History Film / TheManWhoFellToEarth

A [[TheSeventies 1976]] [[ScienceFiction sci-fi]] film directed by Nicolas Roeg, based upon the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. It stars the thin, other-worldly Music/DavidBowie as the thin, other-worldly Thomas Jerome Newton. It centers around an extraterrestrial who journeys to Earth after his planet experiences an intense drought, determined to find a way to ship water to it. As he amasses a fortune with a variety of high-tech inventions, intending to use the money to build a ship that will solve his planet's problem, he embarks upon a love affair with a simple girl named Mary-Lou, which is nice, [[TheMistress one supposes]]. Thomas also ends up starting a love affair with television and alcohol, which is a lot less nice, one supposes. To reveal any more would delve this into spoiler city. Let's simply say the ending is... sad.

[[quoteright:248:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Spanish_film_poster__3742.jpg]]

In late 2015 ''Lazarus'', a musical stage play InspiredBy the source novel debuted off-Broadway. It was written by Enda Walsh and...David Bowie, who didn't appear in the show but contributed several new songs to it, as well as new versions of songs from his catalog. Creator/MichaelCHall has been cast as Thomas.

* RedHeadedHero: Movie only (see AdaptationDyeJob above).

It has become a [[CultClassic cult favorite]] for featuring highly surreal, striking imagery, to say nothing of Bowie in his first starring role. Another thing this film is noted for is that it has a few '''very''' gratuitous sex scenes. It's a somewhat slow, thoughtful piece, and YMMV on how well it works out.

In late 2015 ''Lazarus'', a musical stage play InspiredBy the source novel debuted off-Broadway. It was written by Enda Walsh and...David Bowie, who didn't appear in the show but contributed several new songs to it, as well as new versions of songs from his catalog. Michael C. Hall has been cast as Thomas.

In late 2015 ''Lazarus'', a musical stage play InspiredBy the source novel, is set to debut off-Broadway. It is written by Enda Walsh and...David Bowie, who will not appear in the show but is contributing several new songs to it, as well as new versions of songs from his catalog. Michael C. Hall has been cast as Thomas.

[[caption-width-right:248:[[JustHereForGodzilla Who cares if I can't read the poster]]? This movie looks [[MemeticSexGod pretty]] {{d|istressedDude}}amn [[FetishFuel great]].]]

In late 2015 ''Lazarus'', a musical stage play InspiredBy the source novel, is set to debut off-Broadway. It is written by Enda Walsh and...David Bowie, who will not appear in the show but is contributing several new songs to it, as well as new versions of songs from his catalog.

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

* LastOfHisKind: [[spoiler: Thomas, in the end.]]

* IcarusAllusion: Both the book and film openly reference the [[ClassicalMythology myth of Icarus]], who literally fell to Earth when he flew too close to the sun via wings of feathers and wax. The first section of the novel is titled "Icarus Descending".

* {{Zeerust}}: The alien tech Thomas brings to Earth, such as self-developing camera film and a music player that uses little spheres instead of vinyl records, comes off as this now.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: For TheSeventies.

** A still from this film was used as the album cover of ''Music/StationToStation'', Bowie's first album after finishing ''The Man Who Fell To Earth''.

* [[spoiler: LastOfHisKind: Thomas, in the end.]]

!!''TheManWhoFellToEarth'' provides examples of:

* [[spoiler: Last Of His Kind: Thomas, in the end.]]

* ActingForTwo: Candy Clark plays both Mary-Lou and the wife Thomas left behind. This isn't obvious because the latter is a RubberForeheadAlien who has no dialogue. (She also played Thomas himself in one scene, with a hat pulled over her face, when David Bowie was ill.)

* TheCastShowoff: Amusingly subverted; Newton is a ''terrible'' singer.

* HellishPupils: Subversion, since it's the ''hero'' who has them. Thomas's undisguised eyes are reptilian yellow ones, slit irises and all, and the ''usual'' way this trope plays out is likely one reason his true form freaks Mary-Lou out so badly.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Averted. [[spoiler: Thomas tells Nathan, when all is said and done, "We'd have probably done the same to you, if you'd come 'round our place."]]
* IcarusAllusion: Both book and film openly reference the [[ClassicalMythology myth of Icarus]], who literally fell to Earth when he flew too close to the sun via wings of feathers and wax. The first section of the novel is titled "Icarus Descending".
* InnocentAliens: Thomas -- the central tragedy of the story is his loss of innocence as he lives amongst humans.

