eye contact

>"Pam McCaughey" <[hidden email]>
wrote:
>One of things that I find sad is that there are some folks on the egroup
>who
>think most of the UFO actors were very poor performers. I don't agree. I've
>seen stellar performances from them all at some point in the eps I have and
>sometimes they have to convey concern or emotion with their eyes - which is
>a difficult thing to do - and they do it beautifully. Bishop and Billington
>were particularly adept at eye contact.

Pam,
I watched "A Question of Priorities" the other night and gritted my teeth
through the entire episode. Which is a normal reaction for me whenever Mary
is featured. Why DID they match him with such a bitch? Anyway, the hardest
scene to get through was when Straker called the hospital to be told that
his son wasn't there under the name Straker. I remembered the scene very
well even after 25 years, but had never realized before why it stayed with
me so well. It's because of Ed Bishop's performance. I don't think I've
ever seen an actor portray so much emotional pain with just his eyes. It
was an incredible and moving performance.

Also, I caught this time around his compassionate look at Foster after the
sentencing in "Court Martial". Wow! I was floored! I have long felt that
British actors have a better handle on subtlety than nearly any American
actor I can name. And UFO was no different. If fans don't catch the
subtlety, perhaps they're just too young (as I was when I first watched it)
or aren't film buffs. Sometime, contrast the portrayal of Straker against
Landau's Commander Koenig in Space:1999. Now there's poor acting! And from
a well-known actor, no less!

I don't know if you get the chance to watch the episodes often, but did you
ever catch the Hitchcockian touch in "Timelash" when Straker is looking at
the frozen workmen with the big hand? It's not in the original script, but
the director did the shot from behind Straker and showed him clenching his
fist. Very subtle. And very powerful! It reminded me so much of something
that Alfred Hitchcock would have done as a director. Perhaps the show's
director was a fan of Hitchcock!

Anyway, I agree with you that the eye contact was a very subtle and
important part of the character development in the show. And you just don't
find that very often in American programs.
Yours,
Denise
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Hi Denise,

> I watched "A Question of Priorities" the other night and gritted my
teeth through the entire episode. Which is a normal reaction for me
whenever Mary is featured. Why DID they match him with such a bitch?

Surely her reaction is normal ? Having married a career military
officer, he evades questions as to why he is never home. Followed by
a private detective, he meets an attractive woman (Dolores Mantez, if
memory serves) and takes her to a private apartment on a regular
basis. Asked about his odd hours, disappearances and liaisons, he is
evasive and shifty.

Conclusion ?

He's the head of the world's organisations against an alien
invasion...

Don't think so !

<<Anyway, the hardest scene to get through was when Straker called
the hospital to be told that his son wasn't there under the name
Straker. I remembered the scene very well even after 25 years, but
had never realized before why it stayed with me so well. It's
because of Ed Bishop's performance. I don't think I've ever seen an
actor portray so much emotional pain with just his eyes. It was an
incredible and moving performance.>>

He made his choice. Couldn't even divert a SHADO plane for _an hour_
to save the life of his son ! What a bastard ! (excuse my language).
Had Mary realised _this_, her reaction would surely have been a good
deal _more_ extreme, not less !

(See what you're saying, but... with the passage of time - or just
getting older - the lack of humanity in Straker becomes more of a
point of disagreement for me)...

Regards,

Andy

[hidden email] wrote:

> Hi Denise,
>
> > I watched "A Question of Priorities" the other night and gritted my
> teeth through the entire episode. Which is a normal reaction for me
> whenever Mary is featured. Why DID they match him with such a bitch?
>
> Surely her reaction is normal ? Having married a career military
> officer, he evades questions as to why he is never home. Followed by

No, she married an INTELLIGENCE officer and she knew it - she should
have KNOWN there would be things he couldn't tell her about. (She
understood when he got called away on their honeymoon).

> a private detective, he meets an attractive woman (Dolores Mantez, if
> memory serves) and takes her to a private apartment on a regular

No, only that once - for the big meeting before the office opened
officially. That was her mother's fault, but she COULD have listened ...

> basis. Asked about his odd hours, disappearances and liaisons, he is
> evasive and shifty.

He's an INTELLIGENCE officer!

> Conclusion ?
>
> He's the head of the world's organisations against an alien
> invasion...
>
> Don't think so !

She's a bitch.

He DID divert it - Alec diverted it BACK!

> Had Mary realised _this_, her reaction would surely have been a good
> deal _more_ extreme, not less !

It's HER fault the kid got hit in the first place!

> (See what you're saying, but... with the passage of time - or just
> getting older - the lack of humanity in Straker becomes more of a
> point of disagreement for me)...

Mary is the screacher creature - can't stand her.

-- Y


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I fully agree with Pam and Denise. The actors on UFO are marvelous. I was
having a discussion about this on another group and talking about how in the
States a performer has to be almost over the top for people to notice things.
I always have remembered the look of utter sadness on Gay's face as
Roper was dying at the end of Flight Path. Her eyes spoke volumes. She also
has another good eye scene at the end of Close Up where she is standing with
the macro camera attached to her thigh and she makes eye contact with
Straker. There was a whole other conversation going on between her and the
Commander with their eyes besides what they were saying vervally.

