Any British Voyage fans on my flist?

[lil_shepherd]

I'm not sure if there are any British Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea fans on my flist who have not bought the Region 1 DVDs but if there are, then note that the DVDs are finally being released on Region 2, with the whole of Season 1 (and, in my opinion, the only really good season and the only one I bought as Region 1) released on 28th March this

Comments

[carl_allery]

Hmmm, been a long time since I watched that, though I did enjoy it as a kid - not quite as much as The Barrier Reef though. :) I may have to check out these DVDs of which you speak. I've become dubious of buying region 2 TV sets as so often they don't get the extras that the region 1 sets have - especially commentaries for some reason. :(

[lil_shepherd]

Not a lot of extras on the US ones, either. Due to most people involved being, like, you know, dead.

David Hedison is still with us, though.

[birdsedge]

David Hedison/Lee Crane was my first real love... (unless you count Doctor Kildare when I was about 8). I haven't seen Voyage for over 40 years. Will I be disappointed or re-delighted?

[lil_shepherd]

Mr Hedison remains one of my all-time favourite actors, and Lee Crane one of my favourite people.

As for whether you would be disappointed - well, that depends.

The first, black and white season, stands up remarkably well. It takes about four episodes for the actors to really 'find' their characters - Richard Basehart, in particular, but then they go on a roll. Episodes such as Submarine Sunk Here, The Fear Makers, The Condemned and Mutiny show the actors and scriptwriters at the top of their game. The best are taut cold war and/or SF thrillers, with villains who are far from evil. Of course, some of the FX isn't up to much compared with the current stories... and there is one awful clunker of a script ("Long Live the King") which was, admittedly, their Christmas episode, with all that that implies and another that uses footage from The Lost World that is just embarrassing, but, otherwise, the series maintains a high level

[themis1]

I have some of it, but not all, and it will be nice to complete the collection!

[lil_shepherd]

Can I bear to have some episodes in the house, though. The Haunted Submarine? Fires of Death? The Terrible Leprachaun? The Wax Men? (Yes, I know, I know, everyone seems to like that one except me.)

Can I bear to watch Return of the Phantom?

I vant the body of your captain and I mean to have it.

*groan*

[themis1]

Ahoya! Ahoya! Ahoya!

Sorry!

I always had the theory that the later episodes were the stories the crew told their kids because they couldn't tell them what they'd really been doing Which makes them amusing rather than irritating, on the whole!

The jungle fighter one has to be the pits, I'll open the betting on which crew member thought that was a credible story ...!

[lil_shepherd]

I work on the theory that there are two different universes, one in which the first season takes place and one in which the other seasons take place. The latter is a verrrry strange universe.

[cordeliadelayne]

Ooh, actually I'm a big Voyage fan. I may be tempted to buy these.

[lil_shepherd]

The American series one DVDs that I have are beautifully transferred. Of course, black and white film often transfers very well indeed, particularly if the original negatives are still available.

Certainly, when Channel 4 showed the whole damn lot (110 episodes) pretty much in order (except The Magnus Beam being moved because of the Gulf War) it was plainly from a new print.

(Voyage was my first real fannish love - or can't you tell?)

[john_booth]

The flying sub rules (but not in season 1)

Actually tried to sell the flying sub concept to Cranfield a year or two ago as an unmanned vehicle.

Yes, I have no shame at all.

[lil_shepherd]

Yes, I have no shame at all.

Now, there's a surprise!