The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

Directed by

Nicolas Roeg

Genre

drama film, science fiction film, arthouse science fiction film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

2h 18m

Rated

R

Rating

6.5 of 10 from 609 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An alien named Thomas Jerome Newton crashes on Earth to find water for his drought-stricken home planet. He becomes a wealthy inventor but is exploited by human greed and addiction, losing his way in a corrupt society.

alienateddreamlikemelancholicslow-burndisorientingsurrealbittersweetunsettlingtragic

What happens

The Man Who Fell to Earth is a 1976 British science fantasy drama film directed by Nicolas Roeg and adapted by Paul Mayersberg. Based on Walter Tevis's 1963 novel, the film follows an extraterrestrial named Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) who crash-lands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought, but finds himself at the mercy of human vices and corruption. It stars David Bowie, Candy Clark, Buck Henry, and Rip Torn. It was produced by Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings. The same novel was later adapted as a television film in 1987. A 2022 television series with the same name serves as a continuation of the film 45 years later, including featuring Newton as a character and showing archival footage from the film. The Man Who Fell to Earth retains a cult following for its use of surreal imagery and Bowie's first starring film role as the alien Thomas Jerome Newton. It is considered an important work of science fiction cinema and one of the best films of Roeg's career. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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