The Black Hole

For other uses, see Black hole (disambiguation).

The Black Hole
Directed by	Gary Nelson
Produced by	Ron W. Miller
Screenplay by	Gerry Day Jeb Rosebrook
Story by	Jeb Rosebrook Bob Barbash Richard Landau
Starring	Maximilian Schell Anthony Perkins Ernest Borgnine Robert Forster Joseph Bottoms Yvette Mimieux Roddy McDowall (voice;uncredited) Slim Pickens (voice;uncredited)
Music by	John Barry
Cinematography	Frank Phillips
Editing by	Gregg McLaughlin
Studio	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution Co. Inc.
Release date(s)	December 21, 1979 (1979-12-21)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20,000,000 (estimated)
Box office	$35,841,901 (Domestic only)

The Black Hole is a 1979 American science fiction film directed by Gary Nelson for Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins, and Ernest Borgnine, while the voices of the main robot characters are provided by Roddy McDowall and Slim Pickens (both unbilled). The music for the movie was composed by John Barry. Alan Dean Foster novelized the screenplay.

Plot

In the year 2130, an exploratory spaceship, the USS Palomino, is returning from a deep space exploration mission. The crew consists of: the Palomino's Captain, Dan Holland; his First Officer, Lieutenant Charlie Pizer; journalist Harry Booth; ESP-sensitive scientist Dr. Kate McCrae; the expedition's civilian leader, Dr. Alex Durant; and the robot V.I.N.CENT ("Vital Information Necessary CENTralized").

On its journey, the crew is alerted to the existence of a nearby black hole and find a derelict ship somehow defying the gravitational pull of the black hole. The ship is identified as the long-lost USS Cygnus...a ship McCrae's father, Ensign Frank McCrae, served aboard when it was reported missing. Deciding to investigate, the Palomino encounters a mysterious null gravity field surrounding the Cygnus, but their ship is damaged when it drifts away from the Cygnus into the intense gravity field of the black hole. The Palomino manages to make it to the Cygnus, which suddenly comes to life and allows the Palomino to dock.

The Palomino crew encounters the Cygnus's Commander, Doctor Hans Reinhardt, a prominent scientist, and his robot crew, including the hulking Maximilian and a number of humanoid, faceless robots. When asked about Kate's father, Reinhardt explains that the ship had encountered a field of meteoroids and was disabled. He ordered the crew to return to Earth, yet his First Officer - Ensign McCrae - chose to remain aboard with Reinhardt, but he has since died. Reinhardt reveals that he is working on a project to fly the Cygnus into the black hole and explore beyond. Most of the crew react with incredulity and skepticism upon this announcement; only Durant believes it is possible and asks if he can accompany Reinhardt on the planned trip.

The other Palomino crew grow suspicious of the faceless drones' human-like behavior - Booth sees a robot limping, and Holland witnesses what appears to be a funeral...that is, after discovering the Cygnus crew's personal items - even their uniforms - in the ship's living quarters. Old B.O.B. (BiO-sanitation Battalion), a battered robot similar to V.I.N.CENT, explains that the faceless drones are in fact the crew, who mutinied when Reinhardt refused to return to Earth, and have since been lobotomized and "reprogrammed" to serve him. He also explains that McCrae's father led the mutiny and was killed. V.I.N.CENT tells Kate (via telepathy) the truth about what happened. When Kate tells Durant, he removes the reflective face plate of a robot, revealing the face of a crew member. Durant tries to flee the bridge with Kate, but Maximilian kills him. Reinhardt takes Kate prisoner, ordering for her to be taken to the hospital to be lobotomized.

Just after the process begins, Holland finds and rescues her in time. Meanwhile, Booth, fearing the situation is escalating into dangerous territory, panics and attempts to escape alone in the Palomino. Being only a reporter, Booth is unskilled at the controls and the Palomino is shortly out of control. Reinhardt attempts to shoot down the Palomino, but the ship crashes into the Cygnus and destroys the port-side anti-gravity force field generator. The Cygnus is further crippled by a meteor storm and the ensuing structural failure, which eventually destroys the starboard side anti-gravity force field generator. Without the null-gravity bubble, the black hole's gravity begins to tear the Cygnus apart.

Reinhardt and the Palomino survivors separately plan to make their escape aboard a small probe ship used to study the black hole. Reinhardt orders Maximilian to prepare the probe ship, but before he can escape, he is pinned by a falling giant monitor screen...and is unable to get help from his lobotomized crew. Maximilian confronts Holland and the others and shoots Old B.O.B., damaging him beyond repair, but is himself damaged beyond repair by V.I.N.CENT and drifts out of the ship. Holland, Pizer, McCrae, and V.I.N.CENT escape the Cygnus in the probe ship, but they discover the controls unresponsive, as it has been programmed to fulfill Reinhardt's objective: a flight through the black hole. The probe makes a long arc and then plunges down into the black hole, crossing the event horizon.

