Space 1999 (1 Viewer)

[BobO'Link]

I have zero interest in those marionette shows too. The very idea of them reminds me of that godawful "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea" episode with Vincent Price.

I'm a big Vincent Price fan but don't like that episode because of the marionettes puppets. I actually rank it below "The Lobster Man" episode.

 

[SilverWook]

Problem is, those were hand puppets in that Voyage episode, not marionettes.

 

[BobO'Link]

Problem is, those were hand puppets in that Voyage episode, not marionettes.

Yep... basic brain fart. I'm not fond of either so guilt by association. Fixed.

 

[Nebiroth]

Although it has to be said that the stories in Anderson's "Supermarionation" series are so engaging that the viewer is quickly able to suspend their disbelief and forget they are watching marionettes at all. Espescially in Captain Scarlet, where the heads are so beautifuly made that sometimes you forget they aren't real actors - not least because by that time the electronics needed to work the features had been shrunk so that the heads could be in proper proportion to the bodies and there was no need of the oversized eyes and mouths that were the signature feature of the earlier shows.

Thunderbirds is, I think, probably the pinnacle of his creations although Scarlet is technically superior (at least as far as the marionettes are concerned). The quality, ambition and abundance of the model work is truly awe-inspiring.

The stories themselves are wonderful, and never descend to the hokum that Irwin Allen invariably resorted to - the Scarlet series is positively grim, when you consider when it was made and that it was a children's show Even watching it now you occasionally get that "wait a minute - this was a children's puppet show?" moment.

The world would be a poorer place without these unique creations. I rank Thunderbirds as one of my favourite series ever made and I never tire of watching the episodes again.

 

[kingfish]

what makes me wonder about these releases to bluray is that the studios should try to remove the wires from some of the scenes. some of the wires on the eagle shots stick out like a sore thumb. guardian of piri is an example of this. when the eagles are leaving the planet one can see the wires.

 

[Nebiroth]

One would assume because it would be phenomenally expensive - I can't see how you could possibly automate sucha process, so it would effectively be amending each from by hand, by digitally painting out the offending wires.

But this is, of course, the price you pay for viewing a show made for broadcast on the small, standard definition TV's of it's time, on massive screens in high definiton.

Things that become obvious never were up until this point. It becomes evident that certain Eagles are, in fact, simply photographs on flat card and that props and scenery are not metal at all, but painted wood. For example, it is much more evident that the interior of the Ulta Probe in Dragon's Domain is simply painted wood. You can see the grain under the paint!

 

[Regulus]

One has to remember these shows originally aired whem people viewed them on much smaller screens than what we have now. (I remember when a 25 inch screen cost more than what todays 50-Inch and larger screens cost today!) If seeing stuff like strings, wood grain and other stuff which would not be seen on older tvs upset you I don't know what brands of HDTVs have this feature but my set (Manufactured by Olevia) has a feature that lets you watch something on a smaller screen (about 20 Inches) which I call "Mill Creek Mode". (If you've ever watched something that was included in their "Shovelware" PD Box Sets you know what I'm talking about. Switch to a smaller screen and watch the strings disappear!

 

[Darby67]

Of course one thing to consider is the availability of the bonus "Message From Moonbase Alpha" feature. I can't remember if that was avaiable only in the first complete series boxed set or if it was part of the Megaset but I do know I can't feel comfortable owning the whole series without having that perfect coda to the series.

Jack:

It is on the the 30th Anniversary Megaset from A&E. I am waiting to hear more details on the upcoming re-releases of seasons 1 and 2 from Lionsgate, especially if the transers are better than the Megaset and also if they will contain "Message from Moonbase Alpha" before deciding which to purchase.

Darby

 

[Kevin EK]

A couple of quick notes:

"Message from Moonbase Alpha" was on a bonus disc included in the Megaset, but then sold as a separate disc. I bought it solo, somewhere around 2005 or so. The disc has three remastered episodes with commentaries, that short fan video, and a couple of odds and ends that were not included on the original A&E releases. The content of this bonus disc - the commentaries and "Message" - was not included in the 2010 Blu-ray set.

As for the level of detail visible in the Blu-rays, I agree. I discussed this at the time of release in terms of both being able to see a lot more good detail, and a lot more information you probably weren't supposed to see. For example, the lighting in some scenes winds up being much brighter than I remember either from the original broadcasts or from the SD DVDs - which reveals a lot of set details that we were not meant to see - labels on counters, etc. Some of the miniature work becomes very, very obvious - cutouts are usually given away pretty quickly, wires are visible, and the sense of mass and density can be lost in many shots. On the other hand, it's absolutely fascinating to see this level of detail, and my appreciation for the series has not been diminished.

 

[Darby67]

Amazon.com has the package art for Lionsgate's Season 1 and 2 DVD releases coming May 7th:

Season 1: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUDDMGU/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Season 2: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUDDOAO/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

The package art reveals that Season 1 will have 8 discs and Season 2 will have 9 discs, so the total matches the number of discs in the 30th Anniversary Megaset and, thus, it looks like it includes the bonus discs. No word yet on the quality of the transfers. My inner skeptic is thinking that this is just a cheaper repackage of the previously released A&E content, but hopefully we will get some type of confirmation on whether or not these will have new and improved transfers soon.

 

[Kevin EK]

My understanding is that this is the same material that was on the previous SD discs, just under a new banner now.

 

[SilverWook]

Scary to think I watched much of the original tv run on a 13 inch color set! Probably explains why I didn't see the strings on Captain Scarlet either.

I still have an old Laserdisc catalog stashed away someplace announcing the series release on the format. The ad copy touted new 35mm transfers which would best the 16mm syndication prints many tv stations originally used. It also made reference to one of the first season episodes being in stereo. (But not a modern remix.) Was stereo simulcasting around in 1975?

 

[ScottRE]

I'm a big Vincent Price fan but don't like that episode because of the marionettes puppets. I actually rank it below "The Lobster Man" episode.

The Deadly Dolls? Awesome episode! So much fun.

 

[Regulus]

I watched "Message from Moonbase Alpha" last night. Nice to know they found a Planet to colonise. How they fared is left to your imagination. With Jerry assuming room temperature last year we'll probably never know.

 

[SilverWook]

There was a blink and you'll miss it Space 1999 reference in the Archer season finale.

 

[SilverWook]

For those who have no idea what I was talking about.

 

[ScottRE]

That - is - awesome!

 

[Darby67]

I purchased the 2013 30th Anniversary Season One and Season Two sets and I love them. However, I did notice a discrepancy. The bonus disc from the 30th Anniversary Edition Megaset released in 2007 included the fan-produced short film entitled "Message from Moonbase Alpha", but the bonus disc for this 2013 30th Anniversary Season Two set appears to be missing it. The bonus discs for both releases appears to be the same except for this one item. Anybody know why A&E decided to remove from the 2013 release?

Darby

 

[AndyMcKinney]

I purchased the 2013 30th Anniversary Season One and Season Two sets and I love them. However, I did notice a discrepancy. The bonus disc from the 30th Anniversary Edition Megaset released in 2007 included the fan-produced short film entitled "Message from Moonbase Alpha", but the bonus disc for this 2013 30th Anniversary Season Two set appears to be missing it. The bonus discs for both releases appears to be the same except for this one item. Anybody know why A&E decided to remove from the 2013 release?

Darby

The rights to use it as an extra probably expired. Also, A&E are no longer the US distributors. The new sets are from Lions Gate.

 

[Darby67]

Thanks for the explanation, Andy.

Darby