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SPACE: 1999 Season 2 Coming To Blu-Ray! (1 Viewer)

AndyMcKinney

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Here's an update, proving that Network have been busy:


Exclusive SPACE 1999 screening at Andercon!

We are pleased to announce an exclusive first look at a very special SPACE 1999 episode, thanks to our friends at Network.

The remastered series two episode “Seed of Destruction” has been re-versioned into a series one format, featuring the series one theme and a newly edited Barry Gray incidental score.

This unique episode will be shown in high definition on the big screen during our Top Secret Briefing on Saturday night at the Athena. (And we will also be showing another newly remastered HD episode from series two on Sunday afternoon.)

Andercon is a rare chance to appreciate classic Gerry Anderson productions in HD on the big screen.

For all the details and to get tickets: http://www.andercon.co.uk/

Before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, I'm sure the standard, Year 2 version will definitely be on the release. It would be an interesting treat if the Year 1 version turned up as an extra, though.
 

AndyMcKinney

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I'm a bit surprised no one has posted this yet.


For all the naysayers out there, Network have finally confirmed that Year Two will be released on blu-ray (and re-released--using the HD remaster--on DVD) this autumn (in the UK).


Confirmation can be found here (scroll about halfway down to read, and also view the photo of the package art and the promotional poster that was on display at the UK Anderson convention, where this was announced).


A US distribution partner hasn't been announced yet.
 

youworkmen

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Network confirmed a UK release of year 2 for this Autumn 9 months ago when the Limited Edition of Bringers of Wonder was announced . Why would anyone doubt it?


Andercon was just a reminder but they sponsored the event and presented the odd curiosity of Seed of Destruction with Year One credits and incidental music.

10 minutes of such a novelty might be good but doing an entire episode seems a bit of a waste of time that could be spent speeding up Year 2
 

AndyMcKinney

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youworkmen said:
Network confirmed a UK release of year 2 for this Autumn 9 months ago when the Limited Edition of Bringers of Wonder was announced . Why would anyone doubt it?

I don't know, but there were people doubting it, since there wasn't a lot of word on the subject (and there had been delays in the past). However, revealing the package art and printing a poster with the date (well, season) makes it a bit more "real."
 

youworkmen

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I guess US fans feel a bit left out since there's still no word on the Shout release.

Should note that the Bluray sets of Network often come with the older bonus features on a dvd.

Just checked the Year One set and while it remains Networks one and only region free Bluray release of ITC product the dvd's in the set are region 2 and 4 only


I know this is the wrong thread but I think you are the Filmation man. Did you know the Flash Gordon series out in the UK has a cut version of episode 1 but the Australian version is complete? The UK version fades out a split second after the final scene begins and then goes to the end titles thus missing out over a minute of footage
 

Tom St Jones

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Unless for some reason it's not doable, I think A&E will attempt to re-license the series now that the second season is finally prepared. I'm sure they would love to have a complete series set out at some point, too.
 

youworkmen

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Tom St Jones said:
Unless for some reason it's not doable, I think A&E will attempt to re-license the series now that the second season is finally prepared. I'm sure they would love to have a complete series set out at some point, too.

Can't see that happening. A&E haven't relicenced any of the other Anderson shows so no reason for ITV to let A&E cherry pick one of the only titles completely brand new in the US and leave Shout with the reissues.

Shout clearly have a current contract with ITV so I would expect them to have first refusal. Shout have even paid for the documentaries included so far so they are not doing half measures.
 

Kevin EK

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Here's the Network list of special features:


Long awaited on Blu-ray, the second series Gerry Anderson's cult sci-fi series is presented here as a stunning High Definition restoration for the very first time. All 24 episodes, presented here in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with optional original mono or new 5.1 soundtracks, are featured alongside a wealth of special features, including:


[] Music-only tracks on all episodes

[] Unexposed: Behind the Scenes of Series Two - filming The Mark of Archanon

[] Stock Footage Archive: alternate takes and unused shots

[] Production Audio: original source recordings for material from four episodes

[] Cosmos: 1999: a stop-motion fan film from 1979

[] Martin Landau: in-depth interview from 1994

[] Archive Interviews with cast and crew

[] Seed of Destruction: the series two episode re-edited and re-scored as if it were made for series one

