THE BLACK HOLE (John Barry) (2025)

Every sci-fi flick released afterwards was a huge event for me, and even if I liked some more than others, I adored them all. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, BUCK ROGERS, FLASH GORDON and THE BLACK HOLE were my favourite runners-up to the STAR WARS SAGA.

Willgoldnewtonbarrygrusin,

I wholeheartedly agree!.. The mid-late 1970's was an amazing, magical time to be going to the movies as a child.. In particular, I am forever AMAZED by the number of sci-fi/fantasy/action-adventure films (many of them CLASSICS) that I saw in the theatre from 1976 to 1980... Before 1976, as a little kid, I was seeing awful swill like Herbie Rides Again, Benji, and The Apple Dumpling Gang... Then, in 1976... EVERYTHING CHANGED... All of a sudden, in just a short span of 5 years, between 1976-1980, I was seeing...

KING KONG (1976)
LOGAN'S RUN (1976)
AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1976)
STAR WARS (1977)
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978)
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978)
STAR CRASH (1978)
ALIEN (1979)... My 1st R-rated film in the theatre!
MOONRAKER (1979)
THE BLACK HOLE (1979)
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)
BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY (1979)
METEOR (1979)
BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (1980)
SATURN 3 (1980)... My 2nd R-rated film in the theatre!
THE NUDE BOMB (1980)
FLASH GORDON (1980)
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)

What a culture shock... Especially for a "wee lad" like me... The birth of the "Blockbuster Era" had begun!

I was only 9 - 13 years old during this time period... As we all know, there was a huge renaissance of science fiction and fantasy films in the cinemas at this time... And seeing these groundbreaking films on the big screen, at such an impressionable age, was momentous... And for me personally, leading the charge was STAR WARS, which... as we also all know... was a world-wide phenomenon, and a LIFE-CHANGING experience for my entire generation... To this very day, STAR WARS is STILL both my absolute FAVORITE movie of all time, and my absolute FAVORITE score of all time.

And speaking of film scores, it was also at this moment in time that my love for film music began...

As I was watching these movies, I was starting to connect some dots. I was noticing some similar names on the movie soundtracks, saying things like "Hey, this is the same guy that did STAR WARS!" and "Hey, that guy wrote STAR TREK too!"... And how thrilled do you think I was when I realized that all of the JAMES BOND movies that I had been enjoying on the "ABC Sunday Night Movie" had music by "THAT KING KONG GUY"! ...It was then that I realized that it may NOT ONLY be the movies that I LOVED... It was the MUSIC itself, and the COMPOSERS, too... John Williams, John Barry, and Jerry Goldsmith were becoming my newest heroes!

And to this VERY DAY... Williams, Barry, and Goldsmith are my Top 3 favorite film composers of all time...
"Hmmm... I wonder how THAT happened?"

The following 16 soundtracks that I have listed below are the very first ones that I ever got... All between 1976-1980...
They changed my life FOREVER...
These 16 scores, and the COUNTLESS others since then, have become the soundtrack of my life... What a journey it's been...
And it's not over yet.

"Thank you, John Williams", for Star Wars, Close Encounters, Superman, Jaws, Dracula, 1941, and The Empire Strikes Back...
"Thank you, John Barry", for King Kong, Moonraker, and The Black Hole (and all the "ABC Sunday Night Movie" 007 offerings!)...
"Thank you, Jerry Goldsmith", for Logan's Run, Alien, Star Trek, Capricorn One, and Planet of the Apes...
And, yes.... "Thank you, too, Stu Phillips", for Battlestar Galactica.

A quick aside:
It would be good to point out that also during this same time span (approximately), I was watching some great CURRENT Sci-fi & Fantasy TV SHOWS which affected me as well, as the television landscape was also focusing more on this genre during this time.
I already HAD been watching STAR TREK, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and BATMAN in syndication in the early 70's as a "little tike",
but soon I was watching BRAND NEW shows like...

