06/07/06 The Man Who Fell To Earth

The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976), directed by Nicolas Roeg

watched w/ Leslie; DVD rental (Netflix) @ home

Trippy to say the least. Thought-provoking to make a stretch at it. Completely "out there" if you pardon the punny allusion to the astral thematic elements. Hailed a cult classic, and since released in the prestigious Criterion Collection on DVD, I figured it was high time I checked out this spacey romp. It marks David Bowie's first true foray into feature length filmmaking, and is an early entry by interesting director Nicolas Roeg (I loved his eerie "The Witches" in the early 90's). Bowie plays humanoid alien Thomas Jane Newton, who crash lands onto Earth, and searches for a supply of water to transport back to his dying drought-ridden planet. He utilizes his advanced knowledge of artificial intelligence to create a wealthy technology company, lucrative enough for him to build a spacecraft for a return home. With the aid of Rip Torn as a libidinous professorial technology geek, and the distraction provided by his new libidinous lover in Candy Clark...it is all that Newton can do to complete his mission. He soon is introduced to the complexities of human emotion and ruthless business greed, and searches for feeling in all his endeavors. With all the trimmings of a psychedelic sex-fest, and over-saturation of media and technology...the film is completely overwhelming. I got confused very easily into it, granted I was very tired to begin with. There were certain parts that just seemed to drag on, but all the visuals and extreme characters kept you fixated on the screen. Sort of an impression of life imitating art if you will, as Newton remains glued to an array of television sets in his apartment. I feel like the disorientation was intentional by Roeg, and it will take more viewings before things make sense. Or maybe they never will...and that's the point. Who knows?! Bowie is a space cadet, literally here...and we're just along for the nonsensical ride. Enjoy the planet, just don't drink the water.

4 out of 5 stars