The Halloween re-release of buttock-clenching sci-fi horror Alien isn't interesting just for its clearly dated special effects where the Nostromo is a hi-tech space ship that can't stretch to colour computers. Actually, I found its ever-so-slight creakiness to be part of the flick's charm, reminding me of the halcyon days pre-Jar Jar Binks. Sigh.
"WHOSE BIG STAR IS..."
But neither that, nor even the pitch-perfect, irony-free icy chills of Ridley Scott's poised direction were my main fascination this time round, 24 years since the film was first released. It was more to do with the casting. Three Alien sequels down the line and when you mention the franchise, one name rushes to mind - Sigourney Weaver. So imagine my surprise when I was reacquainted with the credits for the first film. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Alien, whose big star is... Tom Skerritt!
In 1979, Tom was hardly a huge name (bit like today really) having only made a mark supporting in M*A*S*H and popping up in cult faves such as Big Bad Mama and Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke. But that was more than Sigourney Weaver, her fleeting scene in 77's Annie Hall hardly making her a megastar (though now a favourite of trivia compilers everywhere).
But that's the way it was. Tom headlining, Sigourney an afterthought. Funny how times change. But you know what? I wish they hadn't.
Seeing Sigourney supporting bigger stars in space (where no-one can hear you scream) made me dream of an alternate Alien franchise where Tom, John Hurt or Harry Dean Stanton were still her intergalactic travelling companions. Hurt's likeably crumpled turn as unlucky Kane (remember him? He had a bit of cough and then an alien burst out of his tum?) is all too brief before he snuffs it. Couldn't he pop up in the forthcoming Alien Vs Predator as a ghost complaining of stomach cramps?
But Alien's real star isn't Skerrit, Weaver, Hurt or Stanton. It's Yaphet Kotto as Parker. He was even credited as "... and Yaphet Kotto", that "and" being a shorthand way of telling the audience "you're very lucky to have him in this, y'know." And we were. You may remember him stealing Roger Moore's eyebrow thunder in Live And Let Die. He does much the same in Alien, though now he's almost forgotten.
"JIVE TALKIN' WIDEBOY"
But his 70s jive-talkin' wideboy is the treat of the whole film, sooo much better than Weaver's frankly school ma'am-ish Ripley. If Yaphet had been the only survivor we wouldn't have had that eerily maternal ambience of later Alien movies, but his no-nonsense, blue collar attitude (and, let's be honest, skin colour) would have been like nothing else in 80s cinema.
As for the Director's Cut aspect of this re-release, it's actually now 90-odd seconds shorter than the original, although a few extra shots have been added. It's a masterpiece, but that's not enough. Re-shoot the end so that Yaphet wins the day and then you'd have an Alien that's really out of this world.
