Exploring the Black Hole

CSCL 3472

Thomas Cole

When I first saw this film, several (but not many!) years after its release, I immediately

realized it was as queer as football bats. At the time, considering my young age, even though I

did not understand the concept, or would have been able to express it, I was still able to realize

that this was not a “normal” film. With the consideration that this is a Disney film, the vast

amounts of gay subtext in this movie comes as no surprise; Disney seems to have produced a

large quantity of queer friendly media. This film, however, may indeed be the masterpiece of

gay subtext – It screams gay louder than I did at a Madonna concert.

The interactions between Drs. Durant and Reinhardt are without question the most

significant example of gay subtext in the film, seconded only by the robots V.I.N.C.E.N.T. and

Maximillian. The setting in which Dr. Durant arrives on the Cygnus is worth noting, as here are

four fully grown men confined in close quarters for a period of 18 months, and yet none of them

appear to be overly interested in the attractive Dr. McCrae, who herself is the stereotypical

damsel in distress throughout the entire movie. Once the ship’s sensors discover the Cygnus,

Harry Booth introduces the character of Reinhardt, to which Durant shyly asks if Booth had ever

met Reinhardt. The girly shifting he does when defending Reinhardt is reminiscent of when I

first met my boyfriend; both of us appear to have gotten “ants in the pants” in the presence of the

other person. Durant also displays many characteristics of the stereotypical homosexual male.

From his carefully sculpted eyebrows, an almost antithesis of Booth’s unruly eye-bushes, to his

perfectly pressed and never ruffled uniform, Durant epitomizes the stereotype of the effete

martini sipper. Having bisexual actor Anthony Perkins cast in the role no doubt led to a further

establishment of Dr. Alex Durant as a homosexual, if one were to pay close enough attention.

Dr. Reinhardt, however, presents quite a different picture. Reinhardt is the butch to

Durant’s femme, the mature attitude to Durant’s youthful attitude, and without question, the

dominant to Durant’s submissive. Even though I would be hard pressed to describe Reinhardt as

attractive, he permeates a subtle seductiveness throughout the entire movie. His clothing varies

throughout the film, first a casual unbuttoned shirt with a stylish lab coat, and then a startling

crimson pantsuit, further establishes him as seductive. His manner of speaking, complete with

hand gestures, a light accent and a smoldering passion behind every word, are almost reminiscent

of Dracula. Reinhardt himself is an interesting character, a brilliant, if insane, man secluded on a

ship for 20 years with an army of brainwashed zombie-slaves and a jealously psychotic robot

manservant. It is also interesting to note that there appear to be no females on the Cygnus.

Reinhardt’s interest in Durant is unquestioned, vocalized as “I’ve waited my entire life for

someone like you,” not long before Durant’s death at the hands of Maximillian.

The scenery and score of the movie are rather exquisite, considering the age of the film.

The Cygnus itself is rather reminiscent of the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but

while both ships retain an opulent elegance, the Cygnus is dark and foreboding. The architecture

of the ship, with its Cathedral ceilings, long hallways and overpowering sense of emptiness are

further enhanced by a classical gothic look to Reinhardt’s personal quarters. Set against the dark

backdrop of space, with the menace of the black hole looming behind them, the ship itself echoes

the poignant loneliness one can sometimes feel as a homosexual, which lends further power to

the love story between Reinhardt and Durant. The soundtrack is both haunting and uplifting, and

used sparingly enough to really emphasize important scenes within the movie. The ominous

melody used during the scenes between Reinhardt and Durant speak to the not-so-secret longing

between the two characters. The phallic objects in the movie, specifically the Cygnus lend a

further important backdrop. The Cygnus itself is a representation of Reinhardt’s power and

authority, a massively gigantic monument which dwarfs the ship Durant and the others arrive in.

With all its size and power, Reinhardt stands ready to plunge his ship head first into the black

hole, a tight fit which will surely crush the ship and all inside of it.

The evolution of Durant’s feelings for Reinhardt are rather clear to follow through the

movie. From his quiet admiration of Reinhardt in the beginning, Durant becomes Reinhardt’s

defense to the rest of the crew. Even in the face of life-threatening danger when the crew first

boards the ship and weapons are fired on them, Durant remains sure of the friendliness of the

ship’s inhabitants. Upon meeting Reinhardt on the ship’s bridge, Durant’s admiration is replaced

by awe, something the egotistical Reinhardt picks up on immediately. The attention shown to

Durant is markedly different from the attention Reinhardt gives to McCrae. While Durant is

treated as a cherished colleague and addressed as such, Reinhardt refers to McCrae as “Miss

Kate,” a rather chauvinistic moniker to give an obviously grown woman. During the dinner

scene, Durant is riveted on Reinhardt’s every word, and after the rest of the crew departs,

McCrae is once again more of piece of the scenery than she is a participant in the conversation.

