Alien Autopsy
Encyclopedia
Alien Autopsy is a 2006 British comedy film with elements of science fiction, directed by Jonny Campbell
. Written by William Davies
, it relates the events surrounding the famous "alien autopsy
" film promoted by Ray Santilli
and stars Ant McPartlin
and Declan Donnelly
, also known as Ant & Dec
. The film was a moderate commercial success domestically, making #3 on the British box office chart.
, go to America
to find Elvis memorabilia to sell on the market
stall he runs in London
. Harvey, a former US Army cameraman, sells them a silent black and white film
of Elvis
performing live (to which Ray later adds a homemade soundtrack), but later returns with a very intriguing offer. Ray and Harvey go to Miami, Florida
to see a film from 1947 showing the autopsy
of an alien
supposedly killed in a UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico
. Harvey wants $30,000 for the film. Gary and Ray look for an investor to give them the money. A Hungarian
art dealer
, Laszlo Voros, who is obsessed with crop circles, gives Ray the $30,000 after reassuring Voros that he told the truth. Harvey gets the money and gives the film to Ray and Gary. However, in the interim, the film has eaten itself (i.e. degraded from humidity and heat) and is now completely unwatchable, so the duo decide to fake it in order to remain on the good side of Voros. Based on Ray's memories of the content of the original, and with the help of some friends, plus a very convincing replica of the dead alien made from a mannequin and meat products from a friend's butcher shop, Ray and Gary remake the autopsy film, using a supposed Bell and Howell spring-wound camera that does not record sound, while turning the living room
of Gary's sister's home into a movie set in the process. Once finished, Ray gives a copy of the new film to Voros, who believes it with the retro camera pictures being the main cause. But when Voros hears that the film is going on air worldwide, he demands – very threateningly – that they take it off, or else. Ray is eventually saved from possible grievous bodily harm
when Voros is knocked down and killed by a green Land Rover
(supposedly the CIA) whilst standing naked in the middle of a crop circle.
A news anchorwoman eventually tracks down Harvey, who demands from Ray and Gary that they help him keep his anonymity. They produce an interview with a homeless person (who used to be an actor 40 years ago at the time of events) posing as Harvey, making the anchorwoman believe she is onto the wrong man. The film ends with the now restored original 1947 film, which Ray had left in the hands of film restoration experts in the hope that the footage could somehow be recovered, being returned to them; some sections that were beyond repair having been remade. After watching the film, Ray and Gary bury it, telling each other that they can't go through with it all over again.
The film also contains brief appearances by Ray Santilli
, Todd Sherry and Gary Shoefield
.
by Warner Home Video on July 3, 2006.
Jonny Campbell
Jonny Campbell is a British television director.-TV:* Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights 2 Episodes * Spooks * Ashes to Ashes * Doctor Who...
. Written by William Davies
William Davies (screenwriter)
William Davies is an English screenwriter and film producer. He has written and co-written a number of Hollywood blockbusters including the 1988 Twins, Johnny English, Alien Autopsy, Flushed Away, and most recently, How to Train Your Dragon and Johnny English Reborn.The British-born Davies is a...
, it relates the events surrounding the famous "alien autopsy
Alien autopsy
An alien autopsy refers to a medical examination and dissection of the dead body of an extraterrestrial being. Such a procedure would more accurately be called an "alien necropsy", since an "autopsy" is, by definition, performed on a subject who is the same species as the examiner...
" film promoted by Ray Santilli
Ray Santilli
Ray Santilli is a British musician, record, and film producer, best known for his exploitation in 1995 of the controversial "alien autopsy" footage, subject of the Ant & Dec film Alien Autopsy.-Life and career:...
and stars Ant McPartlin
Anthony McPartlin
Anthony David "Ant" McPartlin is one half of the English comedy and television presenting duo Ant & Dec, with the other being Declan Donnelly. He came to prominence in the children's drama series Byker Grove and as one half of the pop music duo PJ & Duncan...
and Declan Donnelly
Declan Donnelly
Declan Joseph Oliver "Dec" Donnelly is one half of the English acting and TV presenting duo Ant & Dec, with the other being Anthony McPartlin. He came to prominence in the children's drama series Byker Grove and as one half of the pop music duo PJ & Duncan...
, also known as Ant & Dec
Ant & Dec
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly , known collectively as Ant & Dec, are an English comedy and TV presenting duo from Newcastle upon Tyne, England...
. The film was a moderate commercial success domestically, making #3 on the British box office chart.
Plot
Ray Santilli, along with his friend Gary ShoefieldGary Shoefield
Gary Shoefield is a television and film producer and entertainment entrepreneur.Shoefield was portrayed in the 2006 film 'Alien Autopsy' by Ant McPartlin having been involved with the now famous footage from the very beginning with business partner and friend Ray Santilli.-Career:Shoefield has had...
