Auteurs,

Nicolas Roeg & David Bowie's utterly brilliant Sci-Fi classic The Man Who Fell to Earth is getting a 40th anniversary 4k Restoration reissue. Check out the awesome alternative poster!

Thursday, July 28, 2016 Craig Grobler 0 Comments

The Man Who Fell To Earth 4K Home ReleaseIt is no secret that I am a huge Nicolas Roeg fan. His career epitomises a time honoured path of a master of the arts. Incredibly talented he started out as an Apprentice Editor following a path learning all aspects of filmmaking that led to eventual auteur-ship. 

     Able to draw on his multidisciplinary talents and experience, particularly his camera work to shape emotive works of art. Along the way he worked with just about every serious talented individual in film as he carved out a path of originality - often leading to being at odds with the studios as he manifested his unique vision. 

     Indeed some of his works are amongst my favourite films but all of them across the board are compelling viewing and offer an almost hallucinatory and unique viewing experience. Roeg's works have been on my mind lately, most recently with the release of concept art for the Blade Runner sequel, the original was made by legendary British Producer Michael Deeley who also produced Nicolas Roeg's brilliant adaptation of Author Walter TevisThe Man Who Fell to Earth, watching the extra features on last year's Far From The Madding Crowd restored release I discovered Nicolas Roeg's involvement and early signs of his trademark camera work, and of course the tragic passing of one of our shining lights - David Bowie the titular Man Who Fell to Earth - one of my favourite science fiction films of all time.

    For me The Man Who Fell to Earth is a companion piece alongside Roeg's debut feature six years earlier - the great Performance, which he co directed with Donald Cammell (who conceived the concept and wrote the screenplay) and his Bad Timing with Art Garfunkel. Not only do the film and music world's blur with the casting of prominent musicians - Mick Jagger in Performance and David Bowie in The Man Who Fell To Earth but reality and film merge as Roeg explores issues of identity, duality, isolation and humanity in an experimental experience - drawing on his actor's understanding of the issues of fame and the lines between themselves and others to bring their characters to life in engaging performances.

     So I'm over the moon that for its 40th Anniversary The Man Who Fell to Earth has been restored and will be getting a high definition 4K home release, a Special Collector's Edition release  as well as a big screen release - as it should be seen.

     The upcoming re-release is part of STUDIOCANAL's Vintage Classics collection - showcasing iconic British films, all fully restored and featuring brand new extra content.

The Man Who Fell To Earth Alternative Poster
The Man Who Fell To Earth Alternative Poster [ZOOM]    


   DAVID BOWIE IS:
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION
SPECIAL 40TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE


The Man Who Fell To Earth David Bowie & Rip Torn discuss "The Weapon"
The Man Who Fell To Earth David Bowie & Rip Torn discuss "The Weapon" [ZOOM]    
To mark the 40th anniversary of the UK release of director Nicolas Roeg’s iconic science fiction odyssey, The Man Who Fell to Earth, STUDIOCANAL is thrilled to announce that they are near to completing a new 4k restoration of the cult classic.

The restoration has been in the works since late 2015, but is now especially timely and poignant given the news of David Bowie’s death earlier this year.

The film will be released in cinemas nationwide on 9th September by Park Circus and on DVD, Blu-Ray and as a Collector’s Edition from 10th October by STUDIOCANAL, complete with brand new bonus material and special packaging, as part of their Vintage Classics
range.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

The Man Who Fell to Earth is a 1976 British science fiction drama film directed by Nicolas Roeg and written by Paul Mayersberg, based on Walter Tevis' 1963 novel of the same name, about an extraterrestrial who crash lands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought.

Director:
Nicolas Roeg

Writers:
Paul Mayersberg & Walter Tevis

Stars:
David Bowie, Rip Torn, Candy Clark, Buck Henry, Bernie Casey
David Bowie as Thomas Jerome Newton The Man Who Fell To Earth
David Bowie as Thomas Jerome Newton The Man Who Fell To Earth [ZOOM]    
Restored by Deluxe London, the restoration of The Man Who Fell to Earth is based on a 4K scan of the original camera negative, followed by a full 4K workflow, with the approval of cinematographer Anthony Richmond.

Featuring a startling and era defining lead performance from David Bowie (The Prestige, Labyrinth) in his debut feature role and based on the cult novel by Walter Tevis, The Man Who Fell to Earth endures as, not only a bitingly caustic indictment of the modern world but, also, a poignant commentary on the loneliness of the outsider.

The Man Who Fell To Earth David Bowie & Candy Clark
The Man Who Fell To Earth David Bowie & Candy Clark [ZOOM]    

Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) is a humanoid alien who comes to Earth from a distant planet on a mission to take water back to his home planet in the midst of a catastrophic drought. Using the advanced technology of his home planet to patent many inventions on Earth, Newton, aided by leading patent attorney Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry, The Graduate, Get Smart), acquires incredible wealth as the head of a technology-based conglomerate that he intends to use to finance the construction of a space vehicle to ship water back to his planet. Newton embarks on a relationship with hotel maid Mary-Lou (Candy Clark, American Graffiti, Zodiac) and makes progress with the construction of his vehicle but soon finds his true identity at risk via his roguish colleague and confidant Dr. Nathan Bryce (Rip Torn, Men in Black, Marie Antoinette) who threatens not only his relationship with Mary-Lou, but his freedom and chances of making it home to the family he yearns for.

     The Establishing Shot: RESTORED 4K THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH TRAILER                                                     

David Bowie was originally due to record the soundtrack but Nicolas Roeg decided the direction he was going in didn’t fit the film and, so, hired The Mamas & The Papas’ John Phillips instead.

Rumour has it that the tracks Bowie wrote for the film formed the basis of his albums STATION TO STATION and LOW, both recorded in the years after the film’s release and featuring stills from The Man Who Fell to Earth as their covers.

The Man Who Fell To Earth David Bowie & Candy Clark
The Man Who Fell To Earth David Bowie & Candy Clark [ZOOM]    

Director Nicolas Roeg began his career in film as a camera operator before progressing to the role of cinematographer on films including Roger Corman's The Masque of the Red Death, François Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451 and John Schlesinger’s Far From the Madding Crowd. Having moved to directing with 1970’s Performance, Roeg went on to helm an extraordinary run of films over the next decade that included Walkabout, Don’t Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Since then, Nicolas Roeg has enjoyed a long and highly acclaimed career, inspiring many of today’s filmmakers from Danny Boyle to Ben Wheatley and picking up numerous awards and accolades including a BFI Fellowship in 1994.


     Slideshow: The Man Who Fell To Earth Restored in stunning 4K                                                     

The Establishing Shot: NICOLAS ROEG & DAVID BOWIE'S UTTERLY BRILLIANT SCI-FI CLASSIC THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH IS GETTING A 40TH ANNIVERSARY 4K RESTORATION REISSUE. CHECK OUT THE AWESOME ALTERNATIVE POSTER!

The Man Who Fell to Earth is getting a 40th anniversary 4k Restoration
Craig is a retired superhero, an obsessive hobbyist, comics fan, gadget lover & flâneur who knows an unhealthy amount about Ian Fleming's James Bond. When not watching or making films he takes writes, pictures, eats, drinks, dives, tries to connect to nature whilst mentally storyboarding the greatest film ever made. He may also also  & sometimes utilises owl-themed gadgets to fight crime for one last time.  A list of his 133 favourite films can be found hereIf you would still like to contact Craig please use any of the buttons below: 
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