"If the stars were to appear but one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which they had seen." So goes the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that inspired editor John Campbell to pose it as a story idea to Isaac Asimov.
The result was the classic short story, "Nightfall". Every thousand years, a world bathed by the perpetual light of six suns, experiences total darkness. What would happen to society? How would people react? What kind of society would evolve where lights aren't needed... Asimov's short story touches on all these.
Unfortunately, where Asimov succeeded Hollywood has not. While this is a far better movie than the 1988 production, it still falls short.
Mainly, it is not really true to the story, but as best as I can tell takes place 1000 years after the time of Asimov's story, at the next nightfall. The plot and the acting aren't bad, but they aren't great either.
If you've never read the short story, it's worth a rental. If you have read Nightfall, it's worth a rental just to finally get rid of the sour taste from the 1998 production.