The sexual tension between Durant and Reinhardt in this scene is almost palpable, and at several

points during the conversation where they draw close, it would seem almost natural for the two

of them to embrace.

The most telling scene in the Reinhardt and Durant sequence though, is the scene before

Durant’s death at the hands of Maximillian. Reinhardt has already entrusted the record of his

life’s work to Durant to share with Earth, and yet Durant hovers around him, eager to be close.

Durant lavishes praise on Reinhardt, and asks for the opportunity to stay with him through his

journey through the black hole, looking for “scientific truth.” Durant’s comment to McCrae,

when she begs him to leave, “There's an entirely different universe beyond that black hole. A

point where time and space as we know it no longer exists. We will be the first to see it, to

explore it, to experience it!” was particularly poignant to me. Surely, Durant could be discussing

exploration of new worlds, but in the context of this reading, Durant is clearly indicating there

are other things which need exploring, such as the freedom to explore his love for Reinhardt.

Even after Durant unmasks the worker at the console, and Reinhardt’s web of lies is revealed,

Durant insists on not leaving himself, but rather making sure McCrae is removed from the ship.

The death of Durant seems to affect Reinhardt strongly, as if this singular event finally causes his

tenuous grip on sanity to disappear. From this point on in the movie, Reinhardt descended into a

spiral of madness, no doubt from the loss of his love.

The robots also display a level of queerness that cannot be ignored. V.I.N.C.E.N.T.,

voiced by gay actor Roddy McDowell, is an effeminate word mincing comic relief, but also

more importantly, characterized as a male. The rest of the crew, and even Reinhardt, refer to

V.I.N.C.E.N.T. as “he.” His camaraderie with Charlie, while entertaining, shows an intimacy

that is lacking heterosexual representation in the film. Even V.I.N.C.E.N.T.’s relationship with

McCrae is missing this heterosexual intimacy; while McCrae can communicate telepathically

with V.I.N.C.E.N.T., and seems to be the only person able to do so, I can guarantee you the two

of them would be more likely to ogle over how attractive Charley is, or discuss shoes, than form

any sort of romantic relationship. The very platonic relationship between V.I.N.C.E.N.T. and

McCrae makes McCrae what is known as, for lack of a better term, a “fag hag.” V.I.N.C.E.N.T.

also displays a surprising amount of protectiveness for Old B.O.B., coming to his defense at any

time trouble comes his way. Perhaps the most important queer reading of V.I.N.C.E.N.T.

though, is when he brings up the uncomfortable history of where humans used to send his kind

into black holes in unsuccessful experiments; the correlation between this and persecution of

homosexuals almost have to be a planned and purposeful subtext.

Maximillian, on the other hand, is everything V.I.N.C.E.N.T. is not. While

V.I.N.C.E.N.T. is intellectual, chatty, swashbuckling and even tender, Maximillian is a brooding,

violent and menacing psychopath. Maximillian is rage personified, and could be seen as

channeled representation of Reinhardt’s frustration at being alone. In nearly every confrontation

with the crew, Maximillian is hostile, but this hostility pales in comparison to his reaction

towards Durant. In several scenes, Maximillian often looks at Durant, and his “eyes” glow a

brighter red. As Reinhardt fawns more attention on Durant, Maximillian becomes more and

more unruly, and finally slips out of Reinhardt’s control and kills Durant in what is undeniably a

jealous rage. Reinhardt is all too aware of this jealousy, as he even asks first McCrae, and then

his mindless zombies, to protect him from Maximillian. Later, when Reinhardt becomes trapped

under the falling debris, he calls out for Maximillian to aid him, but this assistance does not

come later in the movie, in perhaps the most bizarre scene. Maximillian actually mounts

Reinhardt; if he were a human, it would be the closest one could get to having sex without

having nudity. Finally, it shows Reinhardt and Maximillian merged as Reinhardt enters what

appears to be some representation of the Christian Hell, or perhaps Dante’s Inferno.

This film has stuck with me from childhood, at first for the simple fascination it holds for

a young child, to the ideologies behind it as a young adult struggling with his sexuality. Perhaps

the most important feature of the film, is that there is no judgment passed on the obvious

attraction for Reinhardt by Durant, only concern for his safety at the idea of plunging to his death

to be the one he loves. Even though there is no overt acceptance of homosexuality in the film,

there is indeed a passive one, as the rest of the crew do not ostracize Durant. The idea that, in the

future, such things would be a nonissue is also reassuring; this film gives a glimpse, I think, of

what a world would be like where sexuality matters were settled, instead of at war. Is this what

freedom from Victorian “oppression” would be like? If so, it looks appealing. While the movie

is labeled as a science-fiction action-drama, there are elements of romantic drama, and even

romantic comedy, in the film. While the film is not centralized around the relationship between

Durant and Reinhardt, it plays a far more important role in this film than in the average movie.