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The Man Who Fell to Earth

"Power, space, time and a visitor."

1976-03-18 Science Fiction 2hr 19m

Thomas Jerome Newton is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth, Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou, a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.

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Storyline

Thomas Jerome Newton is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth, Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou, a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.

  • Released
    1976-03-18
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    $1,500,000
  • Runtime
    2hr 19m
  • Genre
    Science Fiction, Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    6.6
  • Production
    British Lion Films, Houtsnede Maatschappij N.V., Cinema 5

Crew

Nicolas Roeg
Director
Paul Mayersberg
Screenplay
Michael Deeley
Producer
Keywords:
based on novel or book extraterrestrial technology dystopia alien life-form

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Cast

David Bowie

David Bowie
Thomas Jerome Newton
Rip Torn

Rip Torn
Nathan Bryce
Candy Clark

Candy Clark
Mary-Lou
Tony Mascia

Tony Mascia
Arthur
Buck Henry

Buck Henry
Oliver Farnsworth
Bernie Casey

Bernie Casey
Peters
Adrienne La Russa

Adrienne La Russa
Helen
Claudia Jennings

Claudia Jennings
Peters' Wife
Rick Riccardo

Rick Riccardo
Trevor
Jim Lovell

Jim Lovell
James Lovell
Hilary Holland

Hilary Holland
Jill
Linda Hutton

Linda Hutton
Elaine
Jackson D. Kane

Jackson D. Kane
Professor Canutti
Lilybelle Crawford

Lilybelle Crawford
Jewelery Store Owner
Richard Breeding

Richard Breeding
Receptionist
Albert Nelson

Albert Nelson
Waiter
Peter Prouse

Peter Prouse
Peters' Associate

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Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Man Who Fell to Earth
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-01-02

Very much a vehicle for David Bowie, this is otherwise a rather derivative and unimaginative story of an alien ("Newton") who arrives on Ear... read more

Very much a vehicle for David Bowie, this is otherwise a rather derivative and unimaginative story of an alien ("Newton") who arrives on Earth, naked and penniless. He is tasked with trying to find a way to save his own doomed planet, but quickly discovers that he has skills! He can make money, and money buys nice things; it buys nice sex; it gives him power... All of these pleasures distract him from the purpose of his visit. Can he refocus? Well his infatuation with "Mary-Lou" (Candy Clark) isn't helping, nor are those around him - "Bryce" (Rip Torn) amongst them - with their own rather parasitic agendas, and his own character undergoes quite a few transformations as his exposure to the Earth and all of it's frequently conflicting moralities presents him with quite a few challenges. To be perfectly honest, I was rather bored with this. It offers us a smorgasbord of humanity with little context or character depth. Bowie is attractive to look at - sometimes - but really isn't much of an actor and at over 2¼ hours long, the plot had little option but to recycle itself - in various thinly disguised guises - just once too often for me. Stomu Yamashta's score is heavy overused, I thought, and by the end I really wasn't so very bothered whether or not he succeeded. As an observation of 1970s priorities, aspirations and excesses, it is quite illustrative I suppose, but as a film to see on a big screen it is really nothing at all to write home about, sorry.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by CinemaSerf

Very much a vehicle for David Bowie, this is otherwise a rather derivative and unimaginative story of an alien ("Newton") who arrives on Earth, naked and penniless. He is tasked with trying to find a way to save his own doomed planet, but q...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-01-02

Very much a vehicle for David Bowie, this is otherwise a rather derivative and unimaginative story of an alien ("Newton") who arrives on Earth, naked and penniless. He is tasked with trying to find a ...

read more