The Man Who Fell to Earth

In search of a source of water for his dying people, a humanoid alien--skillfully played by rock musician David Bowie--survives a difficult passage to Earth and, taking the name Thomas Jerome Newton, begins to amass a financial empire, raising the millions of dollars necessary to construct a spacecraft for the trip home in Nicolas Roeg's 1976 sci-fi cult classic based on the novel by Walter Tevis. Unfortunately, Newton runs into interplanetary culture snags on several levels: suspicious of the scientific innovations being patented by Newton's upstart company, Nathan Bryce (Rip Torn) initiates a relentless investigation into Newton's shadowy background that eventually leads to governmental involvement over the issue of monopolistic practices (interesting tidbit: Microsoft was just getting its toes wet in the brave new world of personal computing when this film came out). On the personal side, Newton hooks up with Mary-Lou (Candy Clark) and begins a downward slide into hedonism and alienation (his favorite pastime is watching multiple TV screens simultaneously), even as he's plagued with nightmares about the family he left behind. Sometimes thought-provoking, often tedious, and laced with gratuitous nudity and simulated sex (including one shot of a girl holding Rip Torn's penis that I suspect does not quite fall under the "R"-rating printed on the DVD jacket), The Man Who Fell to Earth, presented here in a double-disc package, boasts a lovely digital transfer and an expansive new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The second disc seems unnecessary, however, containing only a 24-minute retrospective featurette entitled "Watching the Alien," with contemporary interviews of Roeg and Clark (but not Bowie), and the usual trailer and photo gallery (as well as the DVD-ROM accessible screenplay). A curio to some, a landmark to others, this is recommended, overall. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Sept. 20, 2005—Criterion, 2 discs, 139 min., R, $39.95—Making its third appearance on DVD, 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth sports a great looking transfer with Dolby Digital stereo sound. DVD extras on this double-disc Criterion Collection special edition include audio commentary by director Nicolas Roeg and costars David Bowie and Buck Henry, an interview with screenwriter Paul Mayersberg (27 min.), new “Performance” video interviews with costars Candy Clark and Rip Torn (25 min.), two audio interviews—accompanied by stills and clips—with production designer Brian Eatwell (24 min.) and costume designer May Routh (20 min.), an audio interview from 1984 with author Walter Tevis (conducted by Don Swaim), multiple galleries (including behind-the-scenes photos, posters, sketches, and production stills), trailers, a 28-page booklet featuring a new essay on the film by critic Graham Fuller and an appreciation of Tevis by novelist Jack Matthews, and a reprint of Tevis's original novel (created specially for this release). Bottom line: the definitive release of this cult classic.][Blu-ray Review—Jan. 6, 2009—Criterion, 139 min., R, $39.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth looks wonderful on Blu-ray and features PCM stereo sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to the previous DVD release, including audio commentary by director Nicolas Roeg and costars David Bowie and Buck Henry, a 27-minute interview with screenwriter Paul Mayersberg, 25 minutes of “Performance” video interviews with costars Candy Clark and Rip Torn, two audio interviews—accompanied by stills and clips—with production designer Brian Eatwell (24 min.) and costume designer May Routh (20 min.), an audio interview from 1984 with novelist Walter Tevis (conducted by journalist Don Swaim), multiple galleries (including behind-the-scenes photos, posters, sketches, and production stills), trailers, and a 28-page booklet featuring a new essay on the film by critic Graham Fuller and an appreciation of Tevis by author Jack Matthews. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray release of a cult classic.]