Review of The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) by Spangle — 01 Mar 2017

The Man Who Fell to Earth is a film released just over 40 years ago now and yet, I do not believe I have seen a film of this kind. I may have seen a lot of films, but this one is just so unique it makes it a daunting challenge to watch and then to comprehend afterwards. With stunning imagery, a surreal approach to its story, pro-conservation and anti-corporate themes, and a delicate look at how the people of Earth would react to an alien landing on the planet. Long, contemplative, and not entirely perfect, The Man Who Fell to Earth is a film that is more compelling and thought provoking than it is entertaining.

One of the first things I noticed about this film is the similarity with Don't Look Now in how the sex scenes are filmed. Intercut with other scenes just as in director Nicolas Roeg's prior film, the scenes are stunningly put together. One such scene in intercut with Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) at a show featuring Oriental performances. A later sex scene is not necessarily intercut with another scene, but it is heavily obscured due to flashes of the gun and unnatural flashes occurring alongside the gun. It almost seems like the flash of the gun was heightened to serve as another scene of sorts to augment the sex scene. The end result is captivating sex scenes that allow Roeg to indulge the more sexual elements of the plot and the exploration of sex in the film, while infusing it with a sense of artistry and style. While the sex scenes can be a bit excessive to a comical degree, the film uses them as a source of exploration for Thomas, who is unaware of human sexuality.

This intercutting adds to the formalistic feeling of the film, also bolstered by the constant images of Thomas' family back on his home planet. Shown as flashbacks or cuts to the present time, they are always in a barren desert clearly suffering from the heat and dryness of the planet. Thomas represents their only hope and they keep awaiting his return, but due to humanity's response to him - capturing him and studying him - a return home seems incredibly unlikely. This makes these images take on a truly tragic meaning with them being lost lines of connection to his old world that will never be rekindled in the future.

The film's most prominent themes are its pro-conservation and anti-corporate themes. The former is explored via the company founded by Thomas. Replacing major polluters with patents that give him control over their products, he sets out to recycle and reuse all products his company sells. The film celebrates the natural green of the world with Thomas building a home where nobody lives to be surrounded by water and grass. Of course, this is because of the state of his planet. Decimated by a lack of water, he has come to Earth to find a solution for his people. Representing what will happen if we do not step up our game and preserve the Earth, Thomas' journey to Earth is one out of desperation as he seeks a way to rescue his people and family from certain death. Unfortunately, the studying done to him renders him incapable of delivering any solutions to his people and leaves him as an involuntary prisoner of Earth and his human form. Raising awareness to the issues surrounding pollution, the film equally critiques companies. The companies he takes over are ones who may not have a great environmental record and then he is captured by business rivals and the government for study after having his trust betrayed. The film portrays the companies as the antagonists in this one and while that is hardly unique and a bit too on-the-nose, it does work and shows that the greatest danger to the environment is posed by corporations that cut corners left and right.

That said, The Man Who Fell to Earth did not work entirely for me. It is far too long, the acting is fine but nothing special, and it can be a bit too surreal and distant at times to truly evoke pathos. That said, it is a highly unique and innovative film that explores worthy themes with a captivating story to boot. Nicolas Roeg infuses the film with great style and finds a way to uniquely tell a simple "alien comes to Earth" story without devolving into cliches or action sequences. Impressive stuff, but it is simply not a film that entirely clicked for me on an initial watch.