The Man Who Fell to Earth Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Man Who Fell to Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 10, 2016

Nic Roeg's "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new and archival interviews with cast and crew members; new and archival featurettes; and more. Also included with this release is the original soundtrack for the film; art cards; original press book; poster; and more. In English, with optional English SDH and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The visitor

Thomas Newton (David Bowie, Just a Gigolo, The Hunger), an alien from another dimension, arrives on Earth to seek water supply for his dying planet. Looking and talking like a normal human being, he quickly amasses great wealth by patenting a number of groundbreaking technologies. While visiting New Mexico, he also befriends the bubbly Mary-Lou (Candy Clark, American Graffiti, Blue Thunder).

Mary-Lou quickly falls for Thomas. The two spend plenty of time together and even though he isn't as enthusiastic about their relationship as she is, they begin to act as a couple. Eventually, the alien reveals itself to Mary-Lou and attempts to explain why he is visiting Earth. Around the same time, his corporation begins to crumble.

I saw Nic Roeg's The Man Who Fell To Earth in the mid 1980s. I cannot recall exactly when, but I remember perfectly well the effect Bowie's notorious transformation had on me -- it was quite a shock, one that I can only compare to what I experienced when the British media published a series of articles about his fascination with the neo-Nazi movement. So it is only natural that each time I revisit The Man Who Fell To Earth I inevitably end up thinking about Bowie’s past.

A lot of the negative reviews The Man Who Fell To Earth received in Europe were written by critics who could not quite figure out its genre identity -- it was too serious and too far-reaching for a sci-fi film, and too unconventional to be a conventional drama. In other words, it did not quite fit into the stereotypical mold of their thinking and they dismissed it.

In America, The Man Who Fell To Earth also received mixed reviews. Interestingly enough, American critics saw a different version of the film that their British colleagues had seen -- the official U.S. theatrical version was cut by approximately twenty minutes. And it wasn't until much later that director Roeg's complete version of The Man Who Fell To Earth was made available to American audiences; but even then many people, including the film's U.S. distributor, didn't seem terribly impressed by its unorthodox narrative.

Things are a lot different nowadays. The Man Who Fell To Earth still raises eyebrows, but for different reasons. Most critics agree that the film is a brilliant satire on corporate societies, and profit-obsessed America in particular, as well as human fascination with greed, violence and self-destruction.

I must admit that my take on the film has also evolved rather substantially. There was a time when I thought that Bowie’s transformation, for instance, was suggestive of his radical socio-political views, obsession with spirituality, and frustration with the then-modern world. In the film he is in a relationship with a beautiful young woman, but there isn't an emotional connection between them. He is incredibly wealthy and powerful but always lonely, isolated in his own shell. In the real world, at the same time Bowie was living a very similar life.

In recent years, however, I’ve also come to realize that The Man Who Fell to Earth is indeed a highly stylized satire on our corrupted world, sort of the flip side of the equally atmospheric Walkabout. It is a beautiful and poetic but at the same time enormously pessimistic film.

Note: In 1976, The Man Who Fell to Earth won Golden Scroll Award for Best Actor (David Bowie), which was granted by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

The Man Who Fell to Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nic Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration of The Man Who Fell to Earth which should remain its definitive presentation. I think that it is very beautiful and now the film looks healthier than it has ever been before.

StudioCanal first released the film on Blu-ray in 2011 and I thought that the presentation was very good. The master they used was an older one, but it had a very nice organic appearance and the Blu-ray release was in fact a major upgrade over the older DVD releases of the film. The 4K restoration/remaster brings a number of small but important improvements. Because of the high-quality scanning grain is much better exposed and resolved and as a result the entire film has a much 'tighter' appearance. This is something that directly impacts fluidity, and the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to see the benefits. There are also subtle but noticeable and important improvements in the color scheme. The primaries are lusher and there is an expanded and better defined range of nuances. These improvements also strengthen the fluidity I mentioned earlier. Image stability is outstanding. Finally, there are absolutely no distracting debris, damage marks, cuts, dirt spot, stains, or warped/torn frames. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Man Who Fell to Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio appears to have been fully remastered. In the upper register, in particular, stability is excellent and there isn't even a whiff of background hiss or other age-related imperfections. The dialog and the retro soundtrack are also wonderfully balanced.

