The QUIET EARTH

   Film (1985). Cinepro/Pillsbury. Dir Geoffrey Murphy, starring Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, Peter Smith. Screenplay Bill Baer, Bruno Lawrence, Sam Pillsbury, based on The Quiet Earth (1981) by Craig HARRISON. 91 mins. Colour.

   This New Zealand film tells of a scientific/metaphysical DISASTER, perhaps consequent upon a secret project in energy transmission, in which all people disappear from the Earth except those who coincidentally die at the moment of the disaster: these are resurrected. A guilt-ridden scientist plays solitary games in a deserted city; he meets a woman survivor and then a tough Maori, with the usual male rivalry ensuing. The scientist realizes the fabric of the Universe has become unstable and tries to put it right, with interestingresults. A small, low-key, honest film, suffering from a derivative storyline and rather pedestrian direction and performances.

   PN