The Earthling (DVD)

Patrick Foley (Academy Award winner William Holden, Stalag 17) is a complex man with much on his mind. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, he has returned to his native Australia in order to live out his final days in the peace and quiet of the wilderness. But a chance encounter with Shawn Daley (Golden Globe winner Ricky Schroder, The Champ), a young boy who has just lost his parents in an accident, turns Patrick's whole world upside down. The two lost souls find they have much in common and Patrick decides to mentor the boy in wilderness survival, providing him with life skills that will hold him in good stead. Also featuring Jack Thompson ('Breaker' Morant), Ray Barrett (Don's Party), Pat Evison (Tim), photographed by Don McAlpine (The Dressmaker) and directed by Peter Collinson (The Italian Job), The Earthling is a deeply touching tale of human frailty set against the spectacular Australian outback.