The Black Hole (1979) Disney Sci-Fi Classic Movie Retrospective & Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ย. 2024
- This is my first 'Sci-Fi Classics' video, a retrospective and review showcasing movies in the Science Fiction genre that deserve another look!
The Black Hole (1979), starring Robert Forster and directed by Gary Nelson.
I did see this movie in the theater, I was 10, and the reveal of the drone's face, and maximillian killing the doctor was utterly terrifying for me. I have seen this movie a few times since, and have a deeper appreciation for what was accomplished. A fact I was not aware of up until a few years ago, the digitized opening sequence, at the time, was the LONGEST computer animation sequence ever used in film at that point. I can't imagine all the math and computer programming required back in those days to bring that together. If you take this movie at it's parts, the score, the build of the cygnus, that meteor rolling through....etc. This movie has to have some of the most amazing technological advancemments at that time, outside of Star Wars. The cast, all stellar. The score, right from the beginning.....ominous. I had zero appreciation of this film as a child, because Star Wars. Rose colored glasses won't cover the films flaws, yet overall, what a monumental undertaking in a time where disney was flailing without proper leadership. Thank you sir, what a nice look back.
Thanks for your lovely comment, and consider yourself very lucky to have seen this in the theatre! What great movies we had back then, and some great memories I'll never forget. I do feel this movie deserves more love and I'm delighted you enjoyed my little part of it. 😁
I was the same age. I went with my school friends to see it. I have it on DVD too. The best film they made imo.
I was 5 when my Parents took me to this movie. My mom told me that luke skywalker was in it and all i could imagine was how cool hed look flying his xwing in there! When the movie was over i had forgotten to look for Luke because this movie was so unbelievably cool! AWE inspiring even to a 5 year old! It is also associated with great Christmas holiday vibes because of its release in late December.
Nothing but good vibes for this wonderful movie!
Thanks for your memory of seeing this, I'm glad the movie won you over even though Luke didn't show! 😁
I saw this with my family aged 10. They hated it but this Old B.O.B. loved this film and still does.
🤣 I'm very glad to hear it! We're all Old B.O.B.s at heart.
I always thought that the ending is trying to cinematically say that they momentarily transcend the material universe into heaven (and hell), then immerge on the other side, back in the material universe again. So, the black hole is a tear in the fabric of space-time through which we get a brief glimpse.
That definitely sounds like a better theory than mine, I'm sticking with that from now on! 👍😁
And long before Event Horizon…..
Such a classic. I know many people have love for this movie and I'm one of them! Thank you!
You're very welcome, and it is a classic and I'll always love it. Thanks for watching! 😁
Great review!! I loved this movie as a kid. For me it was the "end of the year" movie when I was in 2nd grade...1982. I have been in love with the movie since. One correction, Harry Booth was more the journalist of the mission than an engineer. But he did have engineering skills when trying to repair the Palamino during its tumble towards the black hole.
Ahh interesting! As you could probsbly tell, I dont script my videos, I just talk about the movie from the memories I have of it and bits I've gleaned over the years! I guess it means my videos are a bit amateurish, but it makes them more unique to me. As a result, I wasn't sure of Harry Booth's role on the Palomino, but you saying he was more of a journalist makes complete sense in retrospect! Glad you enjoyed the review. 😁
Nice upload 👍. I have a soft spot for this movie. That opening is fantastic. The score is so good.
Was mad at myself for forgetting to talk about the score, but I tend to film videos in one long take, so sometimes I miss things. 😂 And yes, that opening scene with the vector graphic black hole still holds up. 👍
This film goes on my Mt. Rushmore of guilty pleasures.
It's definitely a 'Heaven/Hell' analogy going on.
Deep stuff for Disney wasn't it? 😂
I drew pictures of the uss cygnus.all the time .inschool i was realy facinated with this movie back in 79 vincent was my favorite charecter.the ending for rienhart i always thought was from ernest bourgines earlyer mention of danties inferno great movie❤
I never made that connection with Borgnine's comment, well spotted! Who doesn't love VINCent, he's so loveable! Roddy McDowall's voice was just perfect! 😁
Saw this one Friday afternoon when I should have been in school, at one of the old timey theaters we used to have in town. This and The Black Cauldron are the two most underrated Disney movies ever, both are dark and beautiful like a fine Jethro Tull song. I can't say enough nice things about it.
