The Earthling

The Earthling is the last film of director Peter Collinson and he was actually in the last stages of terminal cancer during the production of this film. It is also the penultimate film of the great William Holden, and he's quite enjoyable to watch as a hugely insensitive, selfish and hard-to-please old man.

In a story that mirrors the real-life illness of Collinson, an old American returns to his boyhood home in the Australian outback. He has been diagnosed with cancer and has decided to see out his final days in his favourite place. However, the trek to his old family home is a long and arduous one, deep into the outback. En route, he happens upon a young boy whose family have been killed in a horrific camper van accident. Initially annoyed to be lumbered with the boy (Schroeder), the old man eventually teaches him the art of survival in the wilderness and actually grows to love him.

This strange outdoor adventure film feels like it was originally conceived as a family production. However, somewhere along the line it became tougher than that. Perhaps Collinson had directed too many violent thrillers (The Sellout, Open Season, The Penthouse) to judge the tone needed for a family film. Perhaps his imminent death had made him cynical and bitter. Either way, the cruel attitude evident in Collinson's direction - via Holden's character - lends the film a highly unusual element of grittiness. Some critics feel that the film suffers as a result, but I disagree. The film suffers from an over-reliance on wldlife shots and occasional dull stretches, but not because of the tough edge of its main character. The Earthling isn't great, but it's certainly interesting enough to be worth a viewing or two.

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.

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.

Australia's outback has never looked as beautiful and rugged as in this 1980 film directed by Peter Conlinson. This Australian-American co-production shows the country as perhaps we have never seen it before. We are given a luxury tour of some of what appears to be an extremely wild area that hasn't been spoiled by man yet.

The story centers around Patrick Foley, a man that is dying. He has returned to the land where his parents settled, perhaps to die there as well. Of course, we don't have a clue about this until almost the last sequence, although we get hints about what's wrong with Patrick throughout the film.

We also are introduced to the Daleys that are seen vacationing in Australia. We see them crossing paths with Foley, only briefly, at a country store. When a freaky accident takes the lives of Shawn's parents, he is left alone to find his way back to civilization. Little does Shawn know that Foley has observed the accident, but he wants to stay away from the young boy. After all, he has his own problems, why bother to take on another?

Shawn decides to follow Foley, who shows him how to do things he normally wouldn't have even dreamed of doing. In the process, the young boy becomes attached to the mysterious man. The long trek both take makes a man out of Shawn, as we realize he will be all right and will live to a productive life.

The surprise of the movie is William Holden, an actor at the end of his career. Mr. Holden gives an extraordinary effortless performance. Rick Shroder, then a young child actor makes a valuable contribution holding his own against the more experienced Mr. Holden.

"The Earthling" is a film that should be seen by young people, as they can learn how to face the reality that Shawn went through in his quest for survival a beautiful land that presented so many challenges to overcome.

I'm rarely moved to comment on a movie, but the Earthling is one of my favorites. I like thought-provoking and heart-touching movies, this film aims right at my emotional core and gets me in the breadbasket.

It's not a family film in the Disney sense, but it's a true family film in the spiritual sense. Sometimes the happy ending teaches that life is hard, suffering has a cause and an end, and within us lies the answer to the cessation of suffering: We can endure and find happiness, so long as we remember to find love.

Holden's performance was right-on, playing the embittered but compassionate mentor to Shroeder's traumatized child. The cinematography was outstanding, the Australian landscape was full of color and the story line quite refreshing.