The Earthling
| The Earthling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Peter Collinson |
| Written by | Lanny Cotler |
| Produced by | Samuel Z. Arkoff Elliot Schick John Strong |
| Starring | William Holden Rick Schroder |
| Cinematography | Donald McAlpine |
| Edited by | Nicholas Beauman |
| Music by | Bruce Smeaton |
| Distributed by | Filmways Pictures (USA) |
Release dates | July 24, 1980 |
Running time | 97 min. |
| Countries | USA Australia |
| Language | English |
The Earthling is a movie drama starring William Holden and Rick Schroder. It was filmed in 1979 in Australia, and released there in 1980. Peter Collinson directed this film and died of cancer shortly after its release.
This was one of William Holden's last films. He plays Patrick Foley, a jaded loner who is dying of cancer and decides to return to the outback where he was born. He has stopped taking his medicine and is at peace with his decision to die alone in the woods. On his journey, he notices a family camping. From a neighboring peak, Foley watches as Shawn (Schroder), a seven year old boy, removes a piece of wood from the tire of the family's camper because he was helping his father collect firewood. The camper rolls off the cliff it is parked next to with Shawn's parents inside. Shawn climbs down from the cliff only to realize his parents are dead. Foley has an ethical dilemma- take the stranded seven year old back to civilization, and lose his own wish to die where he was born, or continue his personal mission and let the boy die alone in the wilderness. He decides to take the boy with him, and teaches him along the way how to survive in the wilderness. A strong bond grows between the two, and when Foley finally dies, Shawn is equipped to travel out of the outback alone.
The film seemed to inspire greatly mixed reviews, with some critics reviling it, while others praised it. It played to little notice in theatres in the US but later becoming something of a daytime staple on HBO and other cable-movie channels in the early and mid 1980's.
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