The Black Cauldron, man I've not seen that film since it's release, I really should try and see it again. Thanks for your comment!
Discovered 'The Black Hole' on VHS when visiting the apartment of the local Cinema operator, which also served as the ticket collector. Back then it was still not normal to own a video player ( in Norway ). Apart from the book by Alan Dean Foster, there also were Disney Comic books based on all the movies they produced. This specific comic book adaption also got a sequel in the same format. Taking place in an 'alternate universe'. Sadly someone "borrowed" the album with half of my Disney collection. So never loan a book. As Admiral Adama said in the rebooted 'Battlestar Galactica' series. Sound advice! Either keep them, or give them away. There is truly no middle ground! Hard lessons learned, but it was not hard to watch this movie. Not hard at all! 🙂
What a pity you no longer have your books! I love the Galactica reboot btw 👍
The curse word also gave it a stronger rating. I remember my parents were a bit put off by that. This movie was a bit scary for me (I was even younger than you when it came out)
IMO, the ending heaven/hell sequence is one of the most poignant & powerful moments of sci-fi films in that era. It's still debated today. Love your analysis & subscribing!
It was an odd decision by Disney to end this kind of film in that way, did it hurt the box office? I don't know, but the fact we're still talking about it says something. Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for subscribing! 😁
I think it's great fun - and the end from the moment the meteor crashes into the big atrium becoming more sublime. Memories of seeing this in the cinema parallel yours. It was a magical time.
Thanks for your comment! 'Magical' is the right word for it indeed, some great memories! 😁
I was 13 when I watched this at the cinema and loved it. Not sure why I was too young to see it.
I have vague memories of this from my early childhood. I think I need to find and watch it.
My absolute favorite science fiction film. Just love it. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. Had to get the blu-ray off of eBay since it was sold exclusively through the Disney movie club.
Very good to hear! The blu ray is becoming quite collectable so you're very lucky! 😁👍
This video was great. I watched it until the very end, and that is rare for me. You're a great storyteller/reviewer. God bless 🙏
Thank you, that's so kind of you! People like you are why I wanted to make a channel in the first place. 😁
This is one of the films i can remember my parents taking me to see on our summer holidays in Blackpool. I can also remember seeing CE3K and possibly a re-showing of Star Wars but maybe I'm imagining that.
I had some of the Black Hole toy figures (also bought in Blackpool) which were fine but the hands of the human characters were made of quite a brittle plastic so the thumbs eventually broke off.
The sentry robot figures had a different design for the hands. I seem to remember the hands were separate to the arms and fixed on to the arm stubs similar to the design of the Micronaut Time Traveller figures.
I really wanted a Vincent figure but that wasn't available in the toy shop. :(
I always wanted the VINCENT figure too! I remember the Micronauts! I had a yellow and a blue one - didn't they come with removeable chest pack things? They were great figures as they were so articulate with the ankle and wrist joints. 😁
Maximilian is (to me) one of the scariest robots in the whole of SF.. right up there with Hector from Saturn 3.
It's a tremendous design. The fact he just has that red slit for an eye, and his rotating head like an owl, creepy! Hector is just odd looking, with his big bulky body and these two little optic cameras at the top... The bit where he gets the speck of metal out of Farrah's eye 😳😂
Ernest Borgnine was a Journalist/News Reporter, great retrospective
Yes I guessed wrongly. Thanks for your comment! 😁
I'm 71 & have seen it 3 times at least, hoping for a darker remake!
It definitely needs a remake! .😁
I had a stereoviewer with round cards and pictures from this movie was on one of them
Oh yes I remember those! Gosh not thought of that in years! I had a large plastic assembly model of Maximillian that stood about 12 inches tall. Not sure what happened to it! 😂
The best 3d I've ever seen and I have an Oculus. View-Master was an amazing entertainment device. Also very enterprising with the need to purchase disk sets :P
The ending is from 'Milton's' Dante's Inferno'. The line goes "I rather rule in Hell then serve in Heaven" .
