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The Black Hole
I've already raved ad nauseum about the movie, but now
it's time to heap praise - well, mostly praise - upon the long
overdue DVD
release of The Black Hole.
This is one of those movies that begs to be seen in
widescreen, and Anchor Bay, those saviors of Disney's original
troika of non-G-rated films, released a remastered edition of
The Black Hole on VHS and DVD. And the package
is, minus any commentaries or an isolated score track, almost
perfect.
If anything, VHS viewers got the best package of all - the
deluxe widescreen VHS edition was packaged in a limited edition
tin, and came included with a nice booklet offering numerous
infrequently-seen details about the origins and making of the
movie. This tin also included several reproduction "lobby
cards" of key scenes from the movie, though these photos
are included as a photo gallery option on the "pan &
scan" side of the double-sided DVD. But the booklet is the
real prize, and it was never made available to customers whose
format of choice was DVD. I've always felt this was a bit of a cheat. No,
strike that. More like a major injustice, when the original selling point for
DVD was that it was the format for people who love movies and like the
explore the details of their origins.
That aside, the remastered movie is a marvel to behold in
widescreen, including the original musical overture played over
an empty starfield (making this film and a contemporary from the
same year - Star Trek: The
Motion Picture - quite possibly the last films ever
to employ that time-honored theatrical practice). Lots of details
lost to viewers of the previous (and horribly edited) pan & scan
version pop out, particularly in the climactic "hell"
sequence, and that makes this DVD a must-have for anyone who's ever
been fascinated by this movie.
Reviewed by Earl
Green
theLogBook.com editor/webmaster
 
 
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