Once upon a time ago before I read any work by Ayn Rand I saw The Man Who Fell To Earth starring David Bowie. I didn’t enjoy sitting through it and the one scene that stuck with me depicted a nihilist denouncing innovation. Having never read a word of real philosophy at the time I merely saw the character as being stupid.
After the recent death of Mr. Bowie a local film society held a showing of the film. I won’t claim the excuse of brain damage in deciding to see it. I had actually forgot how truly awful it was.
It wasn’t just the fact that the director was a no talent hack with delusions of cleverness.
Nor was it his insistence on using Manhattan skyscrapers as an anatomical reference along with inserting two pointless scenes that stop just short of actual pornography.
No.
Every second of the film was an expression of the hatred of human life and after only half an hour I walked out.
Remember the nihilist? When I originally saw the film I could not understand how any character could be so stupid. I now understand that in denouncing any improvement in the tools used by man he was denying the value of human life.
