Directed by Nicolas Roeg / Screenplay by Paul Mayersberg

Adapted from the novel by Walter Tevis, The Man Who Fell to Earth was Nicolas Roeg’s fourth feature film as director, following Performance (1970), Walkabout (1971) and Don’t Look Now (1973); and anyone familiar with those pictures will know that Roeg’s approach to science fiction was never going to be a conventional one. This is a strange, oblique and complex film - and also a beautiful, intelligent and rewarding one. “It is a science fiction film without the hardware,” Roeg once explained. “No dials! It’s all about drinking, actually. It is a love story and it is a science fiction movie and it is about drinking. It is about people who say, ‘Have a drink,’ and people who reply, ‘Why not?’” In casting the lead role of Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien visitor from a drought-stricken planet who becomes stranded on Earth and falls victim to the corruptions and shortcomings of humanity, Roeg struck gold: seeing a BBC documentary about the fragile, alienated British rock star David Bowie travelling America on his 1974 tour, Roeg’s reaction was “That’s him all right, all wrapped up and done.” The film marks a pivotal moment in David Bowie’s own career. His previous big-screen experience, before fame beckoned, had been a fleeting walk-on in 1969’s The Virgin Soldiers, making him one of the few names in cinema history to go directly from a non-speaking extra in his first film to top of the bill in the next; but The Man Who Fell to Earth was more than Bowie’s first headlining role. It provided an arresting showcase for his magnetic, other-worldly charisma, and was a crucial step in his consolidation as a global superstar.

Framed Dimensions: 330mm x 410mm

Acrylic on 300gsm Arches oil paper
Glazed, mounted and framed

Supplied with signed letter of authenticity from Barnaby.