History Film / TheQuietEarth

--->'''Geoff Murphy''': "We pulled a real beauty off there. We got two of these things, given to us for the duration of the movie by Toyota. They were the latest model, 4-wheel drive, double cab pick-ups, and are used to this day in Asia and the Australian outback and New Zealand for going into really rugged out-of the-way places. They're very durable, long-lasting. And mostly looking much more battered than that right now."

* CoolCar: Quite a few. There's the Corvette C2 Stingray convertible and the modified Holden Torana [[spoiler: driven by Joanne,]] the Dodge WC 51 and the Kenworth T-800 driven by [[spoiler: Api and later Zac]]. There's also the Holden Kingswood Ute [[spoiler: driven by Zac in the mall]]. Let's not forget Zac's white 1985 Toyota Hilux Crewcab 4x4 with heavy-duty steel wheels, off-road tires and Lucas driving lights. From the commentary track itself: "We pulled a real beauty off there. We got two of these things, given to us for the duration of the movie by Toyota. They were the latest model, 4-wheel drive, double cab pick-ups, and are used to this day in Asia and the Australian outback and New Zealand for going into really rugged out-of the-way places. They're very durable, long-lasting. And mostly looking much more battered than that right now."

''The Quiet Earth'' was a 1985 film created in UsefulNotes/NewZealand and directed by Geoff Murphy, starring Bruno Lawrence as a scientist who awakens in a hotel room to find himself [[LastOfHisKind the last man on Earth.]] The film was originally [[TheFilmOfTheBook based on a novel]] by Craig Harrison, but bears [[InNameOnly very little resemblance]] to the novel's plot. While the film was marketed as a film about the last man in the world, [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil the trailers did a good job of spoiling that particular plot point.]]

* AlienSky. The final shot (see the image).

* BookEnds: The film begins with a slow shot of a sunrise. The film ends with, well, [[spoiler: a planetrise -- yeah, that enormous ringed world on the cover finally makes its appearance in the film's closing shot.]]

* CoolCar: Quite a few. There's the Corvette C2 Stingray convertible and the modifed Holden Torana [[spoiler: driven by Joanne,]] the Dodge WC 51 and the Kenworth T-800 driven by [[spoiler: Api and later Zac]]. There's also the Holden Kingswood Ute [[spoiler: driven by Zac in the mall]]. Let's not forget Zac's white 1985 Toyota Hilux Crewcab 4x4 with heavy-duty steel wheels, off-road tires and Lucas driving lights. From the commentary track itself: "We pulled a real beauty off there. We got two of these things, given to us for the duration of the movie by Toyota. They were the latest model, 4-wheel drive, double cab pick-ups, and are used to this day in Asia and the Australian outback and New Zealand for going into really rugged out-of the-way places. They're very durable, long-lasting. And mostly looking much more battered than that right now."

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thequiteearth_1975.jpg]]

* SpoilerCover: See the Trope Image? 'Nuff said -- and the original release's poster showed the ''same thing''.

** And he ''does'' shoot the kid, and after destroying a malfunctioning organ that keeps playing notes as he stands there, he declares that [[GodIsDead he has ''killed'' God]] and [[AGodAmI taken his place.]]

* SceneryGorn: There are quite a few scenes of the destruction that would be caused by the disappearance of mankind as well, including an airplane crash.

* CosyCatastrophe: At first Zac has a relatively easy time coping with the end of the world - drinking champagne in a huge mansion, filled with paintings and other finery that he collected himself.

''The Quiet Earth'' was a 1985 film created in UsefulNotes/NewZealand and directed by Geoff Murphy, starring Bruno Lawrence as a scientist who awakens in a hotel room to find himself [[LastOfHisKind the last man on Earth.]] The film was originally [[FilmOfTheBook based on a novel]] by Craig Harrison, but bears [[InNameOnly very little resemblance]] to the novel's plot. While the film was marketed as a film about the last man in the world, [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil the trailers did a good job of spoiling that particular plot point.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted after Zac's rampage, when he attempts to [[AteHisGun eat his shotgun]] but doesn't go through with it, and instead manages to pull himself together.

