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| The Black Hole (1979) concept art by Peter Ellenshaw |
Every Friday I feature artwork from a classic of science fiction cinema or television. This week's "Flashback Friday" post is on The Black Hole (1979)
The movie The Black Hole, about a team of space explorers discovering a mysterious lost ship on the edge of a massive black hole, was a commercial failure. But it received two Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematography. One of the artists working on the film, along with Robert T. McCall, was Peter Ellenshaw. Film critic Leonard Malton said Peter Ellenshaw was "one of the titans of visual effects in an era before people took visual special effects for granted. When you see London Harbor full of tall-masted schooners in 'Treasure Island,' that's an Ellenshaw painting. When Mary Poppins sails over the rooftops of London, that's an Ellenshaw painting."
Peter Ellenshaw was an Academy Award winning special effects artist and matte painter who worked on classic Hollywood films like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) and Dick Tracy (1990).
Click on the images to enlarge.
USS Cygnus
Here's what it looks like in the film
Astronomy Module
Peter Eilanshaw's color design sketch for the Astronomy Module aboard the U.S.S. Cygnus.
Sketch of the same set when the ship is under attack by a shower of meteorites.
The scene as it finally appears on the screen
Miscellaneous
See more of Peter Ellenshaw's wonderful portfolio at http://www.ellenshaw.com
Click on the links if you want to see more of Peter Ellenshaw's work or The Black Hole artwork on my blog.
Some images via boomerstarkiller67
What do you think of the concept art? If you've seen The Black Hole what do you think of the ship design?
Official The Black Hole Summary
"The U.S.S. Cygnus is perched precariously at the edge of a black hole -- the vast, empty nothingness where space and time end. Anything that crosses its border enters a universe of the complete unknown. And so begins a story that only Disney's film magicians could tell. A story of robots and humanoids. Of human genius and madness. And a spectacular descent into nature's ultimate mystery -- The Black Hole."Directed by Gary Nelson
Cinematography by Frank Phillips
Production Design by NAME
Starring Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux
Release Dates: December 21, 1979
Official Site: http://movies.disney.com/the-black-hole
© Copyright 1979 Walt Disney Productions, Buena Vista Distribution. All rights reserved
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Visual images of the film have endured. I've never seen the movie but I'm still pretty sure I could easily pick the Cygnus out of a lineup.
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