The Earthling

This was on ShowTime or HBO a number of times in the early 80s when I saw it and whenever it was on I would stop down to watch it. Little Ricky Schroder is excellent at a young age and counters William Holden's maturity for an interesting balance of young and old. I'm not sure why the rating shows a 5.6 since over 60% of the votes for this film were over a 7 and the majority voted a 10. It is definitely worth a watch if you're a Holden fan like I am. While the premise seems unrealistic at first as we go through the movie we find there is much more to this than expected. I liked this movie for the outdoor scenery and the beautiful backwoods areas of Australia. If you get a chance to see this film, please do.

This is an "idea" film with a plot. It is deeply existentialist, and tries to drive home the point that we are alive and that this is beyond miraculous, that we must each make our way in this cold universe, ultimately dependent upon no one else. Through life is is hard, and we face death at the end, the struggle to survive is also deeply satisfying.

Holden's character Patrick Foley passes these concepts onto the boy played by Schroeder. The photography is magnificent; the acting is good. The script is incredible. A truly underrated movie.

Patrick Foley (William Holden) is dying, and he's returned to New South Wales after decades of living in the U.S. He plans on making a dangerous trek to the secluded valley where he lived as a child in order to die there. His plans are interrupted when he encounters Shawn (Ricky Schroder), a small American child vacationing in the area with his mother and father. His parents were killed in an accident, and Patrick is forced to take the boy along with him, teaching him the ways of survival so that Shawn can make the journey back to civilization by himself.

I'm usually not a fan of family films, or ones with a kid as a main character, but this one grew on me over time, and by the end I was moved by it. Schroder is still often annoying, particularly when he's shouting that he's God while swinging a dead rabbit around. Holden is craggy and weathered and tired looking, but his usual world-weariness fits with his role as a dying man. The real stars of the film are the beautiful locations and the almost comically abundant wildlife, of all shapes and sizes. This was the next to the last of Holden's credited roles, the very last being the sardonic film "S.O.B". the following year.

Most people I talk to perceive this as a bad or downbeat movie. And, yes I concur that it has a very sobering but uplifting point to make. I was 14 years old when I first saw this movie and I found it to be very telling. Most people can't seem to take care of themselves by the time they're in their late 20's, but here is a kid who through a very strict but realistic mentor not only learns to take care of himself, but to be totally responsible for himself. I find it quite refreshing to see a movie, or any other popular culture, advocating that young people not only can but should accept responsibility for themselves and their actions. We, as a culture, tend to treat all kids under the age of 18 as if they can't possibly understand or be responsible for the actions. Very sad! This story tries to shatter that image, and in my opinion, does a wonderful job at it while telling a tale that if focused on correctly can be a great inspiration to a young person today.

In the tradition of great outdoor films like "Jeremiah Johnson" and "The Edge", this is an emotional film about human survival and love. Great performances by both actors, wonderful cinematography, and a really tight script make this improbably story believable. This can be a hard movie to find, but go to any good video store (not Blockbuster) and they should have it. It seems like nobody knows about this movie, but it is really one to catch on a Saturday afternoon.