Black Sunday (1977 film)

For the Italian film by Mario Bava, see Black Sunday (1960 film).
Black Sunday
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Frankenheimer
Screenplay byErnest Lehman
Kenneth Ross
Ivan Moffat
Based onBlack Sunday
by Thomas Harris
Produced byRobert Evans
StarringRobert Shaw
Bruce Dern
Marthe Keller
Fritz Weaver
Bekim Fehmiu
CinematographyJohn A. Alonzo
Edited byTom Rolf
Music byJohn Williams
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • April 1, 1977 (1977-04-01)
Running time
143 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million[1]
Box office$15.8 million[2]

Black Sunday is a 1977 American action thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer and based on Thomas Harris's novel of the same name. It was produced by Robert Evans, and stars Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern and Marthe Keller. It was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1978.[3] The screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman, Kenneth Ross and Ivan Moffat. Ross had previously written the screenplay for The Day of the Jackal, a similar plot-driven political thriller. The inspiration of the story came from the Munich massacre, perpetrated by the Black September organization against Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics, giving the title for the novel and film.[4]

  1. ^ Armstrong, Stephen B. (2013-03-22). John Frankenheimer: Interviews, Essays, and Profiles. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890572.
  2. ^ Black Sunday (1977) – Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ "The Edgar® Award Winners And Nominees Award Category." Archived 2018-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Mystery Writers of America. Retrieved: August 20, 2012.
  4. ^ "Black Sunday (1977)." Archived August 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: August 21, 2012.