Thunderbirds Classic - Complete Collection (9-Disc Box Set)

Description

Product Description All thirty-two episodes of Gerry Anderson's cult Supermarionation series in one box set. In 'Trapped in the Sky', evil villain the Hood hatches a plot to photograph the Thunderbirds vehicles in action. 'Pit of Peril' sees International Rescue called in when the test drive of a new army vehicle goes awry. In 'The Perils of Penelope', Lady Penelope and prominent scientist Professor Borendor are kidnapped in a fiendish attempt to extort a secret fuel formula from the latter. 'Terror in New York City' sees Gordon Tracy racing to the rescue in Thunderbird 4 when a television reporter and his cameraman become trapped in a collapsing Empire State Building. In 'Edge of Impact', a Red Arrow aircraft crashes after being sabotaged by the Hood, and Thunderbird 2 speeds to the rescue. 'Day of Disaster' sees Gordon attempting to save two engineers trapped in a probe rocket which is set to self-destruct. In '30 Minutes After Noon', Scott, Virgil and Adam attempt to prevent the biggest nuclear bomb blast the world has ever seen. 'Desperate Intruder' sees the Hood attempting to beat Brains and Tin-Tin to a cache of treasure buried at the bottom of Lake Anasta. In 'End of the Road', the Tracy boys have to rescue a family friend stranded on a cliff edge without revealing their true identity. 'The Uninvited' sees Scott and a team of archaeologists captured in the desert by a pyramid-dwelling tribe. In 'Sun Probe', Thunderbird 3 speeds into space to prevent a spaceship from colliding with the sun. 'Operation Crash-Dive' sees International Rescue attempting to discover the reason for the recent Fireflash airliner crashes. In 'Vault of Death', a bank worker becomes trapped in a time-locked safe, with oxygen rapidly running out. 'The Might Atom' sees the Hood stealing a robotic rodent which he plans to use to spy on International Rescue. In 'City of Fire', a fire in a shopping mall requires the use of Brain's untested new cutting gas - but will it be safe? 'The Imposters' sees a bogus group impersonating the International Rescue team in an attempt to discredit them. In 'The Man from MI5', Lady Penelope finds herself in deadly danger when she follows the trail of a missing British spy. 'Cry Wolf' sees Thunderbird 1 drawn to a false alarm when two Australian boys play at International Rescue. In 'Danger at Ocean Deep', the Thunderbirds investigate the disappearance of a missing tanker and its potentially explosive cargo. 'Move and You're Dead' finds Alan and Grandma trapped on a bridge girder with a bomb following the former's triumph in the Parola Sands motor race. In 'The Duchess Assignment', Lady Penelope's Duchess friend is kidnapped and held to ransom en route to selling a valuable painting. 'Brink of Disaster' sees Jeff, Tin-Tin and Brains trapped on a deadly monorail when they investigate a crooked tycoon. In 'Attack of the Alligators!', four men are trapped by giant alligators after accidentally spilling a growth formula into the nearby swamp. 'Martian Invasion' sees the International Rescue team filmed by the Hood after rescuing two actors trapped in a cave. In 'The Cham Cham', Lady Penelope and Tin-Tin go undercover in the music business when a series of American rocket crashes coincide with performances by pop group the Cass Carnaby Five. 'Security Hazard' sees Jeff become apopleptic when a young boy stows away aboard Thunderbird 2 and observes International Rescue in action. In 'Atlantic Inferno', Scott is left in charge when Jeff goes on holiday, and has to decide what to do when a nearby oil rig catches fire. 'Path of Destruction' sees the team racing to halt the carnage being created by an out-of-control, atomic-powered tree-logger. In 'Alias Mr Hackenbacker', Lady Penelope contacts Thunderbirds when the plane she is travelling on is hijacked by criminals. 'Lord Parker's 'Oliday' sees Parker helping to avert chaos when the solar-powered Mediterranean resort of Monte Bianco loses its reflector in a storm. In 'Ricochet', Tin-Tin discovers that an orbiting TV station has been damaged by a rogue space rocket, and will explode upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere. 'Give or Take a Million' sees a pair of crooks' planned robbery going awry when they become trapped in a children's hospital. desertcart.co.uk Review "Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here.As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catch phrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood.In this box set: all 32 episodes on eight discs, plus a bonus DVD featuring "The Thunderbirds Companion", an action-packed compilation which features the very best Thunderbirds rescues and scenes and tells the whole story behind Gerry Anderson's legendary action adventure series. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Gerry Anderson, David Graham (the voice of Parker, Brains and Kyrano), Thunderbirds directors Alan Patillo and Bob Bell, and puppeteer John Blundall. --Mark Walker Review: The Very Best Memories ... - Thunderbirds was always something I had fond memories of watching as a child and when I saw that desertcart.co.uk had dropped the price of the complete series DVD box set I hesitated buying it because I was wrestling with the notion that as an adult things often do not seem as good as they were as a child. After going through the "Should I, shouldn't I" phase, I finally relented and purchased it. Upon receiving the box set I promptly began watching .... Wow! amazing! all my concerns about whether this would be watchable again as an adult melted away. From the classic "5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ....1!" opening sequence which gives the viewer an instant teaser trailer of what the