The Black Hole [DVD] (1979) by Maximilian Schell

This review contains serious spoilers....I saw the 'Black Hole' twice in it's first week of release in 1979. I loved almost everything about it - the darkness, the Cygnus, the look, the music. I didn't like Vincent or Old Bob, but it is Disney, after all.All these years later this film is massively overdue a general Blu Ray release. Disney Club USA have just released it for members only (catch them on ebay while they last), but there seems no indication of a general Blu Ray release yet. This film is begging for one, with some quality restoration involved.As for the film itself, I think part of the problem is that it was made by Disney, and seen as an attempt to cash in on the post-Star Wars space opera bandwagon. It's often overlooked that the storyline was first mooted by Disney around 1974, under the name 'Space Probe One' (which Cygnus is referred to when the crew of the Palomino first discover it). Because of the Disney banner it is assumed it is a family film, and much of Disney's own marketing indicates this - look at all the children-oriented books that accompanied it.But take a step back from the brink, stop looking at the Disney banner, and what do you see? You see the most destructive force in the universe unleashed without restraint. No, not the Black Hole, but man. And one specific man in this case - Dr Hans Reinhardt. A brilliant scientist who persuaded someone to build a spaceship that is incredible - a gothic mansion in space. It's hard to imagine how much this would have cost if it had actually been built. Beyond billions surely?Reinhardt's mission was deemed a failure and he was recalled. Only he refused to return. His crew wanted to go home and so they mutinied. Reinhardt defeated them and lobotimised them all, retaining them as slaves - dressed in medieval gowns and with masks to cover their faces. He created a fleet of robots, led by the sinister Maximillian (who clearly never read any Isaac Asimov). They stay in their own gravitational bubble, preparing to travel through the enormous Black Hole nearby. Reinhardt will stop at nothing to execute his plans and has no concerns for any human factors that may get in the way. Amoral scientist or psychopath? Or both?Does it still sound like Disney? Or a family film? I don't think so.There is so much more to this film, and if you can get past most of the wooden acting (not Maximillian Schell) and the cute good guy robots, it is enormously fun and rewarding. It is also one of the most beautifully executed space films ever made. It is stunning to look at and a masterpiece of design. To compare it to Star Wars or anything similar is ludicrous. It's in space, but that's where the similarities end. This is more like 'The Old Dark House'.Reinhardt is not so very different from a man like Dr Joseph Mengele - both 'men of science' who are able to operate outside the parameters of inhibited, respectable society with no constraints on their work. And, uncomfortably, they both produce results that, ultimately, enhance human knowledge. Very dark.And there is much more. Watch it again without your Disney blinkers on and really sink into it. And remember, 'Forbidden Planet' is considered a sci-fi classic. But the acting is equally wooden and it also has a cute robot (albeit slightly different).A classic film, highly enjoyable and long overdue a general release on Blu Ray.

Any bigtime producer who didn't see the value of space in the late 1970's was denying reality at their own serious expense. After the phenomenal rise of 'Star Wars', it was just a matter of time for the fire to spread to other studios and media. James Bond was suddenly being propelled into space, whilst long-forgotten heroes Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon were being resurrected to appear in their own feature films. Universal threw itself headlong into the gold rush with the brilliant 'Battlestar Galactica' series (and movie) while the Star Trek camp was able to find a foothold in the new solid ground of hit movie sci-fi. And let's not forget all those derivative movies of the 1980's that would owe so much to the great strides made in that mercurial 1977-79 timeframe.Disney, for so very long more than a studio but an institution too, was playing out what must have been a well-computed gamble by releasing this. For such a family oriented name to turnabout and give violence in space a go was a big step. Laser battles, a scientist getting propelled to his electric sparking death and a plot as deadly serious and contemplative as mortality itself - this was a serious venture that happened for all the right reasons.Luckily, Disney traditionalists were not to be alienated. The painfully cute robots 'Vincent' and 'Old Bob' lay an assuring safety line through the picture while first rate performances from the perfectly casted cast keep impact levels high. Though not a downer, this picutre presents a wonderfully dark conclusion. Good triumphs but in a way that isn't anywhere near as wholesome and obvious as that usually seen in movies of the era. While owing something of a debt to '2001: A Space Odyssey', the final minutes of 'The Black Hole' turn out to be far better than they would have been if the sterotypically formulaic goodies' victory sequence had been allowed to happen.I loved this film when I saw it in 1979. I have it on DVD and cannot stress enough its rewatch value. Get it for your kids and get it for yourself. You'll feel good about yourself and isn't that what a great family movie is supposed to do?Disney proved they could be brave and send actors into space armed with lasers who weren't afraid to open fire when they had to.

A moviestar packet classic that brings back memories

Quite possibly the darkest and odd film that Disney has ever made. Great story and effects for the time but weird ending.

I thought this movie was entertaining from start to finish and very creative. Sadly, the story arc falls flat towards the end of the film because it doesn't really go anywhere resulting in something of anticlimax.This could have easily been developed into a longer story with a more satisfying storyline. Oh well - I guess this is why I'd never heard about this film until now. Difficult to recommend, but worth watching if you like decent sci-fi.

The dvd came quickly and was a good price

The DVD menu is very basic but at least it was released on the format and appears to have been re-released six years ago. You probably won't ever see this movie released again so if you like it then you should probably get it now.As for the film I hadn't seen it for nearly 15 years when it was shown on TV once but you never see it shown anymore. It's a Disney movie but you wouldn't think so when watching it as it has some very dark elements. Don't expect scientific accuracy but it's not much worse than Star Wars in this regard. The soundtrack and modelwork are actually quite stunning.

Good Disney movie to watch!!

Exelente compra, vendedor serio y sin problemas producto nuevo

Un film de scifi signé des studios Disney c'est déjà une rareté. Un film qui des décennies après sa sortie est devenu une sorte de point de référence pour tout les films du genre qui prennent les trous noirs comme sujet central c'est quasiment de l'inédit (on peut néanmoins songer à Event Horizon !). Alors certes s'amuser avec l'horizon des événements, disposer de suffisamment d'espace dans une station construite ex-nihilo juste à côté d'un trou noir, les inévitables bruits de moteur, les astronautes qui se baladent tranquillement à l'extérieur des structures... tout cela a un côté résolument kitsch mais c'est précisément cela qui rend ce film aussi intéressant à regarder à l'aune de ce que nous connaissons aujourd'hui.

判って購入しましたが、やはり日本語吹き替え、せめて日本語字幕版を販売して欲しいです。ビンセントの演技が素晴らしい作品です。

A rather odd disney movie but nonetheless a very good story with lots of underlying thought provoking dialogue. Worth a watch.