The Man From Earth

Title: The Man From Earth
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Starring: John Billingsly, David Lee Smith
Director: Richard Schenkman

Since it has been a while since I was last able to sit down and write something for this blog, I thought it appropriate to share what is amongst my favourite of films, and possibly top of my list of sci-fi. Forget the ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Blade Runners,’ this realistic portrayal of a man’s fictitious past proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that strength of script can transform a film from mediocrity into something spellbinding. Built on a shoestring budget of just $200K, and filmed almost entirely in a single room this was a film never intended as any form of ‘big hit,’ and is one of those rarest of films that has actually had the producer publicly thank those who have downloaded copies of the film and shared it for raising knowledge of this underrated masterpiece. In fact, referring it to a film feels almost a misnomer; almost an extension of the ‘audio book’ phenomenon; a filmed stage play (and indeed an adaptation would require very little tweaking), but wherever you decide to place it, it’s an undeniable triumph.

Opening on the leaving party for Professor John Oldman, and amongst a close group of fellow professors he reveals his darkest secret; that he is in fact a 14,000 year old man, born as a Cro-Magnon during the late Paleolithic period. As is quickly explained, this essentially translates to late caveman-times, before speech had developed but physically bears almost perfect resemblance to modern man. As he talks of his life over the years, they become mesmerized by his tale through the ages, from the journeys of Columbus to the origins of religion, as his guests painfully try to determine if he’s spinning an incredible story, sharing a delusional fantasy, or in fact telling the truth.

Some may spin this as pseudo-intellectual nonsense, and whilst there was a whole wealth that could be displayed, they keep things short and snappy; going into enough detail that allows everyone to follow, relying on information that should be common knowledge. It doesn’t require you to be scholarly in each are of exploration, simply to have the most fundamental of understanding of it to be built upon. But whilst it deals heavily with history, this isn’t a simple regurgitation of facts; great care has gone into his character. Would he keep artifacts for example? As he points out, would you keep the computer you’re reading this on for another hundred years? Or thousand? But its much more than just a history lesson on video, it’s how they have gone back and explored it from his perspective, not in retrospect of the knowledge we have now, and without giving anything else away, the entirety of the script is written in this fascinating manner, challenging our preconceptions of historical events.

The largest expense appears to have gone into the actors; the soundtrack consisting of one track by Beethoven and the set just a single simple room and the drive in front. With a number of low-budget ‘known’ stars, such as Richard Riehle (‘Office Space,’ ‘Grounded For Life’), Tony Todd (‘Candyman,’ ‘The Rock’) and John Billingsly (‘Phlox’ from ‘Voyager,’ ‘True Blood’), they all perform in a believable manner, displaying a realistic thought pattern adhering slightly to their area of expertise. This however, only fills the gaps for David Lee Smith’s performance as John Oldman, clearly displaying reluctance to proffer his story, yet capable of presenting such a charismatic approach to his tale that you can’t help but be drawn in by.

This is a film that I feel could have gone on for hours, could be stretched out into a novel of epic proportions and still have me mesmerised from the onset. Despite this, they have condensed into less than 90 minutes to ensure it runs smoothly and quickly without dwelling on one topic for too long. It doesn’t require you to be particularly knowledgeable of any one aspect, but only to pay attention to what is said. This is the last work of writer Jerome Bixby who died shortly after its release, and filled with theological debates and hypothesizing, he couldn’t have asked for a better send off. Say hello to the best Sci-Fi film of the decade you never heard of.

P.S. I believe ‘netflix’ offers you a free instant download option as well as renting it, so get downloading.