Stingray: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] [2022]

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Truth be told, all the characters sport relatively vacant stares, an obstacle that was leavened by cycling through an expressive variety of puppet heads from shot to shot. The greatest hurdle remained the profusion of strings enveloping the marionettes—that those wires are rarely intrusive is a tribute to the diligent folks at the other end of those strings and the craftspeople behind the scenes. The show’s head shop aesthetic was fully-formed right from the start thanks to future Bond special effects artist Derek Meddings, the art direction of Bob Bell, and model-maker Reg Parks, whose stylish creations include the Stingray sub itself, a sleek piece of machinery that borrows its futuristic curves from a toy space gun. Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge.

For decades Stingray has been that Gerry and Sylvia Anderson Supermarionation series usually mentioned after Thunderbirds (the gold standard by which all such series were judged). But Team Anderson couldn’t have got to one without the other, and watching it again after all these years, it’s amazing to see how much of a beta test Stingray was for Thunderbirds. If nothing else, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Stingray should be celebrated for inspiring Team America: World Police, the gonzo marionettes-on-the-make political satire from South Park agitators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. If their 2004 farce was designed to provoke just about everybody, Stingray was also pretty out there, albeit in a trippy, Summer of Love kind of way. An aquatic puppet show swimming in psychedelic color, languid pacing, and underwater scenes apparently filmed inside a lava lamp, Stingray reflected the inveterate stoner’s mindset better than anything in Yellow Submarine. The entire series has just been released in an extravagant five disc box set from Network, Stingray: The Complete Series Deluxe Edition, and the high definition imagery is not just surreal, it’s hyper-real—a single frame is as vivid as any View-Master reel. s "making of" featurette, The Thing About Stingray is included here, running 20:21, with thoughts from some of the original crew on how the series was brought about, and its legacy (this was included in A&E's series set). There's also a Gerry Anderson interview, running 12:10, from...I don't know, because there's no date given, no context for the interview, and it obviously just begins and ends in the middle of a taped conversation with Anderson. Interesting...but not particularly helpful. Generally delightful, sometimes weird sci-fi/fantasy puppet action at 6,000 fathoms. ITV Studios Global Entertainment, with Timeless Media Group's help, has released Stingray: The Complete Series -- 50th Anniversary Edition, a 5-disc, 39-episode collection of the beloved 1964 U.K. "Supermarionation" kiddie show from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's AP Films (...or from Sir Lew Grade's ITC, if you want to get technical). Here in the States, most guys my age and older caught a few episodes of the Andersons' internationally-popular hi-tech puppet action/adventure series, Thunderbirds, in syndicated re-runs. Their other marionette series, however, like Supercar, Fireball XL5, and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, are probably better known by name--if not by actual sight--so a re-release like Stingray: The Complete Series -- 50th Anniversary Edition is a great, affordable way to fill in the blanks for one of the more influential artists working in children's television (or really sci-fi television in general). One bonus from A&E's 2002 complete series release is carried over here, along with a never-before-seen interview with Gerry Anderson accompanying the nice fullscreen color transfers.On the Set of Set Sail for Adventure: From the estate of Stingray contributor Alan Fennell, we present some previously unseen home movie footage taken by Alan whilst filming Set Sail For Adventure In an age when everything has been rejigged either as a live action movie or a CG series, or in the case of Thunderbirds, both, it’s amazing that Stingray has never been remade. Because as bonkers as some of the episodes are, they’re 99% less barking than the first Aquaman movie, so one day we may see Troy and company given a 21st-century makeover. However, this is the next best thing as the latest Blu-ray revamp has been remastered in HD from original 35mm film elements. For a show nearly 60 years old, it looks fabulous. The fullscreen, 1.37:1 color transfers for Stingray: The Complete Series -- 50th Anniversary Edition look pretty good, with solid-enough color (maybe some fading here and there), a sharpish image, and some occasional screen imperfections, like dirt and scratches.

Key player is Troy Tempest, who looks like a constipated James Garner. (An excellent making of documentary on the latest Blu-ray set reveals that Garner was used as a shorthand guide for the model makers). Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, director Richard Taylor goes down memory lane and explains how Stingray was conceived and shot in Edwardsville, Illinois; how different actors behaved and improvised during the filming process; where and how key sequences were shot; how his original concept for the film evolved; etc. There are some interesting comments about the reconstruction of the Director's Cut of the film as well.

Of course a feature-length version of the show cut together from the original eps is like taking a bunch of chipolata sausages and mashing them together to form one big one. A sausage is a sausage, regardless of whether it’s in bite-size chunks or a more substantial banger. And while Stingray is very much a product of its time, the picture quality in the latest Blu-ray version is rather good. Description: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's much-loved Supermarionation series - their first in color - has been remastered in High Definition from original 35mm film elements for this Blu-ray edition! Into Action With Troy Tempest/A Trip to Marineville/Marina Speaks: Three 21-minute Mini-Albums, released in 1965, and featuring the original voice artists And the 75-second home movie footage of behind-the-scenes work is great, despite the sound of the projector drowning things out. Not that there’s any dialogue, but we didn’t need a deafening projector sound either. Audio Recording - presented here is the cleanest version of Jerry Riopelle's tune "Hi Gear", taken from the remastered film. (6 min).

Interview with Les Lannom - in this exclusive new video interview, co-star Les Lannom recalls his involvement with Stingray, how a few key action sequences were shot, and some risky choices he made while the camera was rolling. In English, not subtitled. (6 min). Blessed with one of the most exciting opening themes and titles in TV history, not to mention that dreamy closing titles ballad, Stingray is far from sub-standard entertainment. Sorry/not sorry. Stingray is also noteworthy for the refinements made to the Supermarionation process between shows, with the puppet sculpts having more detail, and being more proportionate in comparison to those featured in earlier productions, making the characters seem more defined and realistic. Model work also feels more polished, the design of Stingray itself being a genuine stroke of pop culture iconography. The ‘underwater’ sequences stand up remarkably well, even now. The high standard of Network’s Anderson releases has been maintained here, and with a tranche of lovely bits of themed paraphernalia (including a Stingray pilot licence, and a book all about the show), this really is one set where the last thing you want to do is stand by with inaction.

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Edwardsville Slideshow - a collection of archival production and promotional stills featuring key locations from Edwardsville, Illinois, where Stingray was shot. With music. (10 min). Interview with Bert Hinchman - in this exclusive new video interview, co-star Bert Hinchman recalls what it was like working with Richard Taylor and the rest of the principal actors in Stingray. In English, not subtitled. (6 min). But that’s where the similarities end. However, there are also inevitable comparisons with The Spy Who Loved Me, and given the fact effects genius Derek Meddings and actress Lois Maxwell worked on both, that’s hardly surprising. Plot: What’s it about? Video: How does it look? Audio: How does it sound? Supplements: What are the extras? Plot: What’s it about?