. Representation Of The body in Alien: How can science fiction be seen as
an expression of contemporary attitudes and anxieties about human biology?. Copyright ©
2003 Daniel Pimley. http://pimley.net/documents/thebodyinalien.pdf
Scheurer, Timothy, E. Music and Mythmaking in Film: Genre and the Role of the
Composer (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers) 48-79.
