Enemy Mine is a 1985 science fiction film based on the story of the same title by Barry B. Longyear. It was produced by Twentieth Century Fox, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and starred Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr. The original music score is composed by Maurice Jarre.
Plot summary
In the late 21st century, an interstellar war between humans (associated as the Bilateral Terran Alliance, or BTA) and Dracs (a reptilian humanoid race) is being fought. Human pilot Willis E. Davidge (Dennis Quaid) and Drac pilot Jeriba Shigan (Louis Gossett Jr.) engage in a spacecraft battle which results in both crashlanding on Fyrine IV, a hostile alien world with a breathable atmosphere, water, and dangerous animal life.
After initial hostilities, the two eventually learn to cooperate in order to survive. They work together to build a shelter for protection against intermittent bombardment by meteorites, and to satisfy their needs for food, water, and warmth. Over a period of years, they learn to overcome their differences, become friends, and learn each other's languages and cultures. Each saves the other's life on at least one occasion.
Davidge, haunted by dreams of spaceships landing on the planet, leaves in search of help. He finds signs of a human presence, but learns that the planet has been periodically visited by human miners who employ Dracs as slave labor. He returns to warn Jeriba (whom Davidge nicknames "Jerry") only to discover that Jeriba is with child (Dracs are parthenogenic).
The combination of a blizzard and attack by one of the planet's predators forces Davidge and Jeriba to flee their shelter. To pass the time Jeriba teaches Davidge his full ancestry, a necessity if his child is to be accepted into Drac society. Jeriba later dies during the childbirth, but not before making Davidge swear that if he ever escapes the planet to take Jeriba's child back to Dracon (the Drac Homeworld) and recite his full ancestry so he can join Drac society.
Davidge raises the child Zammis (Bumper Robinson) as his own. Over the years, Davidge and Zammis form a very close bond, and although the young Drac refers to Davidge as its 'uncle', its emotional range towards Davidge is as a son would look up to a father — an emotion that Davidge shares as well. Davidge knows of the mining crews scouring the planet in search of minerals and ore deposits, and he knows that they have little regard for Drac life, so he remains on guard to keep Zammis from getting captured or killed should they run into any of the miners. However, Zammis does not realize the danger and goes off to get a closer look at such a spacecraft. Although Davidge follows and tries to rescue him, Zammis is abducted by the humans with Davidge hurt and left for dead. A BTA patrol ship finds Davidge anonymous, unrecognizable and apparently dead, and it returns him to the space station where he was formerly based.
On the station, during the funeral ceremony, Davidge awakens when one of the disposal technicians tries to steal the small book (the Talman) that Jerry had given him years before when he first wished to learn the Drac language. Davidge's former patrol crew vouch for his loyalty to the BTA, even after it is discovered that he speaks the language fluently. Sometime later, Davidge is reinstated to duty, but not as a pilot. Unable to enlist assistance to rescue Zammis from the miner villains, Davidge desperately steals a spaceship to rescue Zammis solo. He manages to find and infiltrate the miners' ship. Davidge contacts the Drac slaves in their own language which convinces them to help him overcome the brutality of the human overseers and eventually reunite with Zammis. Eventually Davidge is also assisted by a BTA crew who pursued him. They finally realize that whatever it was that he experienced while missing in action (MIA) has made him more humane, he no longer hates Dracs.
In the epilogue, Davidge and Zammis return to the Drac homeworld for Zammis's introduction ceremony to the Drac Holy Council so that it may be accepted into Drac society. As required and as he promised Jerry, Davidge recounts the complete Jeriba ancestry before the Holy Council in the traditional ritual, as he was taught by Jerry. A narrator explains that years later, when Zammis also has a child and brings it to the Holy Council for the same ritual, the name of "Willis Davidge" was added to the line of Jeriba.
Cast
Parodies
The Lonely Island created a short skit which parodied the characters in Enemy Mine and their situation. The sketch was later recreated on the show Saturday Night Live and featured Jack Black.
In the Family Guy episode "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag", a DVD copy of the movie is resting on a shelf with other movies nobody will ever buy or even take for free.
See also
External links
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Films directed by Wolfgang Petersen |
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| Television films |
Blechschaden (1971) · Strandgut (1972) · Anna und Totò (1972) · Jagdrevier (1973) · Nachtfrost (1973) · Smog (1973) · Van der Valk und die Reichen (1973) · Aufs Kreuz gelegt (1974) · Die Stadt im Tal (1975) · Kurzschluss (1975) · Hans im Glück (1976) · Vier gegen die Bank (1976) · Reifezeugnis (1977) · Planübung (1977) · Die Konsequenz (1977) · Schwarz und weiß wie Tage und Nächte (1978)
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| Student films |
Der Eine – der Andere (1967) · Die Rote Fahne (1968) · Ich nicht (1969) · Ich werde dich töten, Wolf (1971)
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