Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons - Vol. 5 - Episodes 25 To 32

Starring: Ed Bishop, Francis Matthews Director: Alan Perry, Brian Burgess, Ken Turner, Leo Eaton, Robert Lynn Original UK Premiere: 1967 Dvd Release: 12th November, 2001 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Region 2 Encoding

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Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons, often referred to in shorthand as simply Captain Scarlet, is a science fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Television company of Sylvia & Gerry Anderson & first shown in Britain between September 1967 & April 1968. It used puppetry & scale model special effects. The series was one of several of imaginative & popular science-fiction TV adventure series the Andersons produced in the 1960s, beginning with Supercar & followed by Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 & the little-seen The Secret Service. Scarlet was the first series made after the international success of Thunderbirds in 1964-66, which included two series of the TV show & two feature films. The basic premise, played out over 32 episodes, was that a special group, Spectrum, defend the Earth from the insidious plans of the alien Mysterons. On a mission to Mars in 2068, a Mysteron city was destroyed by Captain Black, leading the Mysterons to declare war on Earth.

First broadcast in 1967, Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons was the most grown-up of all Gerry Andersons SuperMarionation adventures. There are gadgets & toy-friendly machines galore, of course, like the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, the Angel Aircraft & Cloudbase itself, but, unlike the colourful fantasies of Stingray & Thunderbirds, this series concern with an implacable, vengeful enemy, conspiracies & double-agents drew its inspiration from James Bond & the Cold War spy dramas of the 1960s. Special effects whiz Derek Meddings imbues the action sequences with a truly Bondian grandeur and, like the sinister Spectre of the Bond films, the Martian Mysterons seem all the more hostile for their unseen presence, their agents infiltrating every organisation dedicated to their destruction just as it seemed the Soviets were doing at the time. The indestructible Captain Scarlet is killed then resurrected every week , & more often than not the unstoppable Mysterons emerge triumphant, & always undefeated. The varied cast of Spectrum agents & their voice characterisations also aim at verisimilitude , while the puppetry is more realistic than ever. Now with newly remastered picture & Dolby 5.1 surround sound, Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons still looks & sounds like the epitome of 60s cool.

Ed Bishop, is an American film & television actor based in Great Britain. Bishop is best known for his television roles working for producer Gerry Anderson, most notably his performance as Commander Ed Straker in the science fiction series, UFO, which was produced in 1969 & broadcast during 1970 - 1971. Bishop also provided the voice of Captain Blue for Andersons Supermarionation puppet series, Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons. Both series have become cult favorites. In UFO, Bishop dyed his dark hair blonde for the role of Straker, though he eventually started wearing a blonde wig instead.. Bishop made his film acting debut in a small role in Stanley Kubrick s 1962 adaptation of Lolita & he had small roles in the James Bond films You Only Live Twice & Diamonds Are Forever. A Space Odyssey. Bishop also provided vocal work for the animated version of Star Trek. Bishop continues to act on film & TV, usually in British & European productions & is a frequent guest at science fiction conventions.

Editors Choice: Ufo, Captain Scarlet, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, Vol 4, View DVDology

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