The Man Who Fell to Earth

I watched this film many moons ago and was delighted to discover it on here by chance.. I'm writing this review from memory as I have yet to watch it again..but it's on my watchlist and I certainly look forward to watching it again when I have the time. It's been at least 15 years since I last saw it.. This was I believe David Bowie's first foray into film. His acting is somewhat wanting but perhaps playing an alien that doesn't seem to have emotions, he could be forgiven for that! It was during his Ziggy Stardust era when he made this film and his androgynous appearance made him an ideal choice for the odd-ball alien who finds himself stranded on earth and so adopts a human appearance. The alien uses his knowledge of common technologies used on his planet, but not yet discovered on earth to invent products which make him fabulously wealthy. However this proves to be his undoing. Not only does he fall for the same traps wealthy humans do (drugs and alcohol) but he also draws attention to himself from big corporations and the US government who eventually discover he's an alien. It's an interesting concept for a story but the film does seem unnecessarily long and so could be considered an 'art film' rather than a story. This does begin to grate after a while and becomes tiresome to watch.. nevertheless, there's some interesting camera work and visual effects.. the whole film has a very strong 70's visual feel to it. If you're a Bowie fan, check out his later vampire film, 'The Hunger' which is a much better film. His acting abilities has improved by leaps and bounds by then!

A superb performance by the entire cast with David Bowie rendering a sterling performance. The script is ground breaking and the intensity of the characters refreshing.