Pop music star David Bowie made a creditable starring debut here as "Thomas Jerome Newton", an enigmatic stranger who arrives on our planet. Over time, he builds a successful corporation with his cutting-edge patents, but his true goal in amassing this fortune will not be made clear until well into the story. Along the way, he becomes the target of greedy men, finds a human lover in the form of Mary-Lou (Candy Clark), and a good friend in "disillusioned scientist" Nathan Bryce (Rip Torn).
Functioning as a commentary on mid-70s society and an outsiders' loneliness, "The Man Who Fell to Earth" is a provocative, intelligent yarn. Scripted by Paul Mayersberg, based on a cult sci-fi novel by Walter Tevis, it got itself a highly capable director in Nicolas Roeg. He often relates the story through images, just as much as he does incident or dialogue. It's not going to be to all tastes, as it's very slow, quiet (there are no action set pieces to speak of), and depends more on performance and atmosphere than spectacle. The narrative is not related in a conventional, particularly coherent manner, so that is one more element that could put off some viewers. It's visually arresting, to be sure, and is very well shot by Anthony B. Richmond in widescreen. The film also deserves some credit for depicting a clearly homosexual relationship in a matter-of-fact way.
Bowie is endearing as the cagey alien, making it easy enough to care for him and bemoan the fact that he clearly becomes addicted to such Earth luxuries as television. (He will watch multiple programs on multiple TV sets.) Torn is excellent, as is Buck Henry as the amiable lawyer who helps Newton get his business off the ground. Clark is very cute and very appealing, but she *does* have a tendency to over-act at times. The great Bernie Casey co-stars, although there is only one other familiar Hollywood face (an unbilled Claudia Jennings as Casey's wife); this was filmed on location in New Mexico.
Particularly noteworthy is the eclectic soundtrack, composed and supervised by John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, and Stomu Yamashta.
Worth a look for discerning film lovers who want something out of the mainstream. The story was filmed again as a TV movie in 1987, starring Lewis Smith.
Seven out of 10.
Functioning as a commentary on mid-70s society and an outsiders' loneliness, "The Man Who Fell to Earth" is a provocative, intelligent yarn. Scripted by Paul Mayersberg, based on a cult sci-fi novel by Walter Tevis, it got itself a highly capable director in Nicolas Roeg. He often relates the story through images, just as much as he does incident or dialogue. It's not going to be to all tastes, as it's very slow, quiet (there are no action set pieces to speak of), and depends more on performance and atmosphere than spectacle. The narrative is not related in a conventional, particularly coherent manner, so that is one more element that could put off some viewers. It's visually arresting, to be sure, and is very well shot by Anthony B. Richmond in widescreen. The film also deserves some credit for depicting a clearly homosexual relationship in a matter-of-fact way.
Bowie is endearing as the cagey alien, making it easy enough to care for him and bemoan the fact that he clearly becomes addicted to such Earth luxuries as television. (He will watch multiple programs on multiple TV sets.) Torn is excellent, as is Buck Henry as the amiable lawyer who helps Newton get his business off the ground. Clark is very cute and very appealing, but she *does* have a tendency to over-act at times. The great Bernie Casey co-stars, although there is only one other familiar Hollywood face (an unbilled Claudia Jennings as Casey's wife); this was filmed on location in New Mexico.
Particularly noteworthy is the eclectic soundtrack, composed and supervised by John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, and Stomu Yamashta.
Worth a look for discerning film lovers who want something out of the mainstream. The story was filmed again as a TV movie in 1987, starring Lewis Smith.
Seven out of 10.