A film as enigmatic as Nicholas Roeg’s 1976 cult classic ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ is always going to conjure up mysteries in its wake and one of the biggest has always has been the fate of the film’s soundtrack.
To celebrate STUDIOCANAL’s 40th Anniversary 4K release, UMC will be releasing for the very first time in any format the original movie soundtrack, containing seminal pieces by Stomu Yamash’ta and John Phillips, who composed specifically for the film.
The film itself reached cult status due to David Bowie’s outstanding performance as Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien that finds himself stranded on Earth. Bowie was always drawn to the character long after he portrayed him and the continuing story of T.J. Newton will be told in Bowie's forthcoming stage production ‘Lazarus’. Written by Bowie and playwright Enda Walsh, the show will run at London's Kings Cross Theatre from 25 October to 22 January.
Bowie was always drawn to the character long after he portrayed him and the continuing story of T.J. Newton will be told in Bowie’s forthcoming ‘Lazarus’ play opening in London this Autumn.
At the time The Man Who Fell To Earth confirmed the film’s director Nicholas Roeg, and book’s author Walter Tevis, as on the cutting edge of their respective fields and many critics have said that the film contains Bowie’s finest acting work.
The soundtrack has always been highly celebrated and long sought after by fans but until now unavailable as a body of work: it can now finally be acknowledged in its own right.
Little is known, and much has been asked, as to why the soundtrack was never originally released. Due to lost tapes recently being uncovered it is now possible to present the original recordings.
“On my original cut, I scored the entire movie to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon. I think I used every single track on the album. The whole movie was Pink Floyd except for the one piece at the end, and it worked beautifully. The movie was made for that score! I don’t know if there was any serious attempt to get Dark Side Of The Moon cleared for our project but obviously, that never happened”
Alongside Stomu Yamash’ta, John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas fame composed and recorded much of the music for the film and the majority of Phillips’ compositions have been unavailable for 40 years. Finally, fans of this classic cult film can hear the soundtrack the way it was supposed to be heard.