Area 51: The Alien Interview
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| Area 51: The Alien Interview | |
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| Directed by | Jeff Broadstreet |
| Produced by | Bob Bishop Jeff Broadstreet Larry Finch |
| Written by | Robert Benson |
| Starring | Steven Williams Greg O'Neill (narrator) |
| Distributed by | Vega 7 Entertainment Adventurous Traveler |
| Release date(s) | 1997 |
| Running time | 65 mins |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Area 51: The Alien Interview is a documentary film released on video in 1997 which centers around color video footage claimed to have been obtained by a man who identifies himself only as "Victor," who purports it to be of an extraterrestrial being interrogated at a government facility.
Contents |
[edit] Video
[edit] Background
Victor maintains the footage was copied from a top-secret video originally recorded at Area 51. For fear of having his identity pinpointed, he never specifies whether he was an employee at the facility, but vaguely states that he "had reason to be present at Area 51...more than once." Though the documentary states the copy was smuggled out of Area 51, Victor once again strays from details by never specifically saying where the copying took place. He merely insists that an instance of "data leaking" occurred during a massive transfer of video documentation from video analog to digital disc storage in a "(lower) security system." Victor took advantage of the circumstances to copy the footage.
On July 26, 1996, after several unsuccessful attempts to get network television companies to view and subsequently air his video, Victor contacted Rocket Pictures, an independent home video distribution company based in Los Angeles. Company president Tom Coleman, though reluctant at first, agreed to produce a documentary based on the video after his telephone conversation with Victor. Coleman sought the opinion of outside experts before going forth with making the documentary, and invited ufologist Sean David Morton to view the video.
On March 13, 1997, Morton, being interviewed by Art Bell on the Coast to Coast AM radio show, made mention of the video and described it in great detail, thus marking it the first time the general public became aware of the video's existence. Victor himself would be interviewed by Bell just two months later. Calling from a phone and using a device to alter his voice, Victor also went into detail over the contents of the video.
[edit] Contents
The video is approximately two minutes and 55 seconds in length. It contains the bold white characters "DNI/27" imposed in the bottom left corner while a clock that runs upwards from "04:00:18:15" to "04:03:12:25" during the duration of the video appears in the bottom center.
A diminutive being that fits the description of that of the Greys is seated at a rectangular table. The subject, which Victor says was brought to Area 51 after its craft was shot down in 1989, is situated behind the end of the table farthest from where the video is being shot and is behind a large piece of glass which Victor describes as part of a "bio-containment area" meant to protect the alleged alien from microbes and viruses. Reflected in the glass is what appears to be two television monitors. The alien's head appears to be covered in bruises and what Morton suggests is a heart monitor can be seen on the table in front of the being.
A person who Victor claims is a military officer attempting to communicate with the alien telepathically can be seen in the left foreground, while a more casually-dressed human figure can alternately be seen entering/leaving the video in the right foreground. The room where the interview is taking place is very dimly lit, so darkness obscures the two and reveals them as nothing more than two unrecognizable shadowy figures. For the same reason, only the creature's head is continuously visible, while brief glimpses of its torso are also shown.
About halfway through the video, the alien becomes visibly distressed and appears to begin suffering from violent spasms and bouts of choking/gagging. The military officer signals for two medics, wearing scrubs and masks, to come to the aid of the convulsing alien. The medics shine a flashlight into its facial orifices, and one begins to wipe foam away from its mouth. At this point the video ends. It contains no audio, which Victor says he deliberately removed so that he could protect the anonymity of those who appear in the video.
[edit] Documentary
The documentary remains neutral over the dispute of whether the video is authentic or a hoax. A disclaimer urges viewers to "make a judgement based on all available information." It is hosted by actor Steven Williams, whose segments were filmed in Nevada on the other side of the mountains that surround Area 51. After an introduction giving a brief history of the base, there are re-enactments of the scenarios brought forth by the theories, beliefs, and opinions in regards to events that have occurred there since 1949. Also included are interviews with Bob Lazar and David Adair, both men who have claimed to have witnessed technology of extraterrestrial origin at Area 51, and Coleman, about his initial meetings with Victor.
