I won't go into the details of this esoteric and thought provoking sci fi film from Nicholas Roeg. Suffice to say is was the perfect vehicle for David Bowie. The film I would give a solid 4 1/2 stars to. The Criterion gets a 5 star salute. The UK and Canadian 40th releases get a 4. This US Studio Canal release? 3. And that is being VERY generous.

The Criterion edition featured a very stable and crisp remaster done from a 2k intropositive master. At the time and even now it looks stunning. Extras were ample, the best of which was the audio commentary featuring Bowie, Roeg and Buck Henry. And the cover art, as usual was outstanding.

The UK and Canadian releases which dropped last November 16th 2016 in tandem were struck from the new 4K scans and as much as it hurts to say were a head above the Criterion release. Both featured a new 70+ booklet and new extras of which most were actually just newer interviews that were featured on the Criterion release. Information varies between the two but nothing major that you would actually be missing anything between the 40th and the Criterion. Missing from the 40th is the still gallery of poster images from Nick's films. To me that is not a loss since the movies (minus Man Who Fell) have nothing to do with the film. Sadly both UK and Canadian 40th's do not include the audio commentary and that is a major loss hence the drop in star rating. But if you were not able to get your hands on the Criterion edition, now out of print (and selling in new condition for over $200) the UK and the Canadian will more than make up for it.

The only on disc new extras of note on this new 40th release is an interview with Bowie for a French television program that hardly tops out at 9 minutes. Sadly nearly half the interview is consumed by the French interviewer asking Bowie the questions in both English and French and then retranslating the answers back to the viewers in French. And a rather useless interview with Sam Taylor-Johnson (the writer and director of Fifty Shades of Grey) blabbering away as a "super fan" of the film and its impact on her. To me, someone who is outside of the films creation waxing poetic on the film sullies up the film itself and could have been jettisoned without notice of loss.

HOWEVER this new US release of the film is a different animal all together. And I mean that literally. First of all it is NOT and I repeat NOT sourced from the new 4K scan. Even the back info skirts this subject by stating "newly restored" which could mean anything. The transfer is often soft and at times out of focus seeming. One would immediately assume digital manipulation in the way of heavy DNR. But film grain is consistent, consistently present and stable. So that's not the case. Colors are very well rendered most of the time but reds have a tendency to seem blown out at times. My only guess is that they are using a "cleaned up" version of their previously released one disc transfer and trying to pass if off as the newer 4K hence keeping the artwork on the case the same as the UK and Canadian legitimately 4K releases. So in essence this is nothing more than a cash grab to capitalize on Bowies passing without backing it up with substance.

Let's do the video/image math: the Criterion release runs at its highest 41 mbps. At its lowest it drops down to 08 (black frame/no image) and runs at a healthy average of 32-34 mbps.

The UK/Canadian Studio Canal release runs at its highest 41 mbps as well. At its lowest it drops down to 06 (black frame/no image) and runs at an average of 28-32 mbps.

The US Studio Canal release runs at its highest 21 mbps. At its lowest it completely zeroes out (black frame/no image) and unevenly runs at an average of 17-19 mbps (though it often frequents 12-15)

The UK/Canadian 40th's come with a 70 page booklet, 4 art cards (stills from the film) a reproduction of the film program and an A4 poster folded, and reversable cover artwork.

The US version features all that as well. But not exactly the same. For some oddball reason the US copies of the swag are actually smaller. All the items are barely the size of a postcard and housed in a cardboard container to keep them from moving around. The UK/Canadian release has the swag the exact same size as the blu ray case itself all of which is contained in a slipcase (US version is as well. I have no idea why the US Studio Canal edition had the swag shrunk down to miniature but its annoying and makes reading the booklet all the more problematic. And there is no reversable cover art in this offering.

Another major change from UK/Canadian to US versions is the CD soundtrack. The UK/Canadian edition is a two disc set: blu ray of the 4K scan and an audio CD soundtrack of the film. This has been removed from the US edition and was replaced with two extra discs: the DVD and the DVD extras (all of which are on one blu ray disc). On a personal preference I'm getting sick of studios shoving DVDs into their releases to save printing another skew. Its useless to me to have them and again is intrusive on the packaging itself. So while the box art of the US version proudly states it as a 3 disc set...in reality no its not. The the same movie/extras spread across all three discs.

Also of superficial note: the UK/Canadian releases have full bled artwork on the front cover. While the US release features the same image of David it is ruined and intruded on by the gawd awful "blu ray/DVD/digital copy) banner running across the top effectively shrinking the image of Bowie down along with the booklet/cards/poster/program as well. I won't be one of those that says "ban this release and teach Studio Canal a lesson" (though they should be) but I will state that if you have the Criterion version you can be well happy having that one. Its not worth selling to lose the audio commentary. If you don't, then hunt down the Canadian edition (if you live in the US) since it is the 4K scan (and absolutely beautiful) and of course playable in region A players. Skip this fumbled US release if you can.

