Lambert's original space suit

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Lambert's original space suit

Kane, Dallas and Lambert, crew members of the Nostromo, leave their ship to explore the surface of a small planet devoid of breathable atmosphere, in search of the wreck of the spaceship of alien origin whose distress call brought them here. Two spacesuits were made for each of the three characters. The first one was made to fit the actors: John Hurt (Kane), Tom Skeritt (Dallas) and Veronica Cartwright (Lambert).

The second one was a lot smaller to fit the ten-year old children who stood in for the actors in wide shots. This was done in order to make the sets look bigger. This beautifully simple idea, an old movie making trick, is wonderfully effective. The spacesuit presented here was worn by Jason Scott, son of director Ridley Scott, in the role of Lambert. This particular costume can be seen when the characters exit the Nostromo, then in the rocky landscape and finally inside the alien ship, on the Space Jockey set.

This costume designed by the great John Mollo, with a contribution by Jean ‘Moebius’ Giraud, is covered with tiny details. More so than a film camera can record but these details add a visual profuseness that give the audience the illusion of reality and makes them want to see the film again to catch all they feel they missed the first time.

The search light on the helmet is functional and the backpack is equipped with a working apparatus to simulate the ejection of the carbon gas that Lambert’s breathing would produce.