One of the best sci-fi movies ever
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cabal-16 — 17 years ago(March 23, 2009 01:05 PM)
there are a few people in history who just are outstanding by the pure talent and abilities they have, they can be compared well as aliens, leonardo, einstein, hughes,the name newton really seems like a chosen pick to this idea
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dropdown1 — 17 years ago(March 27, 2009 06:53 PM)
wonderful analysis of the filmI'm going re-watch it.
As another member pointed out, it works amazing well as both an alien/sci-fi story and as a Howard Hughes/troubled genius allegory. Keep in mind, Bowie's character doesn't start seeing his "alien family" until he starts drinking.
Check out Theresa Russell's comments on the Criterion DVD to "Bad Timing" when she talks about how alienated Nic Roeg felt after the success of "Walkabout" and "Don't Look Now" in UK. He went from being a "nobody" to the director everyone wanted a piece of. -
gavbrown01 — 15 years ago(July 11, 2010 08:11 AM)
I saw the Leonardo DiCaprio HH flix and of course everyone has some concept of him as the strange recluse who died with a lot of weird habits. Not sure I connect him to this movie, tho I see why others might see parallels.
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nephihaha — 14 years ago(August 14, 2011 02:15 PM)
Definite parallel with Howard Hughes, although it was really autobiographical Walter Tevis who wrote the novel based it on a childhood full of illness (after a move from San Francisco to Kentucky) followed by an adulthood of alcoholism.
It's not "sci-fi", it's SF! -
DukeTogo1300 — 16 years ago(August 20, 2009 07:24 PM)
It is quite possible to like both. I do, and you should too. Everyone should like the
exact
same list of movies.My favorites:
http://www.imdb.com/user/ur7568922/lists -
gavbrown01 — 15 years ago(July 11, 2010 08:06 AM)
I am bad! I posted this a year and a half ago and never came back to participate in any follow-up conversation which I obviously could have had. I'm going to spend more time on imdb following up with my posts. Thanks for the nice comments. I'll add two things to the conversation: I read Stanislaw Lem's Solaris and have seen both the Soviet-era (70s) movie version of it and the Clooney version - neither came close to the power of the book, I thought, which in my estimation was a rumination on the nature of intelligence (was the planet intelligent or some kind of natural phenomenon? or perhaps, something more deep). 2) I just posted on the discussion board for the movie Hackers, another of my favs.
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rgcustomer — 14 years ago(August 07, 2011 05:49 PM)
I also enjoyed what they did with some of the shots. For example, early on when Newton is looking out over a city, we tilt up and look at the Orion constellation, which then starts falling and transforming into fireworks. It's a beautiful picture.
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nephihaha — 14 years ago(August 14, 2011 02:12 PM)
It's about corruption Newton is more or less a fallen angel, who is destroyed by humanity, rather than a fallen angel setting out to destroy humanity, like Satan.
It's also a brutal satire on big business, and hypocrisy of capitalism.
It's not "sci-fi", it's SF! -
WarpedRecord — 14 years ago(September 03, 2011 09:41 PM)
Beautifully put, Gavbrown01! This would certainly be in my Top Five for sci-fi, and possibly even be No. 1. Honestly, I'm not even sure this is really sci-fi because it's more a meditation on loneliness. Regardless, it's beautifully filmed and skillfully acted.
Unfortunately, this film came out at the end of a era for the genre, when cerebral films like this would be replaced by space epics, and characters and story would surrender to special effects. I'm glad it's at least getting a 35-year rerelease. I'd love to see this on the big screen again. -
rolotomasi_70-398-336619 — 13 years ago(June 24, 2012 02:09 AM)
Fantastic!
The innocence, and imagination
The corruption. the sacrifice..
the new mexican backdrops
In some ways TMWFTE does share similarities with Tarkovsky's 'Solaris', but, stylistically, it is a world apart
Roeg's film seems altogether more human, more loving Nevertheless, they both share a similar theme, that is, to stir the mind and to move the soul