Wikipedia

The Man Who Fell to Earth

This article is about the 1976 film by Nicolas Roeg. For the film's source material, seeThe Man Who Fell to Earth (novel).For other uses, seeThe Man Who Fell to Earth (disambiguation).

The Man Who Fell to Earthis a 1976 Britishscience fantasydrama film[4]directed byNicolas Roegand adapted byPaul Mayersberg.[5]Based onWalter Tevis's 1963novel of the same name,the film follows anextraterrestrialnamed 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.[6]It starsDavid Bowie,Candy Clark,Buck Henry,andRip Torn.[7]It was produced byMichael DeeleyandBarry Spikings.[5]The same novel was later adapted as atelevision film in 1987.A2022 television series with the same nameserves 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
Original British theatrical release poster byVic Fair
Directed byNicolas Roeg
Screenplay byPaul Mayersberg
Based onThe Man Who Fell to Earth
byWalter Tevis
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAnthony B. Richmond
Edited byGraeme Clifford
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byBritish Lion Films
Release date
  • 18 March 1976(1976-03-18)
Running time
138 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.5 million[2]
Box office$3 million[3]

The Man Who Fell to Earthretains acult followingfor its use ofsurrealimagery 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.

Plot

edit

Thomas Jerome Newton is ahumanoidalien who travels to Earth from a distant planet. Landing inNew Mexico,he appears as anEnglishman.Newton has arrived on Earth on a mission to take water back to his home planet, which is experiencing a catastrophic drought. Newton swiftly uses the advanced technology of his home planet to patent many inventions on Earth. He acquires tremendous wealth as the head of anArizonatechnology-based conglomerate, World Enterprises Corporation, aided by leadingpatent attorneyOliver Farnsworth. This wealth is needed to construct a space vehicle with the intention of shipping water back to his home planet.

While revisiting New Mexico, Newton meets Mary-Lou, a lonely young woman from Oklahoma who works an array of part-time jobs in a small town hotel to support herself. Mary-Lou introduces Newton to many customs of Earth, including churchgoing, alcohol, and sex. She and Newton move into a house together which he has built close to where he first landed in New Mexico.

Dr. Nathan Bryce, a former college professor who had sex with his female students, has landed a job as a fuel technician with World Enterprises and slowly becomes Newton's confidant. Bryce senses Newton'saliennessand arranges a meeting with Newton at his home where he has hidden a specialX-raycamera. When he takes a picture of Newton with the camera, it reveals Newton's alien physiology. Newton's appetite for alcohol and television (he is capable of watching multiple televisions at once) becomes crippling, and he and Mary-Lou fight. Realizing that Bryce has learnt his secret, Newton reveals his alien form to Mary-Lou. She is unable to accept his true form, and flees in panic and horror.

Newton completes the spaceship and attempts to take it on its maiden voyage amid intense press exposure. However, just before his scheduled take-off, he is seized and detained, apparently by the government and a rival company. His business partner Farnsworth is murdered. The government, which had been monitoring Newton via his driver, holds Newton captive in a locked luxury apartment, constructed deep within a hotel. During his captivity, they keep him sedated with alcohol (to which he has become addicted) and subject him to rigorous medical tests, cutting into his human disguise. One examination, involving X-rays, causes thecontact lenseshe wears as part of his human disguise to permanently affix themselves to his eyes.

Toward the end of Newton's years of captivity, he is visited again by Mary-Lou. She is much older, and her appearance has been ravaged by alcohol and time. They have mock-violent, playful sex that involves firing a gun with blanks, and afterwards occupy their time drinking and playingtable tennis.Mary-Lou declares that she no longer loves him, and he replies that he does not love her either. Eventually Newton discovers that his "prison", now derelict, is unlocked, and he leaves.

Unable to return home, a despondent and alcoholic Newton creates a recording with alien messages, which he hopes will be broadcast via radio to his home planet. Bryce, who has since married Mary-Lou, buys a copy of the album and meets Newton at a restaurant. Newton is still rich and young-looking despite the passage of many years. However, he has also fallen into depression and continues to suffer from alcoholism. Seated on the restaurant's outdoor patio, Newton inquires about Mary-Lou, before collapsing in a drunken stupor on the chair.

