The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

A mute alien with the appearance of a black human is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem.

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles

Stars:

Joe Morton, Rosanna Carter, Ray Ramirez

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joe Morton	...	The Brother
Rosanna Carter	...	West Indian Woman
Ray Ramirez	...	Hispanic Man
Yves Rene	...	Haitian Man
Peter Richardson	...	Islamic Man
Ginny Yang	...	Korean Shopkeeper
Daryl Edwards	...	Fly
Steve James	...	Odell
Leonard Jackson	...	Smokey
Bill Cobbs	...	Walter
Maggie Renzi	...	Noreen
Olga Merediz	...	Noreen's Client
Tom Wright	...	Sam
Minnie Gentry	...	Mrs. Brown
Renn Woods	...	Bernice (as Ren Woods)

Storyline

The Brother is an alien who has crash-landed on Earth, in New York City. While mute, strongly empathic, and able to fix things, he resembles a Black man with strange feet. His attempt to make a place for himself in Harlem is an allegory for the immigrant experience in the United States. Meanwhile, two bounty hunters from the Brother's home planet arrive and try to capture him.

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Plot Keywords:

mute | black man | alien | new york city | extraterrestrial | 

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Taglines:

This illegal alien chose the New York streets over the men in black.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some drug content and brief nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

7 September 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apo allon planiti

Filming Locations:

Ellis Island, New York Harbor, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$3,700,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anarchist's Convention Films, UCLA Film and Television Archive, A-Train Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The entrance and exit scenes of the Men in Black's first appearance in the bar were filmed entirely in reverse with the camera upside down, according to director Sayles' commentary on the restored print. The two men started on the bar stools, then backed out of the room for the entrance; while the exit was filmed with the two outside the bar and backing into it, including Strathairn replacing the cookies in the cookie bowl.

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Goofs

In the scene where the Brother is brought in to fix video games, the woman there is playing Robotron, but the sound effects are from Galaga, not Robotron.

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Quotes

Smokey: [Men in Black have just left] White folks get stranger all the time.

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Connections

Referenced in Destroy All Humans! 2 (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Two People in the World"
Sung by Little Anthony and the Imperials
By Barett and Wright
Big Seven Music Corp., Music Publishers
Courtesy of Roulette Records (1958)

User Reviews

Saw somethin' strange, watch your back, 'cause you never quite know where the M.I.B.s is at.

A mute, three-toed, super-sensory humanoid (a fine performance from Joe Morton) arrives on Earth, appropriately landing near Ellis Island and taking up residence in Harlem, where his African American appearance helps him to blend in with the locals. The inquisitive alien sets about exploring his strange new environment, absorbing the unique sights and sounds of '80s New York with the help of his otherworldly sense of touch and his removable eyeball, but his journey of discovery is interrupted when he finds himself being hunted by two mysterious men in black...

Although writer/director/star John Sayles' strongly suggests that Morton's character is an escaped slave and makes references to class divide, racism and America's history of slavery, he ensures that The Brother From Another Planet doesn't ram a moralistic or political message down the viewer's throat, focusing instead on examining the human condition though the use of interesting characters, quirky dialogue and intriguing situations. The film is all the better for it—a somewhat bizarre but fun sci-fi adventure on the surface, but one that can be dissected, examined and discussed on a deeper level if so desired.