The Earthling

"Two alone in the wilderness. One learned to survive, the other to love."

1980 1h 37m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 35

ActionDramaAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, a man returns home to Australia to die in the wilderness. His plans become complicated when he comes across a young boy whose parents have been killed and decides to take him under his wing.

“Two alone in the wilderness. One learned to survive, the other to love.”

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Cast

William Holden
Patrick Foley
Ricky Schroder
Shawn Daley
Jack Thompson
Ross Daley
Olivia Hamnett
Bettina Daley
Alwyn Kurts
Christian Neilson
Pat Evison
Meg Neilson
Redmond Phillips
Bobby Burns
Ray Barrett
Parnell

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Collinson
Writers: Lanny Cotler
Languages: English
Countries: Australia, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

46 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Collinson, shot by Donald McAlpine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dick DeBenedictis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nicholas Beauman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

William Holden and Ricky Schroder and Jack Thompson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Two alone in the wilderness. One learned to survive, the other to love.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Collinson directs. Donald McAlpine behind the camera. Dick DeBenedictis scores. Nicholas Beauman cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Australia, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

146 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Peter Collinson, shot by Donald McAlpine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Dick DeBenedictis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Nicholas Beauman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7William Holden and Ricky Schroder and Jack Thompson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Two alone in the wilderness. One learned to survive, the other to love.".
9IMDB entry: tt0080671 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 35 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.