Outland (film)
Encyclopedia
Outland is a 1981 British science fiction
thriller film written and directed by Peter Hyams
.
Set on Jupiter
's moon Io
, it has been described as a space Western
, and bears thematic resemblances to High Noon
.
The film stars Sean Connery
as Marshal
William T. O'Niel, Peter Boyle
as Sheppard (the General Manager), Kika Markham
as O'Niel's wife, and Frances Sternhagen
as Dr. Lazarus.
) is assigned to a tour of duty in a titanium
ore mining outpost on Jupiter's moon Io
.
Conditions on Io are difficult - gravity is 1/6 that of Earth's with no breathable atmosphere, spacesuits are cumbersome, and miners carry their own air supply. Shifts are long, but significant bonuses are paid. Sheppard (Peter Boyle
) boasts that since he took over the running of Io, productivity has broken all previous records.
The film begins with a miner named Tarlow (John Ratzenberger
) suffering an attack of delirium tremens
ripping open his work-suit, resulting in his death by decompression. Later, another miner, Cane (Eugene Lipinski), goes outside without his spacesuit, and likewise dies from decompression.
With the assistance of Dr Lazarus (Frances Sternhagen
), O'Niel investigates the deaths. However, another incident happens involving a worker, Sagan (Steven Berkoff
), who takes a prostitute hostage and threatens to kill her with a knife. O'Niel attempts to calm the man by the main door, while Montone, O'Niel's sergeant (James B. Sikking), sneaks in via the air duct. Montone kills Sagan before O'Niel can talk with him.
O'Niel and Lazarus discover that all of the deaths had one thing in common, an amphetamine-type drug, allowing the miners to work continuously for days at a time. That is until they "burn out" and turn psychotic. O'Niel uncovers a drug distribution ring run by Sheppard and sanctioned by Montone.
Using surveillance cameras, O'Niel finds and captures one of Sheppard's dealers, placing him in isolation. But before he can be questioned the dealer is killed. Montone is then found garroted. O'Niel does find and destroy the latest shipment of drugs which were hidden in a food shipment from Jupiter. When Sheppard finds out what O'Niel did he calls in professional hitmen to kill him. O'Niel is ready, though, since he has been monitoring Sheppard's communications.
Knowing the assassins are on the way and with only Dr. Lazarus willing to help him, as his "last act" O'Niel sends a message to his wife (Kika Markham
) and son, promising them that he will join them on the trip home to Earth.
When the men arrive, O'Niel tracks them and ambushes each, killing them. He is then confronted by Sheppard's "inside man", one of his own deputies. The two fight outside the base until O'Niel pulls the deputy's oxygen hose, suffocating him. O'Niel then confronts the surprised Sheppard in the base recreation bar, knocking him out with one punch. O'Niel retires and leaves to join his wife and son on the trip back to Earth.
, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, UK, with an estimated budget of $16,000,000. The film's working title
was "Io" (the setting of the film), which was later changed because many people read it as the number 10, or "lo" ("low"). Principal photography took place in late-1980 and post-production was completed in February 1981.
Outland was the first motion picture to use IntroVision
, a variation on Front Projection
that allows foreground, midground and background elements to be combined in-camera, as opposed to using optical processes such as bluescreen matting. This enabled characters to convincingly walk around miniature sets of the mining colony.
, who had previously worked with writer/director Peter Hyams
on the science fiction thriller Capricorn One
(1978). The soundtrack to Outland has been released three times on disk; 19 November 1993 through GNP Crescendo
(with his score to Capricorn One
), June 2000 through Warner Music Group
, and a two-disc extended edition released 15 June 2010 through Film Score Monthly
.
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound (John Wilkinson
, Robert W. Glass, Jr.
, Robert Thirlwell
and Robin Gregory
).
Gary Arnold at the Washington Post had this to say: "In Outland, writer-director Peter Hyams has adapted the plot of High Noon to an intriguing sci-fi environment—a huge titanium mine located on Io, a volcanic moon of Jupiter. But the conventions that worked for High Noon break down in the high-tech atmosphere of Outland and the story seems trite and dinky".