Excellent observation! 😁👍👍
Yes, from Paradise lost
One of the first movies I saw in the theatre!
Cool! What a movie to introduce you to the theatre-going experience! 😁👍
None of us saw the ending as ambiguous. It was plainly heaven and hell. I was surprised when the internet came out and people didn't know this (I'm not trying to be mean-I am just giving my impression (along with my friends and parents)
1. In retrospect, the acting, especially Yvette and Ernest Borgnine is a bit stiff.
2. Tough sell: esp working with a robot
3. The unmasking of the crew as deathly drones is parallel to Phantasm and the dwarves being unmasked.
This movie deserves a remake.
Love Phantasm (the original) - The Tall Man walking down the street really creeped me out!
Saw this movie on a Beta tape in around 1980. I liked it, though I don’t think I had actually seen Star Wars before it. I was young. Around the same time I saw Blade Runner and Star Trek The Motion Picture. Of those Blade Runner did leave the best impression.
Blade Runner is up there and definitely in my top 10 of all time. Star Trek TMP needs more love and I'll be doing a video on that over the next few months! 😁👍
I was 8 when i saw it in the theater and damn its a beautiful looking movie.
It really is! The model work and matte paintings are stellar!
The book, that you told us you didn't read, has an interesting ending that's more or less completely impossible to shoot right let alone make it comprehensible, that is why they had to come up with a more.... "practical" way of finishing the movie, hence that rightful feeling of rushed things. A pity because that book ending, which I didn't like when I was younger, is in fact the best and most logical ending possible. It also perfectly extends the philosophical/religious tone of this last act. Then again, apart if your name is Stanley Kubrick and you don't fear at all losing your audience by sharing your visions, I really don't see how such an ending could possibly be made, only a book can deliver it.
Ernest Borgnine was a reporter. He interviewed Dr. Hans Reinhart before the Cygnus left.
Someone else mentioned this too, I obviously missed this detail from my last rewatch. I tend to do videos in oine take so rely on my (albeit failing) memory with these things! 😂
@@TheFlixFilesI did enjoy this movie. It was nice to get it on bluray. Now they need to put out a 4k version.
I agree! Day 1 buy for me if they do ever release a 4K 👍
I have loved this movie since i saw it in 79, it showed that Disney could make a great sci-fi film! I still love the ending, even though is is as crazy as the ending of 2001 A Space Odyssey!
I'm glad to see you have the same thoughts the ending about as i do!
And I'm glad you agree! Thanks for watching! 👍😁
Loved Earnest in it!
i was 6 at the time this movie came out. i never heard of the black hole until later. i think i was about 12 or 13 when i watched on tv
Did you enjoy it?
@@TheFlixFiles it was ok. but if disney ever remade this movie. it would be much darker
I agree, if one movie deserves a remake - which, let's face it, has been fashionable in Hollywood for some years now - it's The Black Hole.
This is one of my favorites. I don't think it gets enough love. And I even love the ending which I'd say is very artistically done. It's an odd mix for sure. There's a bizarre contrast between the dark atmosphere and the fun side of it with the bits of humor scattered throughout. But it definitely works for me. And while some people have criticised the characters as being too shallow or stereotypical I think they were all great. Overall a well made and well acted movie and most importantly a lot of fun. Oh and John Barry's score is brilliant too.
You're absolutely right, and it wasn't until after I recorded myself talking about this great movie I thought "Oh no, I never mentioned the wonderful music!" 😂
This is a film that deserves (along with TRON) to be restored to the Blu-ray format. Sure, there's a Disney Club only Blu-ray, but the quality swings WILDLY from shot to shot (and not just scene to scene) from okay, to almost VHS quality. Someone needs to go in there, and even it out, and I'd even like to see the Robots strings get erased, as sometimes, their presence kind of takes you out of the picture (VERY noticeable during the end battle, in the red atmosphere). Don't get me wrong, I don't want then to LUCASIZE it, but give us a cleaned up, Blade Runner, Final Cut (though I still maintain that the voiceover should have been included in that version, as it adds to the Film Noir estetic that they were going for) where the thick, and VERY noticeable, cable, used to lift the Spinner up, was digitally removed, etc.
