The Earthling (1980)

Simply A Masterpiece

People are voting emotionally.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Great Film overall

It's heartening to know, according to Stefanie Powers, that Holden and Schroder formed such a loving bond that Schroder grew up to name his two boys William and Holden. And there's some interesing scenery here. But the dialogue is such try-hard tripe. No two guys would act the way Holden and the other geezer yell at each other. Holden mutters to himself to explain to half-wit viewers, presumably, what he's thinking even though we've already figured it out. And what's with Schroder? Is he spoiled or brain damaged. Everybody in this movie yells. Subtle as a sledgehammer and not very satisfying. That said, Holden looks surprisingly good for a guy who would soon die in real life. It's a travesty he didn't live to make better movies or to retire to his property in Africa.

**SPOILER** I was about 11 years old when i saw this film. I remember being so frightened and even emotionally shook up when the parents go off the cliff. It was an image I couldn't get out of my head for years as a child. As a kid you see this movie through the child's perspective, now as an adult I found my emotion coming from the old man's character (Holden). I think there's so much to draw off of this film for a young child or an adult who has struggled finding his or her way through life. Ricky Shroder is beyond phenomenal in this - and as great as he was in The Champ this in my opinion is his best role ever. The Australian Outback is breathtaking and its great how they captured all the animals and wildlife throughout the film. It's too bad this film somehow managed to fall through the cracks and didn't have a broader appeal - its really a lost treasure.

great movie, great message, when you see this movie just try to see what lies inside a very moving film. Holden's perform is really good this is almost his last film before he die in a tragic house accident, and the performance of the boy (Shoedrer) is good too. The story its tragic but its a life lesson, so i think this is one of my favorites films cause is gentle and humanism with a great sense of what the life is and how the life sometimes is hard but this film teaches you to respect your world and teaches you that we need to be strong to survey cause the weak confuse standing people the wind can blow them away like the tree sheets. I like to see this movie when I'm spiritually lost and then i just remember one of the teaches of the old man Foley "Remember Go to the north boy"

A dying man finds love and compassion in his final days as he treks to his birth place accompanied by a spoiled whining child orphaned in a freak accident in the outback. The cinematogrpahy was 1st rate, the plot understated.While vacationing in the Australian Outback with his parents, American youngster Shawn Daley suffers from the loss of his parents in a freak accident, finding himself orphaned and marooned in the Australian outback. Shawn eludes a variety of insect and reptilian life before he meets Patrick Foley, a grumpy adventurer who is headed back to his parent's resting place deep in the woods. Foley grudgingly lets the boy follow along and teaches him how to live off the land. When Foley's condition worsens, Shawn discovers he has to leave Foley behind and start his journey back to civilization with his newfound skills that'll allow him to survive the return trek alone. Filmed between September and October 1979 on location in Blue Mountains and Barrington Forest, New South Wales, Australia.