The Black Hole (1979)

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

Director:

Gary Nelson

Writers:

Jeb Rosebrook (story by), Bob Barbash (story by)

Stars:

Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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. (as Tommy McLoughlin)

Storyline

An Earth exploratory ship, the USS Palomino, discovers a black hole with a lost ship, the USS Cygnus, just outside its event horizon. Deciding to solve the mystery of the Cygnus are: the Palomino's Captain, Dan Holland; his First Officer, Lieutenant Charlie Pizer; journalist Harry Booth; scientist and ESP-sensitive Dr. Kate McCrae, whose father was the Cygnus's First Officer; Dr. Alex Durant, the expedition's civilian leader; and the robot known as V.I.N.CENT. The Palomino attempts a dangerous fly-by of the darkened ship. As they come within close range of it, the buffeting they experience (due to the black hole's gravity) suddenly ceases. They bring more instruments to bear on the derelict, but do not even realize the gravity-free zone is artificial; slipping outside it, they are almost drawn into the 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...

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Plot Keywords:

22nd century | black hole | spaceship | attempted escape | robot | 

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Taglines:

A journey that begins where everything ends!

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the film was broadcast on ITV in the UK in the late 1980s during the daytime. There is a scene removed: after it cuts from Reinhart on the mountain-top in Hell, the removed sequence is of an angel is flying through the arches, the to the Palamino crew heading to an unidentified planet having apparently survived.

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Goofs

When Vincent first head butts into Maximillian's torso, you see visible scratches in the maroon paint revealing the fiberglass beneath. In the following shots the scratches are gone.

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Quotes

[first lines]
V.I.N.CENT: [beep] 2130; day 547. Unscheduled course correction due at 2200. Pre-correction check: rotation axis plus three degrees. Nitrous oxide pressure: 4100 rising to 5,000. Quad jet C and D on preselect. Rotor ignition sequence beginning in 3-0. Thruster line reactors on standby.
Captain Dan Holland: V.I.N.CENT, notify me with 15 to go. Alex?
Dr. Alex Durant: Yes, Dan?
Captain Dan Holland: Have you determined a difference in ETAs with and without our correction?
Dr. Alex Durant: Working on it. You know, we shouldn't be needing a correction at this time. V.I.N.CENT, ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

A broadcast of The Black Hole on daytime British television in the mid-eighties omitted the scene of the Angel flying through the arches, instead cutting from Maximillian on the mountain-top in Hell to the shot of the Palamino crew heading for the unidentified planet, having apparently survived.

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Jupiter Ascending (2015)

User Reviews

A Forgotten Classic

Not only is The Black Hole beautifully made from a technical aspect, it has marvelous performances. Robert Forester (Jackie Brown), Anthony Perkins (Psycho), Ernest Borgnine, Maximillian Schell. It does get a little campy but it is a Disney movie after all and it can be forgiven its attempts at comic relief. This is a very unlikely sort of film for Disney, were it made today it would have been made under the Miramax header rather than Disney, and like another unlikely Disney film, Tron, it is tragically underrated. The special effects and set design are breathtaking, but it is the script which is the best part. The ending is one of the most surreal and haunting in any science fiction film (and especially bold for a Disney film) The characterizations are wonderful and the robots, especially Maximillian (in my book the greatest cinematic robotic villain to date), are unforgettable.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Space Station One

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$35,841,901

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,841,901

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1