But, a VERY underrated film, with an AMAZING film score by John Barry (should also check out his score for Star Crash, and watch the "International cut" of that film, and "NOT" the truncated, Roger Corman version).
I totally agree! I'm sure Disney must still have all the original optical elements buried deep in their vaults, which could help make a pristine and respectful restoration. Alas, I think it's wishful thinking and I doubt that will ever happen... but if they ever do, it'll be a day 1 purchase for me! 😁
@@TheFlixFiles Maybe we'll get lucky, and an obsessed fan will take on the challenge >^..^
brilliant sci fi movie imho, often over looked or even unknown but a great one.. it had a profound effect on me as a kid too! i guess it is odd, a dark disney film with cute robots, i thought it was great and had a sort of haunting vibe, did you know it was disneys first live action film too?
You're so right, it is often overlooked and it was fun making the video and reminding people of it. Was it their first live action movie though? Aren't the Herbie movies all Disney? I'm also sure "The Cat From Outer Space" was before this too (that's a fun littlle movie!) 😬
very good review. Especially if you haven’t seen some of the documentaries on the movie. Similar impressions when I saw it as a kid.
It was actually in production for almost a decade before Star Wars was even whispered. Star Wars did promote the idea of production once it showed its success.
The interesting dialogue about what a black hole is is carried out in the show. It does appear that yes that is probably a hell scape and they emerge from what’s called a white hole. Which was one of the postulated exit points of a black hole.
There was a comic that followed the movie, which was actually pretty interesting. I would recommend going to hunt down if you can. It had a very limited run.
Thanks for your comment, I had no idea it was in developmernt that long! Will definitely try and track down more information about the comic, that sounds interesting. Glad you enjoyed my little talk about the movie! 😁👍
The “science” portion in this science fiction masterpiece is one of the things that critics seem to cudgel on this film and to say that what they’re mentioning isn’t true would be incredibly obtuse, certainly…. But here’s what the critics didn’t “get”-
Star Wars was “Sci-Fi Fantasy”…. While TBH is meant to have a certain “real” real to it, it’s equally sci-fi fantasy.
I seriously doubt that was an intended poetic license but it helped to solidify the fantasy element in a great many films later on.
Tony Perkins would have also made a great "Ash" in ALIEN had they already not casted the perfect guy with Ian Holm
Ian Holm was perfect, and any talk about ALIEN gets me excited (it's my favourite movie of all time - just watch my ALIEN 4K video as a testament to that!) Anthony Perkins would've made an excellent android, what a fantastic choice! :)
thank you for this great review ....like yourself i saw this as kid (nine yrs old) in 1979 at the local Army Base theatre my family was currently stationed at in Canada ...and like you it was one of my seminal childhood movie going experiences along with Star Wars , Flash Gordon , BattleStar Galactica on the big screen (which was whole different experience from just watching it on want passed for tv screen screen back then lol) The Dark Crystal and E.T. definitely one of the "darker" PG rated sci fi movies of the 70s
That's lovely to hear you were the same age when you also saw this in the theatre! It was a great time to be a kid that's for sure! Big love for Star Wars (the original) and Flash Gordon, these (and other Sci-Fi from the 70s/80s) I'll be talking about a lot more on this channel into the future! :)
@@TheFlixFiles looking forward to them i'll make sure to subscribe so i get a heads up
'Habitable life' what a goof !
