The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

The Man Who Fell to Earth
Directed by Nicholas Roeg
Written by Paul Mayersberg from a novel by Walter Tevis
1976/UK
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime (free to members)
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Mary-Lou: What are they like, your children?
Thomas Jerome Newton: They’re like children. Exactly like children…

David Bowie’s charisma saves this depressing and badly paced science fiction movie.

Bowie is an alien on a mission to Earth to save his dying planet which is running out of water.  He lands in the U.S., goes by the name of Thomas Jerome Newton and carries a British passport and a thick bankroll of 100-dollar bills.  His idea is to start a profitable business to finance the space craft he will need to go back to his planet.  He enlists the help of patent attorney Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry) and scientist Nathan Bryce (RipTorn).  Thomas keeps himself and his motives to himself.  He misses his wife and children.

Thomas’s instant-develop photography business is wildly successful.  He has a hard time adjusting to earthly ways.  He also trusts everybody.  He meets Mary-Lou (Candy Clark) who saves him from an attack of fainting.  Unfortunately, she is a raging alcoholic.  First Thomas learns the pleasures of earthly sex.  Finally, she convinces him to join her for a few drinks.  Alcohol has the effect of making Thomas see visions of his planet and family, and only makes him more miserable.  Mary-Lou is holding on to Thomas with all her strength and her charms and his drinking habit slow down his escape.

Greedy capitalists cannot abide Thomas’s wealth and his honest benevolent business.  So they set out to destroy him.

I love David Bowie and think he did excellently in his first film.  The other actors are also very good.  I was particularly impressed by Candy Clark who ages about 20 or 30 years.  Her make-up man did one hell of a job.  I found the second half of the movie to drag badly.   I also didn’t quite understand the point.  Was Thomas going to be able to take our water home?  Was his plan to bring his family to earth?  Recommended to Bowie fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTyCWXWW8dM