** [[spoiler: Played straight again by Zac's attempt at a HeroicSacrifice in the ending. But he fails, and is left alone. Again.]]

* InfantImmortality: Subverted, Zac finds a dead baby lying on the street, apparently having died of starvation, heatstroke or some health complication. with no one to take care of it. [[spoiler: and given that the baby had ended up there in the first place, this was subverted twice]].

** SceneryGorn: There are quite a few scenes of the destruction that would be caused by the disappearance of mankind as well, including an airplane crash.

* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Zac bursts into a church screaming, "If you don't come out, I'll shoot the kid!" The kid being a life-sized crucifix.

* MindScrew: [[spoiler: The ending in spades. Ranks up there with that other Aussie film, ''Film/PicnicAtHangingRock''.]]

* SocietyMarchesOn: In the early 80's, Australians were having a lot of issues with the United States, which is why the US is the BigBad responsible for everything that happens in the film.

''The Quiet Earth'' was a film created in UsefulNotes/NewZealand and directed by Geoff Murphy, starring Bruno Lawrence as a scientist who awakens in a hotel room to find himself [[LastOfHisKind the last man on Earth.]] The film was originally [[FilmOfTheBook based on a novel]] by Craig Harrison, but bears [[InNameOnly very little resemblance]] to the novel's plot. While the film was marketed as a film about the last man in the world, [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil the trailers did a good job of spoiling that particular plot point.]]

* TheLastManHeardAKnock: Zac spends most of the first act looking for people, then becoming increasingly unhinged as he figures out that he was the only survivor of Project Flashlight. Then Joanne and Zac appear.

%%* TheLastManHeardAKnock

* ApocalypseHow: Very close to a Planetary Total Extinction, although a very tiny fraction of humans and other beasts manage to survive; vegetation is left largely untouched. [[spoiler: Since the extinction event is apparently a cyclical event that will happen over and over again, eventually the world will be completely empty, making it a theoretical Planetary Total Extinction after enough repetitions.]]

* ApocalypseHow: Very close to a Planetary Species Extinction, although a very tiny fraction of humans and other beasts manage to survive; vegetation is left largely untouched. [[spoiler: Since the extinction event is apparently a cyclical event that will happen over and over again, eventually the world will be completely empty, making it a theoretical Planetary Total Extinction after enough repetitions.]]

* ApocalypseHow: Very close to a Class 4, although a very tiny fraction of humans and other beasts manage to survive; vegetation is left largely untouched. [[spoiler: Since the extinction event is apparently a cyclical event that will happen over and over again, eventually the world will be completely empty, making it a theoretical Class 5 after enough repetitions.]]

* AloneInACrowd: Turns into this for Zac, when the other two begin to grow closer to each other and exclude him (at least from his point of view.)

* TitleDrop: During Zac's crazed speech at the cutouts of political figures.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: The case can be made [[spoiler: for all three]] though Zac does stand out.

* BadassDriver: Zac, [[spoiler: Api and especially Joanne.]]

** AloneInACrowd: Turns into this for Zac, when the other two begin to grow closer to each other and exclude him (at least from his point of view.)

* {{Bookends}}: The film begins with a slow shot of a sunrise. The film ends with, well, [[spoiler: a planetrise - yeah, that enormous ringed world on the cover finally makes its appearance in the film's closing shot.]]

* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Zac. [[spoiler: Which makes the ending a true FridgeHorror, since he's not only no longer isolated from other people but from his own ''planet'' and possibly ''dimension''.]]

* DespairEventHorizon: Crossed by Zac early on, and in a big way. [[ItGotBetter He gets better,]] at least temporarily, but it's a close thing.

* TokenMinority: Considering the film's premise, Api may well be the only Maori (or non-white person ''period'', for that matter) left in the world. Not that there's much sense to speak of ani minorities in ''a world of three'', of course.