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The Man Who Fell To Earth #4
I read the book after seeing the movie - in the theaters upon release, then well afterward. this question presupposes a familiarity with both film and novel. What did you feel about the differences and similarities? How well did Nicholas Roeg translate this book to film? The film was released about a decade after the novel, were there changes in the film because of this?
Comments
I watched the film once, many many years ago and I can't remember a great deal about it. Would the book still be read now, and published in the Masterworks series, if it hadn't been for the film?
I can't remember many details of the film, but I do remember Bowie in it as captivating the scenes that he was in. Like @clash_bowley I saw the film first, but on reading the novel I think Bowie has exactly the right blend of charisma and other-worldliness. A great choice (likewise for Bill Nighy in the modern streamed version). But as for the storyline, I can't remember much about it! So I guess it was more of a visual fest than a storytelling one.
Now, what reading the book did do for me was made me want to read more of Tevis, so I devoured Queen's Gambit shortly after finishing The Man who Fell to Earth. I enjoyed that book very much (the recent streamed version follow the book extremely closely) but haven't yet delved into his other stuff. A quick look online tells me that people have mixed reactions to some of his others.
I too saw the movie before the book, but it was years ago. Remember it fondly, but I'm not sure my memory is faithful to its reality. Watching it again is on my list of things to do.
I remember being totally drawn in - Bowie was spectacular as Newton - but utterly confused. How was Newton going to take enough water back in a space ship to make a difference for a planet? What the hell happened to Farnsworth and company? Why did the government eventually just leave Newton in a prison with no walls and no guards? The book was much more coherent, and I understood things as they fell out. Roeg changed some things and cut others, and probably more was cut in the release than was good for understanding. The movie was visually very compelling, though!