The Man Who Fell to Earth: Steelbook (Best Buy Exclusive) – Lionsgate (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1976
Director: Nicolas Roeg
Writer: Paul Mayersberg
Cast: David Bowie, Rip Torn, Candy Clark, Buck Henry, Bernie Casey, Adrienne Larussa, Claudia Jennings

Release Date: April 25th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 139 Minutes 37 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: LPCM Stereo English, LPCM Mono German
Subtitles: English SDH, German, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $21.99

"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." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

The Man Who Fell to Earth comes on 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.4 GB

Feature: 91.3 GB

The source used for this transfer looks great. Flesh tones look healthy; color saturation, contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid. Also, the grain is well managed, and the image always looks organic.

The Man Who Fell to Earth comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31 GB

Feature: 23.2 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM stereo mix in English and a LPCM mono mix in German. The English-language track sounds excellent. Dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English SDH and removable German subtitles.

Extras:

There are no extras on the 4K UHD disc.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), David Bowie French TV interview from 1977 (8 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English & French with removable English subtitles), a featurette titled The Lost Soundtracks (16 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Candy Clark (27 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Paul Mayersberg (31 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Tony Richmond (21 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Nicolas Roeg (33 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with costume designer May Routh featuring original costume sketches (14 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with stills photographer David James featuring behind-the-scenes stills (8 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with fan Sam Taylor-Johnson (11 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with producer Michael Deeley (16 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

The Man Who Fell to Earth was directed by Nicolas Roeg, whose other notable films include Walkabout, Don’t Look Now, and Bad Timing. The Man Who Fell to Earth’s screenplay was adapted from Walter Tevis’ novel of the same name.

The narrative revolves around an alien named Thomas Jerome Newton, who ends up on Earth while searching the solar system for water for his dying planet. Unable to return to his planet because his spaceship was destroyed when it crashed on Earth, he invents several things that will help him raise the money he needs to make a new spaceship. Along the way, he falls in love with a girl named Mary-Lou and becomes a reclusive millionaire.

The Man Who Fell to Earth is an interesting take on the sci-fi genre. Though there have been sci-fi films set in the near future or in the present with sci-fi elements, It is the way in which The Man Who Fell to Earth melds modern and sci-fi elements that puts it in a class all of its own.

When discussing The Man Who Fell to Earth, it is impossible to look past David Bowie’s portrayal of Thomas Jerome Newton. He delivers what is essentially an emotionless performance that perfectly puts you in his character's state of mind. This performance is a textbook example of how less can sometimes be more effective than more.

The rest of the cast is very good in their roles, especially Candy Clark (Q - The Winged Serpent), a woman who becomes romantically involved with Thomas Jerome Newton. Another performance of note is Rip Torn (The Beastmaster) in the role of Dr. Nathan Bryce, a former college professor who gets a job working on fuel for Thomas Jerome Newton’s spaceship.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Man Who Fell to Earth does not excel. The premise is superb, a well-executed narrative very effectively builds momentum, and a very satisfying finale provides a perfect coda. Also, Nicolas Roeg does a phenomenal job creating a world that is believable, which gives the actors an optimal place to create. Another strength is how effectively the editing juxtaposes imagery, which heightens the mood. Ultimately, The Man Who Fell to Earth is an extraordinary cinematic experience that is unlike anything that has come before or since.

The Man Who Fell to Earth gets an exceptional release from Lionsgate that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer