In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream 'Authorship!' The Shift of Authorship in the Alien Franchise from the Producer to the Director to the Star

Abstract

This thesis discusses the issue of authorship in the Alien film franchise. An attempt is made to dissect how the films are influenced by the producers of the franchise, the directors of each film and the star playing the main role in them. The main issue is how authorship shifts from one agent to another between installments.The first part of the thesis is an analysis of each of the four directors who have directed an Alien film, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and how their specific tendencies formed each Alien film to fit their own directorial vision as much as conforming their installment to a genre or a previous entry. All four directors had considerable influence on both the style and story of their respective films, but while the first two, Scott and Cameron, are considered “authors” of their respective installments, the second two are not. The reasons for that are argued in the second and third part.The second part of the thesis discusses Sigourney Weaver and her stardom, which plays an important part in the shifting authorship of the Alien franchise. Her career and the evolution of her celebrity over the 18 years between the first Alien installment and the last is discussed and analyzed. She evolved from being a newcomer to a prominent film star while regularly returning to the same character.The third part discusses the perception and reception of each Alien installment by analyzing reviews and promotional material for the films. This approach brings the shift of authorship over the Alien films from the producers to the directors to the star into clear light.