In a long, dialogue-free final sequence, the travelers reach the bottom of the black hole and appear, through Kate's ESP vision, to enter Hell and then Heaven.^[1] Reinhardt and Maximilian embrace in space, and then appear merged as one on a high rock overlooking a barren, burning Hell-like landscape populated by robed figures resembling the drones of the Cygnus. The next shot is of a floating figure with flowing long hair similar to Kate, seen from behind passing through a cathedral-like crystal tunnel. The probe then arrives outside of the black hole in front of a star and planet. The last shot shows the probe flying toward it.

Cast

• Maximilian Schell as Dr. Hans Reinhardt
• Anthony Perkins as Dr. Alex Durant
• Robert Forster as Captain Dan Holland
• Joseph Bottoms as Lieutenant Charlie Pizer
• Yvette Mimieux as Dr. Kate McCrae
• Ernest Borgnine as Harry Booth
• Tom McLoughlin as Captain S.T.A.R. ("Special Troops/Arms Regiment").
• Roddy McDowall as Voice of V.I.N.CENT (uncredited)
• Slim Pickens as Voice of Old B.O.B. (uncredited)

Production

Although Star Wars had popularized the use of computerized motion control miniature effects, The Black Hole was shot using a blend of traditional camera techniques and newly developed computer controlled camera technology. Disney had wanted to rent equipment from Industrial Light and Magic but when the price was too high and the timing of getting the equipment didn't match Disney's production schedule, they had their engineering department build their own equipment, resulting in the development of Disney's A.C.E.S. (Automated Camera Effects System), as well as the Mattescan system, which for the first time allowed the camera to move over a matte painting, and a computer-controlled modeling stand. At the time of its release, the movie's opening credits sequence featured the longest computer graphics shot that had ever appeared in a film. The film also had the world's first digitally recorded soundtrack.^[2]

The Black Hole was also notable for being the first Disney film not to have a universal rating, due to mild language (being the first Disney film to include profanity of any type) and scenes of human death never seen in a Disney production before (e.g., a character is eviscerated, albeit bloodlessly). This was Disney's first PG-rated production, and its second overall release with that rating (the first was the sports drama Take Down, an outside production Disney distributed in early 1979). The version of the film televised on The Disney Channel has been edited for language, with all uses of the words "damn" and "hell" removed. Along with frequent subtexts, there were also metaphysical and religious themes expressed through the film. This film led the company towards experimenting with more adult-oriented films, which would eventually lead to the creation of its Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures arms to handle films considered too mature in nature to carry the Walt Disney label.^[3]

Reception

At $20 million (plus another $6 million for its advertising budget)^[4] it was at the time the most expensive picture ever produced by the company.^[5] The movie earned $36 million at the North American box office, making it the 13th highest grossing film of its year. It received mixed reviews from critics, though The New York Times, Time Magazine and Variety all praised the film. The special effects were generally acclaimed by the press.^[6] The film received two Academy Award nominations: One for Best Visual Effects and one for Best Cinematography.

Adaptations

In Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the film, as the probe ship crosses the event horizon, all matter ceases to exist. Kate's ESP links the minds of the Palomino's crew and allows them to survive (in a fashion) while the atoms of their bodies diffuse and are scattered throughout the Universe. (In one version of the book, the events depicted in the film start on Christmas Eve).

One comic book adaptation of the film (Whitman comics, published in 1980) bypasses the whole issue of what happens inside the black hole by having the crew enter the black hole on one page and emerge apparently unharmed on the next page into a parallel universe where they encounter alternate versions of Reinhardt, Old B.O.B. and Maximilian. Four issues were published. The first two issues adapted the film and the second two issues continued the story introducing a race of people called Virlights. The rare fourth issue concludes with the promise of a fifth issue which was planned but never published. Other comic adaptations released in Europe have the crew emerging into another galaxy, thus confirming Reinhardt's theories. While wondering if they will ever return to Earth, they decide to explore this new universe.

In the official Disney Read-Along recording and illustrated story book, the crew in the probe ship emerge safely on the other side of the black hole, while the Cygnus is "crushed like an eggshell". The story ends with Captain Holland saying "We've been trained to find new worlds. Let's go find one for ourselves!" In this version, the characters of Booth and Durant are actually absent from the story, likely censored to avoid the explanation of the characters' deaths.

Jack Kirby adapted the film for the comic strip Walt Disney's Treasury of Classic Tales.

