The Black Hole (1979)

Discuss your memories of watching this classic film and Disney's entry into PG rated movie territory.

I adore this film. Not only is it pretty hard science fiction, but it's a very "adult" film in terms of themes (Maximillion impales a dude. I mean...wow). Easily one of my favorite Sci-Fi Films of all time.

Also, for a film that is 34 years old, the special effects have barely aged a day. Those fly overs of the ship...once again showcasing the superiority of practical effects over CGI. And the ship itself...practical with a bend towards hard science (The ship is intelligently designed and its design elements make sense), but still managing to evoke a gothic cathedral in space.

In the Warhammer 40k novels and material, whenever they talk about the "Cathedral ships" of that universe, I always picture the ship from this film.

My only real complaint with the film is how it goes into 2001 territory with the ending, but that's personal preference. I didn't care for how 2001 ended either.

Ah yes, Maximillian, the most BadAzz robot in cinema history! Oddly enough when he eviscerates Alex Durant, there is no blood!

I preferred Vincent and STAR myself.

Whoosier Whovian wrote:

 Oddly enough when he eviscerates Alex Durant, there is no blood!

I'm fine with that. You don't need the visual blood to imagine how brutal that death was.

The gurgling sound he made as the camera closes in when the blades go through the book more than make up for any gore.

LOVE this film! Happy memories!

Really wish I still had those figures. Rarer than Unicorn poo now.

I remember my model of Vincent. With all of his extra "limbs" and those big Disney looking eyes. I was disappointed in the Cygnus kit because it was solid and I could not light up the green house windows on it the main hull!! I remember being excited that this was the first Disney movie not rated "G". I loved the music, bought the soundtrack. It had a lot of cool action with gun battles, almost like a western. I also remember talking about the ending on the way home with my cousin, trying to understand if they died and went to heaven or to another planet.

It felt an awful lot like Forbidden Planet, which is interesting as it was post Star Wars.

-Keith

Rumor has it the guy behind Tron: Legacy is working on a remake of The Black Hole... I kind of felt like it's already been redone with Event Horizon.

Like Ronpur had the Vincent model, I had the Maximillian. I'm not sure whatever happened to him, but I loved that model.

Calixar wrote:

Rumor has it the guy behind Tron: Legacy is working on a remake of The Black Hole... I kind of felt like it's already been redone with Event Horizon.

EeeeeEEEEEeeeeehhhhHHHhhhhh...

I can see the similarities. But tonally they are very different movies. The Black Hole's horror stems from Reinhardt's actions. Event Horizon is very much a Haunted House movie in space.

I had hoped someone would rerelease the Cygnus in clear or just make a version with separate window plates.

Whoosier Whovian wrote:

I had hoped someone would rerelease the Cygnus in clear or just make a version with separate window plates.

Today, that model would have had photoetched windows.

Gotta give some love for the great score by John Barry.

Hot and Heavy is my favorite track.

I personally liked the 2001 type ending, then again, I love 2001.
Films like these are a lost art.

Still love Black Hole. Even as a kid I found it so mysterious and beautiful. Still do.

Went to a retro shop today, and they had a display box full of Black Hole trading cards! It looked really cool.

Seriously, every time I click this thread, I hear the music from the movie in my head!

LOL - it's a great soundtrack. I bought the recent CD release. I actually just bought quite a few books and scored the human figures and Maximillian in figure form. I really wish I could find VINCENT as a figure. STAR, Old Bob and the Humanoid would be amazing too, but probably out of my price range.

You mean these creepy dudes? That scared the crap out of me as a kid when he pulled the face plate away, and then of course Maximillian goes all Quisinart on him.  

What a beautiful ship...

Whoosier Whovian wrote:

You mean these creepy dudes?  That scared the crap out of me as a kid when he pulled the face plate away, and then of course Maximillian goes all Quisinart on him.  

Yep. There are SO many things about this movie that are seared into my brain. It came out the year I was born, so I never saw it on the big screen, sadly. I discovered it on VHS. But the humanoids were one of those things that just stuck with me forever.

SeaDevil wrote:

What a beautiful ship...

It really is probably one of the most gorgeous ships ever. It's such a lovely design the way it's lit, and is an incredibly creepy backdrop for the movie. Like a house with all the lights on... and no one home...

Except they are. Agggggh!

A glass cathedral in space.....





And it really does look like something that could evolve from our present day space program....if it had money. All of those girders connected are very similar to what the ISS has as its backbone,

Yep. It brings a gothic sensibility to the movie in such a clever way.

The lighting up "Like a tree on Christmas morning." was another of the amazing moments in the film.