Cast

edit

Production

edit

Pre-production

edit

The novel was published in 1963 and had been optioned several times for the screen (including as a pilot for a TV series) but no adaptation had resulted. Roeg was shown the novel by Douglas Cammell and originally developed under a deal with Columbia.[8]

Nicolas Roeg approached Michael Deeley of British Lion, with whom he had madeDon't Look Now(1973). Deeley was interested although he insisted on producing, meaning Roeg's preferred original producer, Si Litvinoff, was unable to make the movie.Paramount Pictureshad distributedDon't Look Now(1973), and agreed to pay $1.5 million for the US rights.Michael Deeleyused this guarantee to raise finance to make the film.[2]

Roeg originally considered casting authorMichael Crichtonand actorPeter O'Toolein the role of Newton before Bowie.[9]

Filming

edit
David Bowie,who stars as Newton, claimed to have little recollection of the film's production thanks to his cocaine use.

Filming began on 6 July 1975.[10]The film was primarily shot inNew Mexico,with filming locations inAlbuquerque,White Sands,ArtesiaandFenton Lake.[11][12]

The film's production had been scheduled to last eleven weeks, and throughout that time, the film crew ran into a variety of obstacles: Bowie was sidelined for a few days after drinking bad milk; film cameras jammed up; and for one scene shot in the desert, the movie crew had to contend with a group ofHells Angelswho were camping nearby.[13]

Bowie, who was usingcocaineduring the movie's production, was in a fragile state of mind when filming was underway, going so far as to state in 1983 that "I'm so pleased I made that [film], but I didn't really know what was being made at all" and that "My one snapshot memory of that film is not having to act. Just being me was perfectly adequate for the role. I wasn't of this earth at that particular time."[14][15]He said of his performance:

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 goodexhibitionof 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.[16]

Candy Clark, Bowie's co-star, remembers things differently: "David vowed to Nic, 'No drug use'," says Clark and he was a man of his word, "clear as a bell, focused, friendly and professional and leading the team. You can see it clearly because of (DP) Tony Richmond's brilliant cinematography. Look at David: his skin is luminescent. He's gorgeous, angelic, heavenly. He was absolutely perfect as the man from another planet." She added that Roeg had hired "an entirely British crew with him to New Mexico and I remember David was very happy about that."[17]Roeg also cast Bowie's bodyguard, Tony Mascia, as his character's onscreen chauffeur.[18]

Bowie and Roeg had a good relationship on set. Bowie recalled in 1992 that "we got on rather well. I think I was fulfilling what he needed from me for that role. I wasn't disrupting... I wasn'tdisrupted.In fact, I was very eager to please. And amazingly enough, I was able to carry out everything I was asked to do. I wasquitewilling to stay up as long as anybody. "[16]

Bowie brought a personal library with him; "I took 400 books down to that film shoot. I was dead scared of leaving them in New York because I was knocking around with some pretty dodgy people and I didn't want any of them nicking my books. Too many dealers, running in and out of my place."[19]

Music

edit
John Phillipscoordinated the soundtrack after Bowie's compositions fell through.

Although Bowie was originally approached to provide the music, contractual wrangles during production caused him to withdraw from this aspect of the project. Nonetheless, Bowie would go on to use stills from the film for the covers of two of his albums,Station to Station(1976) andLow(1977). The music used in the film was coordinated byJohn Phillips,[20]former leader of the pop groupThe Mamas & the Papas,[21]with personal contributions from Phillips and Japanese percussionist-composerStomu Yamash'taas well as some stock music. Phillips called in former Rolling Stones guitaristMick Taylorto assist with developing ideas for the soundtrack. The music was recorded at CTS Lansdowne Recording Studios in London, England.[citation needed]

Due to a creative and contractual dispute between Roeg and the studio, no official soundtrack was released for the film, even though the 1976Pan Bookspaperback edition of the novel (released to tie in with the film) states on the back cover that the soundtrack is available onRCA Records.The soundtrack, derived from recently rediscovered masters, was eventually released on CD and LP in 2016 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the film's premiere.[22][21]The music by Yamash'ta had already appeared onhis own albums,as noted below.

Music crew
  • Musical Directors: John Phillips, Derek Wadsworth
  • Piano/Keyboards: Pete Kelly, John Taylor
  • Guitars:Mick Taylor,Ricky Hitchcock, Richard Morcombe, Jim Sullivan
  • Pedal Steel Guitar:B. J. Cole
  • Bass: Steve Cook
  • Drums:Henry Spinetti
  • Percussion:Frank Ricotti
Music as listed on end credits

Composed and recorded by Stomu Yamashta:

  • "Poker Dice" (fromFloating Music)
  • "33⅓" (fromRaindog)
  • "Mandala" (from theSoundtrack from Man from the East)
  • "Wind Words" (fromFreedom is Frightening)
  • "One Way" (fromFloating Music)
  • "Memory of Hiroshima" (from theSoundtrack from Man from the East)

Performed by John Phillips:

