''The Earthling'' is a 1980 American-Australian
adventure film
An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...
directed by
Peter Collinson, and starring
William Holden and
Ricky Schroder
Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...
. It was filmed in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1979, and was the last to be directed by Collinson before his death the following year.
Plot
Patrick Foley is a jaded loner who has been a drifter for much of his life. Discovering he has terminal cancer, he decides to return to the Australian outback where he grew up to die in solitude. His plans are interrupted however when ten year old Shawn Dailey's parents die in a horrific accident leaving the boy alone and helpless. Reluctantly, Foley teaches the boy survival and they eventually bond in love before Foley dies and Shawn begins his trek back to civilization.
Production
The film was shot from September to October 1979 in the Blue Mountains, Barrington Forest and
Warrumbungle National Park. It was reported that Holden and Schroder got along while filming. Schroder named one of his children Holden in honour of his co-star.
Briann Kearney was assistant to the director.
Reception
The film drew greatly mixed reviews, with some critics reviling it, while others praised it. It played to little notice in theatres, but later became something of a daytime staple on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
and other cable-movie channels in the 1980s. It grossed $72,000 for box office in Australia.
''Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office''
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See also
* Cinema of Australia
The cinema of Australia had its beginnings with the 1906 production of ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'', arguably the world's first feature film. Since then, Australian crews have produced many films, a number of which have received internati ...
References
External links
*
*
''The Earthling''
at Oz Movies
The Earthling at the National Film and Sound Archive
1980 films
1980 drama films
Australian adventure drama films
1980s adventure drama films
Films directed by Peter Collinson
Films scored by Bruce Smeaton
Films set in Australia
Filmways films
Films set in deserts
Films set in forests
Films about orphans
1980s English-language films
1980s Australian films
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