The release of the series "Alien" took place in 2014. The show immediately received recognition from viewers and critics. In this article, we will talk about the plot of the series, the actors who played the main roles, and reviews.
Characteristic
By the genre of “Alien Woman” they are referred to as a fantastic drama. The series is the brainchild of the United Kingdom and the United States. The plot was based on the books of the American writer Diana Gabledon. The first episode was premiered on the Starz cable channel in the United States on August 9, 2014. Then the series “Alien” began to appear in Russia and the CIS countries. The reviews of spectators and critics after the premiere were mostly positive, in addition, the picture received a number of prestigious awards.
The creator of the series was Ronald D. Moore, an American producer and screenwriter known for his work on Star Trek.
Creature
Initially, the rights to the film adaptation of the works of Diana Gabledon were bought by the company Essential Entertainmen, owned by Jim Kolberg. And for several years, Ronald Moore persuaded its owner to abandon the idea of ​​filming a full-length picture and adapt the book cycle to the television series. It took a lot of effort for Kolberg to finally agree.
Co-producer Meryl Davis and wife Terry Dresbuck, who were longtime fans of Gabledon’s work, suggested the idea of ​​filming the saga to Moore. After that, Davis and Moore met with the writer and spent a week discussing books, the main characters and various screen versions. And on July 17, 2012, the media announced the start of work on the on-screen adaptation of the Gabledon saga.
Several companies took up the production - Essential Entertainmen, owned by Moore himself, J. Kolberg's Story Mining and Supply Company and British Left Bank Pictures. At the same time, Starz received the exclusive right to show the premiere in the United States.
The series "Alien": the script
The plot was based on the first book of the series “Alien Woman”, published in 1991. Moore, Ann Canny, Tony Grafia and many others led the script. If we compare the series with the book, then the first one was made a lot of changes, for example, the role of Frank Randall expanded, and the images of Angus and Rubert were also processed. Nevertheless, the series “Alien” has retained much in common with the original. The plot of the second season was based on book 2 of the Dragonfly in Amber cycle, published in 1992.
Overall, the series tells the story of Claire Randall, a married nurse living during World War II. During her next walk in mysterious stone circles, she mystically manages to move in time. From 1945, Claire falls into the distant 1743th. Here, a young attractive girl at every step is in serious danger.
Claire is well aware that in these wild times she needs a defender. Therefore, despite the fact that she is waiting for her legal husband at home, she marries Jamie Fraser, a Scottish warrior, a romantic and noble man with an incredible sense of humor. A very passionate relationship begins between the newlyweds.
Despite the love line, which is the main one, the series is also a historical project. Therefore, lovers of Scottish landscapes, costumes of the sample of the middle of the XVIII century, a detailed description of life may also be interested in “Alien Woman”.
Location
Filming of the 1st season of “Alien Women” began in October 2013 in the expanses of Scotland and ended only in August 2014. A studio was fully equipped specially for the film crew near Glasgow in the suburbs of Cumbernold.
The prototype of the proud Inverness, where the heroine lived in 1940, was Falkland, and Rannoch Moore was the cromlech of Crack-on-Doon. Filming related to the castle of Lioch took place in the palace of Kuross and the castle of Dun. The role of Fort William was played by Blackness Castle and Linlithgow Palace. The final episodes of the 1st season were filmed in the small coastal town of Trune (Scotland).
Filming 2 seasons took place in the above places, as well as in the south of Great Britain. The events that took place according to the script in Paris were filmed in Prague.
The series "Alien": seasons
To date, it is known that the developers have planned 4 seasons so far. This was reported on June 1, 2016 at the 25th anniversary of the first publication of the book “Alien Woman”. But so far only 2 seasons have been released.
The first came out from August 9, 2014 to May 30, 2015 and included 16 episodes lasting an hour. The season ends with the heroine leaving for France, where she hopes to prevent the battle of Calloden.
The second season came out with less breaks - from April 9, 2016 to July 9 of the same year. In total, viewers saw 13 new episodes of their favorite series. This season begins with the return of the main character in due time, and continues with her memories of what happened after they sailed to France. In addition, Claire throughout the episodes tries to unravel the mystery of the stone, which can move people in space and time.
Costumes
Terry Dresbuck became a costume designer for the series. He tried to recreate, as far as possible, the clothes that Europeans wore, since the events described in the books go far beyond the borders of Scotland in the 18th century. For example, the uniform for the soldiers of the British Army had to be sewn all specially for filming. It turned out that all the costumes that could be rented were not in the right shades. In addition, I had to abandon the various colors of clan tartans, which were described in such detail by Gabledon. A number of original colors were specially developed for the series. Among the interesting facts can be called the fact that for each of the actors who played the Scots, various ways of wearing a kilt were chosen.
In season 1, viewers could follow the carefully restored process of donning 18th century dresses by English women.
The tremendous work on costumes has also been repeatedly noted by critics and viewers.
Music
Bear McCriry, Emmy laureate, with whom Moore had already collaborated on the set, was chosen as the composer.
In the main theme of the picture, a folk song of Scotland, called The Skye Boat Song, was used. It tells how Karl Stewart fled to the Isle of Skye after being defeated at the Battle of Calloden. At the same time, the original version was replaced by a creative revision of R. Stevenson. The song is performed by the famous singer Raya Yarbro.
The soundtracks were based on the motives of the most famous Scottish folk songs. For recording, mainly Scottish national instruments were used, for example, accordion, bagpipes, bowran, whistles, etc.
