David Bowie (July 15, 1976) "Bowie Film Falls Flat: Too Much of Nothing" – Film Review – Rolling Stone

SOURCE DETAILS   Publication: Rolling Stone Date: July 15 1976

Country: USA Section / Pages: Review Title: Bowie Film Falls Flat: Too Much of Nothing

Writer: Paul Nelson

This Rolling Stone review critiques Nicolas Roeg’s film The Man Who Fell to Earth, starring David Bowie. Writer Paul Nelson describes the viewing experience as disjointed and emotionally distant, comparing it to “watching someone being sawed in half by a would‑be magician.”

Nelson argues that Roeg’s direction lacks coherence and fails to capture the alienation central to Walter Tevis’s original novel. Bowie’s portrayal of the extraterrestrial Thomas Jerome Newton is noted for its detached intensity, but the review suggests that the film’s style overwhelms its substance.

The article highlights the film’s themes of isolation, addiction, and the collapse of human identity, yet concludes that Roeg’s execution results in “too much of nothing for any human being to easily endure.” A black‑and‑white photograph accompanies the piece, showing Bowie applying makeup with the caption: “Stranger in an even stranger land: the alien David Bowie.”

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS  

Film: The Man Who Fell to Earth  

Director: Nicolas Roeg

Lead Actor: David Bowie

Tone: Critical and analytical Photography: Bowie in character as Newton Audience: Film and music readers of Rolling Stone

CONTEXT AND NOTES  

This review reflects mid‑1970s critical attitudes toward experimental cinema and Bowie’s transition from rock icon to film actor.

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