The Black Hole was
the first Disney film to be rated PG due to its violence and use of a few
profanities. Still, despite its attempt to appeal to a "mature" audience,
Disney still didn't have the bravery to make the film truly dark, which
would have probably made it another classic that came out of the 70s.
Instead, the addition of V.I.N.CENT and B.O.B. are probably the two
biggest mistakes that this film makes. Without them, a better ending, and
darker undertones, this film could've become a classic with the likes of
Superman and Star Wars. As it is, it has become a cult
oddity and an embarrassing foray into the world of sci-fi for Disney.
Make no mistake however, one
of the very few things that kept this movie from becoming totally
ludicrous was John Barry's score. Barry, who was himself no stranger to
the sci-fi genre having scored the Bond flick Moonraker, delivers a
grand, almost epic, score that stands out from the film it accompanies.
When I first started this site, I intended to include many reviews of film scores that were
rare and/or practically unattainable. Well, this is definitely one of
those. The score was originally released on LP back in 1979, and that is
it as far as its history goes. The only way to obtain it is through Ebay
or other means. The only CD version is a rip from the LP. Sound quality is
so-so, but considering that it is the only way to get the score, it's good
for what it is. Disney is currently sitting on the rights for a proper CD
release, and so until somebody decides to dump a huge wad of cash in their
lap, this is as good as its going to get.
The CD opens with the
Overture, a rousing heroic piece that instantly identifies this as a
John Barry score. From this cue, the tone noticeably drops until we get
the creepy, other-worldly feel of the Main Title. As with most
Barry themes, get ready to experience this one quite often. Thankfully,
it's quite good, if a little eerie. While Barry is no stranger to
electronic instruments, this marks the only score of his I know of where
he uses the "Blaster Beam" which Jerry Goldsmith would further popularize
in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I don't know if Goldsmith took
his inspiration from this score, but the usage of the Blaster Beam in the
Star Trek film is quite similar to its appearance here. That may
just be due to the nature of the instrument, but I really don't have that
much information on it to be sure.
The rest of the score
follows the same dark style that is incorporated in the Main Title
in typical Barry fashion. There is a lot of great string work here,
especially in such tracks as The Door Opens and Six Robots.
Overall, the score sometimes leans toward a Bond in Space sound (like
Moonraker) but I didn't find that to be much of a hindrance. Of
course, being a big John Barry fan, it might be annoying to others who are
not so keen on his style.
This is quite a good score,
and it's a shame that it has not seen a proper CD release as of yet. For
Barry fans, this is definitely a good thing to come across, but due to the
fact that it can be somewhat difficult to come across, unless you are
really interested, you'll probably have to pass for now.
****
