This Lee Pace Cult Classic Is Finally Getting a Digital Release

While Tarsem Singh’s 2006 film, The Fall, was divisive when it first premiered, it is finally getting the physical release it has always deserved. A wildly inventive and aesthetically captivating film, The Fall stars Lee Pace before he gained monumental success with his role in Pushing Daisies and Halt and Catch Fire. Pace plays Roy, a stuntman in the 1920s paralyzed from a fall on set. After bonding with a child, Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), in recovery, he manipulates her into getting him morphine pills by weaving an exciting adventure tale populated with familiar faces from real life. Woefully underappreciated at the box office, the film reached cult status – even though it never achieved Criterion selection. Only recently did it gain a 4K re-release, courtesy of the streaming service Mubi. Tarsem also tells Vulture that a physical release is on the books as well.

“I want there to be [a physical release], because otherwise people will keep complaining that they bought it for $300 on eBay. That was the reason I went for this. We are producing it on Blu-ray. I will follow up with them, because that was the one of the main things for me, getting it streaming and then physically making it available for people. It’s got the kind of following that likes having it around.”

While a niche film, this news could add further context to the waning push for physical releases. With streaming, many films have the potential to be scrubbed from memory with no physical releases to save it. The Fall is an example of a film fans were desperate to watch, and the only possible way was a physical release. Luckily, Tarsem continued to champion his film, be it streaming or physical. He just wanted fans to watch it.

Physical releases also have the added benefit of features not available originally. When shopping the film around the first time, Tarsem was urged to cut scenes that compromised his vision. The 4K restoration includes two deleted scenes that give context to the film. One scene never before seen highlights Tarsem’s religious opinions. When Roy is telling the story, he casts a priest that Alexandria saw in real life as a villain in the story.

“Alexandria goes, ‘Whoa! But the priest is a good guy! And [Roy] goes, ‘Uh … yeah.’ The priest has a stick in his hand, and he’s walking toward the child, and Roy goes, ‘The stick was for … a snake!’ And the line of the priest shouting and saying, ‘Darwin!’ because that’s his arch-enemy, evolution. [Laughs.] I always loved that scene, and when I was losing it, I said, ‘Let’s get it done. I’ve gone bankrupt almost twice. Let’s take it out.’ That was it for me. But this time, I looked at it, and I said, ‘No, that scene needed to be in there.’”

How Roy tells the story reflects his opinions of real life. He kills off most of the characters because he believes that life is ultimately dark and unyielding. Only when Alexandria begs him to keep living does his perspective change. A masterclass in acting, visuals, and directing, The Fall can finally reach a wider audience. The film is currently streaming on Mubi, and details about a Blu-ray release will be forthcoming.

WATCH ON MUBI