The Quiet Earth is a classic science fiction film, of a type that is rarely produced by Hollywood or anywhere else for that matter. But there are no spaceships, aliens, mutants, or big battles. There are a couple of explosions, but those are pretty obligatory for any movie, so they don't count.
Seriously speaking, The Quiet Earth is a masterwork of performance, understatement, and dialogue that is just as timely and potent today as it was back in 1985. An Oscar-worthy (but incredibly unnominated) performance by Bruno Lawrence dominate the film -- literally; the first half of the movie is a one-man show as he plays a haunted scientist who wakes up one morning to discover that a secret government project he'd been working on -- indeed had just resigned in disgust from -- had been tested. And he finds himself, apparently, the only man left alive on the planet. (Watching this film again some 20 years after I last saw it, I was reminded of the current controversy over HAARP stations which, on the surface, sound not too much different from Quiet Earth's "Project Flashlight").
The first half of the film offers a series of vignettes showing Lawrence's character slowly going mad - declaring himself president of earth, making friends with department store mannequins, and playing late-night saxophone solos on the deserted city streets. This part of the film clearly borrows from Charlton Heston's The Omega Man -- the DVD liner notes all but confirm this -- but it does so in a way that gives it its own unique voice. The resolution is also unique as our hero finally pulls himself back from the abyss of madness.
The second half of the film (and herein lies the real spoiler) in which our hero discovers a young redheaded woman still alive, gives viewers a chance to grasp at some normalcy, and actress Alison Routledge provides a vivacious and headstrong performance. Her chemistry with Bruno Lawrence is terrific, to the point where you actually share Lawrence's resentment when a third survivor is located. I'm disappointed that her film career never seemed to take off as evidenced by the rather short IMDb film list for her.
What I like about The Quiet Earth is there are so many opportunities for it to fall into cliché, but it manages to come up with fresh approaches almost every time. Even the unavoidable romantic triangle that forms among the survivors is handled with style and originality.
The unfortunate thing that has annoyed me for the last 22 years is that the very poster art for the film -- and, now, the DVD case -- is a huge spoiler for the end of the film. Yes, it's one of the most spectacular special effects shots in motion picture history, yet I wonder if anyone has ever managed to see this film without having already seen the poster art? What an impact those final images (coupled with a awe-inspiring theme score) must have on the unspoiled.
Like most truly good SF films, The Quiet Earth doesn't explain everything. And as such it may not be for everybody. But if you want a smart, occasionally surprisingly funny, and always challenging film guaranteed to spark discussion and repeated viewings, this is it.
Seriously speaking, The Quiet Earth is a masterwork of performance, understatement, and dialogue that is just as timely and potent today as it was back in 1985. An Oscar-worthy (but incredibly unnominated) performance by Bruno Lawrence dominate the film -- literally; the first half of the movie is a one-man show as he plays a haunted scientist who wakes up one morning to discover that a secret government project he'd been working on -- indeed had just resigned in disgust from -- had been tested. And he finds himself, apparently, the only man left alive on the planet. (Watching this film again some 20 years after I last saw it, I was reminded of the current controversy over HAARP stations which, on the surface, sound not too much different from Quiet Earth's "Project Flashlight").
The first half of the film offers a series of vignettes showing Lawrence's character slowly going mad - declaring himself president of earth, making friends with department store mannequins, and playing late-night saxophone solos on the deserted city streets. This part of the film clearly borrows from Charlton Heston's The Omega Man -- the DVD liner notes all but confirm this -- but it does so in a way that gives it its own unique voice. The resolution is also unique as our hero finally pulls himself back from the abyss of madness.
The second half of the film (and herein lies the real spoiler) in which our hero discovers a young redheaded woman still alive, gives viewers a chance to grasp at some normalcy, and actress Alison Routledge provides a vivacious and headstrong performance. Her chemistry with Bruno Lawrence is terrific, to the point where you actually share Lawrence's resentment when a third survivor is located. I'm disappointed that her film career never seemed to take off as evidenced by the rather short IMDb film list for her.
What I like about The Quiet Earth is there are so many opportunities for it to fall into cliché, but it manages to come up with fresh approaches almost every time. Even the unavoidable romantic triangle that forms among the survivors is handled with style and originality.
The unfortunate thing that has annoyed me for the last 22 years is that the very poster art for the film -- and, now, the DVD case -- is a huge spoiler for the end of the film. Yes, it's one of the most spectacular special effects shots in motion picture history, yet I wonder if anyone has ever managed to see this film without having already seen the poster art? What an impact those final images (coupled with a awe-inspiring theme score) must have on the unspoiled.
Like most truly good SF films, The Quiet Earth doesn't explain everything. And as such it may not be for everybody. But if you want a smart, occasionally surprisingly funny, and always challenging film guaranteed to spark discussion and repeated viewings, this is it.