The Survivor (1981)

Director:

David Hemmings

Writers:

David Ambrose (screenplay)
James Herbert (novel)

Release Date:

9 July 1981 (Australia)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

A tale of death, and of an evil which transcends death

Plot Keywords:

Burnt Face | Plane Crash | Airline | Amnesia | Airline Pilot

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Robert Powell	...	Keller
Jenny Agutter	...	Hobbs
Joseph Cotten	...	Priest
Angela Punch McGregor	...	Beth (as Angela Punch-McGregor)
Peter Sumner	...	Tewson
Lorna Lesley	...	Susan
Ralph Cotterill	...	Slater
Adrian Wright	...	Goodwin
Tyler Coppin	...	Boy
Kirk Alexander	...	Dr. Martindale
Jon Nicholls	...	Jackson
Roger Cardwell	...	Flight Engineer
Jenufa Scott-Roberts	...	Stewardess
John Edmund	...	Goswell
Denzil Howson	...	Rogan

Runtime:

87 min | Australia:99 min (original release)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia

Company:

Crystal Films

Trivia:

The airplane crash sequence at the beginning of the film took several weeks to set up for filming. It was filmed on a vacant block of land at Panorama, south of Adelaide, South Australia. Over 2000 onlookers turned up to watch the spectacular scene being filmed which took only thirty minutes of filming time for the plane to be completely destroyed by fire.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the takeoff roll, the first officer calls "Vee-one", then "Vee-two", then "rotate". V2 is the climb-out speed with an engine failure, and is never less than the rotate speed, so would not be achieved until the aircraft is airborne.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

good viewing for its time

Produced by the South Australian Film Corporation and filmed on location in Adelaide, The Survivor in many ways foretells the Lockerbie disaster many years before that tragic event. The film was a huge commitment at the time - a full scale 747 was made at a local car manufacturing plant and transported to the 'crash site'. I remember visiting the set after the shoot - it was still littered with suitcases, seats, clothes and the engines were windmilling in the breeze. The haunting music makes the film, similar to Picnic At Hanging Rock, the actors believable, the cinematography honest and the storyline compelling if a little slow. Take it for what was cutting edge at the time for a small film studio and you have an enjoyable slightly disturbing thriller. Take time and watch other productions by the SAFC - they're a refreshing change from the big studios mass produced entertainment.