Actors
Quite a long work from Ronald D. Moore demanded the series "Alien". Actors (photos are presented in this article), which look so harmoniously on the screens, did not pick up right away. Initially, Moore assumed that difficulties would arise with the search for a candidate for the role of Jamie, but with the actress who will perform Claire, there will be no problems. But everything turned out exactly the opposite. Sam Hughen was the first performer to join the series. Then the actors were selected for the roles of Jonathan and Frank Randalls, the brothers Colum and Dougal Mackenzie and many others. And only then it was announced that Katrina Balf would play the main character. Moore himself admitted that the search for the actress took him a lot of time and took a lot of energy.
Now let's talk in more detail about the leading actors.
Katrina Balf
Actress and model hailing from Ireland. At the time the series began, the actress turned 34 years old, which did not stop her from playing 27-year-old Claire. Before starting a movie career, Katrina was one of Ireland's most successful fashion models. She participated in shows in New York, Paris, Milan, and in 2002 was the first of the Irish models on the Victoria's Secret show.
But in 2007, Balf decided to end her modeling career. After that, she decided to realize her cherished desire - to become an actress. However, her first appearance on the screen took place in 2006, when she starred in the film "The Devil Wears Prada".
Even before the TV series “Alien Woman” (the actors for whom they began to be selected since 2013), Katrina managed to star in several films, including: “Super 8”, “Illusion of Deception”, “Plan of Escape”. However, the real success of the actress brought the role of Claire Randall. The girl was often talked about in the press, and in 2014, Rolling Stone magazine included her among the sexiest people in the world.
In addition, the actress for her role in Alien was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress.
Sam hewan
Scottish film and theater actor. Born April 30, 1980. For the career of Hyuen became a big event series "Alien." Actors were selected long enough, but Huang was the first to be approved.
His acting career began in 2002, but did not bring much fame. Theater roles, several television series and soap operas such as Cities on the River and Doctors have remained in the past. The actor also tried in various films and series, including The Game of Thrones and Superman Returns, but failed. One of Huang's successful works can be called the main role in the BBC drama "First Light".
Performing the role of Jamie in "Alien" brought Hewan fame, and he received the "People's Choice" award. The BBC called him the favorite British actor in the United States. In 2014, the actor and his shooting partner Katrina Balf were named the best movie pair according to the TV Guide magazine.
Tobias Menzies
British film and theater actor. The most famous work of the artist was the role of Junius Brutus in the series "Rome". Born March 7, 1974 in London.
Menzies’s television career began in 2000 with the series “Purely English Killings”. Then came the roles in Special Forces Elite, Foyle War, and Catastrophe.
For the first time hit the big screen in the same 2000, playing a secondary role in the low-budget film The Low Down. In parallel, Menzies performed at various West End theaters. As you can see, Tobias’s acting career is progressing pretty well, so the Alien Woman series didn’t play a special role for him. The reviews of the audience, of course, did their job and attracted the attention of the actor, but the success of “Rome” for Menzies was much more significant. Nevertheless, the film brought Tobias new fans and attracted more interest in him.
Critic reviews
Mostly positive feedback received "Alien" (TV series). Critics' reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic sites characterized the film as a compelling and unique adaptation of the original novel, which succeeded thanks to the excellent play of the actors and the magnificent scenery.
The Huffington Post has characterized the first episode as a masterpiece of amazing depth. Entertainment Weekly magazine rated the show A and called him smart, sexy, and exciting. The blog of the New York publication also noted the series Alien, the reviews described the novelty as a cross between a fantasy romance novel, a military drama and a story about time travelers.
On the site of the AV Club, the series was rated A and it was noted that “Alien” also popularized Scotland in the mid-18th century as “Downton Abbey” - England began in 1912.
Viewers reviews and ratings
Very good were immediately after the show reviews of the TV series "Alien." Season 2 was also warmly received and did not disappoint fans. But let's talk about this in more detail.
The first series was watched by 720 thousand viewers, and already on the weekend the figure increased to 2.3 million. If you take into account Internet browsing and recordings, which is about 1.4 million more, the series showed the best start in the history of Starz. It's hard to believe, but by the 3rd episode the number of viewers has increased to 4 million. And by the 9th episode, the number of people who watched the series increased by 69%, compared with the 1st.
If you believe the rating of Nielsen, then “Alien” was the most discussed topic on Twitter on the day of the premiere of the series.
But these are foreign viewers, but what do Russians think about the picture? Note that in our country, the series also has many fans and fans. These are mainly women, since the series has a clear romantic focus. Fans celebrate the exciting plot, the wonderful play of the actors, magnificent costumes and stunning landscapes. The historical basis adds even more acuteness to the picture.
Among those who did not like the series, mostly men. Among the shortcomings, they call a small number of battle scenes, the focus of the plot on the relationship of the main character and her lover. Also note the lack of authenticity of the characters and a large number of romantic scenes.
From this we can conclude that the audience of the series are mainly women, as was the case in the United States and European countries.
Awards
The series "Alien", reviews of which were mostly laudatory, received many awards and nominations. Among them:
- "Saturn";
- “The Choice of Television Critics” (2014 and 2016);
- Emmy
- The Golden Globe.
Related TV shows
Quite unusual and original turned out to be Alien. Therefore, it’s rather difficult to find similar series. Nevertheless, here are some films that can be compared with Moore's brainchild:
- "The crisis of tender age";
- "One night";
- "News Service";
- Quarry Mercenary;
- "Kingdom";
- "Scandal".
Today is the unfinished Alien Woman (TV series). The release of the episodes of the 3rd season is scheduled for 2017, a more accurate date is still unknown.