The Quiet Earth
iView Author:
Vikrant R Bhakta
(Dallas,TX)
Email:
vikrantbhakta [at] gmail [dot] com
The Quiet Earth
This is not a review. Last year around this time in my University video library, I stumbled upon this New Zealand sci-fi film “the Quiet Earth”. I liked it and I want to recommend it to PFC community. Its premise is similar to “I am legend”. He (a scientist) is the last man on earth…oh and he is not alone by the way. But that’s where the similarity ends. Thankfully there is no annoying dog involved…this movie is based in New Zealand and not USA. There are no zombies out there to kill him either. So what’s there in the film that drives it forward?
Here goes the plot line. Bruno Lawrence played the character of a scientist, who wakes up one morning to realize that he is the last man on earth, a lone survivor. He has no clue what happened and why? So, the movie is about how he discovers the cause for the disaster and more importantly, how he deals with this sudden realization that he is the last man on earth. Well, Loneliness (if forced) is sufficient to kill even the strongest person, unless he/she has a motive. Bruno Lawrence gives a brilliant performance! There are many exceptional scenes in the film. One of the best one is the monologue where Bruno addresses presidents. It is a remarkable scene. I will not describe more scenes as that would give away the plot (oh like you don’t know it by now). Actually, I am not good at writing so I had rather let you watch it instead of ruining the experience. I must point out that the special effects aren’t that great. Well, considering the movie was released in 1985 and was made on a relatively small budget, it is a good effort nonetheless. Also, please ignore the scientific explanation for the situation…some energy experiment going wrong and all that. It bothered me in the beginning but eventually Bruno convinced me. He was so good…too bad he is not alive anymore.
Seriously, after watching this movie when I saw “I am Legend”, I was very disappointed. “I am Legend” is technically a better movie and at times thrilling but that’s it. Oh how I wish they had focused more on the character’s emotional plight and not the cheap thrills. The ever reliable Bruce Willis couldn’t save it for me. I guess Robert Neville’s sketchy characterization is to be blamed for it.
Coming back to the quiet earth 
, direction is A-grade and camera work is pretty good. They played some really innovative tricks to create good effects. To be honest, I came to realize some of them after listening to director’s commentary. The story may appear simple at first but it’s full of metaphors and deeper meaning and with the ending you will realize that there is much more to it than meets the eyes. I strongly recommend this movie. Watch it for the way Bruno brings the feelings of loneliness, desperation and the madness alive on the screen.
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Added to my rental list. However ‘Bruce Willis’ ? ;)
What I do want to say in defense of “I am Legend” is it’s based on a novel written in the 50’s. The novel is what I’m defending. Read it & it will make you wonder why they didn’t stick to the original character & story for the film.
A superb book has become a Hollywood disappointment. I’ve yet to see your recommended “Quiet Earth” to see if it is any where even close to the brilliant novel.
@Ram jaane
No I was not blaming the book for it. By sketchy characterization I meant the playing to the gallery scenes and dialogs mouthed by Bruce.
So you have read Craig Harrison’s novel. I haven’t read it yet. I guess that worked in my favor.
If I have read the book before and I watch the movie, I can’t help but compare the director’s vision and setup with the one I created with the help of novel author and my imagination. Needless to say the movie version always disappoint.
Do watch Quit Earth and let me know your views on it.
I saw Quiet Earth twice at the Ritz Theater in its first run. Not only were the effects stunning enough to recall 23 years later, but so was the message.
That point, in my view, was about the hazards of “paternalism.” E.g., when a scientist unilaterally decides what’s best for everyone else because he assumes the common man won’t be able to understand such complex matters. However, that mindset can only lead to disaster. And in his case, it did more than once.
you still remember it…wow! I watched it last year only so my expectations for special effects were unfair.
“Paternalism”…interesting viewpoint. It kinda make sense if I try to think it that way. However, majority of the time Scientists are helpless. It is typically the case that people in power are the one calling the shots. More like Manhattan project. Regarding doing it more than once, I think it is debatable. Thats how I look at it. It has so many interpretation and thats one of the positive point of the story.
It is all the more commendable considering the time period it was released in. If I am not wrong movies like Mad max, Road worrier with brain dead action were very popular then.
@raam-jane
Bruce Willis was a mistake. I was thinking Will Smith and writing Bruce Willis. Thanks for pointing it out.