DOCTOR WHO (1974-1981 Tom Baker Era)
KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER (1974-1975)
SPACE: 1999 (1975-1977)
WONDER WOMAN (1975-1979)
JASON OF STAR COMMAND (1978-1979)
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978-1979)
BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY (1979-1981)

To this very day, in my mind, I can STILL see my younger brother and I, sitting in our beanbag chairs in the middle of the living room, eyes glued to the TV screen, watching all of these amazing shows!

So, in conclusion...
1976-1980 was such a great time to be a kid going to the movies... Not to mention the immediate 5 years to follow (1981-1985) as
a teenager... The 10 years of great films between 1976-1985 was nothing short of EPIC... And fortunately, I was obviously able to see more films in general as an teen between 1981-1985 than I was able to between 1976-1980, including more R-RATED FILMS! "OH, YEAH!"

PS: Oh, I forgot to mention that between 1976-1980, I also saw MESSAGE FROM SPACE (1978) and HANGER 18 (1980)...
Well, maybe it WAS for the BETTER to FORGET mentioning THOSE TWO!

And to bring it full circle back to the main topic, I absolutely love THE BLACK HOLE, "A journey that begins where everything ends!"
The star-studded cast, the beautiful special effects, the stellar score, the terrifying robot Maximilian... I mean, "What's not to love?"
The classic shot of the meteor rolling down the Cygnus as our heroes run across the catwalk is worth the price of admission alone! Not to mention that surreal, mind-blowing, "2001"-inspired ending... This was a DISNEY film?... "Pete's Dragon" this was NOT!

THE BLACK HOLE 1979 THEATRICAL TRAILER
https://youtu.be/hKYFa9FHEU4
THE BLACK HOLE THEME (JOHN BARRY)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Ch3QnY650&pp=ygUaaGQgZmlsbSB0cmlidXRlIGJsYWNrIGhvbGU%3D

Nick Z - yes, I stole the leeches and ticks line from F. Pohl. How the hell did that line get past the writer, director, producers, the cast, etc???

Solium / Thor - yes, Jeff Bond is a terrific model kit builder. He built a refit Enterprise for me patterned after the drydock scene in TMP. Amazing work. I strongly recommend hiring him if you want a kit built - Star Trek, Star Wars, Lost in Space, 2001 - you name it. Got to see the Cygnus in his garage when I went to pick up the Enterprise.

Here's a link to a full photo spread of the Enterprise he built for me, including a quick video I cut together of the lighting effects in action:

https://www.facebook.com/john.schuermann.777/posts/pfbid0ZtYEmU1m39f5kAUx7ULx9gfg8fxS61z6w2Jvni4r1PeVeVVA1yvZ48WfzhuvEXUfl

Wow, lucky you! That had to be an awesome experience. Wish I could afford those models much less have a professional build them. I could probably do a decent job on some models myself, a hobby I hope to do one day, but I'll never have the skill to do something like the refit with the intricate painting and wiring it requires.

KING KONG (1976)
LOGAN'S RUN (1976)
AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1976)
STAR WARS (1977)
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978)
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978)
STAR CRASH (1978)
ALIEN (1979)... My 1st R-rated film in the theatre!
MOONRAKER (1979)
THE BLACK HOLE (1979)
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)
BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY (1979)
METEOR (1979)
BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (1980)
SATURN 3 (1980)... My 2nd R-rated film in the theatre!
THE NUDE BOMB (1980)
FLASH GORDON (1980)
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)

The Nude Bomb? You just put that in there to see if we were paying attention, right?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lazymodeler/sets/72157644653412223

Depends on who you hang out with. In one of my other crowds I have to explain "You probably don't know this, but master model kit builder Jeff Bond also writes liner notes for film scores!"

Yo, Sound-Fan--great post.
I enjoyed reading it.

Yo, Octo-man... Thanks! I enjoyed typing it out!

The Nude Bomb? You just put that in there to see if we were paying attention, right?

Hi, Solium... I love MAXWELL SMART AND THE NUDE BOMB... Besides, I figured that if I mentioned it, some "genius" soundtrack label might see this, get off their duff, and finally release the Lalo Schifrin soundtrack... Along with the COUNTLESS OTHER Schifrin scores that have yet to be released!

