Genre writer Jerome Bixby, perhaps best known for the "Mirror, Mirror" episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, started The Man From Earth as a screenplay in the 1960's and finished it during his final days before his death in 1998. Directed by Richard Schenkman, the movie is the story of John Oldman, a college Professor who is retiring from his position and is visited by several of his colleagues at his cabin before he moves to a new home.
The film is a fascinating story that takes place almost entirely in the small room of the cabin. As John tells his story you find yourself being drawn into the conversation, waiting for more information to be revealed, asking some of the same questions that the other characters in the room do. Soon the camera acts as your eyes and you find yourself in the small cabin room quietly watching the events unfold.
As John continues his tale, you find yourself wondering, along with the others in the room, if this is for real or if it is just a really elaborate story. Is it possible?
The story of somebody who is far older than they appear is not a new concept but this movie is unique in that immortality is not really the focus of it. There are no epic battles to show the character rising from the dead, no flash back scenes to moments in history, no special effects at all, no big name stars (though you may recognize the actors)... it is just a story being told amongst a small group of friends.
Even if these types of movies are not your usual type to watch, give this one a try. You may be surprised to find yourself totally engrossed in what John has to say.
Gathered are John (David Lee Smith), Harry (John Billingsley) who is a biologist, Dan (Tony Todd) who is an anthropologist, Sandy (Annika Peterson) who is an historian and is secretly in love with John, and Edith (Ellen Crawford) who is a fellow professor with strong religious beliefs. Arriving later are Art (William Katt), an archeologist, and Linda (Alexis Thorpe) who is Art's student.
John seems troubled and as the conversation goes he asks the gathering "What if a man, from the Upper Paleolithic, survived until the present day?" Assuming that John is asking under the pretense of writing a science fiction story, his friends play along and theorize how such a man could exist. As the well educated group argue amongst themselves regarding the topic, John slowly admits that he is talking about himself and that in fact he was born over 14,000 years ago.
Art, convinced that John has mentally come unhinged, calls another colleague, Dr. Will Gruber (Richard Riehle), who is an older psychiatrist. Will prompts John to continue his story and urges the other to listen to John's story with an open mind.
If I was to go any further with the synopsis then some possible spoilers would be revealed so I will leave it up to you to either track down a copy of the movie or search the net for the full story.John seems troubled and as the conversation goes he asks the gathering "What if a man, from the Upper Paleolithic, survived until the present day?" Assuming that John is asking under the pretense of writing a science fiction story, his friends play along and theorize how such a man could exist. As the well educated group argue amongst themselves regarding the topic, John slowly admits that he is talking about himself and that in fact he was born over 14,000 years ago.
Art, convinced that John has mentally come unhinged, calls another colleague, Dr. Will Gruber (Richard Riehle), who is an older psychiatrist. Will prompts John to continue his story and urges the other to listen to John's story with an open mind.
The film is a fascinating story that takes place almost entirely in the small room of the cabin. As John tells his story you find yourself being drawn into the conversation, waiting for more information to be revealed, asking some of the same questions that the other characters in the room do. Soon the camera acts as your eyes and you find yourself in the small cabin room quietly watching the events unfold.
As John continues his tale, you find yourself wondering, along with the others in the room, if this is for real or if it is just a really elaborate story. Is it possible?
The story of somebody who is far older than they appear is not a new concept but this movie is unique in that immortality is not really the focus of it. There are no epic battles to show the character rising from the dead, no flash back scenes to moments in history, no special effects at all, no big name stars (though you may recognize the actors)... it is just a story being told amongst a small group of friends.
Even if these types of movies are not your usual type to watch, give this one a try. You may be surprised to find yourself totally engrossed in what John has to say.