🤣 Well, considering I talked for 30 minutes without an edit, I didn't do too bad! I don't script my videos. Thanks for watching! 😁
So glad I clicked on your video, you did a fantastic job reviewing this movie definitely brought back memories for me, my dad took me to see it when I was 6 years old & Darth Vader didn’t scare me but Maximilian did even to this day lol, I always heard it was a ripoff of Star Wars but it was in development since 1973 it was a ripoff of the Poseidon Adventure of course after the success of Star Wars they put it in production, anyways great work ❤❤👏👏
Wow you saw this at an even younger age than myself! We're all so receptive at a young age and I'm a firm believer that certain movies help shape us. Like you, my memories of first seeing this will always stay with me. Glad you found my video too!😁👍
imo The Black Hole and Star Trek The Motion Picture are both a lot appreciated for what they were now then they were back then ...STTP also had dark slow tone like this movie along with a very good score and great practical model and matte effects
I completely agree! In fact I already plan to do a video about Star Trek TMP, so look out for it over the next few months. :)
@@TheFlixFiles i will be sure to check that one out
its also like the old classics ah its a retelling of 20'000 leagues under the sea! i just read up on it and seem to remember hearing that before too now
Interesting! So Reinhardt would be Captsin Nemo??
I have the book of this film.
Me too! Alan Dean Foster! 😁👍
@@TheFlixFiles I have a small collection of them stored away. Titles like Saturn V, the Star Wars books, TOS Star Trek comic novels, V - the lizard show etc. Good to see this film having a dust off.
Have a look at my video on movie novelizations and I go through the ones I have 👍😁
Same. I made post trying to explain the ending difference briefly but it serves to show the issues in presenting it in a film given the times and tech. Gandalf heading to White Shores was a better representation of this book's ending. Tolkien inspired many, who knows?
Me too! At the end, the survivors sort of combined to create a single entity
my early movie recollection mirrors yours except I dont think I saw the Black Hole at the Cinema.
It was an experience I'll never forget. I often think I was lucky to be born at a time when seeing movies like Star Wars and Close Encounters as a 7-8 year old was magical! 😁
to me the the 90s movie "Event Horizon" could have easily been adapted into the sequel for this movie...
It's interesting as I've seen a few other comments mentioning Even Horizon, and you're right there are similarities there for sure. Fun fact: Christopher Nolan is a fan of this movie!
enemy mine is another classic and also a retelling of a story called lifeboat i believe
I've never seen Enemy Mine, which I'm not proud of. I'll aim to watch it before the end of the year. 👍😬
Hell in the Pacific was the WW2 version of Enemy Mine in 68 i believe!
Reinhardt lobotomised people, and put them inside robot suits, his punishment in hell is to spend eternity, enslaved inside a robot, and surrounded by reminders of why he deserved it, hence the landscape is filled with his humanoid drones. Well, that's my take on it anyway.
WE ❤LOVE ❤YOUR ❤CHANNEL 😊 THANK U 😊
Thank you so much that's very kind of you! 😁👍
I won a competition in a national newspaper it was a SPOT the DIFFERENCE competition , i don't think i won the main prize but i did receive a record of the black hole sound track and 2 tickets to my local cinema which at that time was in Rochester Kent . My dad took me as i was only about 7 , i miss everything about the past especially my parents .
Aww that's a great story. Sadly, time is unforgiving, and it's a shame that as we get older, it takes more away from us. I miss both my parents, but remembering fond memories such as my Dad taking me to see this movie, helps keeps them alive inside our hearts.
P.S. I remember winning ET on VHS through a newspaper competition when that was released! 😁
In Canada we cereal promotions for this movie....little plastic "pencil holders" of the four different robot characters ...i also remember the Fisher Price 8mm style movie reel toy ...which also put out Star Wars and ALIEN ..a R rated movie no less..but such was the 1970s
Excellent! We also had cereal promotions, one of which was for 'Star Trek The Motion Picture' which had collectible cards! Not only did I collect all of them, I still have them! I'll be doing a video on 'ST The Motion Picture' sometime over the next few months, so I'll be sure to show those when I do! :)
I forgot about that. I didn't know about the Alien toys, but I know Rambo had them (another R movie)
@@SJHFoto Kenner released a 12 inch ALIEN figure ..it was pulled from stores after few months too scary for kids go figure lol
Good movie, but even as a kid seeing it at the movies, that music did my head in. Still does lol.