[] Outtake: a blooper featured in It'll Be All Right on the Night

[] Trailers and promos: contemporary promotional material for the UK and US

[] Behind the Scenes - Model Shop: footage taken during The AB Chrysalis - with Brian Johnson commentary

[] Clean series two titles

[] Image galleries of rare and previously unseen stills

[] Script and annual PDFs

- See more at: http://networkonair.com/shop/2285-space-1999-the-complete-series-2-blu-ray-pre-buy-5027626706845.html#sthash.2k1H0ExD.dpuf


Sadly, there does not seem to be an update of the "These Episodes" featurettes/interviews, and there are no episodic commentaries. I had hoped that they had recorded such material with the various participants (Gerry Anderson, Johnny Byrne, etc) when they did the interviews for Series One in 2005. It looks like they missed the opportunity, and it's now unfortunately too late. The extras also do not include the materials from the great Fanderson documentary about Series Two - although some of that material was pretty unhappy, so it's understandable why they may have refrained.


I'm personally thinking this may wind up being a Shout Factory release in the U.S., but one way or the other, I believe something is coming to us later this year. Just not by the 28th of September. I'm fairly surprised that they suddenly announced a release for one month from now.


Network is saying that this is a Region B release. I'd love to be able to confirm if that's the case.
 

smithbrad

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At almost a $100 US, I will have to wait a bit on this one, but I'm sure it will come down. In the meantime that gives me a chance to wait and see if a region A release will be available.
 

turtledove

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Kevin EK said:
Network is saying that this is a Region B release. I'd love to be able to confirm if that's the case.

Year One was released region free but it would seem to have been an error because every single ITC Bluray from Network after that has been locked to Region B including the Year Two sampler disc of The Bringers of Wonder last year.

I would say the chances of this not being region B locked are slim to nil
 

AndyMcKinney

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turtledove said:
Year One was released region free but it would seem to have been an error because every single ITC Bluray from Network after that has been locked to Region B including the Year Two sampler disc of The Bringers of Wonder last year.

I would say the chances of this not being region B locked are slim to nil

Maybe licencing arrangements with the ITC catalogue have changed and added a "region lockdown" stipulation to make the properties more attractive/lucrative for Shout! (and/or whoever else) when they do a US version.


One good thing about that (if you can call it that): I'm sure that the property owners at least want a US release to happen, otherwise, why tie Network's hands? If there were absolutely no plans to try to sell this in the USA, it'd make sense to leave the Network version unlocked so that they could sell to as many people worldwide as possible.
 

AndyMcKinney

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Kevin EK said:
Sadly, there does not seem to be an update of the "These Episodes" featurettes/interviews, and there are no episodic commentaries. I had hoped that they had recorded such material with the various participants (Gerry Anderson, Johnny Byrne, etc) when they did the interviews for Series One in 2005. It looks like they missed the opportunity, and it's now unfortunately too late. The extras also do not include the materials from the great Fanderson documentary about Series Two - although some of that material was pretty unhappy, so it's understandable why they may have refrained.


I'm personally thinking this may wind up being a Shout Factory release in the U.S., but one way or the other, I believe something is coming to us later this year. Just not by the 28th of September. I'm fairly surprised that they suddenly announced a release for one month from now.


Network is saying that this is a Region B release. I'd love to be able to confirm if that's the case.

If there are no recent cast interviews, I'm not at all surprised. Back when Year One was released, Network claimed that they weren't 100% sure if they'd even tackle Year Two, so I'm sure they saw absolutely no reason to "bank" material for a Year Two release. If they had firm plans, then it would've been foolish not to, given the age of some of the Year One participants at that time (who are now no longer with us).


As for Network possibly shying away from "unhappy" material in the extras, I doubt it. After all, their Year One set had an interview with Sylvia Anderson where she stated her opinion that she wasn't 100% satisfied with the casting of Landau and Bain, and Gerry had made mention of how he had to go in and "save" the pilot episode after the studio (and Landau/Bain)-recommended director Lee H. Katzin made a pig's ear of it. True, A&E trimmed back some of the negative stuff on the US release, but I don't think Network would avoid something just because it was critical of the material.


Maybe the extras list isn't 100% complete? I find it hard to believe that Network wouldn't at least strip the Year Two-specific "meat" off the bones of those Kindred/Fanderson documentaries that they raided for material last time out. That would seem to be a very inexpensive "extra" (unless Fanderson jacked up the licencing fees).