Every sci-fi flick released afterwards was a huge event for me, and even if I liked some more than others, I adored them all. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, BUCK ROGERS, FLASH GORDON and THE BLACK HOLE were my favourite runners-up to the STAR WARS SAGA.

I wholeheartedly agree... The mid-late 1970's was an amazing, magical time to be going to the movies as a child.. In particular, I am forever AMAZED by the number of sci-fi/fantasy/action-adventure films (many of them CLASSICS) that I saw in the theatre from 1976 to 1980... Before 1976, as a little kid, I was seeing awful swill like Herbie Rides Again, Benji, and The Apple Dumpling Gang... Then, in 1976... EVERYTHING CHANGED... All of a sudden, in just a short span of 5 years, between 1976-1980, I was seeing...

KING KONG (1976)
LOGAN'S RUN (1976)
AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1976)
STAR WARS (1977)
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978)
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978)
STAR CRASH (1978)
ALIEN (1979)... My 1st R-rated film in the theatre!
MOONRAKER (1979)
THE BLACK HOLE (1979)
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)
BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY (1979)
METEOR (1979)
BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (1980)
SATURN 3 (1980)... My 2nd R-rated film in the theatre!
THE NUDE BOMB (1980)
FLASH GORDON (1980)
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)

I was only 9 - 13 years old during this time period... As we all know, there was a huge renaissance of science fiction and fantasy films in the cinemas at this time... And seeing these groundbreaking films on the big screen, at such an impressionable age, was momentous... And for me personally, leading the charge was STAR WARS, which... as we also all know... was a world-wide phenomenon, and a LIFE-CHANGING experience for my entire generation... To this very day, STAR WARS is STILL both my absolute FAVORITE movie of all time, and my absolute FAVORITE score of all time.

And speaking of film scores, it was also at this moment in time that my love for film music began...

As I was watching these movies, I was starting to connect some dots. I was noticing some similar names on the movie soundtracks, saying things like "Hey, this is the same guy that did STAR WARS!" and "Hey, that guy wrote STAR TREK too!"... And how thrilled do you think I was when I realized that all of the JAMES BOND movies that I had been enjoying on the "ABC Sunday Night Movie" had music by "THAT KING KONG GUY"! ...It was then that I realized that it may NOT ONLY be the movies that I LOVED... It was the MUSIC itself, and the COMPOSERS, too... John Williams, John Barry, and Jerry Goldsmith were becoming my newest heroes!

And to this VERY DAY... Williams, Barry, and Goldsmith are my Top 3 favorite film composers of all time...
"Hmmm... I wonder how THAT happened?"

The 16 soundtracks that I have listed below are the very first ones that I ever got... All between 1976-1980...
They changed my life FOREVER...
These 16 scores, and the COUNTLESS others since then, have become the soundtrack of my life... What a journey it's been...
And it's not over yet.

"Thank you, John Williams", for Star Wars, Close Encounters, Superman, Jaws, Dracula, 1941, and The Empire Strikes Back...
"Thank you, John Barry", for King Kong, Moonraker, and The Black Hole (and all the "ABC Sunday Night Movie" 007 offerings!)...
"Thank you, Jerry Goldsmith", for Logan's Run, Alien, Star Trek, Capricorn One, and Planet of the Apes...
And, yes.... "Thank you, too, Stu Phillips", for Battlestar Galactica.

In conclusion...
1976-1980 was such a great time to be a kid going to the movies... Not to mention the immediate 5 years to follow (1981-1985) as
a teenager... The 10 years of great films between 1976-1985 was nothing short of EPIC... And fortunately, I was obviously able to see more films in general as an teen between 1981-1985 than I was able to between 1976-1980, including more R-RATED FILMS! "OH, YEAH!"

PS: Oh, I forgot to mention that I also saw MESSAGE FROM SPACE (1978) and HANGER 18 (1980) between 1976-1980...
Well, maybe it WAS for the BETTER to FORGET mentioning THOSE TWO!

I actually went to Universal Studios in 1980 at 11 years old when that Battlestar Galactica ride featured in The Nude Bomb was there. Still have the plastic bags for the event...and some Kodak Ektralite 10 pics as well! That sexy list is literally my childhood!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lazymodeler/sets/72157644653412223

Depends on who you hang out with. In one of my other crowds I have to explain "You probably don't know this, but master model kit builder Jeff Bond also writes liner notes for film scores!"

