1970s sci-fi fantasy is equal parts sci-fi and profound

by Robert Scocchi
| Published One before the second

If you believe David Bowie maze It was his strangest film role, think again. This title belongs to the year 1976 The man who fell to the grounda fantasy fantasy flick that doubles as a soft, intergalactic ERCOTINA.

Equal parts urgent and deep, The man who fell to the ground It explores addiction, media consumption, and corporate corruption, with David Bowie’s Thomas Jerome Newton at the center. Admittedly, there’s a little too much gratuitous nudity, but the film is a visual feast that captures another sense of existential dread that only Bowie could pull off.

A fish out of water

The man who fell to the ground It is a fish out of water, not because Thomas Newton is floundering on dry land, but because his planet is literally out of water. Using a human disguise after an accident landing on Earth, Thomas creates a false identity and hires patent attorney Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry) to help him monetize the technology from his home world. With his company, World Enterprises Corporation, he quickly builds a fortune to finance a spacecraft that can return water to his dying planet and his family.

While visiting his location in New Mexico, Thomas meets Mary Lou (Candy Clark), a hotel worker who is charmed by her idiosyncrasies. One of the film’s best running jokes is Thomas explaining a stranger by claiming he’s just English. As the romance develops, his addictive tendencies emerge through alcohol abuse. He spends hours drinking beef gin in front of walls of TVs, muttering lines like, “Something’s weird about TV, it doesn’t tell you anything,” as he dies in despair.

Meanwhile, female faculty professor Dr. Nathan Price (RIP Torn) takes over the Global Enterprise Fuels division. He aims to exploit Thomas’ technology while proving that he is not human.

The man who fell to the ground gushed

My only real complaint with The man who fell to the ground He is tall. At 138 minutes, some of Risqué’s scenes feel more indulgent than necessary.

The third activation sequence shows a naked Thomas shooting blanks at Mary Lou under the distorted lights in his apartment that turn out to be happening for an uncomfortable amount of time. It’s visually wild but unnecessary. Movies like Classify Use sex to move the story forward; This one persists for seemingly no reason.

However, The man who fell to the ground Still surreal, character-driven Science fiction Imagination that depends on the atmosphere on the show. with David Bowie Up front, it gets every bit as weird as you’d hope.

Widely considered one of Nicolas Roeg’s best films, you can stream The man who fell to the ground Free on Tubi. Just be prepared for the repercussions. You might want to collect all the TVs next and lose yourself in a sitcom to restore.

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