The Man Who Fell To Earth, proof that Bowie is an alien

I like sci-fi films. As a child raised on Star Wars, the Shatman, Bladerunner and Muppets in Space, it was pretty much going to be inevitable. If I'm honest I'm no where near as into the genre as some people I know, but I can appreciate a nice brain-bending trip to parralel universes, with or without the psychedelics.

I can't remember how old I was the first time I watched The Man Who Fell To Earth, but I know I must have been around ten. It stuck with me for years, the crazy surreal shots, the dreamlike quality, but more than anything, the genuine feeling I got that at that moment in time David Bowie, playing the Alien who falls to earth, is isolated from the world to a degree I had never even fathomed before.

Seriously. Its ridiculous. I have watched countless tales of post apocalyptic futures inhabited by crazy mutants and monsters from earth and beyond, more space epics than I enjoy remembering, but never have I believed that something I was seeing could really be an alien. Apart from Bowie.

Made in 1974-1975, in the middle of Bowies musical creative peak, he must of been in a very individual situation. In pretty much every country on Earth, there were legions of fans following his every move, whether he was Ziggy or the Duke, they couldn't get enough of everything he did. He was known by so many people, finding somewhere to hide, even with his vast amounts of wealth, would probably be close to impossible. And I could be mistaken, he may very well come from Pluto, but I think its this incredible amount of fame and exposure that enabled to him to give this performance, one which I consider to be an all time classic in the genre.

But as awesome as the performance is, and it is fucking epic, the film stands up on its own two feet. Nicholas Roeg is up to his usual standard, following on in the same style as Don't Look Now and Walkabout proving that he remains a very underrated director in western cinema. The supporting performances are just as brilliant, Bowie's southern blonde muse who gets pushed away and isolated played to by perfection by Candy Clarke, and the professor who betrays the alien played brilliantly by Rip Torn. Great camera work making the whole film feel hazy and distant, special effects which are understated but work surprisingly well (when the main character decides to change his appearance and remove his earth eyes has to be one of the best, albeit craziest, transformations I've seen on film) and a script/concept to die for, it remains one of my all time favourites.