In the Boston Globe, Michael Blowen was more favorable: "The parallels between Outland and Fred Zinneman's 1952 western High Noon are apparent. Writer-director Peter Hyams has transported the characters and motifs from the dusty frontier town of Gary Cooper
to the frontiers of space. While Hyams keeps the story barreling along, he also develops a corollary anti-capitalist theme. Io is an outpost for exploitation, and it doesn't make any difference whether the miners are digging gold in the Colorado
hills or titanium on Jupiter's moon, the greed of the corporate class will prevail. Outland marks the return of the classic western hero in a space helmet. His outfit has changed and his environment has expanded but he's still the same. When Connery stares down the barrel of that shotgun, you'd better smile".
Desmond Ryan at the Philadelphia Inquirer called it: "A brilliant sci-fi Western. In many ways, Hyams has made a film that is more frightening than Alien
, because he surmises that space will change us very little and the real monsters we are liable to encounter will be in the next space suit.
and full screen
on a double sided disc with the soundtrack remastered in Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The Region 1 DVD is not enhanced for widescreen televisions.
on August 28, 1991, and VHS
on January 7, 1997.
had been hired to direct a remake of the film from a script by Chad St. John. No casting or start date information was announced.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
thriller film written and directed by Peter Hyams
Peter Hyams
Peter Hyams is an American screenwriter, director and cinematographer, probably best known for directing the 1984 science fiction adventure 2010 , Capricorn One, the comic book adaptation Timecop and the Arnold Schwarzenegger horror/action film End of Days.-Family:Hyams was born in New York...
.
Set on Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
's moon Io
Io (moon)
Io ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter and, with a diameter of , the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. It was named after the mythological character of Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of the lovers of Zeus....
, it has been described as a space Western
Space western
Space Western is a subgenre of science fiction, primarily grounded in film and television programming, that transposes themes of American Western books and film to a backdrop of futuristic space frontiers; it is the complement of the science fiction Western, which transposes science fiction themes...
, and bears thematic resemblances to High Noon
High Noon
High Noon is a 1952 American Western film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. The film tells in real time the story of a town marshal forced to face a gang of killers by himself...
.
The film stars Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
as Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
William T. O'Niel, Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
as Sheppard (the General Manager), Kika Markham
Kika Markham
Kika Markham is an English actress.Markham was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire. She is a daughter of actor David Markham and writer Olive Dehn . She has led a long career in the cinema, television, and theatre as an actress...
as O'Niel's wife, and Frances Sternhagen
Frances Sternhagen
Frances Hussey Sternhagen is an American actress. Sternhagen has appeared on and off Broadway, in movies, and on TV since the 1950s.-Personal life:...
as Dr. Lazarus.
Plot
Federal Marshal William O'Niel (Sean ConnerySean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
) is assigned to a tour of duty in a titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
ore mining outpost on Jupiter's moon Io
Io (moon)
Io ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter and, with a diameter of , the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. It was named after the mythological character of Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of the lovers of Zeus....
.
Conditions on Io are difficult - gravity is 1/6 that of Earth's with no breathable atmosphere, spacesuits are cumbersome, and miners carry their own air supply. Shifts are long, but significant bonuses are paid. Sheppard (Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
) boasts that since he took over the running of Io, productivity has broken all previous records.
The film begins with a miner named Tarlow (John Ratzenberger
John Ratzenberger
John Deszo Ratzenberger is an American actor, voice actor, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his role as Cliff Clavin in Cheers.-Early life:...
) suffering an attack of delirium tremens
Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens is an acute episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol, first described in 1813...
ripping open his work-suit, resulting in his death by decompression. Later, another miner, Cane (Eugene Lipinski), goes outside without his spacesuit, and likewise dies from decompression.
With the assistance of Dr Lazarus (Frances Sternhagen
Frances Sternhagen
Frances Hussey Sternhagen is an American actress. Sternhagen has appeared on and off Broadway, in movies, and on TV since the 1950s.-Personal life:...
