The Man Who Fell To Earth (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] by Nicholas Roeg, starring David Bowie, Rip Torn, Buck Henry, Candy Clark: DVDNear.com

The Man Who Fell To Earth (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

The Man Who Fell To Earth (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
by Nicholas Roeg

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Buck Henry, Candy Clark, David Bowie, Rip Torn
Director: Nicholas Roeg
Brand: Image Entertainment
Blu-ray: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: 2008-12-16
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion Collection

Movie Reviews of The Man Who Fell To Earth (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Movie Review: Great sci-fi, great blu ray
Summary: 5 Stars

I have to say, there's apparently a very special effort put into sci-fi on blu ray. My three favorite sci-fi movies ever (2001, Blade Runner, The Man Who Fell to Earth) are possibly three of the best looking discs in my collection.

For those unfamiliar with the movie, it's essentially David Bowie playing himself. That is to say, he's playing an alien. Suffice to say, it comes very natural to him.

It's a story about a man who falls to earth, on a journey to save his home planet and family from drought. But that's not what the movie is about. The movie is about the universality of the human condition. Every creature in this galaxy is a sucker for sex drugs and rock and roll, and we don't have to feel bad about what we perceive as human weaknesses because it is not specific to humans. At one point, David Bowie reassures a character that they don't have to feel bad about the way Bowie's character is being treated as a visitor to earth, as a human visitor to Bowie's planet would receive the same treatment.

The way the film is directed and shot places great emphasis not only on the characters and story, but on the feeling. The strange world created by Roeg and company is exhaustingly surreal. We feel like visitors to an alien world, one that is uncomfortably familiar. Watching this decently long movie almost becomes difficult. The destruction of standard linear storytelling combined with the brilliant landscapes and imagery strike a certain chord that resonates pure strangeness.

This being a Criterion release, everything about the package itself is top notch. It comes in a pretty little cardboard package that folds open once and gets slid inside a slip case. The art is gorgeous all around. The booklet, a standard inclusion in Criterion releases, provides the usual information about the production of the film, more great artwork, an essay analysis about the film, and a poem about the original Boy Who Fell to Earth, Icarus. If anybody in the universe puts as much love into anything as Criterion puts into their releases, I would be amazed.

The transfer itself is fantastic, of course. The film is presented in what is unarguably Roeg's original vision, and preserves the grain and softness present in the original photography. That is how all releases should be handled. Not every movie on blu ray needs to look like Speed Racer. Of course, detail gets a very nice boost and the image is slightly sharper than it ever was on DVD. Look no further than the DVDBeaver review for great examples. Look at Bowie's hair and the fountain in the screenshots provided.

A 5/5 package if there every was one. A great movie, a great package, and a great presentation by the greatest film company in the world.

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Summary of The Man Who Fell To Earth (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH - Blu-Ray Movie

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The Man Who Fell To Earth (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]