Other Titles • Space Station One (1978) • Das Schwarze Loch (1979)
Synopses for The Black Hole (1979)
1.
Disney's foray into big-budget science fiction, close on the heels of Star Wars, had some of the most impressive special effects to grace theater screens in the 1970s. Graced by handsome production design--most notably a glass and latticework interstellar craft that looks like a battleship crossed with a modern skyscraper--The Black Hole is in many ways the most beautiful science fiction film of its era. Unfortunately, the graceful and gorgeous picture is jarred by dialogue that wouldn't pass muster in a comic book and a silly conclusion that plays like a murky, dime-store knockoff of 2001. Too bad, because the visual realization of the film is a veritable haunted house of futuristic phenomena, from the cloaked zombie-like drones shuffling through corridors to the devilish, crimson robot Maximillian, the strong arm of the mad scientist played by Maximilian Schell (a kind of wild man Captain Nemo with an even more ruthless temperament). Only the way-too-cute robot V.I.N.CENT (voiced by Roddy McDowall), a merchandising gimmick that looks like a Fisher-Price toy, mars the technological landscape. Robert Forster is the quietly authoritative captain of an exploration ship that stumbles across the seemingly derelict ship, and Anthony Perkins, Yvette Mimieux, Ernest Borgnine, and Joseph Bottoms fill out his crew. This is one case of a triumph of art direction and special effects over story--it's worth sitting through it to see the magnificent scene of the fireball rolling through the ship's enormous hull alone. The rest is just atmospheric gravy. --Sean Axmaker
2.
A space crew travelling the cosmos runs into a long-missing craft, manned by Dr. Hans Reinhardt. Upon meeting Reinhardt, the astronauts discover that he is not only insane, but steadfast in his efforts to travel through a nearby "black hole", an abyss from which no one can escape. Matters worsen when Reinhardt holds the crew captive, after realizing that they can help him reach his goal. The squad must now figure out a way to flee from Reinhardt -- before it's too late... This attempt to gain a piece of the 'Star Wars' audience was also Disney's entry into the world of the PG rating. The film, not a huge success in 1979, has since gained a cult following due to its ominous tone and innovative visual design and effects.
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Coming soon!
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A Journey That Begins Where Everything Ends!
There is a place in the universe beyond man's vision, yet within his grasp--the most powerful force in the cosmos, where the here and now may be forever. It goes through space swallowing everything in its path: radio waves, light…even planets and stars. Now man is about to enter--THE BLACK HOLE.
Captain Dan Holland, First Officer Charles Pizer, journalist Harry Booth and scientists Dr. Alex Durant and Dr. Kate McCrae are all aboard and Earth discovery vessel on a fruitless search for life in space, when they encounter a lost spaceship perched on the event horizon of the universe's most powerful phenomenon, a black hole. Untouched by the incredible gravitational forces, the travelers move in, finding an Earth scientist in a ship that is populated with robot slaves and harboring a terrible secret.
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