PS: the Canadian edition can be purchased via Amazon.ca for roughly the same price as the US edition shipping included.

There is something about older R rated films that today's films (of the same rating) simply cannot emulate. I had mix feelings about this film which kept me from giving it the full 5 stars it should deserve. Starting with the positive:

-The plot was genuinely intriguing, I wanted find out the end!
-David Bowie. To be honest, I was biased coming into this film; in fact, I didn't care whether or not he was a good actor--I just watched simply for his presence. However, I was glad to find the he genuinely was a great actor, so I was more compeled to finish the film. There was something truly alien in his acting and style that gave his character an air of mystery, and he stole every scene he was in.
-On a perosnal level, this film left a lasting impression in me in mustiple ways. For one, perhaps knowing the time period it was created in brought more intensity to the film? In addition to this, the film's resounding message on the price of alcoholism and hedonism was also very powerful. It was painful to watch someone's downward spiral--especially when that someone you greatly admire. I'm not going to forget this film for a while.

The only thing that kept me from giving this film 5 stars was the execution of the plot. There were times when I questioned if I just saw plot holes in the film, and I thought that took away from the plot and performances.

All in all, I highly recommend this film.

This review is for the Studiocanal/Mongrel Media version of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' 40th Anniversary Edition released in 2016.

My version is the Canadian release with one disc. I purchased the Canadian version because I was told that this version was sourced from a 4K scan whereas the U.S. version was not.

I had watch this classic once before years ago and remember it being in the theater's when I was young. I only remembered it in bits and pieces. I wanted to watch it again in a restored Blu-ray version so I purchased this edition.

There are many extra's that make this a worthwhile purchase.
This movie has been reviewed many times by many generations so I will keep the plot discussion to a minimum.
It is obviously a cult classic but I am not the biggest fan of the movie. I talk a bit about that in the Comments section below.

Because of the terrific content, I am giving this release 5 stars.

BLU-RAY: Although it doesn't say so on my packaging, I've read that the print was made from a 4K scan. The picture is quite good as would be expected. The movie is shown in widescreen 2.35:1.

EXTRA'S: For starters, you get a reversible sleeve so if you don't like the image of David Bowie's face on the cover you can change it to the one you see on the other 40th anniversary editions right here on Amazon.
- French interview with David Bowie from 1977. It's a bit tedious since the interview translates everything. Bowie doesn't say much. He just briefly talks about traveling and where he currently lives and that he doesn't speak French. He states that he has run out of things to say and won't be making albums anymore. He says he'll focus on movie soundtracks.
- Interview with Costume Designer May Routh featuring original costume sketches.
- Interview with stills photographer David James
- Interview with Sam-Taylor-Johnson. This is a fan interview
- Interview with the producer Michael Deeley - Deeley discusses how he got the financing for the movie and why they chose New Mexico to shoot and how they chose David Bowie to be the lead.
- "Lost Soundtracks" featurette - This featurette discusses the soundtrack that was never released. Bowie attempted to write music for the movie. However, Bowie was a 'mess' and couldn't compose. Ultimately the fees and royalties were too high because there is a lot of different music that wasn't made for just this movie. It then goes on to discuss some of the music that 'does' show up in the movie.
- Interview with writer Paul Mayersberg
- Interview with cinematographer Tony Richmond
- Interview with director Nicolas Roeg
- Interview with Candy Clark - Actress Clark talks about her experiences. She discusses how she got the part, meeting David Bowie and various scenes. Overall, it's an informative interview.
- Trailer

PLOT/SUMMARY:Thomas Newton (David Bowie), a humanoid alien has travelled to Earth from a planet that is having
a life-ending drought. His home planet is much more advanced technologically than earth. He comes to earth pretending to be an earth man and uses his technological knowledge to patent inventions and become super wealthy. The reason being that he wants to create a spaceship to transport water to his home planet. Obviously he is in a hurry.

Newton arrives in New Mexico and meets a simple girl named Mary-Lou. She teaches him about Earth and it's customs. Mary Lou does not know he is an alien. She believes he is from England.

Throughout the movie, we see flashbacks of Newton and his family on his home world.

Newton meets a womanizing ex-professor who befriends him and ultimately discovers his secret. From here we find out if Newton succeeds in saving his home world and what happens to him.

COMMENTS: I want to point out that while I think this is an excellent release, I am not a big fan of the movie. Most people who are looking to purchase this are going to be fans of the movie and it is definitely a cult classic. At the time of it's release, the review's were mixed but today it is obviously looked upon differently. I imagine the book probably went into more depth and answered some of my complaints that the movie did not address.
-I thought that the special effects were quite primitive, even for 1976. Newton's home world was depicted as almost completely barren. This is not what you would expect from a world that is supposed to be far more advanced than our own.
-A race that was advanced as Newton's was would surely be able to come up with a way to create water or a substitute.
-I find it very hard to believe that Newton would be left alone in that apartment for years. This is just too much for me to just "suspend disbelief." Really?...just abandon an alien from another planet and forget about him? This makes no sense at all. It kind of reminds me a bit of "District 8", another incomprehensible scenario where we take advanced aliens and throw them in a slum like concentration camp.
-The idea of the movie was good, it's the execution, mostly the second half that I did not like.