episode will feature accompanied by the thrilling, fast paced theme tune, I was hooked! Gerry Anderson uses the preview teasers during the opening sequences of several of his TV series to great effect and Thunderbirds is one of the best at doing this. Toward the end of the first episode while the Fire Flash airliner was attempting it's emergency landing with he fantastic camera shots of the aircraft from above trying to line up for a landing on the elevator cars I actually began to perspire with the adrenaline. Anderson knows exactly how to portray the excitement and danger of a rescue situation not only visually, but with excellent high-octane music perfectly composed and used to underscore the scene. The effects are wonderful with large objects actually behaving like they're heavy and have real mass, often belie their 40+ year old age. Anderson's attention to detail (watch the hot steam rise from the hydraulic ram used to raise the massive Thunderbird 2 just prior to its launch or the sweat on the face of Virgil during the elevator car sequences) and the array of clever and incredible machines he created still stands out today. Sure, as a product of the mid 60's you can see the influence of that decade in many of the aspects of the show, but this only adds to the charm of the series in my view. Picture and sound are very good with vibrant colour and sounds which I think have been digitally enhanced to give explosions and jet thrust blast offs a bigger kick which is a nice touch. All this action would be fine, but add to that strong and well defined characters meant that I found that I actually liked the Tracey family and cared about what happened to them. My personal favourite is Scott who is cool under pressure and also has the perfect voice that really adds to the "coolness" of the show. Surprising too, was how adult many of the themes seemed to be. Things like politics, ambition, anger and greed play a part in many plot lines which as a child probably went unnoticed, but as an adult viewer you can see how clever and often sophisticated the stories were and how this show was created in a different era where we didn't "dumb-down". There's also a great positive moral tale here too, that someone would spend the time and huge sums of money to put such an organization together to save human life at the risk of his own son's lives and seek no publicity nor financial reward for doing so. This selfless and noble aspect also adds to the "feel good" factor of a successful rescue against the odds. After watching all 32 episodes now I can honestly say that I felt a tinge of sadness that it was all over and left me wanting more. The extra disc is very informative and well worth inclusion in this box set. I could go on more, but I think I've made my views clear in this review. I personally can thoroughly recommend the purchase of this box set and wondered why I waited so long to get hold of it. If, like me, you watch this show and smile again and think "Wow! they just don't make them like that anymore" then you'll know what I mean. Review: Stand by for action! - Classic puppet series Thunderbirds comes to dvd in one box set, with all thirty two episodes of the exploits of International Rescue spread over eight dvds. If you're not familiar with the show then here's a perfect chance to acquaint yourself with a timeless tv classic suitable for all ages. As the Tracy family in their amazing machines set out to rescue people in danger. Excitement, action, and quite a few explosions ensue. Each disc has four episodes, all of which have direct scene access. They also have english language subtitles. Extras are as follows: Disc one: A text based factfile on the main characters. A quiz about the episodes on disc one, presented by Brains. A blueprint of Thunderbird one, as a PDF file, which can be either read or printed off. Disc two: A factfile on the machines of the show. A ten minute long documentary about them. This, like all the features, is largely clips but does have good interviews and sections filmed for the dvds with actor David Graham returning to the role of Brains to act as presenter. A PDF File for Thunderbird two. Disc three: A factfile on Tracy Island. A PDF File for Tracy Island. A thirteen minute long documentary about some of the main characters. Disc four: A factfile about show creator/producer Gerry Anderson. A thirteen minute long documentary about Lady Penelope and Parker. Another PDF file about Thunderbidrds one and two. Disc five: A factfile about Thunderbird mini albums. Some original series artwork. A three minute long feature about the making of the show, made back in the 1960's and broadcast in cinemas at the time. A PDF file about Thunderbird Three. Disc six: A factfile about the comic TV Century 21. A PDF file about Thunderbird four. A couple of short adverts for lollies featuring the Thunderbirds characters. Disc seven: A factfile about original novels based on the show. A couple more tv ads. A PDF file about Thunderbird five. Some character and vehicle specification sheets, all about the characters and machines from the show. Disc eight: A factfile showing some photos of the show in production. A fourteen minute long documentary about the production of the show. A lot of this is a recovered black and white documentary made in the 1960's. A PDF file about Lady Penelope's home. You also get the 'Thunderbirds Companion,' a bonus disc held in a plastic wallet and stuck in between the boxes of discs. Nearly all the footage on this is in the shorter documentaries on the individual discs, though, so there's precious little different on it. But you've got a great box set that gives grown ups the chance to relive some fond childhood memories, and new generations of children the chance to get some of their own.