The Man Who Fell To Earth

[assydingo]

Couldn't find a topic...

I rented and it's extremely interesting. I was hoping someone might have a better understanding of it.

[Show spoiler] How did they find out he was an alien and is that why he never got to ride his space ship? It said his company had financial problems but he appears to get more wealthy... I didn't really get what they were saying with him and his family by the vehicle/house.

In general I'd just like to know more because I wouldn't say it's confusing but it's not straight-forward.

[PowellPressburger]

I have seen the film about 10 times and I can't really explain it I think it is better to see it as you think it or something like that.... if you think this is interesting rent or look into the DVDs for BAD TIMING (same dir.) or Performance (from WB DVD)

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by assydingo

[Show spoiler]How did they find out he was an alien and is that why he never got to ride his space ship?

[Show spoiler]His landing was witnessed by the shadowy figure, also Rip Torn's character tips them off.

Originally Posted by assydingo

[Show spoiler]It said his company had financial problems but he appears to get more wealthy...

[Show spoiler]The lawyer running the company wants to exploit the patents that the company owns more than Bowie's character is letting him, often selling the patents for much less than they are worth, but they are by no means struggling. The concerns over the spaceship are that it's taking too long to complete making his families survival less likely.

Originally Posted by assydingo

[Show spoiler]I didn't really get what they were saying with him and his family by the vehicle/house.

Not sure I remember this part, can you be more specific?

[assydingo]

[Show spoiler] Whenever it shows his home world he and his family are by something that is on a rail. I think it shows it moving at once. Was that how he got there?

Also why was he in the commercial? The one shown before his friend x-rays him? It shows the same guy seeing Bowie's character while Bowie is supposed to be home.

PowellPressburger. Any chance those will be coming to Blu-Ray?

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by assydingo

[Show spoiler] Whenever it shows his home world he and his family are by something that is on a rail. It shows it moving at one point. Was that how he got there?

PowellPressburger. Any chance those will be coming to Blu-Ray?

I would bet Criterion will get Bad Timing out on BLU before WB releases Performance on Blu... meaning Criterion could release it 5 yrs from now and prob still beat WB to the punch.. but this is because I doubt they will get around to releasing many cult films like performance on blu anytime soon. I wish but who knows. James FOX is awesome in performance.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by assydingo

[Show spoiler] Whenever it shows his home world he and his family are by something that is on a rail. It shows it moving at one point. Was that how he got there?

[Show spoiler]His ship is never shown in the movie, supposedly it is described in the novel. Similarly we don't learn much about his planet of Anthea. I believe that is supposed to be some sort of rail system for transportation to his departure point. In the novel he is chosen from the 300 survivors, because of his strength since the earth's gravity, due to the small size of Anthea, is significantly greater. I suppose these flashback scenes are supposed to be him saying fair well to his family and his family eagerly awaiting his return.

[assydingo]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

I would bet Criterion will get Bad Timing out on BLU before WB releases Performance on Blu... meaning Criterion could release it 5 yrs from now and prob still beat WB to the punch.. but this is because I doubt they will get around to releasing many cult films like performance on blu anytime soon. I wish but who knows. James FOX is awesome in performance.

That sounds a little too long a wait... I'll just rent the dvds. Both movies seem incredibly interesting. Hopefully they won't have too much loud sex.

kpkelley. Thanks!

[Show spoiler] I looked at the wiki and it says at the end he stopped trying because his planet had already died. I didn't really get that in the movie although Mary-Lou implied they could be dead. It also explains a lot the differences between the book... kind of makes me want to read it though I don't read much.

[Seretur]

There is another Nicolas Roeg film on Criterion's confirmed BD slate, Walkabout.

As for the explanation of this film, I highly recommend the Walter Tevis novel; it's not a part of the BD package, but it's readily available -- I got my copy with an issue of Sight & Sound a few years back. It's more straightforward than the Roeg film, and will help immensely with the understanding of the plot. And that's a richer experience than any forum answer can give you. Then you can go and rewatch the film itself, for a highly creative meditation on the novel's issues.

Film adaptations usually go down the route of streamlining and simplifying; with TMWFTE it's the exact opposite, and more power to it for that. It seems that this approach is something of a lost art nowadays, and we're all the poorer for it.

Tevis isn't anything like Philip K. Dick, BTW, but having recently rewatched TMWFTE I was quite sad that Roeg never got a chance to adapt Dick. The film's producer, Michael Deeley, produced Blade Runner, though.

Ah, those were the days.

[fronn]

Love this movie.

It's been a favorite of mine (sort of unknowingly for quite a while) since I saw it the first time several years back. I'd find myself thinking about various scenes randomly, even years after watching it.

I was very happy to see it was one of the first BR releases.

It's a bizarre movie, but it just kind of works.

[zachd73]

Originally Posted by assydingo

Couldn't find a topic...

I rented and it's extremely interesting. I was hoping someone might have a better understanding of it.

[Show spoiler] How did they find out he was an alien and is that why he never got to ride his space ship? It said his company had financial problems but he appears to get more wealthy... I didn't really get what they were saying with him and his family by the vehicle/house.

In general I'd just like to know more because I wouldn't say it's confusing but it's not straight-forward.

I believe that another Nicholas Roeg film, Walkabout, will be released on blu-ray by criterion also. I have seen Walkabout 3 or 4 times and it is a beautiful and fascinating film to watch. It is complex but not difficult to understand.

I have not seen Man Who Fell to Earth yet but it is coming soon from Netflix.

Walkabout will greatly benefit from a blu-ray version... the previous SD version is not anamorphic and doesn't look very good especially considering the cinematography of the Australian outback in the movie.

[Blu-Buddha]

Originally Posted by zachd73

I believe that another Nicholas Roeg film, Walkabout, will be released on blu-ray by criterion also. I have seen Walkabout 3 or 4 times and it is a beautiful and fascinating film to watch. It is complex but not difficult to understand.

I have not seen Man Who Fell to Earth yet but it is coming soon from Netflix.

Walkabout will greatly benefit from a blu-ray version... the previous SD version is not anamorphic and doesn't look very good especially considering the cinematography of the Australian outback in the movie.

About ten years ago I was fortunate enough to run a pristine 35mm collector's print of Walkabout (in 4-trak mag stereo) at a film festival. Damn that was gorgeous!

[assydingo]

I watched the Walkabout trailer. It seems the whole plot is a girl and her brother are lost in Australia and meet an Aborigne (sp?) boy? As simple as that sounds it still seems worth watching.

One thing that bugs me is the brother... he seems like the typical annoying little boy they used to have in movies.

[VentureRG]

TMWFTE is a favorite. I finally broke down and ordered my first Criterion BD the other day. I got this free through points on Buy.com (would not ordinarily spend that much for a BD). So very much looking forward to the longer directors cut and all the extras.

[assydingo]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

I have seen the film about 10 times and I can't really explain it I think it is better to see it as you think it or something like that.... if you think this is interesting rent or look into the DVDs for BAD TIMING (same dir.) or Performance (from WB DVD)

Bad Timing was really good! The two leads really embody their roles and you get so wrapped up in their relationship.

It's kind of a tragic love story but it doesn't feel at all romantic... but in a dark kind of way it seems so real and how people actually are that it is romantic in not being romantic. Not that all people are like that but I can relate a bit to the story personally.