Xenogenesis (film)

Xenogenesis is a 1978 Canadian-American science fiction short film that was the directorial debut of James Cameron. It stars William Wisher Jr. and Margaret Umbel.

Xenogenesis
Directed by
Produced by
  • James Cameron
  • Randall Frakes
  • Alvin J. Weinberg
Written by
  • James Cameron
  • Randall Frakes
Starring
Music byBernard Herrmann
Release date
  • 1978 (1978)
Running time
12 minutes
Country
  • United States
  • Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20,000

Premise

A woman and an engineered man are sent in a gigantic sentient starship to search space for a place to start a new life cycle. The man, Raj decides to take a look around the ship. He comes across a gigantic robotic cleaner. Combat ensues as Laurie must battle the robot using a ship with four legs.

Cast

Production/Reception

Cameron raised $20,000 from local dentist to fund the movie. Most of the film was shot in his living room and the methods he used were self taught.[1][2] Learning as they went, Cameron said he felt like a doctor doing his first surgical procedure.

It was noted in A Critical Companion to James Cameron that the scene from Aliens where Ripley yells at the Queen Alien was similar to a scene in this movie. It was also noted that many of the themes that would appear in later Cameron movies, included a strong female character, can be first found here.[3]

The dentist pulled out of the project based on the screened demo, but the work was seen as advanced by Roger Corman enough to get Cameron work on Piranha II and Battle Beyond the Stars [4]

Home Release

The film is available on YouTube [5]

References
  1. https://indiefilmhustle.com/xenogenesis-short-film-james-cameron/
  2. "James Cameron and his unmade films". Den of Geek. February 4, 2015. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  3. Barkman, A. (2018) Critical Companion to James Cameron. Lexington Books
  4. https://www.slashfilm.com/bdsf-james-camerons-xenogenesis/
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KpZRJ4HE4Q
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.