h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This film is only a 'freebie' by virtue of being posted on Youtube. Nobody seems to have objected: it's been there since last November. It's from 1986, not a good year for film, and it's cheaply made, with laughably low production values. The special effects rival those of 'Them and the Thing', and the rest looks like it was a home movie made by re-enactors at a pioneer historical site.

So why would I suggest you spend 90 minutes watching it?

I want to tell you a bit about how I stumbled across this movie, and why we found it so moving. I suspect by the time I'm finished, you'll want to take a look at it.

The other day, I was trying to find out about early UFO sightings. Yeah, yeah, Nigel wanted something to share at the Brightling support group for alien victims of Earthling hysteria, and besides, there might be a Guide Entry in there somewhere. As it happened, I was reading about the wave of phantom airship sightings that spread across the western US in 1896-97, and got interested in studying up on the Aurora encounter.

According to a Houston newspaper, in 1897, one of these alien airships crashed into Judge Somebody's windmill and destroyed itself. The pilot - obviously an extraterrestrial - was too badly injured to survive. So the locals gave him a Christian burial. There's supposed to be a marker in the local cemetery.

Aurora's a tiny little place, and nobody thought much about it for years. But when the UFO hunters showed up, there were some who said it was true, others who claimed it was a hoax thought up by the local wit. The town was dying, and he might have wanted to drum up business.

Enter our film: 'The Aurora Encounter'. It's a heartwarming little tale, complete with elderly character actor Jack Elam as the crusty snake-oil salesman, Dottie West as the nervous widow, a bunch of cute kids, a talented dog, and an 'alien' who...but let me not get ahead of myself.

Here's the film link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n46fWVh_NdU

Now, Elektra and I sat down and watched this, well aware of its many flaws. Not only are the effects terrible, but the ingenue and her bf are irritating with all that 1980s attempt to reproduce 1890s protofeminism. Yeah, yeah, you run the newspaper, lady, let your bf be sheriff (that's pronounced 'shurf'), and kiss each other already. We'd rather watch the kids and old folks.

Surprisingly, the film sticks pretty close to the 'facts' as reported. And we laughed. It's funny. And we sniffled a bit at the end, it's sentimental. But most of all, we were fascinated by the 'alien'.

'That's a child,' said Elektra.

'That's got to be a small adult,' I insisted. 'Even though he doesn't speak, he's a better actor than the rest.'

So I looked up Mickey Hays. It was when I told Elektra who he was that she really burst into tears.

Mickey Hays was about, I'm not sure, twelve years old or so when he made that film. He had progeria - the mysterious and rare disease that causes rapid aging. Mickey wasn't going to live past 20, and knew it. His wish was to be in a real Hollywood movie.

He got that wish. Old Jack Elam won a friend. And we got to see the sweetest, most unselfpitying smile I have ever seen on a human face.

That, my friends, is the smile of Jesus.

Now, you want to watch this film?

PS If you'd like to see Mickey without the alien makeup, here he is at 14, along with his mother and Mr Elam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llHgPR2wie8

Mickey died on his 20th birthday. Here's his obituary:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19920702&id=9UhSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fTYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2525,5475848

It is a cliche that people are 'inspired' by stories of those who overcome adversity. Often, it's a cheap sort of vicarious thrill. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm also not talking about the 'can-do' attitude, or thinking about others worse off than you.

I'm just saying, that young man was obviously simply an amazing person, and watching him tell a story about a visitor from another world is a privilege. Even if the fx wouldn't win any awards.

Not every movie is about 'art' or 'commercial value'. And not everyone's story is about feeding the narrative.

I like Jack Elam (or as I named himcod eyes)
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