What You Will Find
- The Specs
- Trailer
- Synopsis
- Cast
- Review
- Jerome Bixby
- Big Ideas
- Awards and Nominations
The Specs
Release Date: November 13, 2007
Genre: Science Fiction
Running Time: 89 Minutes
Budget:
$200 000
Director: Richard Schenkman
Writer:
Jerome Bixby
Starring:
Trailer
**be aware the following contain NO major spoilers, though some minor information may be revealed**
Synopsis
“What if a man from the upper paleolithic
survived to the present day?” - John Oldman
His friends, who are all intellectuals and fellow professors, arrive at his home to say goodbye and continue to press him for an explanation. John tries to sidestep the issue but it is clear to everyone he is hiding something. Finally he agrees to tell them the truth. He reveals that he is in fact a prehistoric caveman who has survived for 14 000 years and never physically decayed past the age of thirty five.
At first his friends assume he is joking or suggesting a plot for a novel he plans to write. They play along and discuss the scientific merits of whether it is possible for a human being to live that long. But as the conversation goes on they slowly realize that he is not joking. He really is claiming to be 14 000 years old.
Though none of them really believe him they
become fascinated by his story as he tells them the long journey of his life. He gives them a first hand perspective on the development of human civilization.
He has an answer for every question and tells them fantastic tales of his
interactions with several famous historical figures such as Buddha and
Columbus.
The conversation turns philosophical as
they discuss the merits of immortality and the difficulty of living on while
everyone around you dies. Unsurprisingly, the group is unwilling to simply
accept what John is telling them and eventually they are forced to deal with
the reality of the situation. Either John, whom they’ve known and trusted for
10 years, is lying to them or he is insane.
Cast
Actor: David Lee Smith
Character: John Oldman
John Oldman is a professor of History who
has decided to uproot his life, leaving a promising career for seemingly no
reason. When his friends and colleagues confront him, he reluctantly tells them
the secret he has been hiding. He tells them he is a 14 000 years old cro-magnon
who has survived to the present day. At first no one believes him but
as he tells them his life story and they become engrossed in the intellectual
and philosophical ideas being raised. And though some question his sanity,
everyone is fascinated by this supposedly ancient man.
Character: Dan
Dan is a Professor of Anthropology and
gives the impression of being the most reasonable and trusting member in the
group. He is just as skeptical of John’s story as everyone else but as the
conversation goes on he seems to become the most receptive to the idea. He refuses
to believe that his friend of ten years would make up this story and is the
voice of reason when the conversation turns heated.
Harry is a Professor of Biology and the man
who explores the scientific merits of John’s claim. Is it biologically possible
for a man to survive 14 000 years? He is also the most light hearted and
eccentric in the group, constantly making jokes and lightening the mood, all
the while becoming more and more convinced that John may actually be telling
the truth.
Character: Edith
Edith is a Professor of Art History and is
the only devout Christian in the group. She is one of the more skeptical members of the group and believes that there may be something wrong with John’s
mental health. Although she remains passively skeptical throughout most of the
conversation, she is ensnared when it turns to the origins
of Christianity. She immediately rises to the defense of her faith and becomes
enraged because be it a lie, a joke or a delusion, John has now crossed over the line.
Character: Sandy
Character: Art
Art is a Professor of Archaeology and is
the most aggressive in his belief that John is either lying or insane. He
provides the loudest voice of skepticism throughout John’s story and constantly
poses questions attempting to catch him in a lie or contradiction. No matter
how convincing John’s story becomes, Art is steadfast in his disbelief.
Character: Linda Murphy
Linda is a student of Archaeology and is
possibly in a relationship with Professor Art. She is the most passive in the
group simply listening to the conversation and asking questions about John’s
epic life. Though she is likely just as skeptical as the others, she does not
vocalize her opinion and remains largely polite and unassuming.
Character: Dr. Will Gruber
Dr. Gruber is a Professor of Psychology and
is not present for the first half of the conversation. He only makes an
appearance after being called in by Art, so that he can hear what John is
saying and provide whatever psychological assistance he can. But things quickly
take a turn for the worse and we learn there is more to Dr Gruber then we
originally believed.
Review
sfdebris reviews The Man From Earth
Part 1
Part 2
Jerome Bixby
(January
11, 1923 – April 28, 1998)
The Man From Earth is the final screenplay
written of Jerome Bixby before his death in 1998. Bixby is best known for his
work on Star Trek The Original Series and his contribution to the Twilight
Zone.
In 1953 Bixby wrote a short story entitled “It’s a good life” about a three year old boy with near god like powers, who terrorizes his town by imposing his will upon everyone. In 1970 it was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the 20 finest science fiction stories ever written. This story also became the inspiration for a famous Twilight Zone episode with the same title. The idea was once again revisited in the 1983 Twilight Zone movie and again continuing the story in a 2002 episode entitled “It’s Still a Good Life”. The idea was also parodied in the 1991 Simpsons Halloween Special “Tree House of Horror II”.