), O'Niel investigates the deaths. However, another incident happens involving a worker, Sagan (Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
), who takes a prostitute hostage and threatens to kill her with a knife. O'Niel attempts to calm the man by the main door, while Montone, O'Niel's sergeant (James B. Sikking), sneaks in via the air duct. Montone kills Sagan before O'Niel can talk with him.
O'Niel and Lazarus discover that all of the deaths had one thing in common, an amphetamine-type drug, allowing the miners to work continuously for days at a time. That is until they "burn out" and turn psychotic. O'Niel uncovers a drug distribution ring run by Sheppard and sanctioned by Montone.
Using surveillance cameras, O'Niel finds and captures one of Sheppard's dealers, placing him in isolation. But before he can be questioned the dealer is killed. Montone is then found garroted. O'Niel does find and destroy the latest shipment of drugs which were hidden in a food shipment from Jupiter. When Sheppard finds out what O'Niel did he calls in professional hitmen to kill him. O'Niel is ready, though, since he has been monitoring Sheppard's communications.
Knowing the assassins are on the way and with only Dr. Lazarus willing to help him, as his "last act" O'Niel sends a message to his wife (Kika Markham
Kika Markham
Kika Markham is an English actress.Markham was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire. She is a daughter of actor David Markham and writer Olive Dehn . She has led a long career in the cinema, television, and theatre as an actress...
) and son, promising them that he will join them on the trip home to Earth.
When the men arrive, O'Niel tracks them and ambushes each, killing them. He is then confronted by Sheppard's "inside man", one of his own deputies. The two fight outside the base until O'Niel pulls the deputy's oxygen hose, suffocating him. O'Niel then confronts the surprised Sheppard in the base recreation bar, knocking him out with one punch. O'Niel retires and leaves to join his wife and son on the trip back to Earth.
Production
Outland was filmed at Pinewood StudiosPinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, UK, with an estimated budget of $16,000,000. The film's working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
was "Io" (the setting of the film), which was later changed because many people read it as the number 10, or "lo" ("low"). Principal photography took place in late-1980 and post-production was completed in February 1981.
Outland was the first motion picture to use IntroVision
Front projection effect
A front projection effect is an in-camera visual effects process in film production for combining foreground performance with pre-filmed background footage...
, a variation on Front Projection
Front projection effect
A front projection effect is an in-camera visual effects process in film production for combining foreground performance with pre-filmed background footage...
that allows foreground, midground and background elements to be combined in-camera, as opposed to using optical processes such as bluescreen matting. This enabled characters to convincingly walk around miniature sets of the mining colony.
Soundtrack
The mostly atonal and dissonant music to Outland was composed and conducted by veteran composer Jerry GoldsmithJerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
, who had previously worked with writer/director Peter Hyams
Peter Hyams
Peter Hyams is an American screenwriter, director and cinematographer, probably best known for directing the 1984 science fiction adventure 2010 , Capricorn One, the comic book adaptation Timecop and the Arnold Schwarzenegger horror/action film End of Days.-Family:Hyams was born in New York...
on the science fiction thriller Capricorn One
Capricorn One
Capricorn One is a 1977 science fiction thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It stars James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O. J...
(1978). The soundtrack to Outland has been released three times on disk; 19 November 1993 through GNP Crescendo
GNP Crescendo Record Co.
GNP Crescendo Record Co. is an American record label based in Hollywood, California. Its catalog primarily consists of jazz records, as well as motion picture and television soundtracks and film scores, mostly in science fiction, fantasy and horror....
(with his score to Capricorn One
Capricorn One
Capricorn One is a 1977 science fiction thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It stars James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O. J...
), June 2000 through Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, and a two-disc extended edition released 15 June 2010 through Film Score Monthly
Film Score Monthly
Film Score Monthly is an online magazine founded by editor-in-chief and executive producer Lukas Kendall in June 1990 as The Soundtrack Correspondence List...
