The Man from Earth | A Sci-Fi Masterpiece by Jerome Bixby

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Movies Sci-fi
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the film "The Man from Earth," written by Jerome Bixby, exploring its narrative style, production history, and the author's contributions to science fiction. Participants share their personal reflections on the film and its sequel, as well as insights into Bixby's career.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express their admiration for "The Man from Earth," noting its dialogue-driven storytelling and unique premise.
  • One participant mentions that Jerome Bixby worked on the story for many years and that his son completed it after Bixby's passing.
  • Another participant highlights Bixby's extensive work in science fiction, including contributions to "Star Trek" and "The Twilight Zone."
  • There is a reference to the film's production challenges, with studios wanting costly recreations of the past, which Bixby reportedly refused.
  • Some participants discuss the sequel, "The Man From Earth - Holocene," with one expressing a desire to rewatch it due to a lack of strong memories about it.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on their appreciation for the original film, but there is no consensus regarding the sequel's impact or quality, as opinions vary on its memorability.

Contextual Notes

Some statements about the film's production and Bixby's career are based on personal recollections and may not encompass all aspects of the topic.

Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,213
Reaction score
2,660
One of my absolute favorite sci-fi movies, it is entirely dialogue driven and a wonderfully fun story; so much so that I hate to give anything away. I read that the author Jerome Bixby, worked on the story for many years and died before it was finished. Luckily his son stepped up and finished his father's masterpiece.

It is available for streaming now on Amazon
An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he has a longer and stranger past than they can imagine.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077N4M7PQ/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Bixby had one heck of a resume, including work on a good number of Star Trek books and the original Twilight Zone series
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?833
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: difalcojr and BillTre
Physics news on Phys.org
Ivan Seeking said:
including work on a good number of Star Trek books
And four episodes of the original series, including Requiem for Methuselah.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: BillTre and Ivan Seeking
Yeah, it is one of my favs also. I was just thinking yesterday how I would like to see it again.

I also remember a conversation with his son who said how that movie had a long gestation period because studios wanted it to have expensive recreations of the past to which Bixby refused.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Ivan Seeking
Tiger Blood said:
Yeah, it is one of my favs also. I was just thinking yesterday how I would like to see it again.

I also remember a conversation with his son who said how that movie had a long gestation period because studios wanted it to have expensive recreations of the past to which Bixby refused.
Cool. I'm glad Bixby insisted. It is perfect they way it is [not including some of the acting :)].

Did you know they made a sequel? The Man From Earth - Holocene. Honestly I watched it way back but don't remember much. So it must not have made a significant impression. I need to rewatch it.