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Black Sunday

  • 19771977
  • RR
  • 2h 23m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
8K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Black Sunday (1977)
Black Sunday is the powerful story of a Black September terrorist group attempting to blow up a Goodyear blimp hovering over the Super Bowl stadium with 80,000 people and the president of the United States in attendance.
Play trailer3:55
1 Video
77 Photos
  • Adventure
  • Crime
  • Drama

Black Sunday is the powerful story of a Black September terrorist group attempting to blow up a Goodyear blimp hovering over the Super Bowl stadium with 80,000 people and the president of th... Read allBlack Sunday is the powerful story of a Black September terrorist group attempting to blow up a Goodyear blimp hovering over the Super Bowl stadium with 80,000 people and the president of the United States in attendance.Black Sunday is the powerful story of a Black September terrorist group attempting to blow up a Goodyear blimp hovering over the Super Bowl stadium with 80,000 people and the president of the United States in attendance.

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
8K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • John Frankenheimer
  • Writers
    • Thomas Harris(based on the novel by)
    • Ernest Lehman(screenplay by)
    • Kenneth Ross(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Robert Shaw
    • Bruce Dern
    • Marthe Keller
Top credits
  • Director
    • John Frankenheimer
  • Writers
    • Thomas Harris(based on the novel by)
    • Ernest Lehman(screenplay by)
    • Kenneth Ross(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Robert Shaw
    • Bruce Dern
    • Marthe Keller
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 102User reviews
    • 66Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 3:55
    Official Trailer

    Photos77

    Robert Shaw and Fritz Weaver in Black Sunday (1977)
    Robert Shaw and Fritz Weaver in Black Sunday (1977)
    Black Sunday (1977)
    Black Sunday (1977)
    Black Sunday (1977)
    Black Sunday (1977)
    Bruce Dern and Tom McFadden in Black Sunday (1977)
    Steven Keats in Black Sunday (1977)
    Bruce Dern and Marthe Keller in Black Sunday (1977)
    Black Sunday (1977)
    Robert Shaw and Fritz Weaver in Black Sunday (1977)
    Bruce Dern in Black Sunday (1977)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Shaw
    Robert Shaw
    • Kabakovas Kabakov
    Bruce Dern
    Bruce Dern
    • Landeras Lander
    Marthe Keller
    Marthe Keller
    • Dahliaas Dahlia
    Fritz Weaver
    Fritz Weaver
    • Sam Corleyas Sam Corley
    Steven Keats
    Steven Keats
    • Robert Moshevskyas Robert Moshevsky
    Bekim Fehmiu
    Bekim Fehmiu
    • Mohammed Fasilas Mohammed Fasil
    Michael V. Gazzo
    Michael V. Gazzo
    • Muzias Muzi
    William Daniels
    William Daniels
    • Pughas Pugh
    Walter Gotell
    Walter Gotell
    • Col. Riatas Col. Riat
    Victor Campos
    • Nageebas Nageeb
    Joseph Robbie
    • Joseph Robbieas Joseph Robbie
    Robert J. Wussler
    • Robert Wussleras Robert Wussler
    • (as Robert Wussler)
    Pat Summerall
    Pat Summerall
    • Pat Summerallas Pat Summerall
    Tom Brookshier
    Tom Brookshier
    • Tom Brookshieras Tom Brookshier
    Walter Brooke
    Walter Brooke
    • Fowleras Fowler
    James Jeter
    James Jeter
    • Watchmanas Watchman
    Clyde Kusatsu
    Clyde Kusatsu
    • Freighter Captainas Freighter Captain
    Tom McFadden
    • Farleyas Farley
    • Director
      • John Frankenheimer
    • Writers
      • Thomas Harris(based on the novel by)
      • Ernest Lehman(screenplay by)
      • Kenneth Ross(screenplay by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Terrorist organization Black September is planning an attack on the United States. A woman called Dahlia is the one overseeing the operation. She was in the Middle East with the other members of the organization, discussing the operation when some Israelis came in; the leader, Major Kobakov had his gun on her but didn't shoot her. Kobakov then informed the US what they found. Though they don't know what their operation is, Kobakov assures them that it will be devastating. So, with FBI man, Corley, they try to find out what it is before it's too late. But they both have different ways of doing things, and since Kobakov is the visitor, he is warned to watch it. Dahlia's "partner in crime" is Michael Lander, a Vietnam P.O.W., who is psychologically scarred by that experience, thus making him very susceptible to her machinations. —<rcs0411@yahoo.com>
    • goodyear blimp
    • vietnam war veteran
    • the white house
    • terrorist
    • stadium
    • 330 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • They Counted on Living in a World Without Heroes. They Forgot About HIM.
    • Genres
      • Adventure
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was one of Paramount's highest ever pre-release scoring films from test screenings. Paramount was positioning it to be the blockbuster picture of 1977, many industry insiders predicted the film would be as big a box-office hit as Jaws (1975). However, the film did not perform as well as expected and instead Star Wars (1977) became the biggest blockbuster movie of 1977.
    • Goofs
      The president shown attending Super Bowl X was Pres. Jimmy Carter. Super Bowl X was held in January 1976. Pres. Carter was elected in November 1976 and took office in January 1977. Pres. Ford was in office during Super Bowl X.
    • Quotes

