Brian Eno: 1971-1977 - The Man Who Fell to Earth (2011) User Reviews

Far better than your average music documentary, thanks to its length, detail, and the inclusion of extracts of Eno's work

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 8/10 · 16 December 2020]

There's no more documentaries like this covering the later periods in Eno's life? What about all the Talking Heads albums? And his work with U2? And his two albums with David Byrne, one of which in particular is crazy out there and unlike anything else in the music world?

Oh well. This documentary on its own was still great. I always knew Eno had done a lot, but this lengthy and detailed documentary makes a good case for Brian Eno being potentially the most important person in the music world of the last 50 years.

You may not enjoy this if you're not already a Brian Eno fan, or generally not super into the technical and historical sides of music. Some may find it dry, and some may not like the extended sequences where they play lengthy excerpts from Eno's songs... I loved that decision though, even if the visuals shown for the songs that didn't have music videos (ie, most of them) were sometimes a bit random.

I loved it though, for the most part, and wish more documentaries could be like this. I will admit I was pretty worn out by the end, and maybe should have watched this over a couple of days, but I was really engrossed for most of it, and it's made me want to go back and revisit most of Eno's early albums, too.

Increased my appreciation for this seminal genius 20-fold

[chris-94792 · 8/10 · 12 July 2021]

I worked at a record store for 5 or 6 years when I first graduated university. It was mid-1980's NYC and I had risen to manager of the Record dept. Of one of the branches. So I thought I knew a fair amount about the giant who was and is Eno. This film has enlightened me to the gaps in my ignorance;-}!

Superb documentary on a musical genius

[WarpedRecord · 18 August 2012]

I am but a casual Eno fan — or at least I was until I watched this exhaustive and passionate documentary on his electronic excellence. It runs more than 2 1/2 hours, and it's worth every minute of it.

The music and footage are remarkable, tracing his career from Roxy Music to his solo accomplishments and collaborations with musical heavyweights such as David Bowie, Phil Manzanera and Chris Spedding.

The film relies quite a bit on musical scholars at the expense of using Eno's voice, but the talking heads are extremely well spoken and enlightening. For those curious about experimental, avant-garde and ambient music but who need a little nudge to appreciate it, this documentary is invaluable.

Highly recommended, and just a notch short of perfection for the absence of fresh Eno interviews. 9/10 stars.