PRODUCTION:
-I've seen interviews with David Bowie where he talks about not even remembering making the movie. He said he lived in L.A. at the time and was heavily into drugs at the time. He said he was high throughout most of the filming.
-This is British film made in 1976 and based on a novel that was written in 1963 of the same name.
-The movie was shot mostly in New Mexico with a budget of between 1 and 2 million dollars.

RECOMMENDATIONS: If you are reading this review then you are probably a fan of the movie and have seen it already. I would say that if you are looking to upgrade then just go ahead and do so. I can't see how you would be disappointed. There are a ton of extra's along with a reversible sleeve case and the print is very good.

Ultimately, despite the fact that I don't love the movie, I am giving this release 5 stars because I am judging it on the content of the release.

Recommended for anybody who is a science fiction fan.

And Horrible wobbly cinematography. Obviously a seventies drug manifested stupidity based on Bowie's secular obsessions with space travel, drugs, sex, and rock and roll.. ... It is a great way to see New Mexico as I knew it when I lived there in the 70's and served Bowie, Zowie, and his crew at the coked out French Bistro in Albuquerque.. Yeah I was there when they were filming this pathetic thing and my best friend from UNM was working on the sets. I know the scenery well and its a riot to see it. But its way more beautiful then the camera crew and cinematographer bothered to make it.. shame they were so lame. So, all-in-all, Its really a boring jog through the state and a poorly written and even worse filmed fiasco that's ever been made. And Rip Torn??? OMG .. Gross. who wants to see that tweaky, weasle-faced thing naked.. horrible!

The story, such as it is, makes for some compelling expectations. Sadly, none of them are fulfilled. Soooo many story lines left unfulfilled. There are significant blunders in the "telling" of what little story there is and pathetic holes everywhere. Choppy and erratic cinematography makes it difficult to even watch. It is a shame it has been given "cult status" for whatever reason. Just because David Bowie is the star? Maybe, but the train wreck that is the rest of it certainly detracts from that.

SUPER glad I didn't buy it in any of the various forms mentioned in other reviews. It is just a terrible movie.

Please, don't watch this unless you are willing to chalk it up to being able to say that you have, in fact, seen it if asked by some super geek Bowie fan or overwrought cinema nerd.

I count myself a diehard Science Fiction fan and movie buff. I grew up in a family of theater owners and was able to see a lot of movies that I shouldn't have. Some I value having snuck snippets of, some I don't. This would have been the latter. Unless said snippet was the various gratuitous nudity. Shameful, but true. And probably the only thing that makes this movie worth watching for longer than the first few scenes.

I would like to point out that it does do a decent job of portraying a gay relationship considering it was the middle 70's when it was shot.

bowie was young, thin and under the influence when he agreed to do this film. i believe the only reason its a cult classic is because of him. the plot if you will, is indecipherable. i tried to watch it for a half an hour and finally, my wits put this to an end. if the emperor isn't wearing any clothes, well, he's not wearing any clothes, in my opinion.

The story seemed to wander all over the place. I never could get into it, probably because you can't follow something that makes no sense. I kept expecting the pieces to fall into place in the later stages of the movie, but it never happened. The movie was just a total waste of time

I first saw "The Man Who Fell to Earth" in the theatrical release while I as a Jr. in college. That's 1976 so in 2017 this is a 41 year old film and I still like it a whole lot. I wasn't so sure during that first viewing - it's esoteric there is a lot happening that I missed in that first viewing. BUT when I walked out of the theater and looked up at the clear night sky I still remember think how different and strange it now seemed.

When I bought the Criterion edition in 2006 the movie was already pretty dated. But is still a compelling and surrealistic story. I can't imagine anyone but Bowie playing Thomas Newton. His physical presence and acting really sold him as alien.

Candy Clark as Mary Lou and Rip Torn as college professor Nathan Bryce provide strong performances. It's strange seeing Rip Torn so young after the MIB movies. Buck Henry is key as patent attorney Oliver V. Farnsworth.

The short (trying not to be a spoiler) comes to earth to find a way to bring water to his home planet which is has a desperate water shortage. He tried to blend in with humanity and build wealth with knowledge of advanced technology and builds a business empire. But things go wrong...

There is one cameo I appreciate. Commander Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 shows up playing himself. Of course he was made famous in the Tom Hanks movie about that fated mission.

This is one strange movie and while dated I think it's a fabulous and surreal story. The story holds up well for me. The DVD I bought in 2006 is disappointing in quality by today's HD and 4K standards. If you are thinking about getting this in 2017 or later - newer better HD transfer.

If I were comparing this to an HD release I'd only give it 3 or 4 stars, but that wouldn't be fair! I think this is close to as good as it can be as a 2005 DVD release so I'm giving it 5 stars. If buying now get a good HD version!!