A few photos
of Maximilian, one of the several small action figures released by the Mego Corporation
in 1979, and part of the massive ‘Black Hole’
merchandise campaign.
The Black Hole, which had its world premiere in
London on 18th December, 1979 is a favourite sci-fi movie of mine,
and Maximilian, the robot servant of Dr Hans Reinhardt is probably my favourite
character in the film.
Max is a
classic baddie, an evil robot who looks the part. It never speaks, which adds
to its menacing presence, and during the film it’s implied that its creator
Hans Reinhardt is actually afraid of the robot.
There is a
point towards the climax of the film, where it’s unclear whether Max hasn’t
heard Reinhardt’s cries for help, or has cruelly ignored them.
The ending
of the film, which at the time of its release was kept a secret from all except
the director and the producer, is still open to some interpretation, however, I
do like the hellish imagery which shows Maximilian, with perhaps the soul of
Reinhardt trapped in its body looking down on what appears to be the fires of
Hades and the cursed crew of the USS Cygnus.
Like those photos. I like the design of the robot too. I only have vague memories of the film but I seem to remember the designs were better than the film!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kev. I might be wrong but I don't remember the film being shown on terrestrial TV, although I imagine it's done the rounds on the Disney Channel. I've got it on DVD, and Its not a bad film, visually its excellent and the special effects for the time are outstanding. Personally, I think the film is a bit uneven. Sometimes it's trying to be dark and gothic, which I really like, and other times it has lighter moments which usually feature V.I.N.CENT and Old Bob, which are very Disneyesque.
DeleteThe Black Hole Mego figures were hands down better than Kenners contemporary Star Wars figures, in terms of articulation, moulding and production. Its just a shame the extended line didn’t see production, with Old B.O.B, Captain S.T.A.R and the Humanoid, as well as the Palomino playset being released.
ReplyDeleteI'm not normally an action figure collector, but I can see myself picking up a few loose examples over time, Wote. As to the unreleased set, I would have liked a humanoid and The Palomino sounds great. I suppose it was down to a disappointing box office, although I believe the film did make its money eventually, and has quite a cult following nowadays.
DeletePeter Ellenshaw's wonderful concept art of the U.S.S. Cygnus has been my computer's screensaver for years, reminding me what a bold scifi classic The Black Hole is. The ending in its twist for the unexplained reminds me of another favourite of mine (and not mine alone), 2001: A Space Odyssey.
ReplyDeleteLooking also forward to seeing your take on the U.S.S. Cygnus kit, Scoop.
Yes, the metaphysical aspects of the film certainly work for me, Arto.
DeleteI'm currently dry fixing the parts at the moment. It doesn't look to be too complicated although as Wote pointed out on my earlier Cygnus post, painting it is going to be fiddly.
but if max does not have his groin drill how can i re enact best scene in film that made kids scream most
ReplyDeleteYou'll just have to pretend, Konsumterra. ;)
DeleteI couldn't bring myself to watch this film when it was released as I worked for a design studio called Reinhardt Design at the time. From the trailer the 'creepy' performance of Maximillian Schell was too close to home.
ReplyDeleteAt this distance in time it may be interesting to catch up with the movie.
It sounds like an unpleasant place to work, Terranova. The film might just remind you of bad memories.
Deletei watched the movie yesterdaay,cool pictures,you catched the spirit of this robot!! ew
ReplyDeleteThanks ew,hope you enjoyed the movie too.
Deleteyes,a lot,i watched it many years ago the first time,it is a good movie!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it.:)
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