The subject of Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub’s Der Tod des Empedokles (The Death of Empedocles, 1987) is the Greek pre-Socratic philosopher Empedocles (c. 490 BC – 430 BC), who lived in the Greek colony of Agrigentum in Sicily. His theories are mentioned in several of Plato’s dialogues. He maintained that all matter is made up of four irreducible elements water, earth, air and fire. A mystic and a poet, he is considered to be the founder of classical rhetoric. He is also thought to be the last Greek philosopher to write in verse; two fragments of his works survive Katharmoi (Purifications) and Peri Phuseôs (On Nature). An advocate of democracy, he came into conflict with his fellow citizens of Agrigentum and, as result, was banished with his young disciple, Pausanius. When he was asked to return, he preferred to commit suicide by throwing himself into the active volcano at Mount Aetna. The German writer Friedrich Hölderlin wrote two versions of Der Tod des Empedokles in 1798 and 1800, and a final third version in 1820, all three ultimately unfinished. They were conceived as five-act tragedies and all three differ in plot. According to Michael Hamburger, Hölderlin’s English-language translator, the main reason why Hölderlin finished no version of the play must be that he remained too closely identified with Empedocles, at the very period in his life when his own view of the poet as philosopher, prophet and priest – and as tragic hero – was subject to perpetual crisis and re-examination. Huillet-Straub’s The Death of Empedocles is based on Hölderlin’s first version (the longest of the three), whereas Black Sin is based on the third version.
菲利普（罗伯特·蒙哥马利 Robert Montgomery 饰）是衔着金汤匙出生的富家子弟，患有这精神疾病，在法国留学期间，他就曾因为病发而被关进了精神病院。之后，菲利普逃了出来，并且隐瞒了这些经历返回了英国，回家之后的菲利普和好友沃德（乔治·桑德斯 George Sanders 饰）同时爱上了女秘书斯特拉（英格丽·褒曼 Ingrid Bergman 饰），最终，斯特拉选择了菲利普。 结婚之后，菲利普精神上的问题开始逐渐的暴露，他对斯特拉有着异于常态的控制欲和占有欲，菲利普总是怀疑斯特拉和沃德之间存在着不伦的暧昧关系。母亲去世之后，公司交由菲利普管理，但他并不拥有管理公司的能力，因此公司里爆发了员工骚动，此时，是斯特拉和沃德挺身而出，平息了事端，这让菲利普对沃德更加的痛恨。
塔克中尉（丹尼斯·奎德 Dennis Quaid 饰）性格冲动，蔑视威权，但他同时是开发缩微飞行器技术的“阿尔法计划”的主驾驶员。塔克酒后胡作非为导致记者女友莉迪亚（梅格·瑞恩 Meg Ryan 饰）愤怒离去，当日的工作则同样遭遇了挫折——一群匪徒闯入研究中心，试图将研制中的缩微飞行器芯片夺走，研究员为了保住芯片，将已经进入缩微状态的塔克和飞行器注入了一名路人杰克（马丁·肖特 Martin Short 饰）的屁股，杰克是一名神经过敏的超市收银员，塔克在杰克的身体内部游走，帮助其躲过匪徒的追踪后返回研究中心求助，然而中心为利益决定放弃杰克体内的塔克，二人无奈只得自救，他们向莉迪亚求助，想要在塔克的氧气耗尽前夺回被抢走的芯片，令塔克恢复原来的大小……
1973年的第四次中东战争中，一架携带着核武器的以色列战机在叙利亚被击毁，核弹随之便被时间和风沙掩埋。然而29年后，核弹却被一对平民夫妇掘起，并廉价变卖给军火商，最后兜售给了恐怖分子，而这些恐怖分子正在策划一场在美国繁华集会地点的核爆，并将其嫁祸给俄罗斯，意在挑起新一轮世界大战。年轻警觉的CIA情报分析师杰克·瑞恩（本·阿弗莱克 Ben Affleck 饰）在与俄罗斯新任总统会面时，隐约感到事有蹊跷，并通过眼线很快洞察了恐怖分子的惊天阴谋。然而瑞恩的判断却未能得到局里的重视，在一筹莫展之际，他得到了资深睿智的老分析顾问威廉·卡伯特（摩根·弗里曼 Morgan Freeman 饰）的信任与合作，然而仅凭他们二人之力，能否赶在恐怖分子下手前找到核弹，阻止这一毁灭性的悲剧发生呢？ 本片改编自美国军事作家汤姆·克兰西的同名小说。
Loosely based on Kathryn Forbes' book -Mama's Bank Account-, this film actually contains richer detail and more intricate character- izations. In turn-of-the-century San Francisco, young Katrina Hansen chronicles episodes of life with her extended family, who combine traditional Norwegian values with modern American ways. So successful that it became a popular radio show, and then a TV sitcom, both with Barbara BelGeddes and Irene Dunne from the film.
