I originally saw this movie (The Quiet Earth) in the theater (probably the Cedar-Lee) when it was released in 1986. It's about a man who wakes up and finds he is all alone in the world-everyone else has disappeared. Eventually, a young woman appears and life looks more optimistic. A love triangle emerges when an aborigine also appears. But the event that caused the whole of humanity to disappear (with a few exceptions) is not over and threatens their existence.
I'm not sure what made me think of this movie and track the DVD down (I borrowed it through the inter-library loan program). I have a VHS copy in my collection buried in a box in storage. I think I was feeling lonely (surprise!).
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| DVD Cover. |
The DVD was pretty basic: Movie, trailer/preview, producer's commentary (there was also a little booklet that included an essay). No closed captions or subtitles so I had to pay close attention to hear the dialogue. The commentary was very interesting since producer Sam Pillsbury also drafted the script based on a book (by Craig Harrison). He had a lot of details about the script, the set, and production.
After 30 years it was like seeing a new movie. I didn't remember a lot of the details or the ending (shown on the DVD cover and poster above). The Quiet Earth is a thoughtful movie that I am glad I watched. While it's not an action film nor does it have cutting edge special effects (they still look good) or weird alien creatures, it raises all sorts of issues regarding sexual relations, scientific responsibility and its relationship with military power. Worth a watch if you want to stimulate your brain.
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Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_Earth_(film)
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Written Saturday 23 April 2016
