Dark Star (film)
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- This page is about the film Dark Star. For other topics, please see the disambiguation page at Dark Star.
| Dark Star | |
|---|---|
| Image:Dark Star.jpg Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | John Carpenter |
| Produced by | John Carpenter |
| Written by | John Carpenter Dan O'Bannon |
| Starring | Dan O'Bannon Brian Narelle Cal Kuniholm Dre Pahich |
| Music by | John Carpenter |
| Cinematography | Douglas Knapp |
| Editing by | Dan O'Bannon |
| Release date(s) | 1974 |
| Running time | 83 min. |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Dark Star is a 1974 sci-fi motion picture tongue-in-cheek comedy directed by John Carpenter and co-written with Dan O'Bannon. Dark Star was ranked #95 on Rotten Tomatoes' Journey Through Sci-Fi.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
It is the middle of the 22nd century. Mankind has reached a point in its technological advances to enable colonization of the far reaches of the universe. Armed with Exponential Thermostellar Bombs, the scout ship DARK STAR travels out on the very rim of the known universe, far in advance of colony ships, prowling for unstable planets to destroy. Meanwhile the crew of Doolittle, Pinback, Boiler and Talby perform their jobs in a state of abject boredom.
The plot follows the misadventures of the four-man crew of the Dark Star. The ship has been in space for twenty years on a mission to destroy "unstable planets" which might threaten future colonization. Comedic disaster is the order of the day, as the tedium of their task has driven the crew up the wall. Their Commander, Powell, has died and exists only via cryogenic supports. Sgt. Pinback has adopted a ship’s mascot in the form of a mischievous alien "beachball with claws" that refuses to stay put. Lt. Doolittle dreams of surfing back in Malibu. Ship’s Navigator Talby has become reclusive in the ships dome. The computer has become dysfunctional due to damage suffered in an asteroid storm, and subsequently Bomb #20 is threatening to detonate while still in the ship’s bay. Lt. Doolittle revives Commander Powell who advises them to teach "Phenomenology" to the Bomb. The Bomb interprets that it is God… and with the line, "Let there be light!"…explodes, sending the ship and crew into infinity as Talby drifts off into the Phoenix Asteroids and Doolittle surfs off into the Veil Nebula.
[edit] Soundtrack
The theme song played during the opening and closing credits is "Benson, Arizona". The music was written by John Carpenter, and the lyrics by Bill Taylor.[1]
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Brian Narelle | Lt. Doolittle |
| Cal Kuniholm | Boiler |
| Dre Pahich | Talby |
| Dan O'Bannon | Sgt. Pinback |
[edit] Uncredited Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Alan Sheretz | Bomb #19 |
| Adam Beckenbaugh | Bomb #20 |
| Nick Castle | Alien |
| Cookie Knapp | Computer |
| Joe Saunders | Commander Powell |
| Miles Watkins | Mission Control |
| John Carpenter | Voice of Talby |
| Michael Shaw |
[edit] Production
Although destined for eventual release in 1974, this was only possible as a consequence of a successful series of showings at a number of film festivals in 1973. Originally the film was a 45 minute student short filmed on 16mm film. The movie was transferred to 35mm with the addition of 38 minutes which brought the movie up to feature film length. The special effects on the movie were done by Dan O'Bannon, ship design by Ron Cobb, model work by O'Bannon and Greg Jein, and animation was by Bob Greenberg, all of which are considered impressive for a student work. O'Bannon starred in the film in the role of Sgt. Pinback.
[edit] Analysis
Carpenter has, tongue in cheek, described Dark Star as "'Waiting for Godot' in space."
It is also singled out as an example of "philosophy in cinema" by virtue of the "talking bomb" sequence, in which a strategy to prevent the unintended detonation of a renegade onboard explosive device is devised, based on teaching the bomb the rudiments of phenomenology (with amusingly unexpected results). Another key interpretational theme is the caricature of the Vietnam War legacy of "mischief emerging from tedium" among military types on long uneventful missions.
The final sequence of the film is more than reminiscent of Slim Pickens playing Major T.J "King" Kong in the film Dr. Strangelove, in which in the near-final sequence, a nuclear bomb "refuses" to budge from the B-52 bomb bay, until forced to do so by the mechanical intervention of Major Kong. When the bomb suddenly releases, Major Kong ends up riding it like a bucking horse with hat-in-hand cart-wheeling sailing towards the target and oblivion.
[edit] References
- Holdstock, Robert. Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Octopus Books, 1978, pp. 80-81. ISBN 0-7064-0756-3
- Cinefex magazine, issue 2, Aug 1980. Article by Brad Munson: "Greg Jein, Miniature Giant". (Discusses Dark Star, among other subjects.)
- Creative Screenwriting magazine, Sep/Oct 2004, Vol. 11 No. 5, pages 70-73. (Article: "Alien, 25 years later: Dan O'Bannon looks back on his scariest creation" by David Konow. Discusses, among other things, how the "Beach Ball Alien" scenes in Dark Star were an inspiration for Alien.)
- Fantastic Films magazine, Oct 1978, vol. 1 no. 4, pages 52-58, 68-69. James Delson interviews Greg Jein, about Dark Star and other projects Jein had worked on.
- Fantastic Films magazine, Sep 1979, issue 10, pages 7-17, 29-30. Dan O'Bannon discusses Dark Star and Alien, other subjects. (Article was later reprinted in "The very best of Fantastic Films," Special Edition #22 as well.)
- Fantastic Films magazine, Collector's Edition #17, Jul 1980, pages 16-24, 73, 76-77, 92. (Article: "John Carpenter Overexposed" by Blake Mitchell and James Ferguson. Discusses Dark Star, among other things.)
- Kaleidoscope short story by Ray Bradbury. (Available in Omnibus of Science Fiction; Crown Publishers, Inc.; edited with an Introduction by Groff Conklin; Copyright 1952. Also in: Thrilling Wonder Stories, October, 1949; and possibly in other sources.)
[edit] External links
- Dark Star (1974) at the Internet Movie Database
- Dark Star at the TCM Movie Database
- Dark Star at The Official John Carpenter
- Bomb #20 learns a little phenomenology
- Dark Star film script
- Dark Star film trailer
- Doolittle's dialogue with Bomb 20
Films directed by John Carpenter | |
|---|---|
| Feature films | Dark Star • Assault on Precinct 13 • Halloween • The Fog • Escape from New York • The Thing • Christine • Starman • Big Trouble in Little China • Prince of Darkness • They Live • Memoirs of an Invisible Man • In the Mouth of Madness • Village of the Damned • Escape from L.A. • Vampires • Ghosts of Mars • Psychopath |
| Made for television | Someone's Watching Me • Elvis • Body Bags • John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns • John Carpenter's Pro-Life |
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