The Earthling

97 minutesCountriesUnited States
AustraliaLanguageEnglishBudget$4.5 million^[1]Box officeA$72,000 (Australia)

The Earthling is a 1980 American-Australian adventure film directed by Peter Collinson, and starring William Holden and Ricky Schroder. It was filmed in Australia 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 Austrailian 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.^[2]

Briann Kearney was assistant to the director.^[3]

Reception

The film drew greatly mixed reviews, with some critics reviling it, while others praised it.^{[citation needed]} It played to little notice in theatres, but later became something of a daytime staple on HBO and other cable-movie channels in the 1980s. It grossed $72,000 for box office in Australia.^[4]

See also

• Cinema of Australia

References

External links

• The Earthling at IMDb
• The Earthling at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Earthling at Oz Movies
• The Earthling at the National Film and Sound Archive