History Trivia / TheManWhoFellToEarth

* RealitySubtext: Bowie was addicted to cocaine and other illicit substances at this point in his life, so seeing him play a character who falls under the sway of substance abuse has this trope written all over it (indeed, the filmmakers were aware of this). Perhaps fittingly his albums ''Music/StationToStation'' (1976, recorded at the lowest point of his addiction) and ''Music/LowDavidBowieAlbum'' (1977, the first album of the "Berlin Trilogy" that unfolded as he gradually emerged from it) got their cover art from photos of him here. As well, the look and to a lesser extent personality of his Thin White Duke stage persona for the former album and tour was adapted from his work here.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The story supposedly takes place over several decades, but the fashions, technology and virtually everything else remain pure 1970s. This isn't helped by the fact that WeAreAsMayflies to an AlienAmongUs hero who isn't physically aging, meaning that only the appearances of the supporting characters clue us into the passage of time. On top of that, just the fact that Music/DavidBowie plays an alien clearly dates it as in the decade of his Ziggy Stardust sci-fi glam phase (by the time the film was shot in 1975, he had already moved on from that persona and sound).

* RealitySubtext: Bowie was addicted to cocaine and other illicit substances at this point in his life, so seeing him play a character who falls under the sway of substance abuse has this trope written all over it (indeed, the filmmakers were aware of this). Perhaps fittingly his albums ''Station to Station'' (1976, recorded at the lowest point of his addiction) and ''Low'' (1977, the first album of the "Berlin Trilogy" that unfolded as he gradually emerged from it) got their cover art from photos of him here. As well, the look and to a lesser extent personality of his Thin White Duke stage persona for the former album and tour was adapted from his work here.

* CreatorBreakdown: Bowie was in the midst of a cocaine addiction when making the film, so much so that he claimed to have no memory of the film's production. One wonders [[EnforcedMethodActing how much of Thomas' breakdown was really acting]].

* TheCastShowoff: Amusingly {{subverted}}; Newton is a ''terrible'' singer!

* WhatCouldHaveBeen

** In TheSixties the novel was optioned for a television series that would've been a FollowTheLeader riff on ''Series/TheFugitive'', with Newton as TheDrifter trying to avoid people learning the truth about him.

* ActorAllusion:
** [[WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh Oancitizen]] put it best (to the tune of [[Film/{{Labyrinth}} "Magic Dance"]]):
--> ''Now, [[Music/DavidBowie Ziggy Stardust]] was an alien on Earth''\\
''And he was doomed''\\
''To fall to human vice, and leave his people blue''\\
''Director knew!''\\
''Nicholas Roeg must have known 'bout this''\\
''Banned from space, this is a case''\\
''Of casting your actor... based on his works!''
** If you view Newton as a Christ figure, then Nathan Bryce is his Judas. Rip Torn played Judas in ''Film/KingOfKings''.

* ActorAllusion: [[WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh Oancitizen]] put it best (to the tune of [[Film/{{Labyrinth}} "Magic Dance"]]):

** At one point in TheSixties the novel was optioned for a television series in the style of ''Series/TheFugitive'', where each episode Newton would travel somewhere and try to avoid capture.

** Creator/JamesCoburn's name was kicked around as an early possibility to play Nathan Bryce, but he would've been way too expensive.

* ReclusiveArtist: Newton definitely counts--he rarely goes out in public and leaves the day to day operations of the company to Farnsworth. {{Justified}} as he wants to escape detection ("My life is not secret, but it is private.").

** Roeg also thought about casting Creator/MichaelCrichton as Newton. While that didn't work out, it ''did'' lead Roeg to start thinking about making the film a NonActorVehicle.

** Roeg also thought about casting Creator/MichaelCrichton as Newton.

** In his memoir ''The World is Ever Changing'', Creator/NicolasRoeg says he was seriously thinking about hiring "an American non-actor" to play Newton before the man in question finally decided not to do it. Roeg doesn't mention his name, but the clues he gives (a doctor who also was a writer, plus a film director, and who stood nearly 7' tall) basically could only be describing Creator/MichaelCrichton.

** Bowie originally was tapped to write the score and worked on it with Paul Buckmaster. For various reasons, it wasn't used and has never been formally released, though a backwards bass part on ''Low'''s "Subterraneans" was taken from what they worked on.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: For TheSeventies.

* PlayingWithCharacterType: David Bowie started getting film offers almost as soon as he had his commercial breakthrough via his AlterEgoActing persona of Ziggy Stardust, a flamboyant alien (or TouchedByVorlons) rock musician, MessianicArchetype, and TragicHero who succumbs to SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll, ego, and his own fans. But virtually all of the roles he was offered were Ziggy expies. He was drawn to the character of Newton because he ''wasn't'' an {{Expy}}. Yes, Newton is also an alien MessianicArchetype TragicHero...but he's TheStoic, {{Moe}} before Moe was trendy, and his succumbing to Earthlings and their vices comes not from success going to his head but because HumanityIsInfectious.

** Peter O'Toole was originally cast as Newton.

** Bowie originally was tapped to write the score and worked on it with Paul Buckmaster. For various reasons, it wasn't used and has never been formally released, though a backwards bass part on ''Low'''s "Subterraneans" was taken from what they worked on.

** Bowie originally was tapped to write the score and worked on it with Paul Buckmaster. For various reasons, it wasn't used and has never been formally released, though a backwards bass part on ''Low'''s "Subterraneans" was taken from what they worked on.

''Of casting your actor... based on his works!''\\

** Bowie originally was tapped to write the score and worked on it with Paul Buckmaster. For various reasons, it wasn't used and has never been formally released, though a backwards bass part on ''Low'''s "Subterraneans" was taken from what they worked on.

** The novel was primarily set in Kentucky, but the movie used New Mexico to take advantage of a tax break for British filmmakers. (this was the first British-produced film shot entirely in the U.S.). Its deserts also provided a useful backdrop for the scenes set on Newton's home planet.

** The novel was primarily set in Kentucky, but the movie used New Mexico to take advantage of a tax break for British filmmakers. (This was the first British-produced film shot entirely in the U.S.) Its deserts also provided a useful backdrop for the scenes set on Newton's home planet.

* PlayingWithCharacterType: David Bowie started getting film offers almost as soon as he had his commercial breakthrough via his AlterEgoActing persona of Ziggy Stardust, a flamboyant alien (or TouchedByVorlons) rock musician, MessianicArchetype, and TragicHero who succumbs to SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll, ego, and his own fans. But virtually all of the roles he was offered were Ziggy expies. He was drawn to the character of Newton because he ''wasn't'' an {{Expy}}. Yes, Newton is also an alien MessianicArchetype TragicHero...but he's TheStoic, {{Moe}} before Moe was trendy, and his succumbing to Earthlings and their vices comes not from success going to his head but his attempting to succor loneliness and homesickness.