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Memory: The Origins of Alien

2019

Alexandre O. Philippe

Documentary

6.5

266

Documentary "Memory" was a script that Dan O’Bannon started in 1971, abruptly hitting a wall at page 29. But after the idea gestated for several years, it ultimately took the form of Ridley Scott’s masterpiece Alien.

	Author	Review
United States	Owen Gleiberman Variety	"Philippe does for Ridley Scott's 'Alien' what he did for Hitchcock's shower scene in '78/52': finds the hypnotic meaning in its horror (...) An essential, bracing piece of movie scholarship"	POS
United States	David Ehrlich IndieWire	"A fun but frustrating look at the myths that shaped a masterpiece (...) It reaffirms the film’s basic power without probing deeply enough to achieve any power of its own"	NEU
United States	Jordan Raup The Film Stage	"[It] cogently shows the perfect synthesis of collaborators needed to take science-fiction in a bold, dark new step (...) The greatest testament to Philippe’s new documentary is that it’ll make you want to relive it immediately."	POS
United States	William Bibbiani The Wrap	"Although Philippe’s documentary oversells its thesis — and suffers from glaring omissions — it’s a thoughtful love letter to a fascinating classic."	NEU
United States	Todd McCarthy The Hollywood Reporter	"Buffs will be transported (...) Saving some of the best for last, director Philippe makes outstanding use of footage of what in the trade is called the money shot, the startling payoff that everything has been building toward"	POS
United Kingdom	Fionnuala Halligan Screendaily	"The doc works best when it simply focuses on how O’Bannon, Giger and, Scott brought 'Alien' to the screen, a perfect creative storm (...) There’s plenty of nuggets of information to relish"	POS
United States	Meredith Borders Bloody Disgusting	"With 'Memory', Philippe brings us not only into the minds but the hearts of three brilliant men who created a world that moved us all (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

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