, go to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to find Elvis memorabilia to sell on the market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
stall he runs in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Harvey, a former US Army cameraman, sells them a silent black and white film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
of Elvis
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
performing live (to which Ray later adds a homemade soundtrack), but later returns with a very intriguing offer. Ray and Harvey go to Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
to see a film from 1947 showing the autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
of an alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
supposedly killed in a UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
. Harvey wants $30,000 for the film. Gary and Ray look for an investor to give them the money. A Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
art dealer
Art dealer
An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art. Art dealers' professional associations serve to set high standards for accreditation or membership and to support art exhibitions and shows.-Role:...
, Laszlo Voros, who is obsessed with crop circles, gives Ray the $30,000 after reassuring Voros that he told the truth. Harvey gets the money and gives the film to Ray and Gary. However, in the interim, the film has eaten itself (i.e. degraded from humidity and heat) and is now completely unwatchable, so the duo decide to fake it in order to remain on the good side of Voros. Based on Ray's memories of the content of the original, and with the help of some friends, plus a very convincing replica of the dead alien made from a mannequin and meat products from a friend's butcher shop, Ray and Gary remake the autopsy film, using a supposed Bell and Howell spring-wound camera that does not record sound, while turning the living room
Living room
A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
of Gary's sister's home into a movie set in the process. Once finished, Ray gives a copy of the new film to Voros, who believes it with the retro camera pictures being the main cause. But when Voros hears that the film is going on air worldwide, he demands – very threateningly – that they take it off, or else. Ray is eventually saved from possible grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm is a term of art used in English criminal law which has become synonymous with the offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861....
when Voros is knocked down and killed by a green Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
(supposedly the CIA) whilst standing naked in the middle of a crop circle.
A news anchorwoman eventually tracks down Harvey, who demands from Ray and Gary that they help him keep his anonymity. They produce an interview with a homeless person (who used to be an actor 40 years ago at the time of events) posing as Harvey, making the anchorwoman believe she is onto the wrong man. The film ends with the now restored original 1947 film, which Ray had left in the hands of film restoration experts in the hope that the footage could somehow be recovered, being returned to them; some sections that were beyond repair having been remade. After watching the film, Ray and Gary bury it, telling each other that they can't go through with it all over again.
Cast
- Declan DonnellyDeclan DonnellyDeclan Joseph Oliver "Dec" Donnelly is one half of the English acting and TV presenting duo Ant & Dec, with the other being Anthony McPartlin. He came to prominence in the children's drama series Byker Grove and as one half of the pop music duo PJ & Duncan...
as Ray SantilliRay SantilliRay Santilli is a British musician, record, and film producer, best known for his exploitation in 1995 of the controversial "alien autopsy" footage, subject of the Ant & Dec film Alien Autopsy.-Life and career:... - Anthony McPartlinAnthony McPartlinAnthony David "Ant" McPartlin is one half of the English comedy and television presenting duo Ant & Dec, with the other being Declan Donnelly. He came to prominence in the children's drama series Byker Grove and as one half of the pop music duo PJ & Duncan...
as Gary ShoefieldGary ShoefieldGary Shoefield is a television and film producer and entertainment entrepreneur.Shoefield was portrayed in the 2006 film 'Alien Autopsy' by Ant McPartlin having been involved with the now famous footage from the very beginning with business partner and friend Ray Santilli.-Career:Shoefield has had... - Bill PullmanBill PullmanWilliam James "Bill" Pullman is an American film, television, and stage actor. Pullman made his film debut in the supporting role of Earl Mott in the 1986 film Ruthless People. He has since gone on to star in other films, including Spaceballs, Independence Day, Lost Highway, Casper and Scary Movie 4...
as Morgan Banner - Götz OttoGötz OttoGötz Otto is a German actor known for his very tall stature. He is 198 cm tall and is often characterised by bleached blonde hair in his films....
as Laszlo Voros - Morwenna BanksMorwenna BanksMorwenna Banks is a British comedy actress, writer and producer.Banks is perhaps best known in the UK as a cast member of the British Channel 4 comedy series Absolutely, where her best-known character was a schoolgirl who sat on the edge of a desk.She appeared as the Keeper of the Rules in the...
as Jasmine - Omid DjaliliOmid DjaliliOmid Djalili is a British Iranian stand-up comedian, actor, television producer and writer.-Personal life:Djalili was born in Chelsea, London to Iranian Bahá'í parents and is a Bahá'í himself...
as Melik - Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
as Harvey - Mike Blakeley and Matthew Blakeley as Camera team
- John ShrapnelJohn ShrapnelJohn Shrapnel is an English actor.Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Mary Lillian Myfanwy and journalist/author Norman Shrapnel....
as Michael Kuhn - Madeleine Moffatt as Nan
- John CaterJohn CaterJohn Edward Cater was an English actor.His television credits include: Danger Man, Z Cars, The Avengers, The Baron, Doctor Who , Follyfoot, Softly, Softly, Department S, Up Pompeii!, Dad's Army, The Naked Civil Servant, I, Claudius, Alcock and Gander, The Duchess of...
as Maurice - Lee OakesLee OakesLee Oakes is an English actor best known for his role as Munch Wilkinson in the British comedy Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and as Kev in the British television series After You've Gone a fellow builder and best mate of Jimmy Venables portrayed by Nicholas Lyndhurst.Oakes is...
