'The Man Who Fell To Earth' at 50: Was David Bowie’s strange stranded alien his best role ever?

David Bowie as Thomas Jerome Newton in "The Man Who Fell To Earth"

(Image credit: British Lion Films)

The 1970s were an evolutionary step for global science fiction films, with some of the most pivotal and game-changing releases helping to expand the genre by addressing environmental issues, political unrest, technology anxiety, societal decay, and existential questions of life and death."Star Wars" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" will, of course, be remembered as the eventual heavy hitters of the ‘70s, but there were a multitude of other bold standouts that might have been left in the dust, yet deserve our rapt attention.British director Nicolas Roeg's "The Man Who Fell To Earth" is one such pioneering gem, and we’re celebrating the film’s 50th anniversary today to remind cinephiles of its dreamy atmosphere and poignant portrait of a benevolent extraterrestrial visitor ruined by human vices. It was a role so beautifully captured by rock legend David Bowie in his very first film appearance... and it was a banger!

The Man Who Fell to Earth | Original Trailer | Coolidge Corner Theatre - YouTube

Watch On