The Man Who Fell to Earth: 50th Anniversary

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David Bowie's extraordinary feature-film debut returns to 4K Ultra HD this November as StudioCanal celebrates the 50th anniversary of Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth with an extensive five-disc Collector's Edition.

Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) is no ordinary visitor to Earth. Arriving from a distant planet devastated by catastrophic drought, the mysterious humanoid alien has come in search of the one thing his own world desperately needs - water.

Possessing technological knowledge far beyond anything available on Earth, Newton approaches patent attorney Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry) with a series of revolutionary inventions. The resulting company, World Enterprises, rapidly generates an enormous fortune, providing Newton with the resources he needs to construct a spacecraft capable of transporting water back to his dying planet and the family he left behind.

But life on Earth proves considerably more complicated than Newton anticipated.

His relationship with hotel employee Mary-Lou (Candy Clark) introduces him to human companionship, alcohol and television, while scientist Nathan Bryce (Rip Torn) becomes increasingly fascinated by the enigmatic businessman and begins to suspect that Newton's remarkable technological achievements may have an explanation considerably more extraordinary than simple genius.

As Newton becomes increasingly immersed in human society, the determination that brought him to Earth begins to unravel. Alcohol, sex, consumerism and the constant bombardment of television gradually distract him from his mission, while the enormous wealth and influence generated by World Enterprises attracts the attention of those determined to discover exactly who - or what - he really is.

What begins as a desperate mission to save his home consequently becomes an increasingly melancholy story of isolation, corruption and lost purpose as Newton discovers that escaping Earth may prove considerably more difficult than arriving.

Directed by Nicolas Roeg and adapted by Paul Mayersberg from Walter Tevis's 1963 novel, The Man Who Fell to Earth was released in 1976 and provided David Bowie with his first starring feature-film role.

Rather than presenting a conventional science-fiction adventure, Roeg used Newton's experiences to explore alienation, loneliness, addiction and the excesses of modern consumer society, with Bowie's naturally otherworldly screen presence making the musician an unusually convincing visitor attempting - and increasingly failing - to understand humanity.

Bowie is joined by Rip Torn as scientist Nathan Bryce, Candy Clark as Mary-Lou and Buck Henry as Oliver Farnsworth, with Bernie Casey, Jackson D. Kane and Rick Riccardo among the supporting cast.

Five decades after its original UK release, StudioCanal is returning to Roeg's cult science-fiction landmark with an extensive 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition, released through the StudioCanal Classics label.

The five-disc collection contains the film on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray alongside a dedicated Blu-ray of supplementary material and a two-disc presentation of the film's soundtrack.

Heading the extras is the newly produced The Man Who Fell to Earth at 50: Bowie and Roeg, Aliens in America, a 40-minute documentary examining the collaboration between Bowie and Roeg and the creation and enduring legacy of the film.

The new documentary is accompanied by the extensive collection of interviews and archive material produced for previous editions of the film. The Collector's Edition also includes an extensive selection of physical material celebrating the film.

The Man Who Fell to Earth: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition is be released as a five-disc 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set in the UK on 16th November 2026 by StudioCanal.