The Quiet Earth
Sartre said hell is other people. But what if you woke to find yourself completely alone?
Such is the case with Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence), who discovers that the world around him has become abandoned, and is in a state of disarray.
Initially disinhibited by his solitude, he embarks on a trip to the deserted local shopping mall (a la Dawn Of The Dead), and even dons a silky petticoat to deliver an inaugural speech as the world’s new leader.
However, freedom gives way to despair and a touch of insanity, as his extensive travels reveal nothing more than a ghostly cityscape, and abandoned vehicles.
Apparently, things have gone awry with “Operation Flashlight”, a collaboration between New Zealand and America, causing a catastrophic occurrence. It bears remembering that this film was made at a time when there was considerable debate about alliances with America, and the mining of Uranium.
But politics aside, from the scientific perspective, the perplexing question of exactly what happens and how it happens, is a matter of much speculation, and potential for discussion with like-minded folk who have been similarly drawn in by this curious film. Hobson indicates that it is not the Earth, but the Universe that has undergone some sort of change. For some reason, that’s even more frightening than the prospect of Earth, and Earth alone having changed, even though none of the characters has the means of escaping, anyway. This is, after all, a film that plays on one’s mind.
There’s a part in the film where the characters walk in a patch of parkland surrounded by buildings, that evokes a similar sense of isolation and alienation as the image of the impersonal buildings in Coppola’s The Conversation, which, despite their size and presence, look as if they could just as well be empty. And then there’s the encroaching void that envelops them as they sing Auld Lang Syne, and the reality of their situation begins to dawn on them.
The Quiet Earth is a gem of a film with some striking images, and classy effects for its time, boasting a truly stunning ending, especially given how quiet (no pun intended) most of the film is. It is a must-see for any sci-fi/fantasy/futuristic genre fan, but with its themes of racial misunderstanding and vying for the position of alpha male, is also easily accessible as an apocalyptic drama of sorts for the rest of us.