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IMDb > The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
The Man Who Fell to Earth
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The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   5,875 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Paul Mayersberg (writer)
Walter Tevis (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Man Who Fell to Earth on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 May 1976 (Netherlands) more
Genre:
Tagline:
You have to believe it to see it
Plot:
Thomas Jerome Newton is a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to get water for his dying planet. He starts... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win & 3 nominations more
User Comments:
Brilliant Sci-Fi more (82 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

David Bowie ... Thomas Jerome Newton

Rip Torn ... Nathan Bryce
Candy Clark ... Mary-Lou
Buck Henry ... Oliver Farnsworth
Bernie Casey ... Peters
Jackson D. Kane ... Professor Canutti
Rick Riccardo ... Trevor

Tony Mascia ... Arthur
Linda Hutton ... Elaine
Hilary Holland ... Jill
Adrienne Larussa ... Helen
Lilybelle Crawford ... Jewelery Store Owner
Richard Breeding ... Receptionist
Albert Nelson ... Waiter
Peter Prouse ... Peters' Associate
more
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Czlowiek który spadl na ziemie (Poland) [pl]
Dünyaya düsen adam (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Der Mann, der vom Himmel fiel (West Germany) [de]
El hombre que cayó a la tierra (Argentina) (festival title) [es]
L'homme qui venait d'ailleurs (France) [fr]
L'uomo che cadde sulla Terra (Italy) [it]
Mannen utan ansikte (Sweden) [sv]
Mies toisesta maailmasta (Finland) (video title) [fi]
Muukalaisen kasvot (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
O Homem Que Caiu na Terra (Brazil) [pt]
O Homem Que Veio do Espaço (Portugal) [pt]
O anthropos pou epese sti Gi (Greece) [el]
more
Runtime:
139 min | Sweden:119 min (cut version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
At one point Mary-Lou shouts to Tommy, "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" which is a reference to the The Who's rock opera Tommy (1975) and the song of the same name. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Newton only touches the plate once and there's only one plate of cookies, but when they were in the air, we can see two completely different lifting moments. more
Quotes:
Thomas Jerome Newton: We'd have probably done the same to you, if you'd come 'round our place. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' (2000) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Poker Dice more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
41 out of 50 people found the following comment useful.
Brilliant Sci-Fi, 13 March 2004
10/10
Author: Nix Garthim from CA, USA

The Man Who Fell To Earth is one of the few sci-fi films that can justifiably call itself brilliant. But what makes it so brilliant, you ask? It's certainly not the story, which is merely about an alien coming to earth in order to save his dying planet. The performances are excellent, but actors alone cannot make a film brilliant. Perhaps what makes The Man Who Fell To Earth brilliant is the thing that causes people to despise it: it has no plot. That's right. It's alot like a David Lynch movie; there are bizzare characters, bizzare dialogue, and bizzare situations, but barely any trace of a followable plot. The film manages to carry a thin story with almost no plot whatsoever and be consistently interesting and entertaining throughout. On top of that, it's all stunningly photographed. There is quite a bit of sex in this movie, but the sex is done so stylistically we hardly notice how pornographic it is. For instance, in one scene near the end of the film, Bowie wields a pistol loaded with blanks like a phallus. The scene than erupts into a bizzare sex scene filled with flashing strobe lights, full frontal shots of Bowie, and the gun firing randomly off. The Man Who Fell To Earth is essential viewing(unless of course movies that are hard to follow or a naked David Bowie aren't your thing).

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Significance of Last Scene? strangerthanjimmy
THE RING AT THE START OF MOVIE needley
One of the worst movies I've seen esakshaug
Enough Sex? mattqatsi
One of the best sci-fi movies ever gavbrown01
What is the movie on TJN's tv with Nick Adams dogma_789
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