The Quiet Earth Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Quiet Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 22, 2019

Geoff Andrew's "The Quiet Earth" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include trailers for the film and audio commentary by writer/producer Sam Pillsbury. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The trouble started here

In the early ‘80s the scenario that is described in Geoffrey Murphy’s film The Quiet Earth might have seemed perfect for a sci-fi film, but I think that we live in a very different world now. Let me explain. Have you been following the news about the strange developments inside the U.S. embassy in Cuba? Last year, apparently a lot of people that worked there overnight became seriously ill, and the initial speculations were that the communist regime in Cuba had used some sort of an ultrasonic weapon to attack them. This entire story sounded really strange when it was first reported, but instead of getting more reliable information that cleared up things additional reports trickled out that were flat-out bizarre. One of them, for instance, claimed that there was a malfunction in the embassy that actually unleashed the sonic ‘attack’ and no one was able to detect it until people started collapsing. So, what if a similar malfunction happened with military EMP equipment that affected the global population, but million times worse than what the folks in the embassy experienced? I know, it is a crazy scenario, isn’t it? But in the early ‘90s a lot of people also thought that having a phone with a screen that allows you to see and talk to a person on the other side of the world was another crazy scenario that could never become a reality.

The main protagonist in The Quiet Earth is named Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) and he wakes up in a world that for some reason has lost its population. Initially he does not quite understand what has happened, and neither does the viewer, but then scattered flashbacks begin revealing bits of his past and a series of events that might have culminated with a global catastrophe causing the extinction of mankind. Hobson, who has suffered some memory loss, then gradually comes to terms with the reality that he is a part of, but his survival drastically alters his beliefs and instincts as well, so he acquires an entirely new personality.

In the post-apocalyptic world Hobson eventually encounters two other survivors, Joanne (Alison Routledge) and Api (Pete Smith), who slowly begin to challenge him and his masterplan to fix what he perceives to be wrong around them. Instead of changing his mind, however, Hobson intensifies his efforts to bring order in a world that has gone silent.

The transformation that Hobson undergoes is far more interesting to observe, and analyze, than the events before and after the disaster at the station where he once worked. One very interesting point that the film presents is that when removed from its natural habitat, which in Hobson’s case is civilization, a man would begin to behave more or less like an animal. Another equally intriguing point that the film makes is that his survival instincts will rapidly evolve and dictate to him that he no longer needs to be rational because the conventional definition of rational is no longer relevant. In other words, a man could behave like an animal, but what is worse is that in his mind he could also easily become God, feeling very comfortable with the idea that he has the authority to create or destroy at will.

The film welcomes different reads of its narrative, but the most effective seems to be the one that actually questions the entire order of the events that are chronicled in it.

Lawrence’s performance is very convincing and actually crucial for the establishment and then evolution of the film’s atmosphere. Routledge and Smith do not disappoint, but their work is of different quality.

*Umbrella Entertianment's release is sourced from a recent 2K remaster of the film.

The Quiet Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Geoff Murphy's The Quiet Earth arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same 2K remaster that Film Movement worked with in the United States when it prepared its local release of the film. I have somewhat mixed feelings about it. First, I don't know what element was used to produce the remaster, but the end result is quite uneven, and there are actually some basic stability issues that a proper restoration very easily would have addressed. Additionally, there are inconsistencies with the gamma settings, but it does not appear that the encoding of the disc is responsible for them. From what I could tell, there are traces of specific digital work that has flattened the image and in the process somehow destabilized the gamma settings (see an example in screencapture #6). Second, there are highlights that tend to fluctuate in different parts of the film, though these are a lot easier to ignore even on a large screen. Interestingly, there is plenty of footage where depth is very good; delineation is also very pleasing. So, my guess is that some digital work was done to rebalance the film visuals, but it wasn't careful enough and along the way some of the film's native qualities suffered. However, this is still a decent presentation that makes it rather easy to enjoy the film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical collation).

The Quiet Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the lossless track was very good. There are a few episodes where it is easy to tell that the film was shot with a modest budget and the final audio edit was not too impressive, but these are the native qualities of the soundtrack and that is what the lossless track reproduces. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow.

The Quiet Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Quiet Earth. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Restoration Trailer - new trailer for the recent remaster of The Quiet Earth. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - in this commentary, writer/producer Sam Pillsbury discusses the quite fascinating production history of The Quiet Earth, its critical reception and distribution history, the film's stylistic appearance and tone, Geoff Murphy's working methods, etc.

The Quiet Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I find the scenario that is presented in Geoff Murphy's The Quiet Earth entirely believable because the military for instance already has EMP equipment that can cause anomalies that can completely and irreversibly reset life on our planet. The film also produces some very interesting observation about human nature and some of the flaws that define it. Umbrella Entertainment's release is sourced from the recent remaster of The Quiet Earth, which isn't bad, but could have turned out better. RECOMMENDED.