LOL of the day

Yes, DJS... I think that list is the childhood of A LOT OF US!

I've always had a soft spot for it, however, on account of the superlative elements others have mentioned here - the brooding Gothic atmosphere, the fabulous FX and production design, the epic scope, and Barry's fabulous, atmospheric score.

Never mind that the (talented) cast members act as if they're in different films. I've watched it twice on blu ray in the last year or so and enjoyed it immensely.

Nick Z - yes, I stole the leeches and ticks line from F. Pohl. How the hell did that line get past the writer, director, producers, the cast, etc???

Yeah, that's odd. I STILL remember that line after over 40 years or so, whenever I first read it. It's too good not to be re-used. :-D

Every sci-fi flick released afterwards was a huge event for me, and even if I liked some more than others, I adored them all. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, BUCK ROGERS, FLASH GORDON and THE BLACK HOLE were my favourite runners-up to the STAR WARS SAGA.

I wholeheartedly agree... The mid-late 1970's was an amazing, magical time to be going to the movies as a child.. In particular, I am forever AMAZED by the number of sci-fi/fantasy/action-adventure films (many of them CLASSICS) that I saw in the theatre from 1976 to 1980... Before 1976, as a little kid, I was seeing awful swill like Herbie Rides Again, Benji, and The Apple Dumpling Gang... Then, in 1976... EVERYTHING CHANGED... All of a sudden, in just a short span of 5 years, between 1976-1980, I was seeing...

KING KONG (1976)
LOGAN'S RUN (1976)
AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1976)
STAR WARS (1977)
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978)
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978)
STAR CRASH (1978)
ALIEN (1979)... My 1st R-rated film in the theatre!
MOONRAKER (1979)
THE BLACK HOLE (1979)
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)
BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY (1979)
METEOR (1979)
BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (1980)
SATURN 3 (1980)... My 2nd R-rated film in the theatre!
THE NUDE BOMB (1980)
FLASH GORDON (1980)
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)

I was only 9 - 13 years old during this time period... As we all know, there was a huge renaissance of science fiction and fantasy films in the cinemas at this time... And seeing these groundbreaking films on the big screen, at such an impressionable age, was momentous... And for me personally, leading the charge was STAR WARS, which... as we also all know... was a world-wide phenomenon, and a LIFE-CHANGING experience for my entire generation... To this very day, STAR WARS is STILL both my absolute FAVORITE movie of all time, and my absolute FAVORITE score of all time.

And speaking of film scores, it was also at this moment in time that my love for film music began...

As I was watching these movies, I was starting to connect some dots. I was noticing some similar names on the movie soundtracks, saying things like "Hey, this is the same guy that did STAR WARS!" and "Hey, that guy wrote STAR TREK too!"... And how thrilled do you think I was when I realized that all of the JAMES BOND movies that I had been enjoying on the "ABC Sunday Night Movie" had music by "THAT KING KONG GUY"! ...It was then that I realized that it may NOT ONLY be the movies that I LOVED... It was the MUSIC itself, and the COMPOSERS, too... John Williams, John Barry, and Jerry Goldsmith were becoming my newest heroes!

And to this VERY DAY... Williams, Barry, and Goldsmith are my Top 3 favorite film composers of all time...
"Hmmm... I wonder how THAT happened?"

The following 16 soundtracks that I have listed below are the very first ones that I ever got... All between 1976-1980...
They changed my life FOREVER...
These 16 scores, and the COUNTLESS others since then, have become the soundtrack of my life... What a journey it's been...
And it's not over yet.

"Thank you, John Williams", for Star Wars, Close Encounters, Superman, Jaws, Dracula, 1941, and The Empire Strikes Back...
"Thank you, John Barry", for King Kong, Moonraker, and The Black Hole (and all the "ABC Sunday Night Movie" 007 offerings!)...
"Thank you, Jerry Goldsmith", for Logan's Run, Alien, Star Trek, Capricorn One, and Planet of the Apes...
And, yes.... "Thank you, too, Stu Phillips", for Battlestar Galactica.

