FILM REVIEWS

In Disney’s sci-fi “The Black Hole,” directed by Gary Nelson, a group of space travelers stumble across a “black hole,” thus the title.  Fearing of being sucked into the void, the crew prepares to flee, but it decides to stop to investigate a mysterious space vessel near the hole.

The film’s protag is a mad scientist named Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximillian Schell), who intends to explore the black hole, hoping to find the source of the universe’s energy.

The cast includes Ernest Borgnine, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Yvette Mimieux, Jospeh Bottoms.

The robots are voiced by Roddy Mcdowall and Slim Pickens.

Some critics noted that essentially the plot was a reworking of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” only set in outer space.   The film was a commercial flop, suffering incomparison to “Star Trek—the Motion Picture” and “Alien,” which were released in the same season.

“The Black Hole” was nominated for two Oscars, and was one of the studio’s first PG-rated films.

Running time: 97 Minutes

Released on January 1, 1979.

On DVD: Apr 20, 1999

Oscar Nominations: 2

Cinematography: Frank Phillips

Visual Effects

Oscar Awards: None

Oscar Context:

The winner of Best Cinematography was Italian Vittorio Storaro for “Apocalypse Now.”  The Visual Effects Oscar went to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi, Alien.”