Bibliography
Collections
Devil's Scrapbook (1964; also as Call for an Exorcist 1974)
Space by the Tale (1964)
Day of the Dove (1978) - novelization of
his ST:TOS episode
The Man from
Earth (1998)
Short stories
"Tubemonkey"
(1949)
"And All for
One" (1950)
"The Crowded
Colony" (1950) [as by Jay B. Drexel]
"Cargo to
Callisto" (1950) [as by Jay B. Drexel]
"The Whip"
(1951) [as by Jerome D. Bixby]
"Vengeance on
Mars" (1951) [as by D. B. Lewis]
"Page and
Player" (1952) [as by Harry Neal]
"Ev" (1952)
with Raymond Z. Gallun
"Nightride and Sunrise
"The Second
Ship" (1952)
"Sort of Like a
Flower" (1952)
"Angels in the
Jets" (1952)
"Zen" (1952)
"It's a Good Life" (1953)
"The Slizzers"
(1953)
"Share Alike"
(1953) with Joe E. Dean
"Can Such Beauty
Be?" (1953)
"The Monster"
(1953)
"Underestimation"
(1953) with Algis Budrys [as by Alger Rome]
"Where There's
Hope" (1953)
"One Way
Street" (1953)
"Little Boy"
(1954) [as by Harry Neal]
"The Holes Around Mars"
(1954)
"The Good Dog"
(1954)
"Halfway to
Hell" (1954)
"The Draw"
(1954)
"The Young
One" (1954)
"Small War"
(1954)
"Mirror,
Mirror" (1954)
"For Little
George" (1954) [as by J. B. Drexel]
"The Battle
"The
Murder-Con" (1954)
"Our Town"
(1955)
"Laboratory"
(1955)
"Trace" (1961)
"The Magic
Typewriter" (1963)
"The Bad Life"
(1963)
"The
God-Plllnk" (1963)
"The Best Lover in
Hell" (1964)
"Lust in
Stone" (1964)
"Sin Wager"
(1964)
"Kiss of
Blood" (1964)
"The Marquis' Magic
Potion" (1964)
"Natural History of
the Kley" (1964)
"The Magic
Potion" (1976)
Filmography
Star Trek Episodes
"Requiem for
Methuselah" (1969) (writer)
"Day of the Dove" (1968) (writer)
"By Any Other Name" (1968) (story,
teleplay)
"Mirror, Mirror"
(1967) (writer)
Twilight Zone stories
"It's a Good Life"
(1961) (short story)
Twilight Zone:
The Movie (1983)
(third segment - story)
Films
"It! The Terror
from Beyond Space" (1958) (writer)
"The Man From
Earth" (2007) (writer)
Big Ideas
The Man From Earth is largely considered a
philosophical and intellectual experience addressing big ideas around a
fascinating science fiction premise. The film was made with a very small budget
and has largely found an audience through file sharing and illegal downloading.
A producer for the film, Eric D. Wilkinson,
even went so far as to thank the filesharing community for spreading the word
about this small but powerful film.
Despite it’s direct to DVD release and little to no
promotion, it has become a cult classic with an ever increasing fan base. This
is largely due to the fascinating philosophical issues raised including: our fear of death, the implications of immortality, the nature of knowledge, and many more. Man From Earth is a small film about big ideas and provides an introspective view into the human condition perceived through the eyes of one man both apart of and outside humanity.
Awards and Nominations
2007 – WINNER – 1st
place – Best Screenplay - Rhode Island International Film
Festival
2007 – WINNER – Grand
Prize - Best Screenplay - Rhode
Island
2008 – WINNER – Best
Film – Montevideo Fantastic Film Festival of Uruguay
2008 – WINNER – Audience
Choice Award Montevideo Fantastic Film Festival
of Uruguay
2008 – WINNER – Best
Director - Fantaspoa – International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre , Brazil
2008 – WINNER – 2ND
place – Best Screenplay - Rio de Janeiro
International Fantastic Film Festival (RioFan)
2008 – WINNER – Audience
Award: Best Screenplay Film – Fixion-Sars Horror & Fantastic Film Festival
of Santiago , Chile
2008 – WINNER – Jury
Award: Best Screenplay – Fixion-Sars Horror & Fantastic Film Festival of Santiago , Chile
2008 – WINNER – Best
SCI-FI Screenplay - International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival, Phoenix , AZ
2008 – WINNER – Best
Screenplay - Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre – Int'l Independent Horror, Fantasy
& Bizarre, Argentina
2007 – Official
Selection - Another Hole in the Head SF IndieFest
2007 – Official
Selection – San Diego
2008 – Official
Selection – Amsterdam
2008 – Official
Selection (Opening Night Screenplay) – Down Beach Film Festival, Atlantic City , NJ
2008 – Official
Selection – Otrocine Fantastic Film Festival of Bogota
2008 – Official
Selection – FilmColumbia – Festival of Film in Chatham , NY
2008 – Official
Selection - Festival de Cine Fantástico (Fantastic Film Festival of Malaga)
(FANCINE)
2008 – Official
Selection - Festival Cinema de Salvador
2008 – Official
Selection - Mostra Curta Fantástico of São
Paulo , Brazil
2007 – Saturn Award nominee - Best DVD Release - The Man
From Earth
2008 – WINNER – DVD
Critics Award – Best Non-Theatrical Movie