I hope, at the very least, that all of the extras from the US/UK Year Two DVDs are carried over so that no-one feels they have to cling to those discs. I'm sure Message From Moonbase Alpha might still be AWOL, but at least that was made available as a separate bonus disc.
 

turtledove

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AndyMcKinney said:
Maybe licencing arrangements with the ITC catalogue have changed and added a "region lockdown" stipulation to make the properties more attractive/lucrative for Shout! (and/or whoever else) when they do a US version.


One good thing about that (if you can call it that): I'm sure that the property owners at least want a US release to happen, otherwise, why tie Network's hands? If there were absolutely no plans to try to sell this in the USA, it'd make sense to leave the Network version unlocked so that they could sell to as many people worldwide as possible.

With the exception of Space 1999 Year One all ITV titles from Network are locked , no doubt to deter the importing that went on with Year One.

Region locking is there for just one reason - to enable the copyright owner to distribute said product in other territories.

There's little doubt that there is a market for this set in the US and there is no doubt in my mind that there will be a release in the not too distant future.

The only uncertainty is whether Shout will release it or one of the other companies that have current deals with ITV.

I don't know the exact specs of the finances behind it but as I understand it Network themselves made an unspecified contribution toward the restoration costs and 5.1 mixes - maybe even all of it.

ITV are noticeably uninterested in Bluray nor preparing HD masters for much of the content they own even for broadcast.

SO whether Network get to work out a US deal in exchange for the restoration costs I don't know.


And in the commercial world, I doubt that even if it was known that there would never be a US release that ITV would be happy to allow Network to release region free product and profit from sales to countries they're not licenced to sell to although they do offer a mail order service from their website to non UK countries which is not something oiffered by some US companies like Synapse, Code Red etc
 

turtledove

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AndyMcKinney said:
I hope, at the very least, that all of the extras from the US/UK Year Two DVDs are carried over so that no-one feels they have to cling to those discs. I'm sure Message From Moonbase Alpha might still be AWOL, but at least that was made available as a separate bonus disc.

Not sure what the US set had but the UK and identical Australian sets only had the cast and crew interviews as substantial extras and I belive they are covered in the listings for the new release. The rest was just a few text screens and stills.


Message from Moonbase Alpha is available in the UK as a bonus feature on Fandersons dvd of The Space 1999 Documentary. With 50 minutes on each season that would have been a worthwhile bonus on this Bluray and their UFO Documentary was a bonus on the Australian dvd of UFO
 

Kevin EK

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As I understand it, Shout Factory is not likely to be handling Series Two of Space: 1999.

I'm now doubting whether we'll see it released in the US for another 6 months or more - assuming that an American distributor picks it up.

I'd love to think otherwise, but haven't seen any indication that an American Blu-ray company wants to work with Network on this at this time.

I do think we'll eventually see it here, but we should remember that it took over 5 years for the last UK Space: 1999 DVD release to make its way to these shores - and that was only due to the potential advantages of presenting the restorations of Series One in HD.
 

Tom St Jones

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My OCD hates having wildly dissimilar spines on the shelf next to each other, that's why I'm kinda hoping A&E will get the license back. :)

From what I've heard, the show has been very lucrative for them.
 

AndyMcKinney

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Tom St Jones said:
My OCD hates having wildly dissimilar spines on the shelf next to each other, that's why I'm kinda hoping A&E will get the license back. :)

From what I've heard, the show has been very lucrative for them.

The only thing that makes me doubt that, though, is they allowed their licence either to lapse, or simply get transferred to Lionsgate, after A&E's distribution partner on the old DVDs, a company called "New Video", changed hands and got acquired by Lionsgate, as I understand it.


So, Lionsgate was the last company to release Space: 1999 discs in this country and it seems that if this isn't in Shout's plans, then they might be the ones to keep an eye on.


I wouldn't count on a potential US Year Two set being branded A&E (or matching the design of their Year One release). Even though the Lionsgate DVDs retained some of A&E's previous design, they did, at the very least, get rid of the custom typesetting of the series name and used the proper logo on their releases.


All of this combined makes me so glad I have the region-free modification for my players!
 

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