The Earthling

The story of the making of The Earthling might in itself prove to be as interesting a film as The Earthling itself. The film tries, but doesn't quite make it to the top rung of films that William Holden did. As it sadly turned out The Earthling was the next to last film that Holden completed before he died the following year.

Only in the movies could we have the strange tale about one of the two protagonists dying of cancer, directed by someone who was himself dying of the same. Peter Collinson was terminally ill and knew it when he was directing The Earthling. I'm sure his cast didn't know it though. His own plight might have been what attracted Collinson to the project.

According to the Citadel Film series book, The Films Of William Holden, Collinson was especially hard on young Rick Schroder during the making of The Earthling. So much so that Holden had to intervene and the two bonded.

Which may have helped the film because three quarters of it is only dealing with Holden and Schroder on screen. The two really play well together.

Holden has returned to Australia to die where he grew up in a very rugged part of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Heading in the same general direction are Jack Thompson and Olivia Hamnett with their child Rick Schroder on a camping holiday. But when their camper goes off a cliff killing the parents and Schroder is left alone in the wilderness, he's lucky to find Holden.

But Bill proves to be a stern taskmaster. He can't tell him that it would be worse to go back, that it's farther than his old homestead. He has to teach Schroder and hope he learns well, the tools needed for survival in the wild. The bulk of the film is concerned with just that.

Collinson died and some scenes were shot afterward, the ending you see is not what Collinson had in mind. But who knows what he did have in mind as the disease ruled him as surely as it ruled Holden's character. The viewers will have to judge for themselves.

Rick Schroder never forgot William Holden and when he married, he named his first child Holden Schroder in honor of the movie legend who was also battling some demons of his own, but took time to help and befriend a young child player.

I think if Rick Schroder reads this review he'd like me to honor William Holden as well. And so this review is dedicated to William Holden one of the cinema's brightest stars.

In the tradition of great outdoor films like "Jeremiah Johnson" and "The Edge", this is an emotional film about human survival and love. Great performances by both actors, wonderful cinematography, and a really tight script make this improbably story believable. This can be a hard movie to find, but go to any good video store (not Blockbuster) and they should have it. It seems like nobody knows about this movie, but it is really one to catch on a Saturday afternoon.

The Earthling is the last film of director Peter Collinson and he was actually in the last stages of terminal cancer during the production of this film. It is also the penultimate film of the great William Holden, and he's quite enjoyable to watch as a hugely insensitive, selfish and hard-to-please old man.

In a story that mirrors the real-life illness of Collinson, an old American returns to his boyhood home in the Australian outback. He has been diagnosed with cancer and has decided to see out his final days in his favourite place. However, the trek to his old family home is a long and arduous one, deep into the outback. En route, he happens upon a young boy whose family have been killed in a horrific camper van accident. Initially annoyed to be lumbered with the boy (Schroeder), the old man eventually teaches him the art of survival in the wilderness and actually grows to love him.

This strange outdoor adventure film feels like it was originally conceived as a family production. However, somewhere along the line it became tougher than that. Perhaps Collinson had directed too many violent thrillers (The Sellout, Open Season, The Penthouse) to judge the tone needed for a family film. Perhaps his imminent death had made him cynical and bitter. Either way, the cruel attitude evident in Collinson's direction - via Holden's character - lends the film a highly unusual element of grittiness. Some critics feel that the film suffers as a result, but I disagree. The film suffers from an over-reliance on wldlife shots and occasional dull stretches, but not because of the tough edge of its main character. The Earthling isn't great, but it's certainly interesting enough to be worth a viewing or two.

Most of this film consists of the interaction between William Holden (Patrick Foley) and Ricky Schroder (Shawn Daley). Foley goes back to Australia after many years to revisit the homestead where he was raised. This is Holden's penultimate film and Schroder's third. The contrast in ages and experience makes this an interesting film, but the beauty of the Australian wilds is the real star of this film.

I am a fan of Holden, but I prefer the film "Walkabout", released in 1971. Both films are worth seeing and both concern journeys that deal with survival and awareness.

Schroder would name his first child Holden in tribute to his older costar. This was the last film directed by Peter Collinson.

This was on ShowTime or HBO a number of times in the early 80s when I saw it and whenever it was on I would stop down to watch it. Little Ricky Schroder is excellent at a young age and counters William Holden's maturity for an interesting balance of young and old. I'm not sure why the rating shows a 5.6 since over 60% of the votes for this film were over a 7 and the majority voted a 10. It is definitely worth a watch if you're a Holden fan like I am. While the premise seems unrealistic at first as we go through the movie we find there is much more to this than expected. I liked this movie for the outdoor scenery and the beautiful backwoods areas of Australia. If you get a chance to see this film, please do.