That film you're thinking of...

For as long as movies have been discussed on the internet, I've been hearing one "What was the name of this movie..." question more than any other. It's popped up on numerous forums; it's been asked in the pages of magazines; and, just when you think everyone who wanted to know now knows, someone actually asked me the same question at work the other day. So now the Freakpit will tell you, by way of a public service announcement, exactly what that film you're thinking of really is...

What usually happens is that someone is trying to remember the name of a film they saw several years ago on TV, and they'll be able to tell you one or more of the following:

1. A man wakes up one morning to discover everyone else on Earth has vanished.
2. He goes a bit mad and at one point dresses up as a woman.
3. He eventually finds two more survivors - a ginger woman and a Maori man.
4. The last scene of the movie sees the man standing on a beach staring at a weird-looking sky.
5. It's Australian.

So first of all let me tell you it's not Australian. Close, but no. It's from New Zealand, and scooped a number of awards there. The man who stars in it is the late Bruno Lawrence, and the film is called THE QUIET EARTH.

So what's the story? Well, it turns out that due to some bizarre scientific thingy, something happens which causes everyone to disappear - except, that is, people who happened to die at the precise moment the effect happened (including our Bruno and his chums).

Beyond that I don't want to say anything as it's a film that's best experienced without knowing too much about it. It's absolutely terrific - so good that I've bought three copies of it. I've got an old pre-cert VHS edition; I replaced that with a rather lacklustre full-screen cheapo UK DVD when it became available; and I just recently replaced it when Anchor Bay in the US released it with a proper widescreen edition, giving it the quality picture presentation it deserves.

You really need to see it if you haven't already done so. And if you have? Trust me, it's as good as you remember it. Who knows, you might even be able to look really smart the next time someone at work says "I've been trying to remember the name of a film I saw once..."

I'm now off to the Cork Film Festival for a few days. See you soon.