The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

An alien must pose as a human to save his dying planet, but a woman and greed of other men create complications.

Director:

Nicolas Roeg

Writers:

Paul Mayersberg (screenplay), Walter Tevis (from the novel by)

Stars:

David Bowie, Rip Torn, Candy Clark

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Bowie	...	Thomas Jerome Newton
Rip Torn	...	Nathan Bryce
Candy Clark	...	Mary-Lou
Buck Henry	...	Oliver Farnsworth
Bernie Casey	...	Peters
Jackson D. Kane	...	Professor Canutti
Rick Riccardo	...	Trevor
Tony Mascia	...	Arthur
Linda Hutton	...	Elaine
Hilary Holland	...	Jill
Adrienne Larussa	...	Helen
Lilybelle Crawford	...	Jewelery Store Owner
Richard Breeding	...	Receptionist
Albert Nelson	...	Waiter
Peter Prouse	...	Peters' Associate

Storyline

Thomas Jerome Newton is a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to get water for his dying planet. He starts a high technology company to get the billions of dollars he needs to build a return spacecraft, and meets Mary-Lou, a girl who falls in love with him. He does not count on the greed and ruthlessness of business here on Earth, however.

---

Plot Keywords:

sex scene | female nudity | based on novel | alien | dying planet | 

---

Taglines:

There, now I'll never get them off.

---

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The music that Oliver Farnsworth is listening to in the first scene we see him in and in one of the last is Gustav Holst's "The Planets".

---

Goofs

At the end of the film, it is implied that 20 to 30 years have passed, yet the fashion, technology, and general appearance of the world is still clearly in the mid 1970s.

---

Quotes

Mary-Lou: What happens to you when you drink?
Thomas Jerome Newton: I see things.

---

Alternate Versions

In the original U.S. theatrical release, the "Hello Mary Lou" sequence with the gun was missing. It was restored when the movie was broadcast on pay cable.

---

Connections

Referenced in Velvet Goldmine (1998)

---

Soundtracks

Mandala
Written & Performed by Stomu Yamashta

User Reviews

Moody, Understated, Strange

Of all the movies I saw as a teenager (I am now middle aged) this is the one that has remained with me the most, more so even than the highly acclaimed "Deerhunter," which came out 2 years later in 1978. I have not seen it since 1980, so if my memory fails me, please excuse. This eerie, moody movie encapsulated for me -- an alienated kid, I'll grant you -- the perils of living in, and partaking of, the modern world. An alien falls to earth in search of water for his planet, and somehow loses his way, corrupted by materialism, sex, alcohol, the physical world.

I recall Candy Clark's cool, almost southern voice (just saw her in a cameo performance tonight, playing Christopher Walken's girlfriend in the 1986 "At Close Range, another great) purring at Bowie after he has built a little house for her at the end of a dock, "You're such a nice man," and there is something so unsettled about the cinematography -- cloudy and dark and too still -- in the scene that you know he is definitely NOT a nice man, but deeply troubled and unable to respond to human emotions. The other reviewers noted the somewhat disturbing sex scene towards the end of the movie, but for me, at least, that was not needed. I didn't need slime or removed eyeballs (although that is a great scene) to tell me the man is a freak who is human enough to lament his own inability to connect with these creatures from Earth. For the most part the movie was understated, unfolding in its own, detached time.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 1976 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Man Who Fell to Earth

Filming Locations:

Willcox Playa, Willcox, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,922, 26 June 2011

Gross USA:

$100,072

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$162,862

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Lion Film Corporation, Houtsnede Maatschappij N.V., Cinema 5

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min 119 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1