Movies - The Quiet Earth

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	Movies - The Quiet Earth

The Quiet Earth is a 1981 science fiction novel (ISBN 0340265078) by New Zealand writer Craig Harrison.

It was later made into a 1985 New Zealand science fiction film directed by Geoff Murphy. It features Bruno Lawrence as Zac Hobson, a scientist who wakes up one morning to find out that apparently he is the last person left on the planet Earth.

Plot

"Zac Hobson, July 5th. One: there has been a malfunction in Project Flashlight with devastating results. Two: it seems I am the only person left on Earth."

Zac Hobson (Lawrence) is a scientist at Telinco, part of an international consortium working on "Project Flashlight", an ambitious experiment apparently designed to tap the vacuum energy fluctuations of space itself.

July 5th begins as a normal winter morning near Auckland, New Zealand. The sun rises out over the ocean, while seagulls and other birds are seen and heard on and about the beach. Zac is apparently sleeping in an ocean-front motel room as the morning sun shines in through the window. At precisely 6:12 am the sun momentarily darkens and we briefly see a red light surrounded by darkness, as if seen through a tunnel. The sun then returns to normal and Zac awakens suddenly, appearing somewhat surprised. Looking out the window, he sees the rising sun, but doesn't notice there are no longer any sounds of the birds or other animal life. The radio produces only static. Calling the motel operator, Zac gets no reply. He dresses, gets into his car, and drives toward the city.

As he approaches the city, it becomes apparent that there are no other humans or animals to be found. Moreover, it appears that everyone has simply vanished in the midst of their routine activity. Downtown Auckland is utterly devoid of people. Investigating a fire, he discovers the remains of a crashed jetliner. But there are no bodies, only empty seats (with fastened seat belts).

Arriving at his place of work, he enters an undergound laboratory and logs into the computer system, which simply indicates "Project Flashlight Complete". He finds no people, save for a single burned and disfigured body, whom he recognizes as that of his colleague Dr. Perrin. His discovery causes the body to fall onto the control panel, triggering a radiation leak, which results in Zac becoming sealed in his lab. By rigging a makeshift explosive, he escapes and seriously begins to assess his situation.

Since the electric power is still operating, he goes to a radio station and sets up a repeating broadcast, asking anyone who hears it to contact him at his home. After several days without reply, his mental state begins to deteriorate. He alternates between exhiliration and despair. He moves into a large mansion and begins to loot the stores for all kinds of material possessions and luxuries. He plays with real trains and police cars as if they were toys, and begins to wear all types of fancy clothing. Eventually he breaks down altogether, and sets up a massive PA system where he adresses cardboard cutouts of famous historical figures (such as Adolf Hitler, Richard Nixon, and Pope John Paul II) in Caesar-like fashion. He does so whilst clad in a woman's slip. He accompanies his speech with recorded fanfare and applause. The electric power finally fails, just as Zac has declared himself "President of this Quiet Earth".

At this point he becomes violent, and goes on a destructive rampage throughout the city. He is still wearing the slip, which is now tattered and missing one of its straps, making it the grotesque parody of a caveman's skin. He tears through a church and demands that God show Himself ("If you don't come out. I'll shoot the KID!!!" he screams, whilst pointing his rifle at a statue of Jesus). He shoots the statue to pieces, and finally declares himself to be God. He drives heavy construction equipment though buildings, stopping his rampage only after running over a pram, which he fears may have had a baby inside.

Totally despondent, he points the barrel of the rifle into his mouth, with the intention of killing himself. Before pulling the trigger however, he manages to pull himself back from the brink of madness. We then see him emerge naked from the ocean and run back to shore, and (symbolically) back to sanity.

Having re-established himself in an adequate but more modest home, he sets up a generator and programs a computer with sensors to monitor the local conditions. He is beginning to notice subtle changes in the environment, suggesting that the disappearance of everyone may not be the only consequence of the experiment.

One morning he is surprised to come across another survivor, a young woman named Joanne (played by Alison Routledge). Together they begin to search for other survivors, and eventually become lovers.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Quiet Earth ]

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