as Edgar - Perry BensonPerry BensonPerry Benson is an English character actor best known for his regular roles in British television sitcoms You Rang, M'Lord? , Oh, Doctor Beeching! and Operation Good Guys .-Movie career:...
as Trading Standards officer - Jimmy CarrJimmy CarrJames Anthony Patrick "Jimmy" Carr is an English-Irish comedian and humourist. He is known for his deadpan delivery and dark humour. He is also a writer, actor and presenter of radio and television....
as Gary's manager - Winston Thomas as Zachary
- Michael Rouse as Young Harvey
- Pam Shaw as Aunty P
- David ThrelfallDavid ThrelfallDavid Threlfall is an English stage, film and television actor and director best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless. He has also directed several episodes of the show.-Early life:...
as Jeffrey (Film restorer) - Andrew Greenough as Preston
- Stephanie Metcalfe as Doreen
- Jonathan CoyJonathan CoyJonathan Coy is a British actor born in Hammersmith, London on 24 April 1953. He has worked since 1975 largely in television, notably as Henry in the long running legal series Rumpole and as Bracegirdle in the television series Hornblower, adapted from the books by C. S. Forester...
as Museum Director - Ian PorterIan Porter (actor)Ian Porter is an American actor now living in the UK. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was only 1 year old. He lived in Torrance, California until he graduated from Long Beach State University...
as Pentagon officer - Shane RimmerShane RimmerShane Rimmer is a Canadian actor and voice actor, probably best known as the voice of Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds.He has mostly performed in supporting roles, frequently in films and television series filmed in the United Kingdom, having relocated to England in the late 1950s, initially performing...
as Colonel - Naima Belkhiati as French TV buyer
- Miguel Angel Plaza as Mr Gonzalez
- Jeff HardingJeff HardingJeff Harding is an American actor from New England most famed for his narration of popular books into audio format. Notably, he has read The Da Vinci Code, The Bourne Identity, Kane and Abel and Secrets Of The Code...
as CIA agent - Kevin Breznahan as Junior TV executive
- Martin McDougallMartin McDougallMartin McDougall is an actor best known to US audiences for his role as the Tleilaxu Face Dancer Scytale in the Sci Fi Channel's 2003 miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.-External links:...
as Middle ranking TV executive - Lachele CarlLachele CarlLachele Carl is an American actress based in England.She has appeared in Grange Hill, Batman and Alien Autopsy.She also plays the recurring character of American news anchor Trinity Wells in Doctor Who, appearing in the episodes "Aliens of London", "World War Three", "The Christmas Invasion", "The...
as TV news anchor - Paul BirchardPaul BirchardPaul Birchard is an American actor living in Scotland and working worldwide. In 1986 he wrote and recorded the song "Diamonds Rap ", promoting the Glasgow Diamonds American football team...
as Senior TV executive - Sam DouglasSam DouglasSam Douglas is an American actor best known for his role as private detective Scott Shelby in PlayStation 3 game Heavy Rain. He has had several other roles in films and on stages...
as Network President - Adriana Yanez as Stewardess (Argentina)
- Nichole HiltzNichole HiltzNichole Marie Hiltz is an American actress. She has appeared in the film May, A Midsummer Night's Rave, and the Sci Fi Channel movie All Souls Day and since 2008 has played Brandi Shannon on the USA network television series In Plain Sight.Hiltz has made guest appearances on several television...
as Amber Fuentes - Luis Soto as Peruvian TV host
- Christina Piaget as Interviewer
- Christina Souza as Stewardess (Mexicana)
- Bradley LavelleBradley LavelleRichard Bradley 'Ivan' Lavelle was an actor, television actor and voice actor.Born in Toronto, Canada, Lavelle appeared in Clive Barker's Hellbound: Hellraiser II horror film as Officer Kucich, Cormack in Nightbreed, Party Guest in The Dressmaker, Sergeant in Memphis Belle, and did the voice for...
as NY host - Orson BeanOrson BeanOrson Bean is an American film, television, and Broadway actor. He appeared frequently on televised game shows in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including being a long-time panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth....
as Homeless man - Sophia EllisSophia EllisAnna Sophia Ellis is a British actress and dancer.- Movie career :Ellis first big role was as UFO Enthusiast in Alien Autopsy and her first main role was the role of Anna McKenzie in The Zombie Diaries...
as UFO Enthusiast
The film also contains brief appearances by Ray Santilli
Ray Santilli
Ray Santilli is a British musician, record, and film producer, best known for his exploitation in 1995 of the controversial "alien autopsy" footage, subject of the Ant & Dec film Alien Autopsy.-Life and career:...
, Todd Sherry and Gary Shoefield
Gary Shoefield
Gary Shoefield is a television and film producer and entertainment entrepreneur.Shoefield was portrayed in the 2006 film 'Alien Autopsy' by Ant McPartlin having been involved with the now famous footage from the very beginning with business partner and friend Ray Santilli.-Career:Shoefield has had...
.
Releases
The film was released as a Region 2 DVDDVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
by Warner Home Video on July 3, 2006.