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The Quiet Earth

  • 19851985
  • RR
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
26K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Bruno Lawrence in The Quiet Earth (1985)
Home Video Trailer from Anchor Bay Entertainment
Play trailer2:48
1 Video
51 Photos
DramaMysterySci-Fi

A man named Zac Hobson awakens to find himself alone in the world. In a desperate attempt to search for others, he finds only two who have their own agenda.A man named Zac Hobson awakens to find himself alone in the world. In a desperate attempt to search for others, he finds only two who have their own agenda.A man named Zac Hobson awakens to find himself alone in the world. In a desperate attempt to search for others, he finds only two who have their own agenda.

IMDb RATING
6.7/10
26K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Geoff Murphy
  • Writers
    • Craig Harrison
    • Bill Baer
    • Bruno Lawrence
  • Stars
    • Bruno Lawrence
    • Alison Routledge
    • Pete Smith
Top credits
  • Director
    • Geoff Murphy
  • Writers
    • Craig Harrison
    • Bill Baer
    • Bruno Lawrence
  • Stars
    • Bruno Lawrence
    • Alison Routledge
    • Pete Smith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 150User reviews
    • 80Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 10 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    The Quiet Earth
    Trailer 2:48
    The Quiet Earth

    Photos51

    Bruno Lawrence in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence and Alison Routledge in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, and Pete Smith in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, and Pete Smith in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence and Alison Routledge in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence and Alison Routledge in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence and Alison Routledge in The Quiet Earth (1985)
    Bruno Lawrence and Alison Routledge in The Quiet Earth (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bruno Lawrence
    Bruno Lawrence
    • Zac Hobsonas Zac Hobson
    Alison Routledge
    Alison Routledge
    • Joanneas Joanne
    Pete Smith
    Pete Smith
    • Apias Api
    Anzac Wallace
    Anzac Wallace
    • Api's Mateas Api's Mate
    Norman Fletcher
    • Perrinas Perrin
    Tom Hyde
    • Scientistas Scientist
    • Director
      • Geoff Murphy
    • Writers
      • Craig Harrison(novel)
      • Bill Baer
      • Bruno Lawrence
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    A man wakes up to find himself literally alone in the world, and goes about trying to find other survivors, as well as to find out what happened. He suspects that a government research project he was involved in had something to do with the disappearance of everyone. Eventually he finds several other people, and once they begin to trust each other they try to figure out why they were left on earth. —Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>
    last man on earthpost apocalypseexperimentparallel worldlove triangle225 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The End of the World is Just the Beginning
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Mystery
      • Sci-Fi
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      First science-fiction film ever made and produced by the country of New Zealand.
    • Goofs
      The crew was very careful during takes to not to film any activity in the background of scenes that would spoil the illusion of there being nothing living left on Earth. So much so that the assistant director would constantly stare at the background where ever the lens was pointing during takes to ensure nothing was inadvertently caught. However as mentioned a car can be seen in the far distance in the scene just before Zac goes into the church and again at about 1hr 3m 03sec when Api and Joanne are jogging down a foggy hill.....a white car can clearly be seen driving past in the top right of the frame.
    • Quotes

      Api: You coming?

      Joanne: I wouldn't ride with you if you were the last man on Earth.

      Api: I'm workin' on it.

    • Crazy credits
      During the closing credits the scene cuts to a close up of Zac Hobson staring in stunned disbelief at what he's beholding. Then he realizes he's still holding his mini-tape recorder in his left hand, and after a moment of contemplation lets it drop to his side, as if there are no words to describe the sight.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Off Beat/Echo Park/8 Million Ways to Die/The Quiet Earth (1986)
    • Soundtracks
      Prelude No. 2
      Performed by Kenny Burrell

    User reviews150

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Inbalanced Rationale
    I should begin by stating that I LOVE this film, which may explain, if not justify the following comments.

    This is an excellent exploration of the human mind in a fantastic situation, but more simply just a damn good science fiction thriller.

    I would agree that the first half is the better part, but to those who criticise the second half as being cliched and unstructured I would argue that a new impetus is needed by the time Zac has lived out his various fantasies and flirted with insanity.

    Where many appear to feel the film is confused and leaves many matters unresolved, that very ambiguity and bewilderment was what I enjoyed most. For most of the film you DON'T know where the characters have found themselves, whether they are actually alive or dead, or what reality they're living in.

    In accordance with this fascination I found the ending superb, accompanied as it was by that haunting theme music. Maybe it came as a result of the writer not knowing how to end the thing but it was never going to be a film where everything fell into place by a few cunningly worded lines at the conclusion! Therefore I liked the fact things were left unexplained, unsatisfying though it may be.

    In short, I would definitely recommend this film, which seems to be dusted off and screened late at night on a regular basis by BBC 2 (English terrestrial channel). I know it won't appeal to everyone, but there will be those surrealists who do love it, if only as a fun and bizarre Sci-fi.
    helpful•77
    10
    • Magnet-2
    • Dec 18, 1998

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 18, 1985 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • New Zealand
    • Official sites
      • Hanway Films
      • Umbrella Entertainment - Blu Ray (Australia)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Maori
    • Also known as
      • Le dernier survivant
    • Filming locations
      • Clevedon, Auckland, New Zealand
    • Production companies
      • Cinepro
      • Pilsbury Productions
      • Mr. Yellowbeard Productions Limited & Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,123,135
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,825
      • Oct 20, 1985
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,123,135
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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