.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews and box office reception when it was released. It opened strongly with $3,059,638 in weekend box office receipts in the U.S., but total estimated box offices receipts were between $17,374,595 and $20,000,000 (USA), just above its $16 million budget.The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound (John Wilkinson
John Wilkinson (sound engineer)
John Wilkinson was an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Best Sound and was nominated for another two in the same category...
, Robert W. Glass, Jr.
Robert W. Glass, Jr.
Robert W. Glass, Jr. is an American sound engineer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards in the category Best Sound.-External links:...
, Robert Thirlwell
Robert Thirlwell
Robert Thirlwell is an American sound engineer. He was nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Sound.-Selected filmography:* Outland * The River * Back to the Future -External links:...
and Robin Gregory
Robin Gregory
Robin Gregory is an American sound engineer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards in the category Best Sound.-Selected filmography:* The Deep * Outland -External links:...
).
Gary Arnold at the Washington Post had this to say: "In Outland, writer-director Peter Hyams has adapted the plot of High Noon to an intriguing sci-fi environment—a huge titanium mine located on Io, a volcanic moon of Jupiter. But the conventions that worked for High Noon break down in the high-tech atmosphere of Outland and the story seems trite and dinky".
In the Boston Globe, Michael Blowen was more favorable: "The parallels between Outland and Fred Zinneman's 1952 western High Noon are apparent. Writer-director Peter Hyams has transported the characters and motifs from the dusty frontier town of Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
to the frontiers of space. While Hyams keeps the story barreling along, he also develops a corollary anti-capitalist theme. Io is an outpost for exploitation, and it doesn't make any difference whether the miners are digging gold in the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
hills or titanium on Jupiter's moon, the greed of the corporate class will prevail. Outland marks the return of the classic western hero in a space helmet. His outfit has changed and his environment has expanded but he's still the same. When Connery stares down the barrel of that shotgun, you'd better smile".
Desmond Ryan at the Philadelphia Inquirer called it: "A brilliant sci-fi Western. In many ways, Hyams has made a film that is more frightening than Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
, because he surmises that space will change us very little and the real monsters we are liable to encounter will be in the next space suit.
DVD release
Outland was released on DVD on November 18, 1997. It was presented in both letterbox widescreenLetterbox
Letterboxing is the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the film's original aspect ratio. The resulting videographic image has mattes above and below it; these mattes are part of the image...
and full screen
Full screen
A fullscreen image or video occupies the screen entirely.* A video display having an aspect ratio of 4:3 * In film, the use of pan and scan, image cropping, or windowboxing to fit widescreen content into a display with aspect ratio of 4:3...
on a double sided disc with the soundtrack remastered in Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The Region 1 DVD is not enhanced for widescreen televisions.
Other formats
Outland was previously released on CED disc in 1983, LaserdiscLaserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
on August 28, 1991, and VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
on January 7, 1997.
Adaptations
- A comic strip adaptation of Outland illustrated by Jim SterankoJim SterankoJames F. Steranko is an American graphic artist, comic book writer-artist-historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator....
appeared in Heavy Metal magazineHeavy Metal (magazine)Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...
in the June 1981, October 1981, and January 1982 issues. - A novelizationNovelizationA novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
of Outland written by Alan Dean FosterAlan Dean FosterAlan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelizations of film scripts...
was published by Warner Books in March 1981. - A song based on Outland called High Moon was written by Star OneStar OneStar One is a Dutch progressive metal supergroup/side-project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon fame. Unlike Ayreon, the band did not follow one storyline; instead, each song was a different story with a sci-fi concept, most of the tracks based on existing movies and series.-Origins and first...
(A Side project of AyreonAyreonAyreon is a project by Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen.Ayreon's musical style derives mostly from heavy metal and progressive rock, but combines them with genres like folk, classical and electronica...
composer Arjen Lucassen) for the Space Metal album.
Remake
On August 18, 2009, studio Warner Brothers announced that director Michael DavisMichael Davis (director)
-External links:...
had been hired to direct a remake of the film from a script by Chad St. John. No casting or start date information was announced.