The Black Hole (1979)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Gary Nelson

Writers:

Jeb Rosebrook (story) and
Bob Barbash (story) ...

Release Date:

21 December 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A journey that begins where everything ends!

Plot:

A research vessel finds a missing ship, commanded by a mysterious scientist, on the edge of a black hole.

Plot Keywords:

Black Hole | Robot | Spaceship | Space | Reverse Footage

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Maximilian Schell	...	Dr. Hans Reinhardt
Anthony Perkins	...	Dr. Alex Durant
Robert Forster	...	Captain Dan Holland
Joseph Bottoms	...	Lieutenant Charles Pizer
Yvette Mimieux	...	Dr. Kate McCrae
Ernest Borgnine	...	Harry Booth
Tom McLoughlin	...	Captain S.T.A.R. (Special Troops Arms Regiment) (as Tommy McLoughlin)

Also Known As:

Space Station One (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints) (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2004) | UK:A (original rating) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Jennifer O'Neill was originally cast as Dr. Kate McCrae, but she was later replaced by Yvette Mimieux.

Goofs:

Factual errors: A "real" black hole cannot be actually seen directly because its location lies behind the event horizon. If the black hole is seen, as it is shown in the movie, it would mean that the ships (the Cygnus and the Palomino) would have already passed over the event horizon, without any possibility of turning back and thus, inevitably "sucked" inside the black hole.

Quotes:

[V.I.N.CENT's tether breaks while repairing the ship]
Kate McCrae: Dan, the tether's broken!
Lieutenant Charles Pizer: I'm going after him!
Dan Holland: Stay at your post, Charlie.
Lieutenant Charles Pizer: What the hell are you made of? What if it was one of us out there?
Dan Holland: V.I.N.CENT is one of us.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Incredibles (2004)

Dark, Brooding and DISNEY?

Dark, Brooding and DISNEY? Can it be true? It's not exactly Disney's normal view-point, but it works. I'll start with the robots, the dark & formidable 'Max' and the lovable & quirky 'Vincent', are both great, as is the majority of the acting. The haunting theme sets the scene for what I can only describe as Disney's best live-action film to date. There are scientific gaps in the story, but it is a kids film (I didn't know anything about astro-physics at the age of TEN).

I understand that to some people, the subject of BLACK HOLES, is not exactly the most enthralling, but they have paid the bills of many a Sci-Fi writer. If the school holidays catch you by surprise, and your kids still have some imagination, then this could be just the thing your looking for, you may want to watch it with them, if they are paticually young, but you never know, you may end up liking it yourself.