Posted by
Griff on
Jun 17, 2009; 7:57pm
URL: https://www.shado-forum.com/Disappointed-tp1512277p1512285.html
Hi Rebecca,
So sorry that's how you feel. The show is 40 years old, and that was a longtime ago. Things have moved on, and as someone else said, "In some ways for good, and in other ways not so." Who at the time UFO was made would ever have believed that we would be even discussing this show, (via email, web etc.) and probably all the other GA shows 40+ years on.
The special effects still do hold up despite being made "good enough for TV". I guess Derek Meddings would be cringing if he knew the kind of technology that would allow us to scrutinize his work to such depth... I think he could and should be mighty proud if this SFX work. Some of is is way more believable than many current digital offerings - currently the subject of another thread on this site.
It was the mid seventies before I ever saw UFO in colour, and the hair and makeup do come under strain in certain areas. But, again this show and the other were made at a time before VCR was coming on the scene, let alone DVD's satellite, and repeated showings. They were made under a strict budget, and were made to a very high standard for the day.
The thing I love about UFO is that it challenges ideas, sensibilities, is certainly provocative (in many areas) and promotes discussion.
I guess it's like living in the same house for 40 years; you get blind to the cracks and creeks, the untidy and out of place items. As a newbie walking into the house with fresh eyes, you see it blatantly for what it is, but I guess it takes 40 years to love the soul beneath the possibly jaded facade.
But hey, that's democracy, and to quote Voltaire, "I disapprove of what yousay, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
Best,
Griff
--- In
[hidden email], "aredhel1984" <aredhel1984@...> wrote:
>
> I joined this group a few weeks ago after buying the megaset. I set to watching it, hoping to revel in some childhood memories. But it was a huge disappointment. The writing on the show is so bad that I can't believe I everwatched this stuff at all. Some examples:
>
> Straker deliberately kills his own son because of a mission that ends up failing anyway. Calling that heroic is sick and anyone who says so shouldn't be allowed near children at all.
>
> Alec started out well, chatting up the women, seemed like a fun guy. But by episode three he was little more than a whining yes man to Straker. It'sa wonder they took so long to drop him.
>
> There's a 'he was only dreaming' episode, always a bad idea.
>
> By the end of the series they were resorting to cleavage. In the audio commentary, Wanda Wentham says that people still ask her to autograph photos of her in the purple shirt. Come on, guys, the woman's over seventy, get a girlfriend!
>
> Everyone talks like Julie Christie in 'Darling'.
>
> Straker finally gets his hands on an alien, but injects him with poisonous drugs after half a minute of interrogation, one of the setbacks of insisting on stand alone episodes.
>
> The DVD enhancement shows that Straker wears blue eye shadow. No one should ever take orders from a man who wears eye shadow. How could such a person be placed in charge of planetary security?
>
> There are some unncessarily futuristic features like Straker's lavish bar. What's wrong with a bottle? And no one should drink on the job.
>
> The clothes are horrible. Everyone seems to be wearing pyjamas.
>
> All the smoking is disgusting and makes the show look dated.
>
> Dr. Jackson is a 100% creep. My skin crawls when he's on the screen.
>
> Ah well, there's always Stargate.
>
> A disillusioned Rebecca.
>