* MessianicArchetype: Thomas must leave his homeworld, people, and family to save them, and he suffers greatly on Earth, up to and including [[spoiler: betrayal by Nathan Bryce. Thanks in part to the resultant years of captivity and torture his mission fails, leaving him broken, making this probably a subversion of the trope]]. The Christ parallel is made more explicit in the source novel.

* NoNewFashionsInTheFuture: Despite the fact that the human characters grow much older, it's all Seventies clothes, technology, etc. In the book, there are changes in fashion -- frilly shirts for men, 'off-the-breast' gowns for women -- but the world is very much that of its writing, 1963-64.

* NonhumanLoverReveal: Gender flipped and deconstructed. When Thomas reveals his true form to Mary-Lou -- long after they've consummated their relationship (their lovemaking, it should be noted, requires him to be in his human disguise) -- she is horrified and repulsed. Thus, their already-troubled relationship is further damaged.

* OldFlameFizzle: In the final act, [[spoiler: Nathan arranges for Mary-Lou to stay with Thomas in his prison suite. But she's visibly aged and he hasn't since they last met -- yet another difference between them. They enjoy a wild sexual tryst but no longer ''love'' each other, so they break up]]. A justified, downplayed case.
* OminousMultipleScreens: Justified, in that Thomas can actually pay attention to all of the screens.
* PopStarComposer: Some of the score is the work of John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas. The original plan was for Bowie to write the score, and he was working on it with Paul Buckmaster, but for various reasons it was not used and -- save for a bit of backwards bass that appeared on ''Low'''s "Subterraneans" the following year -- has never been released to the public.
* PromotedToLoveInterest: In the book, Thomas has no Earthly lover. Mary-Lou is a younger, Promoted to Love Interest version of the book character Betty Jo, who is middle-aged when she meets him and nurses an unrequited crush on him as one of his few confidantes. Interestingly, her ultimate fate -- [[spoiler: marrying Nathan]] -- remains the same as in the book.

* TragicHero: Thomas, whose naivete about humans and their ways and pastimes is his flaw. (While this trope precludes him from being TheWoobie, by the end he certainly warrants a hug.)

* 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!''\\

* IronyAsSheIsCast: When Mary-Lou takes Thomas to a church service and they join the rest of the congregation in a hymn, he proves to be an off-key singer.

* 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.
* 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.")

* SecondLove: [[spoiler: Nathan is this for Mary-Lou.]] And Mary Lou is (arguably) this for Newton.

* NowWhat: Unlike the novel, the DownerEnding here also qualifies as this. After all, [[spoiler: Thomas failed in his mission and lost everything important to him. But he still has money, and even his drinking won't kill him any time soon. Maybe he could find a new purpose in life, a new lover, '''something'''..]].

* NowWhat: Unlike the novel, the DownerEnding here also qualifies as this. After all, [[spoiler: Thomas failed his mission. But he still has money, and even his drinking won't kill him any time soon. Maybe he just needs to find a new purpose in life]].

* DownerEnding: ''Oh yes''. Thomas [[spoiler:slips into alcoholism, is captured by the government and experimented on for years, fails his planet, lets his family die, and loses the only thing he has left to love on Earth]]. The book goes one "better": [[spoiler: Thomas's ordeal is revealed to the public and starts America down a political path towards ''nuclear war''...had his plan succeeded that would have been prevented]]. Of course, given that [[spoiler: Thomas ''is'' alive, has plenty of money, and alcohol won't kill him anytime soon]], the film could also qualify as a NowWhat

* DownerEnding: ''Oh yes''. Thomas [[spoiler:slips into alcoholism, is captured by the government and experimented on for years, fails his planet, lets his family die, and loses the only thing he has left to love on Earth]]. The book goes one "better": [[spoiler: Thomas's ordeal is revealed to the public and starts America down a political path towards ''nuclear war''...had his plan succeeded that would have been prevented]]. Of course, given that [[spoiler: Thomas ''is'' alive, has plenty of money, and alcohol won't kill him anytime soon]], the film could also qualify as a NowWhatEnding.