FILM NOIR - BU (HC)(GB)

Loving the Alien
Behind the scenes of Nic Roeg's 1976 sci-fi masterpiece starring David Bowie

First advertised as a “mind-stretching experience,” Nicolas Roeg's 1976 The Man Who Fell to Earth stunned the world cinema. A tour-de-force of science fiction as art form, the movie brought not only hallucinatory visuals and a haunting exploration of contemporary alienation, but also glam-rock legend David Bowie in his lead role debut as paranoid alien Newton.

Based on Walter Tevis's 1963 sci-fi fable of the same title, The Man Who Fell to Earth follows alien Newton from his arrival on earth in search of water; his transition to wealthy entrepreneur, leveraging the advanced technologies of his native planet; his sexual awakening with the young Mary-Lou; and then the discovery of his alien identity, his imprisonment, abandonment, and descent into alcoholism.