From early avatars like Major Tom and Ziggy Stardust to later, darker alter egos like Alladin Sane and The Thin White Duke, the late great David Bowie made an art of self invention. Unlike many pop stars, Bowie was also successful at translating his stage charisma and sex appeal to the silver screen in a series of unusual roles. In this program, we look back at Bowie's chameleonic career in film: playing a homesick alien, a dying vampire, a melancholic POW and a baby-snatching goblin. Tonight we enjoy Bowie's otherworldly performance in Nicolas Roeg's cult favorite The Man Who Fell to Earth. 

An alien from a drought-stricken planet crash lands on Earth. Determined to return home with water, he poses as inventor Thomas Newton and builds a fortune from patenting his planet's futuristic technologies. He soon falls for a shy hotel clerk (Candy Clark) and develops a taste for earthly pleasures, putting his escape plan in jeopardy. Nicolas Roeg's science fiction classic takes a caustic look at Newton's tragic encounter with human materialism. Roeg's unusual mix of tones-- melancholy, meditative, erotic-- and his bold visual style, make this an unusually surreal and soulful spaceman story. With his bright orange hair, gaunt frame and haunted expression, Bowie, who was fighting addiction and exhaustion during production, brings vulnerability and pathos to his heartsick alien. Watch the trailer.

Directed by Nicolas Roeg,1976, UK, 138 min. In English. 

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