In conclusion...
1976-1980 was such a great time to be a kid going to the movies... Not to mention the immediate 5 years to follow (1981-1985) as
a teenager... The 10 years of great films between 1976-1985 was nothing short of EPIC... And fortunately, I was obviously able to see more films in general as an teen between 1981-1985 than I was able to between 1976-1980, including more R-RATED FILMS! "OH, YEAH!"

PS: Oh, I forgot to mention that I also saw MESSAGE FROM SPACE (1978) and HANGER 18 (1980) between 1976-1980...
Well, maybe it WAS for the BETTER to FORGET mentioning THOSE TWO!

And to bring it back to the main topic... I absolutely love THE BLACK HOLE... "A journey that begins where everything ends!"
THE BLACK HOLE 1979 THEATRICAL TRAILER
https://youtu.be/hKYFa9FHEU4
THE BLACK HOLE THEME (JOHN BARRY)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Ch3QnY650&pp=ygUaaGQgZmlsbSB0cmlidXRlIGJsYWNrIGhvbGU%3D

Yes to everything!!!

I actually went to Universal Studios in 1980 at 11 years old when that Battlestar Galactica ride featured in The Nude Bomb was there. Still have the plastic bags for the event...and some Kodak Ektralite 10 pics as well! That sexy list is literally my childhood!

Ah, yeah! I remember that! I've been to Universal Studios and remember the Battlestar Galactica part. Whow, it's been a while.

Right back at 'ya, Willgoldnewtonbarrygrusin... You got that right!

PS: To riff off of your Username, I think that I will sign off as Willbarrygoldschifrinmancini !

The Nude Bomb? You just put that in there to see if we were paying attention, right?

Hi, Solium... I love MAXWELL SMART AND THE NUDE BOMB... Besides, I figured that if I mentioned it, some "genius" soundtrack label might see this, get off their duff, and finally release the Lalo Schifrin soundtrack... Along with the COUNTLESS OTHER Schifrin scores that have yet to be released!

Love SMART too, not so much The Nude Bomb. But yeah, as Oct and others have said can totally relate to your post. What a time for sci fi/fantasy fans growing up.

Oh, as far as Message From Space, it was hilarious. I remember seeing it in the theater and everyone was laughing.

Right back at 'ya, Willgoldnewtonbarrygrusin... You got that right!

PS: To riff off of your Username, I think that I will sign off as Willbarrygoldschifrinmancini !

Ha! Well done!

I can sorta understand, because if I transcribe the period to my own life (i.e. 9-13 years old), I had similar close connections to whatever was happening at the time. For me, that would be 1986-1990 and encompassing such things as THE KARATE KID, ALIENS, THE GOLDEN CHILD, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, STAND BY ME, CROCODILE DUNDEE, BEVERLY HILLS COP, ROBOCOP, RAIN MAN, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?, COMING TO AMERICA, DIE HARD, THE LAST CRUSADE, BATMAN, THE LITTLE MERMAID, HOME ALONE, DANCES WITH WOLVES etc. etc.

Also, I had plenty of my own "BLACK HOLES" (if that's allowed to say), i.e. films that aren't considered particularly good, but that you have this immense nostalgic connection to. Guilty pleasures and all that. A film like OVER THE TOP, for example, would kinda be my BLACK HOLE.

A sidenote: seems that after a week the cinema owner decided to "cut" the film, as they fade it out the end, after entering the black hole seems it was to much for most of the "normal" people

You're not describing a 2 up there. One thing movies are is machines that generate empathy (emotional, artistic, nostalgic, just 'being transported'). It's a benchmark as valid as "to be taken seriously' or "of a certain objective quality." Intuition isn't thoughtlessness, but your mind not showing (you) its work, so if it feels like a 3, maybe a 2 is disingenuous. You don't have to be able to explain, or logically justify, every star. Let yourself like what you like, other taste-guardians be damned.

I realize you may have just not mentioned the 2-worthy elements, but your sense of disingenuousness lacked evidence, and I always hope people will give themselves the freedom to enjoy what they actually enjoy.