The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

There are a number of big, important directors that just do not click with me.  Michelangelo Antonioni is one.  No matter how much people try to convince me that Blow-Up is a major groundbreaking film, I don't see it.  It's an overlong boring fable about perception of reality versus reality, and it's not subtle about it.  What should be a good murder mystery is lost in a sea of pretention. 

I often feel the same way about Nicolas Roeg films.  The Witches aside, most of his movies feature him working with his favorite rock stars and spinning some surrealistic tale where a good part of it is him getting in his own way.  He can shoot, he can shoot art but rarely does he seem able to shoot a comprehensible movie.  His adaptation of Walter Trevis's The Man Who Fell to Earth is no exception. 

Thomas Newton (David Bowie) appears one day in the office of patent lawyer Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry).  Together they form World Enterprises, a company that makes everything from self-developing film to advanced electronics.  Nathan Bryce (Rip Torn), a chemistry professor, becomes obsessed with Newton, writing letters to Farnsworth until finally he is hired by the company.  Meanwhile, the reclusive Newton begins a romance with hotel maid Mary Lou (Candy Clark) despite admitting to having a wife and children where he came from.

Where he came from soon becomes apparent, as it's not from Earth.  Still, the longer he spends on our planet, the more he succumbs to its vices, including alcohol.  The U.S. government, concerned about World Enterprise's impact on the economy and gradual realization of what Newton is, aims to destroy everything the company created, including the spaceship that Newton intended to use to get back to his home planet to save his family.

It's a rather simple and touching story about isolation that was somewhat inspired by Trevis's own life.  It's enhanced by the fact that David Bowie has an easy, natural acting style that fits the character despite the singer being in the throes of addiction at the time.  The narrative could have stood on its own and been quite an effective cautionary tale about how too much reclusiveness is dangerous as are the consequences of slowly giving up on one's values. 

Instead, Nicolas Roeg creates a rambling narrative.  He purposely wanted the viewer to be confused about time, although it is obvious that a number of years pass.  Some of it can be forgiven, but a good portion of the final act has Newton being tested by the government, although it is never clear why or if they even believe he is an alien.  Their reason for bringing down World Enterprises is obvious, as it is seen as a threat to the status quo, but that whole plot involving a shadowy government agent played by Bernie Casey is also never developed the way it should be.  It is completely devoid of tension.

At some points Nathan Bryce narrates the story and seems like he is going to be an important part in the proceedings, but then he disappears.  Mary Lou at least hangs around, though Candy Clark's histrionics get beyond annoying as the film goes on.  The emotion we are supposed to feel for a woman who has unfairly been treated as a substitute wife doesn't come through at all, and her obsession with Newton never makes that much sense.  There are hints throughout that Newton may be a schizophrenic going through treatment, but that narrative is never pursued either. 

In the end we are left with a movie that has a number of scenes that work well as pictures but, again, never come together to make an interesting movie.  It goes on way too long, has too many characters that are never developed and drops narrative threads before they even begin to lead to something interesting.  Bowie's acting and presence is the only thing that holds this movie together, and even that becomes tenuous toward the end.  The Man Who Fell to Earth is a movie that I have given several chances over the years only to be repeatedly frustrated no matter what stage in life I find myself and, at what will probably be the last time I sit through it, I don't find it to be any less of a challenge.  There are deeper meanings, but the disjointed narrative and directorial misfires tend to wipe it clean of those, making the movie ultimately a shallow exercise. 

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

Time: 139 minutes

Starring: David Bowie, Candy Clark, Rip Torn, Buck Henry, Bernie Casey

Director: Nicolas Roeg