Mike Billington and Alan Perry Commentaries

Just wondered if any of the regular Actors or Directors on UFO were critical during the filming, of some of the inconsistencies from one script to the next.For instance
in Kill Straker both Commander Straker and Moonbase
are targeted in a rather drawn out fashion.Yet in other episodes like Survival and The Psychobombs opportunities
to easily eliminate both are deliberately ignored for the sake of the narrative.

Mark UK



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"Mark Davies" wrote:

> For instance in Kill Straker both Commander Straker and Moonbase
> are targeted in a rather drawn out fashion. Yet in other
> episodes like Survival and The Psychobombs opportunities to easily
> eliminate both are deliberately ignored for the sake of the
> narrative.
>

I'm not sure that, in Survival, the stranded Alien is really
operating with the complete Alien anti-SHADO strategy in mind,
rather his predicament has turned him into an individual by the
time he meets Foster.

However I must admit that it's convenient that he doesn't have
something more powerful than a rifle to attack Moonbase with - it
can't be beyond the Aliens' capabilities to come up with a
portable weapon that would destroy Moonbase in its entirety with
a couple of well-aimed shots - its environment makes it extremely
vulnerable.

In general I very much agree with you about inconsistencies in
the ideas from script to script.

James

James concluded his message with:

>In general I very much agree with you about >inconsistencies in
>the ideas from script to script.

The thing is James that despite this,UFO remains for me
a remarkable series.As has been said elsewhere on this board the concept was brilliant,clearly the product of a very
fertile imagination.The series highlighted every aspect of UFO folklore,in a way that I don,t think the X-files came near to emulating.You could say I suppose that X-files was more mature,more intelligent more sophisticated.But UFO had character,it had a heart,an appeal that was simply undeniable.The stories were very simply constructed,yet the
concept which underlied them was solid.
Take the Aliens for example.Steven Spielberg and John Carpenter said. if you want to create fear and tension always make your enemies faceless and unknowable.This
hightens the sense of conflict,and conflict is the essence of any good story.The Aliens in UFO were exactly this.Gerry Anderson had pre-figured both Spielberg and Carpenter by at least ten years not only with the idea of the Aliens in UFO but also with the Mysterons in Captain Scarlet.
Yet UFO was also topical,it contained glamour,superb special effects (for its time) and in my opinion contained one of the most unique metaphors in TV series history in locating a secret organisation below a working film studio.
Many identify that fact with one of economy,I don,t! I think it
was pure inspiration.

Mark UK




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on the FANDERSON web site at:
http://www.fanderson.org.uk/news.html#SBFA

--
Angelo Finamore
--

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--
Angelo Finamore
--

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Mark Davies wrote:

<<one of the most unique metaphors in TV series
history in locating a secret organisation below a
working film studio.
Many identify that fact with one of economy,I don,t! I
think it was pure inspiration.>>

And one which enabled Gerry Anderson, film producer,
to reflect his own situation in that of the Straker
character (eg conflict between work situation and his
family life, getting funding from General
Henderson/Lew Grade to run the organisation), and thus
IMO giving the Straker character an added element of
realism.

Andy


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