Initially not wanting to give an interview for part of the documentary, Victor is advised by Coleman and agrees to grant one on the condition that he not be asked to divulge information that could be used to pinpoint his identity. Wearing a disguise, having a dark shadow cast over his face, and once again using a device that alters his voice, Victor declares the interview to be terminated within its first two minutes when he feels the questions being asked are not in compliance with the groundrule he set forth. After a lengthy discussion (not seen) over what questions can and can't be asked, Victor returns to the interview and talks at length about what typically transpires and is accomplished during the frequent interviews between the aliens and humans, gives a commentary on his own video, offers his view on government corruption, and discusses the situation regarding the potential risk to his safety before finally appearing to become too emotionally upset to continue.
[edit] Alleged authenticity
Examples from interviews featured in the documentary:
- Morton offers his own endorsement when he claims the video to be "revolutionary" and the features of the subject in the video is consistent with the exhaustive research done on the possible biological features of a "grey" based upon numerous reports from people who have claimed to come in contact with one. He also notes the "DNI" seen on the screen could stand for "Department of Naval Intelligence", which is a British designation (the U.S. naval intelligence arm is the Office of Naval Intelligence).
- Author Whitley Strieber, is quoted in the documentary as having said the alien in the video moved in a similar manner to the beings that he purports abducted him in 1986.
- Bell, drawing upon his countless conversations with callers on his show, would suggest that during his phone interview with Victor, he felt the conviction and collectiveness of a man who was telling the truth.
- UFO expert Robert Dean proclaimed the video as "powerful" and "real" based upon his own alleged first-hand experience with alien beings as an Army intelligence analyst in the 1960s.
- German author and UFO researcher Michael Hesemann notes that Victor's claims of the alien arriving at Area 51 after being retrieved from its downed craft in 1989 fits with a report that the South African Air Force shot down an alien saucer over the Kalahari Desert, also in 1989. Hesemann claims sources tell him of the two surviving passengers of the ship, one was sent to Area 51.
[edit] Alleged hoax
Examples from interviews featured in the documentary:
- Jim Dilettoso, an expert image analyst, first theorizes that the footage was transferred from film stock, which contradicts Victor's claim that the footage was copied from videotape. Upon further analysis, Dilettoso concludes that he can't rule out the slim possibility that the original source of the images was indeed videotape, and his analysis ultimately proved to be inconclusive.
- Hollywood animatronics and makeup effect artist John Criswell gives expert opinion on whether or not the creature in the video is real or fake. He ultimately decides that it's "probably fake" but doesn't rule out the possibility of the creature being authentic. Academy Award-winning makeup and creature effects artist Rick Baker is less convinced than Criswell. Baker quickly regards it as being completely fabricated and claims to be "not fooled at all" and surmises the alien as being nothing more than a puppet.
- The producers of the documentary themselves find it suspicious that Victor, by his own admission, sought monetary gain and ultimately did receive a profit by selling the rights to air the footage, thus contradicting Victor's claim that he merely wanted to show the public the truth in regards to the existence of alien beings. Victor insists that he "felt the need for some small measure of monetary freedom" to combat the eventualities that might arise due to his blowing the whistle on a secret government operation.
[edit] Criticism
Viewers have noted that elements of the documentary other than the alien video itself is highly suspect. Many point out what they see as sub-par over-acting by Victor, and his two poorly-executed "outbursts" added for dramatic effect. They also observe similar seemingly-unsincere wording from Coleman, and grow suspicious over the fact that although his company is depicted as producing and distributing the documentary within the documentary itself, Rocket Pictures is not credited with doing so, nor is Coleman credited with producing the feature. [1][2]
Victor's masked voice isn't exceedingly deceptive, and audio analysis indicates that to hear his real voice, the altered voice simply needs to be played with a slight percentage increase in its pitch. This leaves many doubtful as to why Victor didn't go to greater lengths in disguising his voice if he truly fears for his life and is attempting to avoid being caught by the government. [3]
However, less-skeptical viewers like to observe the fact that in the near-decade since the video was first screened, no one has come forward to take credit for it as a hoax, and that no one has sought celebrity status for their part in its release. [4]
[edit] Trivia
Dan O'Bannon, co-writer of the films Alien and Total Recall appears in one of the re-creation/flashback segments as the bow-tied interviewer asking an alien about the concepts of reincarnation and transfiguration.