      Joseph Robbie: Cancel the Super Bowl? That's like canceling Christmas!

    • Connections
      Edited into The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      The Star Spangled Banner
      (1814)

      Music by John Stafford Smith (uncredited)

      Lyrics by Francis Scott Key (uncredited)

      Sung by Tom Sullivan

      Accompanied by Up With People

    User reviews102

    Review
    Top review
    a chilling premonition
    The late John Frankenheimer was one of our greatest movie directors and Black Sunday was one of his greatest films that showed him as a true master of suspense. I recently bought the DVD for the film and it still "holds up" today as well as ever. There isn't a suspense film today that can hold a candle to it just like Frankenheimer's other great film The Manchurian Candidate (I cannot believe that they are re-making it with Denzel Washington!). Robert Shaw was a truly overlooked and underused talent. He was a true Renaissance man in every sense of the word. People don't realize that he wasn't only a great actor but a playwright and novelist as well. He wrote the Broadway play The Man In The Glass Booth. He is best remembered for his role as Quint in Jaws but he gave many other fine performances as well and this is surely one as the heroic Israeli agent who has to stop a terrorist threat to kill 80,000 Superbowl fans. Watching this film in 1977 was chilling when you saw what the psychotic Vietnam vet Bruce Dern and Martha Keller were going to do. These were two terrorists who were willing to die for their cause and take thousands of innocent people with them. Watching this film today is even MORE chilling! Back when it was released, most probably thought it was too farfetched. These two terrorists were going to use an "aircraft" (in this case a Goodyear blimp) as a weapon of mass murder. DOES THIS SEEM FARFETCHED TODAY!!!!Black Sunday was made a quarter century before 9/11. As a matter of fact, when the Oklahoma City Bombing happened, CNN showed a clip of Black Sunday as an example of how Hollywood has treated the subject of domestic terrorism. It is chiling that Frankenheimer and Thoams Harris (the author of the novel who later wrote the Hannibal Lecter trilogy) could have that much foresight. All the actors in this film are awesome and what really shocked me was Fritz Weaver's heroic FBI agent (usually movies show the FBI as stupid and corrupt) Critics have often commented on the climax of the film where Lander and her take off in the blimp to set the bomb off and Kabakov and Corley try to stop them. It is the most intense and suspenseful ending you can possibly imagine and the music is awesome. The stunt people must have had a field day doing the climax where they haul the blimp out of the stadium.
    helpful•28
    8
    • dtucker86
    • Jan 2, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1, 1977 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Schwarzer Sonntag
    • Filming locations
      • Orange Bowl - 1501 N.W. 3rd Street, Miami, Florida, USA
    • Production company
      • Robert Evans Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $15,769,322
    • Gross worldwide
      • $15,769,322
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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