The Man Who Fell to Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The Man Who Fell to Earth. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Interviews -
  
  1. Candy Clark - in this archival interview, Candy Clark recalls how she became involved with The Man Who Fell to Earth and discusses her professional relationship with Nic Roeg during the shooting of the film. The actress also discusses some key themes and relationships from the film. In English, with optional German subtitles. (28 min).
  
  2. Paul Mayersberg - in this archival interview, writer Paul Mayersberg discusses his long professional relationship with Nic Roeg and the evolution of the original script for The Man Who Fell Earth (with some very interesting comments about the political themes in the novel that inspired the film, as well as some specific changes that were made in the final version of the script). In English, with optional German subtitles. (32 min).
  
  3. Tony Richmond - in this archival interview, Tony Richmond recalls how he was approached and invited to work with Nic Roeg on The Man Who Fell to Earth. The cinematographer also explains how and where different portions of the film were shot, as well as what it was like to work with David Bowie. In English, with optional German subtitles. (22 min).
  
  4. Nic Roeg - in this archival interview, Nic Roeg recalls how he entered the film business, and discusses the shooting of The Man Who Fell to Earth and his interactions with David Bowie during the process. In English, with optional German subtitles. (33 min).
  
  5. May Routh - in this new interview, costume designer May Routh discusses her professional career and contribution to The Man Who Fell to Earth. In English, with optional German subtitles. (15 min).
  
  6. David James - in this new video interview, stills photographer recalls how he was invited by Nic Roeg to join his team and discusses the director's working methods. In English, with optional German subtitles. (9 min).
  
  7. Sam Taylor-Johnson - in this new video interview, writer/dierctor Sam Taylor Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey) recalls her initial reaction to The Man Who Fell to Earth and the tremendous impact the film had on her. In English, with optional German subtitles. (12 min).
  
  8. Michael Deeley - in this new video interview, producer Michael Deeley discusses his involvement with The Man Who Fell to Earth and the film's production history and success. In English, with optional German subtitles. (17 min).

• The Lost Soundtracks - this brand new featurette takes a closer look at the scoring of The Man Who Fell to Earth. Included in it are clips from new interviews with arranger/composer/conductor Paul Buckmaster, producer Michael Deeley, and author/John Phillips biographer Chris Campion. In English, with optional German subtitles. (17 min).

• Watching the Alien - presented here is a wonderful featurette in which director Nic Roeg, executive producer Si Litvinoff, actress Candy Clark, production designer Brian Eatwell, director of photography Anthony Richmond, editor Graeme Clifford, and costume designer May Routh recall how The Man Who Fell to Earth came to exist. Produced by David Gregory and Lizette Pena. Courtesy of Blue Underground, Inc. In English, with optional German subtitles. (25 min).

• David Bowie Interview - presented here is an archival interview with David Bowie in which the star discusses his contribution to The Man Who Fell to Earth. The interview was conducted in 1977 for French TV. In French and English, with optional English and German subtitles where necessary. (9 min).

• CD/Soundtrack - the entire soundtrack for The Man Who Fell to Earth is included on a separate CD.

• Booklet - 70-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film, archival stills and promotional materials, and technical credits.

• Press Book - included with the release is an original press book for The Man Who Fell to Earth.

• Art Cards - four original art cards for The Man Who Fell to Earth.

• Poster - A4 poster of new theatrical quad.

The Man Who Fell to Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

StudioCanal have delivered the ultimate Blu-ray release of Nic Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth. The release is sourced from a very beautiful new 4K restoration of the film and comes with a number of archival and new bonus features, as well as a CD with the original soundtrack for the film, a massive booklet, original press book, and even a beautiful new poster. If this is one of your favorite films, buy this release while it is still in print. It is truly special. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.