"Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a
climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of
Thunderbirds is itself a master class in Gerry Anderson's
marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of
the fact that (a) the show is in color and (b) it's got puppets
in it? But everything about this series really is epic:
Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, predating such
high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armageddon by 30 years and
more (the acting is better, too), and fetishizing gadgets in a
way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to
rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are
by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like
The Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work
here. As for the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take
second place in the audiences' affections to their cool
machines--the real stars of the show--while comic is to be
found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls
(license plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker,
whose "Yes, milady" catchphrase resonated around school
playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John
Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio
for company.) The puppet stunt work is breathtakingly audacious,
and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly
choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies.
First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is
children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget
Hollywood.
On this DVD: International Rescue's very first adventure
provides a template for all the rest: in "Trapped in the Sky," an
experimental new aircraft becomes the target of an evil
Bond-style megalomaniac who wants to get his hands on all the
neat gear operated by the Tracey siblings. The show introduces,
in fetishistic detail, the recurring set-pieces: Thunderbird 1
taking off from the roll-back swimming pool, the question of
which pod Thunderbird 2 will use this week--the mole, or the
submarine, perhaps?--and so on. Nostalgia fans will be pleased to
learn that despite digital remastering the puppet strings are
still in evidence, and no a of high-tech restoration could
remove the clunky expository dialogue:
Stewardess: "It's the maiden flight of the new atomic-powered
Fireflash."
Passenger: "Isn't that the new aircraft that flies six times
the speed of sound?"
Stewardess: "That's right, but don't worry: it's perfectly
safe."
[Cut to: interior, Fireflash landing gear, a device clearly
labeled "Auto-Bomb Detonator Unit"]
Sinister bad guy (talking to himself for no readily apparent
reason): "Perfect. Enough explosives to smash the Atomic
Reactor."
In the second episode, "Pit of Peril," an absurdly impractical
U.S. Army vehicle falls into the eponymous pit, necessitating use
of pod 5, the mole. Joy! Four more episodes are included. --Mark
Walker
- Thunderbird I streaks into action at 15,000 mph. Thunderbird 2, close behind, delivers the world s most advanced rescue technology. International Rescue -- the supersecret organization founded by millionaire ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy and his sons -- will never give up at any cost!Welcome to Thunderbirds, Producer Gerry Anderson s (Space: 1999; Stingray; Captain let; Fireball XL5; and UFO) legend.