Belated Welcome Denise.

James K.

Thanks Denise (and welcome!) for bringing up the topic of how much
the UFO actors did with their various non verbal reactions and bits
of business to bring the scripts to life. I agree with you
especially as regards the expressive eyes of both Ed Bishop and
Michael Billington. When I first started watching UFO again in the
mid 90s, I expected to just enjoy the flamboyant costumes, score, the
baroque late Sixties camera angles, etc. It was a surprise to become
so riveted by the actual performances the actors were giving,
especially Messrs. Bishop and Billington.

I've already raved too much (for some, at least) on this list about
Michael Billington, so I'll just mention the phenomenally expressive
eyes of Ed Bishop. A constant source of wonder and understated
dramatic lyricism. Mr. Bishop's eyes give so much to let us however
briefly into the thoughts of Ed Straker--a man who would prefer to
have the world ONLY see the tough facade of "Commander Straker."

Incidentally, I have to comment about how much I'm enjoying the
exchanges about Mary Straker. I thought I was the only one who found
the woman incredibly annoying and strident. From now on, I shall
think of her as "Mary the Screecher" and reading these posts actually
makes me want to watch "Confetti Check A-OK" again.

All that said--the episode that made me a UFO addict for life (and
the first one I saw that Summer) was Ordeal. Even though it is given
a "D" rating as the poorest episode of the entire series on the
simplenet page, I found the story--and Mr. Billington's performance--
completely riveting. The party sequence at the beginning was such a
welcome relief from the typical gritty UFO atmosphere, too, and I'm
told that costume designer Sylvia Anderson makes an appearance as a
dancer, too!

Am off to the Vermont (USA--North America) woods tomorrow. See you
all Tues., or thereabouts.

Steve

[hidden email] wrote:

> He made his choice. Couldn't even divert a SHADO plane for _an
> hour_ to save the life of his son ! What a bastard ! (excuse
> my language). Had Mary realised _this_, her reaction would
> surely have been a good deal _more_ extreme, not less !
>

You know - even though the life of his son was at stake,
remember that the SHADO aircraft was diverted by Freeman as
part of an operation where other lives were at risk from the
presence of a UFO.

In fact some would say (as I have) that Straker should not
have been playing private ambulances with the taxpayers'
property anyway - it's a clear abuse of his power, even if
he did only have it leave early. It's not a question of
the inconvenience or expense compared to the value of his
son's life - it's more that it's an unfortunate precedent,
and a favour he would probably deny to a subordinate.

As far as Mary is concerned I think it's grossly unfair to
describe her as a 'bitch'. Yes, she gets hysterical an angry,
but her son's life is in danger after all. Yes, she leaves
Straker, but she seriously believes he is cheating on her
and he is unable to explain why. She's not my type but I
wouldn't call her a 'bitch' either.

James

James wrote:

I find it really bizarre to find people praising the
acting of Gabrielle Drake and Michael Billington in UFO.
I mean - if that's not poor acting - what is? It's a
stretch to describe Gabrielle Drake as an actor at all -
she basically just stands or sits there, looking wide-eyed
and nervous until its her turn to recite her next line.
I don't really know if she's improved much, perhaps she had
slightly when she was in Crossroads in the '80s - I don't
really remember - but in UFO she displays all the acting
talent of a railway station announcer. She never seems to
put any real energy or emotion into her role. Frankly, the
Thunderbirds puppets give more natural, human performances.

I've just watched the end of Flight Path again as a reality
check, and I really do think she manages very badly. Very
self-conscious and uncomfortable, very forced, very awkward
timing and nothing that looks like a lifelike human reaction.

I'm sorry to diss her, but it's a long time ago after all
and I just find it hard to see people expressing views with
which I disagree vehemently without sticking up for reality.
You've all expressed your opinions, this is mine.

There are many reasons to like UFO. The basic premise
was fantastic, and the costumes and the models gave it a
distinctive, unique flavour. Like Thunderbirds, it's often
dramatic and exciting. Michael Billington and Ed Bishop,
while not particularly talented actors, were clearly very
charismatic performers with a lot of presence, as their
continuing popularity here attests. But the acting was,
to put it mildly, of a rather low standard. I'm honestly
amazed to see people defend it in such glowing terms.

Best,
James

Okay, just exactly WHY the heck do you bother watching the show at all,
James?? A premise? Costumes? Hardly seems worth it. If you HATE the
acting so damned much, why don't you move on to some better acted show?
I'm sure you could find one SOMEwhere.

-- Yuchtar

James Gibbon wrote:

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Yuchtar writes:
>Okay, just exactly WHY the heck do you bother watching the show at all,
>James?? A premise? Costumes? Hardly seems worth it. If you HATE the
>acting so damned much, why don't you move on to some better acted show?
>I'm sure you could find one SOMEwhere.

