Fire in the Sky
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| Fire in the Sky | |
 Theatrical poster for Fire in the Sky |
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| Directed by | Robert Lieberman |
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| 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 |
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. This film was shot in Oakland, Oregon, but is not connected to a 1978 telefilm of the same name, though coincidentally it is also set in Arizona.
Unlike other movies of this nature, this film does not focus primarily on the more fantastical elements of the story. Much screen time is spent on the distress experienced by Walton's friends due to his inexplicable disappearance, and his reappearance in a seemingly disturbed emotional state. A major issue depicted in the film is Rogers' guilt about leaving his friend in the woods.
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[edit] Plot
On November 5, 1975, near Snowflake, Arizona, logger Travis Walton (D. B. Sweeney) 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 (Robert Patrick). 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 (Craig Sheffer), 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. A flashback shows Walton being experimented upon against his will.
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.
He claimed to have flown the ship at the end of the "abduction" event, which was not portrayed in the film.
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
[edit] External links
- Fire in the Sky at the Internet Movie Database
- Fire in the Sky at Allmovie
- Fire in the Sky at Rotten Tomatoes
- Fire in the Sky -vs- Communion at Movie Smackdown
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