MovieChat Forums > The Earthling (1980) Discussion > it's an existential masterpiece

it's an existential masterpiece

posted 13 years ago by LTUM
5 replies | jump to latest

this movie was one of the hardest hitting punchinthegut films i ever saw

it totally caught me off guard, as i had never heard of it and was watching tv one day when it just came on. it knocked me over, how deep and intense it is, yet at the same time very basic, very simple in premise.

this shows (to me) that the greatest stories don't have to have CGI and all that crap. the greatest fears are already right inside you

i think it is a very thought provoking film, to get one's attention and make you think about life and time, and how short your ride is here on the cosmos diabolikos.

it also makes ya think about how people treat each other, social factors, and family dynamics. the fact that the old guy had no family hits home with me. it's a very pertinent theme for today's world, when most are running around on fumes not even realising that they have constructed mostly false allegiances. real love, real caring, is mostly missing from today's modern human. he's more interested in self-serving ego stroking. but i digress.

a good film. ahead of its time, indeed

drugs...changed...everything..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8MGBn3KawM&feature=related

[–] LTUM 10 years ago

this movie haunts my dreams. in a sweet, poignant kind of way.



[–] BoSoxRule 10 years ago

Are you haunted by the death of the parents in the movie?

[–] LTUM 10 years ago

well, hmmmm.

no, for me it's the idea of a man (holden) trekking into the wilderness with full intent to die alone. there's just something so poetic about that. it borders on absurd, yet for him it made so much sense. he was UNTIED to anything, which is cool. had had it all, yet returning to literally nothingness of the wilderness, the same place he came from ironically.

for me it's just the massive courage, i guess, that it took for him to do that. ...and the resignation that he had nobody not one person on the whole planet, to stay behind for.

(dying alone is a theme i kindof explore, so this one haunts my imagination because it was truly done so well.)

but i have read your posts about the parents and yes i agree it's a formidable part of the film, quite disturbing. you said you think the film doesn't recover from that accident, but for me i guess the main focus is foley which leads me to not focus on the parents so much.

but the whole thing is brilliantly conceived and written. just the irony alone, is striking. i think it was well done, and a fine sendoff for william holden.

[–] BoSoxRule 10 years ago

Holden is easily the best thing about the movie, not even a question. Foley's journey is way more interesting than Shawn's journey of becoming less of a spoiled little brat.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]