The Man Who Fell to Earth, which features David Bowie in his first starring role (and really his first “proper” film), came out 50 years ago. While it is a sci-fi flick, one you can check out if you have a Kanopy subscription, that was pretty typical of 1976, it is a stark example of just how much the genre changed in short order. It was, after all, released just about 13 months before another little cult classic you might be more familiar with, Star Wars. The Man Who Fell to Earth is a really “cool” movie, but it’s not really a great example of ‘70s sci-fi because so much changed, so quickly.
I Understand Why This Movie Is A Cult Classic
I’ve been a huge David Bowie fan for decades. I first saw him in concert in the mid-'90s, and I’ve been listening to his music for even longer. He is a legend, which is not, like, a hot take. Even before I was old enough to really appreciate his music, I was a fan of another movie he starred in, Labyrinth. However, as I work through a list I’ve made of movies that came out in 1976 and watch them in honor of them turning 50 this year, this was my first real exposure to The Man Who Fell to Earth.
I really liked the surreal nature of the movie, about an alien who has come to Earth on a mission to save his home planet. David Bowie, especially in the mid-’70s, was perfect for the role of the alien. Not only was he just coming out of his Ziggy Stardust phase, but he was also at the precipice of another creative high as “The Thin White Duke,” and about to embark on his now-legendary “Berlin Trilogy” of the late ‘70s. His artistry was alien-like to fans, as no mere mortal could do what he was doing. His performance in The Man Who Fell to Earth fits right in. It’s not a movie that holds up in a traditional way, but it’s beautifully shot and filled with really cool moments. Two key ingredients in a great cult classic.
It Doesn’t Hold A Candle To What Came Next
First, I’ll say that it’s not really fair to compare The Man Who Fell to Earth to movies that came out in ‘77 and beyond. It’s not exactly groundbreaking to emphasize how massive a sea change Star Wars caused when it was released in May of ‘77. This Bowie movie feels more like ‘60s sci-fi than ‘80s sci-fi, and much of that can be attributed to just how much Star Wars changed everything.
Outside of the simple-looking sets and almost campy feel of the science fiction parts of The Man Who Fell to Earth, it is very much a ‘70s movie, however. It’s full of wild sex and nudity, and the stories of the production, by Bowie’s own accounts, are legendary for the star’s drug use at the time. He insisted that he hardly remembered even filming the movie, and it is a movie that is dripping with that ‘70s cocaine vibe. If you’re into that kind of drug-fueled, really “out there” kind of movie, like I sometimes am, this is still a movie worth checking out, even if just once, and even as dated as it seems now.
