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The Quiet Earth

post #1 of 16
2/7/08 at 10:53pm
Thread Starter 
I remember being interested in this film when it was released. Twenty-three years later, I finally got around to seeing it.

It's a fascinating little science fiction film, with no action, almost no special effects to speak of, and a cast of three. I'm not a great fan of the woman's performance, which is a shame, as she's kind of the lynchpin for the character drama, but the two men are both very good.

And then there's that ending. Awesome stuff. It's just a shame that the marketing people couldn't exert some self-control and not use that final image, because it's a very arresting and iconic one.
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post #2 of 16
2/7/08 at 11:13pm
Ooo, I'm adding this one to my new 'Lost and Found' list too. I just got it from Amazon. Shit, almost all the films I've selected have been mentioned in these forums recently. I was thinking about suggesting this one as a sort of remedy to I Am Legend.
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post #3 of 16
2/8/08 at 12:20am
I always liked this movie. Like Greg said, it's just a fascinating, thoughtful science fiction film that really presents an interesting scenario explored in a rather plausible way. As an aside, I feel that the opening of 28 Days Later was pretty heavily influenced by this film.
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post #4 of 16
2/8/08 at 1:41am
Love this movie. As far as the "last man on Earth" subgenre goes, its probably my favorite.
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post #5 of 16
2/8/08 at 3:25am
This one's neat. A clever, low-budget sci-fi film worth seeing.

To see more of the director's work, check out a weird little gem called Utu, Young Guns 2, Under Siege 2, and Fortress 2, as well as the second unit direction on the LOTR trilogy.
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post #6 of 16
4/19/09 at 4:23pm
Saw The Quiet Earth this morning, the final image to this film is stunning. I felt the first half hour to be a very honest depiction of human behaviour if placed into that situation. I thought the scene where he tries on the slip and touches himself was the most powerful in showing his yearning for human contact, it's funny how he continues to wear it for the next few days when he has all those outfits available to him?

Good sci-fi but not sure if it's a film i would find myself revisiting often. Very slow-burning but again, by god that final image!!!
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post #7 of 16
4/19/09 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
To see more of the director's work, check out a weird little gem called Utu
This guy is an awful director. I can't remember his name right now, but all of these movies are shit.

UTU is an absolute boring mess. The lead character - a colonist whose family was murdered by savages and seeks bloody revenge - disappears for about 40 minutes of screentime, and when he comes back into the storyline, he has inexplicably devolved into a zany eccentric who pops out of barrels with a big grin on his face like a vaudeville clown. So bizarre.
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post #8 of 16
4/19/09 at 8:18pm
To hear you describe it, it'd be in your top 20.
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post #9 of 16
4/19/09 at 8:35pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, that description makes it sound almost as disjointed as Moonraker.
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post #10 of 16
4/19/09 at 8:44pm
Rewatched this not long ago - yeah, it's cool all right, mainly due to the late, great Bruno Lawrence (a real everyman but also a little eccentric), the terrific score and, of course, that incredible final image.

Did running the end credits over Zac on the beach help or hurt the scene, do you think? I used to reckon it was a dodgy move but the last time I watched the movie I thought it was actually pretty interesting that the credits ran during this pivotal moment.
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post #11 of 16
4/19/09 at 8:53pm
Thread Starter 
As I recall, it does give some screen time to his reaction before starting up the credits, though. I certainly don't remember it hurting the movie for me.
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post #12 of 16
8/11/10 at 2:29am
Does anyone subscribe to the theory that [spoiler]our protagonist is alone the entire time[/spoiler]?
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post #13 of 16
8/11/10 at 3:16am
Thread Starter 
Not really. I give it about as much credence as the theory that Travis Bickle didn't really shoot up that place, or that Ronnie didn't really shoot the flasher. These are all interesting ideas, but they rob the narrative of any drama. It all becomes pointless as a story.
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post #14 of 16
8/11/10 at 3:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg David View Post
Not really. I give it about as much credence as the theory that Travis Bickle didn't really shoot up that place, or that Ronnie didn't really shoot the flasher. These are all interesting ideas, but they rob the narrative of any drama. It all becomes pointless as a story.
I thought the Bickle theory was that he died after the shootout.
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post #15 of 16
8/11/10 at 3:20am
Thread Starter 
There's another theory that the entire slaughter was a fantasy sequence that happened only his head. It's bullshit, but it's the kind of bullshit that certain kind of film geeks love to play in.
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post #16 of 16
8/11/10 at 3:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg David View Post
Not really. I give it about as much credence as the theory that Travis Bickle didn't really shoot up that place, or that Ronnie didn't really shoot the flasher. These are all interesting ideas, but they rob the narrative of any drama. It all becomes pointless as a story.
My gut reaction is that I agree with your perspective.

I haven't seen the film in so long, but it's been back in my mind lately and I'm going to revisit it soon. I just remembered that particular theory floating out there on IMDB and wondered if it was just some fringe thinking, or if it was something that people actively debated about with this film.
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