THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH

UK, 1976, 138 minutes, Colour.
David Bowie, Rip Torn, Candy Clark, Buck Henry, Bernie Casey.
Directed by Nicolas Roeg.

The Man Who Fell To Earth is quite exotic science fiction by former photographer, now director, Nicolas Roeg. The main impact is in the look and in the complex, difficult to follow technique of suggestion, short sequences not helpfully in sequence. In fact, style probably makes the basic plot of an extraterrestrial alien succeeding in business in our world in order to serve his own, but being overcome pathetically by earthly technology, alcohol and mean mindedness seem more profound than it is. David Bowie, in an acting role, is very well cast as the strange, ageless benevolent visitor and suggests much by his appearance and mannered style. Clever, stylish, a comment on technology and human disillusionment.

1. The impact of the film in terms of entertainment, visual style, cinema techniques, science fiction parable? The reputation of the director?

2. The inter-relationship between content and style? How important was the content, truisms, conventional material, sometimes cliche? How much profundity? How important was the visual style, the crosscutting and intercutting editing? The visual commentary of one sequence on the other? The cumulative effect?

3. The quality of colour, Panavision, American locations, New Mexico, cities, technology? A picture of contemporary America? The importance of the variety of musical comment? Popular songs, music, popular and classical? Snippets? The various placings? The television equipment, the multitelevision screens? The content on the television screens? The importance of film clips, eg Love in the Afternoon in the early hotel sequences, The Third Man during the discussion between Mary Lou and Bryce? Films and television and the mass communication world? What kind of atmosphere?

4. The quality of the film as science fiction? As science fantasy? How plausible was the basic plot? Extraterrestrial life, development, civilization? Interplanetary communication? Advanced technology on other planets? Visitors on the earth and their not being detected? Science fantasy as an interpretation of the present, science, technology, society, money making corporations, ruthlessness, human relationships?

5. The tone of the title, the visualising of it during the credits sequences? The recurring visual presentation of the fall? The New Mexico town as the location of the fall? Newton's revisiting it? (Who was the mysterious man watching his arrival?)

6. David Bowie as Newton? His physical appearance? Thinness, red hair, asexuality? English tone of voice? His style? Newton and the mystery of his arrival, the mystery of his identity and British citizenship? His walking down the hill, into the town, to the shop and the encounter with the old lady, the selling of the rings and their significance? The importance of money and building up money for his plan?

7. The contrast with his encounter with 0liver Farnsworth? The psychology of his pressurising Farnsworth into working for him? Farnsworth as a character, lawyer, person? Skill at his work? Understanding of the patents? His relationship with Trevor? The oblique presentation of homosexuality? His communication with Newton by phone? His success, his ageing? The confrontation with the corporation and Mr. Peters?

8. The introduction of Bryce? At the university, sexuality and the encounters with his students? His cynical approach? Why did he become curious about World Enterprises? His decision to change his job? His interest in Newton? Prying? The exhilaration of his work, his home? His impatience and communication with Farnsworth? The mysterious encounter during the night with Newton? His meeting and their discussions? His curiosity, photography? was it credible that he would betray him?

9. The presentation of commercial success, multimillion dollar empire, television, commercials, news items? The significance of this success? the American dream?

10. Newton as a person? His seclusion? The accidental significance of his fainting in the lift, his encounter with Mary Lou and the consequences of this? The balance between seclusion, communication by phone. business acumen, scientific inventions? His weak health? Did the audience really understand him as a person? How important were the memories of his previous life?

11. The visualising of his memories - the songs? Try to Remember and the presentation of happy life on his own planet, family (the appearance with the overtones of astronauts?), the changing of the seasons, the drought? The vehicles? His mission? The build up to his wife and children suffering? The means of communication from one planet to another, radio and television? The placing of the various flashbacks - extended, snippets? As a mans of understanding the emotions of Newton?

12. The character of Mary Lou? The chance encounter, her incessant talking, her helping? Her kindness? Helping him with his health, with the television? Their setting up house together? The possibility of joy? the significance of the church sequence? The gradual union with love? The change after this? (Comment on the technique of the love scene and the cross-editing from the lovemaking to what happened after? Was this better than a straightforward presentation?)

13. The transition then to the space plan? Bryce and his importance, Newton's sharing with Bryce and his hopes? The visualizing of the space project? The build-up to the blast off and the use of documentary footage to give an authentic atmosphere?

14. How did Newton go into decline before his possibility of escaping? The importance of his resuming his extraterrestrial appearance and the fright for Mary Lou? Her reaction to the discovery of the way of lovemaking? Audience response to his appearance, his face, head, eyes?

15. The importance of the visit to Bryce and Bryce photographing him? Newton's reaction after this? Decline in powers? The influence of alcohol?

16. The transition from success to kidnapping? The oblique presentation of the kidnapping? Motivation of the corporation and the sequences indicating Peters' motivation? The importance of the encounter with Oliver Farnsworth and the ludicrous nature of his death? the window not breaking at first? The killing of Trevor? The visual presentation of their falling to earth? The kidnapping of Newton and his imprisonment?

17. Audience response to so much medical testing? The motivation, the style? His pleas about his eyes? His being imprisoned in the hotel? The irony of the long tracking shot through the hotel, the table tennis? His being imprisoned and watching television? The contrast with Peters and the opulent luxury of his taking over, style of life? The justification of Peters' takeover because of financial equilibrium?

18. How ironic that Bryce should betray Newton?

19. The importance of Mary Lou's visit? Her ageing? Playing table tennis? Why had they fallen out of love with each other? Was anything else possible? Newton and his decline of powers, imprisonment, the years passing?

20. The impact and momentum of his escape? That people no longer cared about him?

21. The aftermath: Christmas and Mary Lou and Bryce living together, the Santa Claus sequence, Bryce's discovery of the record? Mary Lou living in ignorance? Bryce tracking him down and the pathos of their final conversation and Newton's decline, that he had suffered too much?

22. The significance of his failure? The importance of how much human beings rake what is mysterious suffer? The threat of the unknown and the unknowable? Man's destructive capacities? The irony that Newton said his fellows would have treated Earth visitors in the same way?

23. A cinematic achievement? Did it match the intellectual and emotional content of the plot and thews?