  • "Boys from the South"
  • "Rhumba Boogie"
  • "Bluegrass Breakdown"
  • "Hello Mary-Lou"(featuring Mick Taylor)

Other music:

For the scenes in which Newton's thoughts drift back to his alien home, Phillips and Roeg enlistedDesmond Briscoeto craft simple electronic atmospheres that were then combined with whale songs, to eerie effect.[23]

Release

edit

According toMichael Deeley,whenBarry Dillerof Paramount saw the finished film he refused to pay for it, claiming it was different from the film the studio wanted. British Lion sued Paramount and received a small settlement. The film obtained a small release in the United States through Cinema V in exchange for $850,000 and due to foreign sales the film's budget was just recouped.[2][24]

TheBritish Board of Film Censorspassed the film uncut for adult UK audiences with anX rating.[1]

It was announced in the summer of 2016 that the film was in the process of being digitally remastered to 4K quality for its 40th anniversary (which was reported to have begun before Bowie's death). This remastered version premiered at BFI Southbank before being released in cinemas across the UK on 9 September of that year.[25]The film's 2011 and 2016 re-releases grossed $100,072 domestically and $73,148 internationally.[26][27]

Reception

edit

Critical response

edit

Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-Timesawarded the film2+1⁄2stars of four; while he complimented parts of the film and the directing, he was dismissive of the plot, writing in his review that the film is "so preposterous and posturing, so filled with gaps of logic and continuity, that if it weren't so solemn there'd be the temptation to laugh aloud."[28]Gene Siskelof theChicago Tribunegave the film three stars out of four and wrote that it "may leave you punch drunk, knocked out by its visuals to the point of missing what a simple story it is."[29]Richard EderofThe New York Timespraised the film, writing, "There are quite a few science-fiction movies scheduled to come out in the next year or so. We shall be lucky if even one or two are as absorbing and as beautiful asThe Man Who Fell to Earth."[30]

Robert Hawkins, reviewing forVariety,praised Roeg's direction and felt the film was "stunning stuff throughout, and Bowie's choice as the ethereal visitor is inspired...Candy Clark, as his naive but loving mate, confirms the winning ways that won her an Oscar nomination inAmerican Graffiti.Her intimate scenes with Bowie, especially the introductory ones, are among pic's highlights. "[31]Charles Champlinof theLos Angeles Timesdescribed Bowie as "perfect casting" but thought the film was "a muddle," and suspected it was because he reviewed a version trimmed by 20 minutes for its U.S. run: "That would do a lot to explain why the movie proceeds from the provocatively cryptic to the merely incomprehensible."[32]In a retrospective review,Kim NewmanofEmpiregave the movie five stars out of five, describing the film as "consistently disorientating and beguilingly beautiful."[33]

Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoesreports the film has a 79% approval rating based on 71 reviews with an average rating of 7.80/10. The critics' consensus states: "Filled with stunning imagery,The Man Who Fell to Earthis a calm, meditative film that profoundly explores our culture's values and desires. "[34]OnMetacritic,the film has achieved aweighted averagerating of 81 out of 100 from 9 critic reviews, citing "universal acclaim".[35]

Legacy

edit

Since its original 1976 release,The Man Who Fell to Earthhas achievedcult status.[36][37][24][38]This status has been echoed by critics, especially as it was a popular hit withmidnight movieaudiences years after it was released.[39]Joshua Rothkopf ofTime Outbelieved that the cult classic status, which he described as a "vaguely demeaning term", does the film a disservice. He labeled the film as "the most intellectually provocative genre film of the 1970s."[40]When re-released in 2011, Ebert gave the film three stars, stating that readers should "consider this just a quiet protest vote against the way projects this ambitious are no longer possible in the mainstream movie industry."[37]The movie has been applauded for its experimental approach[37]and compared to more recent sci-fi films such asUnder the Skin.[41][42]Rolling Stoneranked it second on its 50 best sci-fi movies of the 1970s,[43]Timeoutranked it 35th on its 100 best sci-fi movies,[44]it is 61st on theOnline Film Critics Societylist of "greatest science fiction films of all time".[45]Empireplaced it 42nd on its list of 100 best British films.[46]British Film Instituteincluded it on its list of "50 late night classics",[47]demonstrating its popularity as a midnight movie.