The Black Hole theatrical release history

US release dates

• December 21, 1979 (original release)
• March 6, 1982
• August 16, 1985
• December 25, 1990 (11th Anniversary edition re-release)

Video release history

• 1980 (VHS & laserdisc)
• May 10, 1981 (VHS (UK only))
• August 3, 1984 (VHS & laserdisc)
• April 20, 1985 (VHS & laserdisc)
• August 22, 1985 (laserdisc (Japanese version))
• 1986 (VHS and laserdisc)
• 1987 (videodisc (Chinese version))
• 1989 (VHS and laserdisc)
• 1990 (VHS and laserdisc (re-release))
• June 18, 1997 (laserdisc)
• May 27, 1999 (VHS & DVD)
• May 7, 2000 (DVD (Japanese version))
• May 17, 2000 (videodisc (Chinese/Japanese version))
• June 8, 2002 (DVD - Anchor Bay)
• August 3, 2004 (DVD - Disney)

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was intended to be released on multi-colored vinyl, but problems with the process prevented it

Highlights of the score, as conducted and composed by John Barry, were released on an LP by Disneyland Records in 1979. It was the first-ever digitally recorded score for a film. Until August 2011, the soundtrack had never been released on CD, though a remastered edition of the LP version is available from iTunes.

Track Listing^[7]

• Side A:

1. "Overture" (2:27)
2. "Main Title" (1:46)
3. "The Door Opens" (3:38)
4. "Zero Gravity" (5:53)
5. "Six Robots" (1:59)

• Side B:

1. "Durant is Dead" (2:31)
2. "Start the Countdown" (3:51)
3. "Laser" (2:15)
4. "Into the Hole" (5:00)
5. "End Title" (2:34)

Silva Screen Records have released compilation albums remastering some of John Barry's works, which includes some of the music from The Black Hole. Only one track is available and it apparently is "The Overture".

Along with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, this was one of the last few mainstream Hollywood productions to have an overture - although most broadcast-syndication prints of the film would later omit it. The overture is included during some broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies and was also included on the DVD release.

On August 23, 2011, Intrada Records (as part of its licensing agreement with Walt Disney Records) released the complete score, marking the first time the soundtrack has been issued on CD.^[8]

Track Listing^[9]

01. Overture (2:28)
02. Main Title (1:49)
03. That’s It (1:43)*
04. Closer Look (2:02)**
05. Zero Gravity (5:48)
06. Cygnus Floating (2:06)*
07. The Door Opens (4:09)**
08. Pretty Busy (:48)*
09. Six Robots (1:57)
10. Can You Speak? (1:19)*
11. Poor Creatures (1:41)*
12. Ready to Embark (:44)*
13. Start the Countdown (3:47)
14. Durant Is Dead (2:31)
15. Laser (1:01)*
16. Kate’s O.K. (2:49)
17. Hot and Heavy (2:43)*
18. Meteorites (1:31)*
19. Raging Inferno (:54)*
20. Hotter and Heavier (1:59)*
21. Bob and V.I.N.C.E.N.T. (:54)*
22. Into the Hole (4:56)**
23. End Title (2:34)

BONUS TRACK;

24. In, Through... And Beyond! (2:46)

* Previously unreleased
** Includes additional material not used in the film

Remake

In November 2009, it was reported that Disney has plans to remake the movie. Director Joseph Kosinski and producer Sean Bailey are attached to the production.^[5][10]

The Disney film Tron: Legacy (which had the same director and producer as this proposed remake) contains some references to this movie, possibly hinting at the remake. These include a poster for The Black Hole that can be seen in the bedroom of Sam Flynn in 1989 and an action figure of Old B.O.B. that can be seen next to the Tron action figures on his shelf.

References

1. ^ Does The Black Hole still suck? Movie review by Joshua Moss, June 2, 2000.
2. ^ investigation at MovieMusic.com, also see discussion page
3. ^ Buzz Cinema - Touchstone Pictures
4. ^ Cinefantastique Magazine, "Black Hole Special Issue", Spring 1980
5. ^ ^{a b} "Tron: Legacy" Team Mount a "Black Hole" Remake, Hollywood Reporter, November 30, 2009
6. ^ Turner Classic Movie commentary
7. ^ Discogs.com entry
8. ^ Official Intrada Announcement
9. ^ CD-page on Intrada's site
10. ^ New Details About Disney's "Black Hole" Remake, Cinema Spy, February 9, 2010

External links

• The Black Hole at the Internet Movie Database
• The Black Hole at the TCM Movie Database
• The Black Hole at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Black Hole at Box Office Mojo
• The Black Hole at AllRovi