Derrr-nair-nerr-DERRRR-ERR-ERR-ERR.
Aww really? And I always thought the score was terrific! Still, it makes you wonder how much less money Star Wars would have made if it swapped scores with The Black Hole! 😂
@TheFlixFiles it was its repetitousness. Same background bar over and over and over...its just a me thing. I dig that you like the score . . I loved the movie though, I remember making one of those double barrelled blasters .
I read the book as well and the film follows it very closely until the final act which becomes very hard to present visually the concepts written. Instead of the 'heroes' continuing on after death from the Black Hole with them no longer needing voice to communicate as they appear to be 'one' heading towards the 'bigger one', Disney opted to replace this with a more conventional Christian themed one. I enjoyed the physics they played with, even more than the Nolan 'epic'.
There are quite beautiful scenes in this movie ! but the end near the black hole is silly ! however the soundtrack is wonderful. I have seen this movie in 1979 ! a great period of time for science fiction movies
The soundtrack is wonderful and I was angry at myself for forgetting to mention it! 😁
I didn't enjoy this movie much as a 7 year old. I felt our protagonists were "old" and "boring" and there was a jarring stylistic difference between the mainly "adult" look and feel of the movie compared to the very cartoonish robots of VINCENT and BOB. I'm probably more forgiving of the movie as an adult. I definitely think that the end sequence is almost a precursor to "Event Horizon" where it suggests that the inside of a Black Hole is an entrance to both Heaven and Hell and the characters who enter it were judged and sorted accordingly.
A very good point, I am watching it with very different eyes than when I first saw it back in 1979, but my memories of my enjoyment are still very strong, and I still love it to this day, flaws and all. Thanks for your comment. 😁
@@TheFlixFiles I was clearly a VERY judgemental child! LOL
Yvette MimYUT?😮.... Good film, great music.
Don't panic, its just me trying to say Mimieux 😂
Pronunciation: 'ee-vet mim-yur'. The 'r' is more or less silent, as in when you say 'your', (which, as you know, is pronounced 'yaw')...so, pronounce 'yur' like you would 'fur'.
I consider myself corrected. 😁
Be nice. I'm Canadian and we learned French in school-I assume it wasn't taught in England, so I understand the mispronunciation
Neil Degrasse Tyson hates this movie, but I love it!!
IN, THROUGH…..AND BEYOND.
I hope you said it in the right voice! 😂
@@TheFlixFiles 😂👍🏽
Disney will already have a 4K version, because they do that by default with all their back catalogue now.
I'd rather watch a remake now personally. I first saw it in the 80's and while I enjoyed it the ending made no sense. How would he fit into Maximillian unless the robot had been hollow? Even back then I thought while the story was great it could have been produced a little better. Maybe not right now with the current crop of remakes tending towards being awful, but at some point.
I really hope it does get a remake. With a few tweaks, it's a sound Sci Fi concept. Thanks for your comment! 😁
I liked it
Please do Tron and Condorman
TRON is definitely on my list. 😁
@@TheFlixFiles And Condorman?
Calling "The Black Hole" a classic is a bit of an exaggeration.
Well, to me it's a classic. A flawed one yes, and it was obviously overshadowed by other movies in that genre at the time, but I'll always love it. 😁
20:04 absolutely outstanding SFX. First saw this scene on TISWAS & I'm as impressed seeing it now as I was then
PS loving your review. Consider me Subscribed 👍
Thank you, you're so kind! I enjoyed doing it, and of all the videos on my channel at this early stage, this one has really taken off! TISWAS - that brings back memories all of it's own. Used to record TISWAS whilst watching Swap Shop/Saturday Superstore :)
@@TheFlixFiles anytime mate. You had a VHS (or indeed Betamax lol) recorder in the late 70s / early 80s...upmost respect 👍
I sure did! Remote control on a wire and all that! 🤣
Read they never kept any episodes of TISWAS that aired. You may be the only owner of some of those episodes 😎