Yuchtar, did you *read* James' message? He stated quite clearly
what he likes about UFO -- right here:

> > There are many reasons to like UFO. The basic premise
> > was fantastic, and the costumes and the models gave it a
> > distinctive, unique flavour. Like Thunderbirds, it's often
> > dramatic and exciting. Michael Billington and Ed Bishop,
> > while not particularly talented actors, were clearly very
> > charismatic performers with a lot of presence, as their
> > continuing popularity here attests.

Just because this a UFO discussion list, doesn't mean that
it has to be a love-fest. The actors themselves have said
that they weren't very satisfied by their performances, so
it shouldn't be surprising if some of the fans agree with
them!

--
Marc Martin, [hidden email]

Marc Martin wrote:

> Yuchtar writes:
> >Okay, just exactly WHY the heck do you bother watching the show at all,
> >James?? A premise? Costumes? Hardly seems worth it. If you HATE the
> >acting so damned much, why don't you move on to some better acted show?
> >I'm sure you could find one SOMEwhere.
>
> Yuchtar, did you *read* James' message? He stated quite clearly
> what he likes about UFO -- right here:

Yeah, the premise and the costumes - oh, and models too <nod nod> -
yeah, I read it.

Lovefest, no - but it shouldn't be a bashfest either.


-- Y


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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Don't philosophise with me, you electronic
moron! Answer the question!
-- Kerr Avon
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Hi James,

<<Straker should not have been playing private
ambulances with the taxpayers'property anyway - it's a
clear abuse of his power, even if he did only have it
leave early. It's not a question of the inconvenience
or expense compared to the value of his son's life -
it's more that it's an unfortunate precedent, and a
favour he would probably deny to a subordinate.>>

To my mind, anyone who can put their child's, let
alone their only child's, life before any other
consideration is lacking in humanity to an extent I
hope never to reach.

<<As far as Mary is concerned I think it's grossly
unfair to describe her as a 'bitch'. Yes, she gets
hysterical an angry, but her son's life is in danger
after all. Yes, she leaves Straker, but she seriously
believes he is cheating on her and he is unable to
explain why. She's not my type but I wouldn't call
her a 'bitch' either.>>

You state the situation very well, and I agree with
you one hundred per cent.

Regards,

Andy


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Andy wrote:
I understand that completely and I'm sure that a lot of people
would do the same - but at the same time someone entrusted
with the responsibility to manage billions of pounds worth of
the taxpayers' hardware just shouldn't be permitted to treat
it as personal property for whatever reason. If Keith Ford
came knocking on Straker's door asking for a similar favour,
what would the response be? I know it's tragic, of course, and
I do find the scene at the hospital at the end really harrowing.
It's one of the two episodes I find really uncomfortable to watch
(the other being Survival).

Actually, come to think of it, the girl who plays Mary (whatever
you may think of her character) gives a very creditable acting
performance in that episode.

I suppose what annoys me about AQOP is the fact that Straker's
use of SHADO aircraft is never questioned or highlighted as
an issue, it just seems to be given that Straker's power gives
him the right to appropriate SHADO facilities for personal use.
Just seems like an abuse of power, that's all.

Yuchtar wrote:
> Okay, just exactly WHY the heck do you bother watching the show
> at all, James?? A premise? Costumes? Hardly seems worth it. If
> you HATE the acting so damned much, why don't you move on to
> some better acted show? I'm sure you could find one SOMEwhere.
>

Well, because I like it. I don't hate the acting, I just
don't think it's competent. I know people here disagree, and
that's fine. For what it's worth, I really like Thunderbirds
and Stingray as well. But the main players don't give very
natural performances in those two programmes either.

So while it would have been great if UFO had been well acted
it's not a showstopper that it wasn't (generally speaking -
still think Vladek Sheybal was a superb actor).

I sort of regret weighing in with scathing rhetoric about it
in my usual subtle manner, but others raised the subject of
the acting on UFO, not me and when you see a point of view
you strongly disagree with on a discussion group it's only
reasonable to express your own.

I honestly do love UFO. Why else would I take part in this
discussion group, and bother to go out and buy VHS copies of
all the episodes? But it was seriously flawed in my opinion.
The scripts were often illogical or half-baked and the acting was
consistently substandard. And that's not a controversial view,
either - It was panned for its wooden acting by the critics
when it came out and understandably so.

Yet I really do think the good points - the originality of
the premise, the sinister way the Aliens are portrayed, the
brilliant hardware and effects, the rousing theme music (I
still get goosebumps every time I hear that teletype clatter),
the atmosphere of an unfamiliar near future where people wear
Nehru suits, drive gas-turbine cars on the right, and emerge
from craters on the Moon in gleaming white craft with phallic
missiles to do battle with a mysterious enemy from a doomed
planet - hugely outweigh the drawbacks.


Cheers
James

Sure, more peaceful and the bodycount would be lower too. James viewing
Amelia's handy work.

Care to hold my coat while I tell Dave the rules of a knife fight?

James K.