Bowie's role in the film led to his casting asNikola TeslainThe Prestige(2006), with directorChristopher Nolanstating "Tesla was this other-worldly, ahead-of-his-time figure, and at some point it occurred to me he was the original Man Who Fell to Earth. As someone who was the biggest Bowie fan in the world, once I made that connection, he seemed to be the only actor capable of playing the part."[48]It also led to Bowie being cast byJack Hofsissin the playThe Elephant Man.Hofsiss said: "The piece of work he did that was most helpful in making the decision wasThe Man Who Fell To Earth,in which I thought he was wonderful, and in which the character he played had an isolation similar to the Elephant Man's ".[49]

Accolades

edit
Date Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
25 June – 6 July 1976 Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear The Man Who Fell to Earth Nominated [50][51][52]
15 January 1977 Saturn Awards Best Science Fiction Film Nominated
Best Actor David Bowie Won
2–5 September 1977 Hugo Awards Best Dramatic Presentation The Man Who Fell to Earth Nominated
edit

References

edit
  1. ^ab"THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH(X) ".British Board of Film Classification.13 February 1976.Retrieved27 May2013.
  2. ^abcMichael Deeley.Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies.Pegasus Books. 2009. p. 116-127.
  3. ^Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987).American film distribution: the changing marketplace.UMI Research Press. p. 294.ISBN978-0-8357-1776-2.Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  4. ^"The Man Who Fell to Earth".British Film Institute Collections Search.Retrieved19 November2023.
  5. ^ab"The Man Who Fell to Earth".Turner Classic Movies.United States:Turner Broadcasting System.Retrieved5 March2018.
  6. ^Rozen, Leah (1 October 1976)."'Man who Fell' baffling ".Daily Collegian.Penn State University. Archived fromthe originalon 25 December 2016.Retrieved10 July2008.
  7. ^Blackburn, Olly (9 July 2008)."Olly Blackburn meets Nic Roeg".Time Out London.Archived fromthe originalon 6 October 2012.Retrieved10 July2008.
  8. ^Mayersberg, Paul (October 1975)."The story so far".Sight and Sound.p. 225-231.
  9. ^Bennett, Bruce (15 January 2016)."The Man Who Fell to Earth: the film that saw Bowie cast as the Roeg choice".Theconversation.com.Retrieved4 January2022.
  10. ^"David Bowie: inducted in 1996 | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum".Rockhall.com.Retrieved3 April2015.
  11. ^"Fenton Lake State Park".NM State Parks.
  12. ^"Best-movie Oscar is film-office triumph".Santa Fe New Mexican.3 March 2008.
  13. ^"The Man Who Fell To Earth".Bowiegoldenyears.Retrieved3 April2015.
  14. ^Pegg, Nicholas.The Complete David Bowie.p. 575.
  15. ^Loder, Kurt(12 May 1983), "Straight Time",Rolling Stone magazine,no. 395, pp. 22–28, 81
  16. ^abCampbell, Virginia (April 1992), "Bowie at the Bijou",Movieline,vol. 3, no. 7, pp. 30–36, 80, 83, 86–87
  17. ^Clark, Candy (12 January 2016)."David Bowie's 'Man Who Fell to Earth' Co-Star on His 'Heavenly' First Movie Role".Variety.com.
  18. ^"The Man Who Fell to Earth Is More Than David Bowie Playing Himself".Pitchfork.com.19 February 2021.Retrieved4 January2022.
  19. ^"Bowie Golden Years: The Man Who Fell To Earth".Bowiegoldenyears.com.Retrieved4 January2022.
  20. ^"Obituary: John Phillips".The Independent (London, England).20 March 2001.He recorded with his new partner Genevieve Waite and provided the soundtrack for Nic Roeg's 1976 cult filmThe Man Who Fell to Earth.[dead link‍]
  21. ^abCampion, Chris (8 September 2016)."Bowie and the missing soundtrack: the amazing story behind The Man Who Fell to Earth".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved20 September2017.
  22. ^John Earls,David Bowie's 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' soundtrack released for the first time in 40 years, "NME,16 August 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  23. ^Doyle, Sean."Video Essay: The Soundtracks of The Man Who Fell to Earth".Film Comment.Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  24. ^ab"The Man Who Fell to Earth".Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.9 July 2017.Retrieved10 March2020.
  25. ^Halliwell, Kate (7 July 2016)."David Bowie's" The Man Who Fell to Earth "Returning to Theaters | IndieWire".Indiewire.com.Retrieved20 September2017.
  26. ^"The Man Who Fell to Earth".Box Office Mojo.Retrieved4 January2022.
