The Quiet Earth (1985)

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.

Director:

Geoff Murphy (as Geoffrey Murphy)

Writers:

Craig Harrison (novel), Bill Baer

Stars:

Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, Pete Smith

10 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bruno Lawrence	...	Zac Hobson
Alison Routledge	...	Joanne
Pete Smith	...	Api (as Peter Smith)
Anzac Wallace	...	Api's Mate
Norman Fletcher	...	Perrin
Tom Hyde	...	Scientist

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

last man on earth | experiment | parallel world | love triangle | post apocalypse | 

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Taglines:

On July 5th, everyone on Earth disappeared

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English Maori

Release Date:

18 October 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Terra Tranquila

Filming Locations:

Clevedon, Auckland, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,825, 20 October 1985

Gross USA:

$2,123,135

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,123,135

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinepro, Pilsbury Productions, Mr. Yellowbeard Productions Limited & Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title that Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) gave himself was the "President of this Quiet Earth".

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Goofs

In the "Inauguration" scene, the cutout of Hitler is seen alternately standing beside a loudspeaker and then a cutout of Nixon, and back to the speaker.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Zac Hobson: [trying to pay for gasoline] Hello... Hello... Hello?

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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.

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Connections

Featured in De Kijk van Koolhoven: Post-apocalyptische film (2018)

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Soundtracks

Prelude No. 2
Performed by Kenny Burrell

User Reviews

The Quiet Earth

This movie sticks in your mind for days. The opening scenes immediately pull you into this eerie, lifeless world as we see our hero driving around ghost towns, looking for signs of life. A terrifying concept that hooks you. There are classic moments throughout the first half of the movie as we witness the various states of madness our hero goes through before he accepts his situation and takes control. It's this part of the movie that made it a cult classic. As soon as the plot starts to thicken and the focus is taken away from his desolate existence, the magic starts to ebb. However, you are still left on the edge of your seat until you get an answer to any of the questions the story line produced. The end scene, is beautiful, perplexing but I've got to say, a bit of a cop-out. However, its' lack of answers keep you guessing. A superb, off the wall film, that stays inside you.