How important was Ripley as a female (“Alien”) to sci-fi genre?
“Hero Complex” (LAT) offers this overview of the recent Scream 2010 event:
There are a half-dozen actors who might be crowned as the “King of Sci-Fi Films,” but a few of them, like Harrison Ford of “Star Wars” and “Blade Runner” fame, might run screaming from the genre’s throne room. There is only one true and rightful queen, however, and on Sunday night she emerged from a giant steaming alien egg at the Greek Theatre to warmly greet thousands of her adoring subjects.
“I do love science fiction and the roles it presents for women,” Weaver said not long before walking out on stage at the Scream 2010 Awards, which air Tuesday on Spike TV and represent pop culture’s surging Comic-Con energy the same way the MTV Video Music Awards keyed to the shifting dynamics of the 1980s. The sold-out crowd at the Greek cheered through a long rainy night — zombie make-up and lingerie, by the way, produce unpredictable results when water is added — and stars and filmmakers such as James Cameron, Halle Berry, Mickey Rourke, Anthony Hopkins, Bill Murray, Christopher Nolan, Kristen Stewart and Megan Fox paraded across the stage guarded by fire-breathing gargoyles.
No one got a bigger reception than Weaver, who starred in four “Alien” films, “Avatar,” two “Ghostbusters” movies and ”Galaxy Quest” (and loaned her voice to “WALL-E“ as the ship computer). ”Avatar” is a history-making monster with $2.8 billion at theaters worldwide but Weaver is best known as Ripley, the wildly resilient human heart of the “Alien” films and a character she has brought to the screen in three separate decades. The original 1979 film, directed by Ridley Scott, was her first starring role and the 1986 sequel, directed by Cameron, earned Weaver the first of her three career Oscar nominations.
“Everything began for me with Ripley,” the 61-year-old said at her hotel a few hours before the awards show. “When people talk about her, a lot of them say, ‘It must be odd for you to have done so much work and have people always talk to you about Ripley.’ But she made it possible for me to do all of these other genres and yet I always got to come home to her. So, no, I never get tired of her.”
Of course, we all know it was originally written as a role for a man, but it’s hard to imagine Ripley being anything more than just a nice turn as a guy. But as a woman? Completely elevated the movie. Here’s an essay by Nick Goundry on the importance of Ripley as a female and her influence on sci-fi:
Science-fiction was a male-dominated genre until the arrival of Ridley Scott’s Alien in 1979. Although the part of Ellen Ripley was originally written for a man, it was actress Sigourney Weaver who was eventually cast, and would play the role three more times over the following twenty years. Ripley spectacularly bucks the trend of the hysterical and helpless female who requires rescuing by her burly male counterparts. Calm, systematic and necessarily detached from her emotions, she is science-fiction cinema’s first alpha-female. Indeed, her actions very nearly save the crew of the spacecraft Nostromo towards the end of the film’s first act. When Kane (John Hurt) is attacked by an alien facehugger, Captain Dallas (Tom Skerrit) and Lambert (Veronica Cartright) demand that Ripley ignore the ship’s quarantine procedures and let them back inside straightaway. In line with her strong character, Ripley refuses, and it is only when Ash (Ian Holm) decides to open the door manually that the crew’s fate is sealed.
Lambert represents the traditional female character — hysterical and barely able to cope with the pressure of the situation when the alien begins its killing spree. Dallas, on the other hand, is initially presumed to be the alpha-male of the story. He is, after all, ship’s captain and physically strong. His early death therefore sends shockwaves through the story and the very genre itself as the film gleefully flies in the face of audience expectations. In the end, it is Ripley’s resourceful nature and ability to stay calm and focussed in a life-or-death situation, that results in her becoming the sole survivor and destroyer of the alien.
Interesting point. Metaphorically speaking, if you look at Lambert as right brain and Ash as left brain, there’s Ripley smack in the middle, capable of balancing both aspects of her psyche which is a good reason why she survives and the others don’t.
But let me circle back to make two points we can take away from the movie Alien:
* “Everything began for me with Ripley.” Actors salivate over great roles. It’s that level of originality and sheer coolness we should be aiming for when we develop our story’s characters.
* If you have a story and it feels a bit flat? Or unoriginal? Why not gender-bend it? Take that male lead and make them a woman. Same thing with a Nemesis. Or Mentor, Attractor, Trickster. Sometimes choosing a member of the opposite sex can transform a role.
Here is a montage of images of Ripley from all the Alien movies:
Track the range of emotions in the character. Great stuff. Great role. And thank God someone had the balls — or estrogen — to make Ripley a woman.
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