Dark Star (1974)

In the far reaches of space, a small crew, 20 years into their solitary mission, find things beginning to go hilariously wrong.

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Carpenter (original story by), Dan O'Bannon (original story by)

Stars:

Dan O'Bannon, Dre Pahich, Brian Narelle

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Brian Narelle	...	Lt. Doolittle
Cal Kuniholm	...	Boiler
Dre Pahich	...	Talby
Dan O'Bannon	...	Pinback

Storyline

A low budget, sci-fi satire that focuses on a group of scientists whose mission is to destroy unstable planets. 20 years into their mission, they have battle their alien mascot, that resembles a beach ball, as well as a "sensitive" and intelligent bombing device that starts to question the meaning of its existence.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | cult film | spoof | satire | parody | 

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Taglines:

What would you be like after 20 years aboard DARK STAR the spaced-out spaceship. The ultimate cosmic comedy!

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Is frequently considered musician Rob Crow's favorite film. His band Pinback is actually named after the main character and many of the films sound effects can be found in Pinback songs such as "Concrete Seconds" and "Rousseu"

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Goofs

Lt Doolittle's cloth name tape on his uniform is spelled/misspelled "DOOLTTLE", obvious in the first scene in the Food Locker.

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Quotes

Commander Powell: Talk to the bomb. You have to talk to it, Doolittle. Teach it PHENOMENOLOGY.

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Alternate Versions

Originally released in a shorter 68-minutes version, later expanded to a longer 83 minute version with the addition of new scenes (including the meteor storm, the visit to the crew's quarters and Doolittle playing his music).

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Connections

Referenced in Rewind This! (2013)

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Soundtracks

Wipe Out
Written by Bob Barryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller, and Ron Wilson
[performed by unknown band in the film]

User Reviews

Cult classic

Well OK this may not the most enjoyable film I've seen but it is certainly one of the most unique and cynical films ever. I find myself pulling out the tape and watching it again every couple of years just to give myself a reality check with all the Hollywood tripe you get these days. To make the most of it you need to watch a couple of Star Trek episodes first and then watch this. Instead of the clean-cut, politically correct, join-the-dots films that are so common now, you get a feeling that this might just be the way life on a space ship would really be.

It was really way ahead of its time. People now comment that films like Star Wars and Alien were the first to make sci-fi more 'realistic' but Dark Star pre-dates both of them by several years. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is where Scott Ridley and George Lucas got some of their ideas.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1979 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Dark Star

Filming Locations:

Producers Studios - 5330 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack H. Harris Enterprises, University of Southern California (USC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min 70 min (Original Version) 71 min (Director's Cut) 68 min (original student film)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1