Fire in the Sky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fire in the Sky | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster for Fire in the Sky |
|
| Directed by | Robert Lieberman |
| Produced by | Todd Black |
| Written by | Travis Walton (book) Tracy Tormé (screenplay) |
| Starring | D. B. Sweeney Robert Patrick Craig Sheffer Peter Berg James Garner |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
| Cinematography | Bill Pope |
| Editing by | Steve Mirkovich |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 12, 1993 |
| Running time | 109 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Gross revenue | $20,100,000 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Fire in the Sky is a 1993 science fiction film directed by Robert Lieberman, and written by Travis Walton (from his book The Walton Experience) and Tracy Tormé (screenplay). The film stars D. B. Sweeney, Robert Patrick, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg and James Garner.
The original music score was composed by Mark Isham and the cinematography was by Bill Pope. The film was shot in Oakland, Oregon.
This film is not connected to a 1978 telefilm of the same name, though coincidentally it is also set in Arizona.
- Tagline: Alien abduction. November 5, 1975. White Mountains, Northeastern Arizona. Based on the true story.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
On November 5, 1975, near Snowflake, Arizona, logger Travis Walton disappears mysteriously during an encounter with a flying saucer. Authorities treat with skepticism the outrageous story related by the only witnesses to the alleged event, including Walton's co-workers and his best friend and future brother-in-law, Mike Rogers. They are suspected of foul play despite no apparent motive or knowledge as to Walton's whereabouts.
A state lawman finds a tabloid newspaper in the crew's pickup truck and quickly concludes that tensions had arisen between Walton and surly co-worker Allan Dallis, leading the lawman to conclude that a murder cover-up is under way. However, all of the suspects pass lie-detector tests and the case becomes stalled. Five days later, and just as mysteriously as he disappeared, Walton reappears, claiming to have been abducted by extraterrestrials and taken aboard a UFO.
The plot is unusual in that it does not focus primarily on the more fantastical elements of the story. Much screen time is spent on the considerable distress experienced by Rogers and friends, both by Walton's inexplicable disappearance, and the conundrum of Walton's reappearance in a seemingly disturbed emotional state. A major issue depicted in the film is Rogers' guilt about leaving his friend in the woods. The film culminates with a denouement between Walton and Rogers, with the UFO mystery essentially unresolved.
[edit] Main cast
- D. B. Sweeney ... as Travis Walton
- Robert Patrick ... as Mike Rogers
- Craig Sheffer ... as Allan Dallis
- Peter Berg ... as David Whitlock
- Henry Thomas ... as Greg Hayes
- Bradley Gregg ... as Bobby Cogdill
- Noble Willingham ... as Sheriff Blake Davis
- Kathleen Wilhoite ... as Katie Rogers
- James Garner ... as Lieutenant Frank Watters
[edit] Sources
The film is based on the book The Walton Experience by Travis Walton. In the book, Walton tells of how he was abducted by a UFO.
Walton's original book was later re-released as Fire in the Sky (ISBN 1-56924-710-2) to promote the book's connection to the film. The real Travis Walton made a cameo appearance in the film.
[edit] Audience and critical response
Fire in the Sky earned mixed reviews: upon its release, prominent critic Roger Ebert[1] gave the film two-and-a-half stars of a possible four, but thought the sequence depicting Walton in the custody of aliens was "really very good ... for once I did believe that I was seeing something truly alien, and not just a set decorator's daydreams." Ironically, this same sequence so praised by Ebert bears almost no resemblance to Walton's actual claims, and scriptwriter Tracy Tormé reported[2] that executives thought Walton's actual story was boring, and insisted on the changes.
As of March 2008, Fire In The Sky is rated "rotten" by Rotten Tomatoes, with 38% of professional critics giving the movie mostly positive reviews.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Fire In The Sky reviewed by Roger Ebert for the Chicago Sun Times URL accessed 22 June 2007
- ^ Clark, Jerome, The UFO Book, Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1998
- ^ Fire In The Sky from Rottentomatoes.com URL accessed 2 March 2008
