Alien Redux

Just thought I'd throw this together. I meant for it to be an article for the main site, but my internet is ass and I couldn't be bothered PMing Hicks Whistle

Anyway, for the curious!

---

The Alien Redux is a fan-made “virtual workprint” of Alien, reinserting all available deleted material from the film to make as accurate as possible a recreation of the original 3-hour workprint given the limited resources. Using footage from the 2003 Director’s Cut, the Alien 20th Anniversary Edition DVD, and the Alien Quadrilogy, the Alien Redux runs at 2:19 minutes, almost 25 minutes longer than the theatrical release.

Differences from the theatrical cut:

•   Jerry Goldsmith’s original music has been used in place of the final soundtrack, which was made from original music, plus cues from other Goldsmith scores.
•   Original production audio was used in many scenes (taken from the 20th anniversary DVD). Because of this, some pieces of off-screen dialogue are missing (Dallas doesn’t tell Ripley she’s not going into the vents; he only says that Ripley will go with Ash to cover the airlock), and there are various pieces of alternate/missing dialogue throughout (Some will be mentioned below).
•   Many new shots of the exterior of the ship have been reinserted – I’ve listed as many as possible, but I may have forgotten some. They appear all throughout the film.
•   There are also many small, seconds-long edits that appear throughout the film. As many have been mentioned as possible, but some remain unlisted.
•   Alternate opening credits. A still of the side of the planet with the credits appearing over it; the ALIEN title doesn’t appear piece by piece, but fades in and out.
•   Extended shots of the Nostromo at the beginning before moving inside the ship.
•   After waking up, we see Kane walk into the mess hall to start making coffee. He greets the characters as they walk in (off-screen).
•   A new exterior shot of the Nostromo bridges the post-“We’re not home yet” discussion with the crew listening to the transmission. Original transmission audio used, not the Director’s Cut static.
•   Additional shots of the Nostromo leaving the refinery and approaching the planet.
•   Additional shots of Dallas, Kane and Lambert on the planet leaving the Nostromo.
•   Alternate dialogue on discovering the derelict – The characters talk about what it might be before asking Ash if can see it, rather than staring in awe.
•   Voice-over from Dallas as they approach the derelict about moving in.
•   Additional footage of the crew exploring the exterior of the derelict, then a small scene showing them entering the ship, rather than cutting to them inside.
•   Dallas, Kane and Lambert set up the winch above the hole leading down to the egg chamber, rather than cutting to it already being set up. A new exterior shot of the derelict is used to bridge the new footage.
•   Ash helps Dallas and Lambert pull Kane into the airlock.
•   A shot of Kane with the face-hugger inside his helmet introduces the infirmary sequence, rather than cutting to them slicing the helmet open.
•   Lambert confronts Ripley about not letting them back into the ship.
•   After the acid spill, the crew gathers in the infirmary to check on Kane. Ash notes that the wound has healed; Ripley notices a stain on Kane’s chest.
•   Ripley talks to Parker and Brett about the repairs before going to see Ash about Kane.
•   The music Dallas is listening to comes in when Ripley leaves Ash, about a half a minute before we see Dallas in the shuttle.
•   On take off, there’s an additional shot of Dallas looking relieved.
•   The chest burster sequence is greatly extended. There are extra shots of the burster emerging and the crew reacting. Much more blood is shown, although mostly in unusable footage. After the burster flees, Dallas asks Parker and Brett to secure the area.
•   After Kane’s funeral, there’s an additional scene where the crew discuss ways of getting rid of the Alien. They decide on a cattle prod and net. A new exterior shot of the Nostromo bridges the scene with the next, where they display the tools.
•   Brett’s death is longer. There is a shot of the Alien hanging in the air as Brett washes his face with the water. We see the Alien drop down behind him in greater detail, with an additional close-up of the head. The shot of the tail snaking between his legs is here, rather than in the Lambert/Parker scene, and we see the Alien’s tail loop around Brett’s shoulder. There are more shots of Brett and the Alien grabbing him; Parker and Ripley enter just as he’s being hauled into the air.
•   During the vent sequence, a quick shot of the Alien’s mouth is inserted before Dallas finds the Alien drool and decides he wants to leave.
•   After Dallas’ death, Ripley doesn’t tell Ash to “do what [he’s] been doing; nothing”, seeing as she has access to Mother now; instead she tells him to continue collating until he gets some answers.
•   Ripley comforts Lambert after Ash leaves, and asks if she’s ever slept with him.
•   There is alternate dialogue from Parker when Ash is revealed to be a robot; Ridley Scott can be heard directing.
•   Ash’s “death” is different: rather than having his head knocked over by Ripley, she literally pulls the plug on him.
•   A shot of Lambert checking air cannisters has been inserted before the death scene.
•   Additional shots of the Alien during the Lambert/Parker death scene.
•   The cocoon scene is presented in its entirety, rather than the edited Director’s Cut version.
•   Ripley sees the Alien standing curled in the corridor before it looks up at her and she leaves. The Alien then knocks over Jones’ cat box after inspecting it.
•   Additional shot of the Nostromo as the shuttle leaves.
•   There is a shot of the shuttle flying through space bridging Ripley putting Jones in the hypersleep chamber and stripping.
•   There is an additional shot of the Alien after being blown out the airlock, seen from inside the ship as the Alien bounces off the door.

The Redux is purely a novelty for the fans. I found it much easier to sit through than I would have imagined – the extra 25 minutes don’t slow it down nearly as much as one would think – but it doesn’t make the film better … nor is it supposed to. As was stated, this is merely supposed to make the film as long as is humanly possible given the available footage, and it does just that.

Image quality has a tendency to change drastically, most notably in the cocoon sequence where it cuts between the raw 20th anniversary DVD footage and the polished 2003 DC footage. That being said, there is clearly some effort in places to change the additional unpolished footage to make it flow better – Brett’s death and the additional shots of the Alien in the Lambert/Parker attack scene.

Of all the additions, I only had a problem with one – The insert of the Alien’s mouth in the air-vents. The shot adds nothing, and doesn’t even appear to have been meant for that sequence. All the other shots fit into the film as one would expect, but that particular insert seems abstract, more like a mistake in editing than an intentional addition.

Otherwise, the Redux provides an interesting view into how the movie could have been, and allows us to see the film as a much broader story, even in the tiny confines of a space-ship, than is presented in the final cut. If you’re a fan of Alien and ever get the opportunity to watch the film, take it. It might not be better, but it sure as hell is an interesting ride.