The Man Who Fell to Earth

Dir: Nicolas Roeg

1976

*****

Nicolas Roeg's 1976 classic The Man who fell to Earth is sci-fi at its most self-indulgent, I had no problem with that, far from it, sci-fi should be indulgent and I was more than happy to take this particular ride. It's full of artistic license, quite typical of Roeg's style and utterly 70's, it's safe to say we'll never see films like this again so, probably why it, and films of its ilk, are so cherished. It's the sort of film that will be new to a new generation every few years or so, such is its appeal to young creatives. It probably helps that I'm a David Bowie fan but I just loved the imagery and quirkiness of the whole production. David Bowie was a well established performer by this stage but this was his first lead role in a motion picture. His somewhat androgynous appearance went some way in capturing an alien-like look but it was his mannerisms and the way it seemed he could see passed what was in frot of him that really convinced the audience that he was extraterrestrial. He was perfectly cast although the truth is he was taking copious amounts of cocaine at the time and didn't really know what he was doing. He would later say; "I just threw my real self into that movie as I was at that time. It was the first thing I'd ever done. I was virtually ignorant of the established procedure of making movies, so I was going a lot on instinct, and my instinct was pretty dissipated. I just learned the lines for that day and did them the way I was feeling. It wasn't that far off. I actually was feeling as alienated as that character was. It was a pretty natural performance. ... a good exhibition of somebody literally falling apart in front of you. I was totally insecure with about 10 grams of cocaine a day in me. I was stoned out of my mind from beginning to end". Without wanting to condone drug taking, I think that maybe it's exactly what the character called for. Drugs aside, it put Bowie in the state he needed to bring Thomas Jerome Newton to life, the drugs put him in that state but it is all Bowie. Sci-fi often fails when too much is revealed or too much is explained (or at least the attempt of explanation often subtracts from the overall enjoyment) so no spoilers in this review I'm afraid, watch the film yourself to draw your own conclusions. I get something new out of it every time I watch it, something that only really great sci-fi can do. Dark, funny, tragic, surreal and intense. A beautiful film, a pure masterpiece.