  27. ^"The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) – Financial Information".The Numbers.Retrieved10 March2020.
  28. ^Ebert, Roger (23 July 1976)."The Man Who Fell to Earth".Chicago Sun Times.Retrieved3 April2012– viaRogerEbert.com.
  29. ^Siskel, Gene(23 July 1976)."A confusing but beautiful visit to a strange planet".Chicago Tribune.Section 3, p. 3 – viaNewspapers.com.
  30. ^Eder, Richard (29 May 1976)."'Man Who Fell to Earth' Is Beautiful Science Fiction ".The New York Times.Retrieved3 April2015.
  31. ^Hawkins, Robert (24 March 1976)."Film Reviews: The Man Who Fell to Earth".Variety.Retrieved20 November2020.
  32. ^Champlin, Charles(7 July 1976)."David Bowie Comes Down to Earth".Los Angeles Times.Part IV, pp. 1, 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^Newman, Kim (23 January 2007)."The Man Who Fell To Earth Review".Empire.Retrieved23 December2017.
  34. ^"The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)".Rotten Tomatoes.Retrieved5 March2024.
  35. ^"The Man Who Fell to Earth Reviews".Metacritic.Retrieved9 February2020.
  36. ^Fountain, Clarke."The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)".All Movie.Retrieved8 September2017.
  37. ^abcRoger Ebert (13 July 2011)."The Man Who Fell to Earth".Chicago Sun Times.Retrieved3 April2012.
  38. ^"'The Man Who Fell to Earth' Cinematographer on David Bowie's "Defining Role"".The Hollywood Reporter.19 September 2016.Retrieved10 March2020.
  39. ^Telotte, J.P (1991).The Cult Film Experience: Beyond All Reason.University of Texas Press. pp. 104, 172.ISBN978-0-292-76184-1.
  40. ^"The Man Who Fell To Earth".Time Out.Retrieved23 December2017.
  41. ^"Under the Skin review – Jonathan Glazer's singular vision".The Guardian.16 March 2014.Retrieved23 December2017.
  42. ^"Jonathan Glazer Talks About His New Film" Under The Skin "".RogerEbert.com.9 April 2014.Retrieved23 December2017.
  43. ^"50 Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 1970s".Rolling Stone.Retrieved23 December2017.
  44. ^"The 100 best sci-fi movies".Time Out.Retrieved23 December2017.
  45. ^"2001: A Space OdysseyNamed the Greatest Sci-Fi Film of All Time By the Online Film Critics Society ".Online Film Critics Society.Archived fromthe originalon 26 November 2006.Retrieved15 December2006.
  46. ^"The 100 best British films".Empire.Retrieved22 January2018.
  47. ^"50 late-night classics".British Film Institute.27 January 2017.Retrieved23 December2017.
  48. ^"Remembering David Bowie: How the legendary singer was cast in Christopher Nolan's the Prestige".Indianexpress.com.8 January 2018.
  49. ^Clerc, Benoît (2021).David Bowie All the Songs The Story Behind Every Track.Running Press.
  50. ^"THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH".Scanorama.20 September 2015.Retrieved10 February2020.
  51. ^"Past Saturn Award Recipients".Saturn Awards.Retrieved10 February2020.
  52. ^"1977 Hugo Awards".The Hugo Awards.26 July 2007.Retrieved10 February2020.
  53. ^"Seeing 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' was one of the Greatest Experiences of Philip K. Dick's Life".Dangerous Minds. 12 October 2014.Retrieved7 July2015.
  54. ^Menconi, David."Music News | Latest in Rock, Indie, Hip Hop and More".Rollingstone.com. Archived fromthe originalon 9 August 2007.Retrieved3 April2015.
  55. ^"A Walk On The Weiland Side".MTV.com. 9 March 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2004.Retrieved3 April2015.
  56. ^New in Entertainment (4 March 2009)."Watchmen's World Draws From Strangelove, Taxi Driver".Wired.Wired.com.Retrieved3 April2015.
  57. ^"Alberta Cross to Release New Single".Uncut.5 December 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 5 December 2010.
  58. ^Rothman, Lily (6 June 2012)."Prometheus Star Michael Fassbender on His Robotic Role and Why He Believes in Aliens".Time.Time.Retrieved3 April2015.
  59. ^Ellis, Bret Easton (15 June 2010).Imperial Bedrooms – Bret Easton Ellis – Google Books.Knopf Doubleday Publishing.ISBN978-0-307-59363-4.Retrieved3 April2015.
  60. ^"Lazarus: David Bowie musical receives mixed reviews on London transfer".BBC.London, England. 9 November 2016.Retrieved30 April2019.
  61. ^"New David Bowie single and video the Stars Are Out Tonight with Floria Sigismondi and Tilda Swinton".Phaidon.com.
  62. ^"Everything you need to know about Jodie Whittaker's first Doctor Who episode".Radio Times.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Man_Who_Fell_to_Earth&oldid=1257956830"