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

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Anderson and his colleagues were always far better as technical wizards rather than tellers of compelling tales. And when the eponymous sub unleashed hell via its torpedo tubes, the result is explosive in more ways than one. 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. 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. 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.

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stingray arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment. 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.There are three audio-only mini albums included, one of which is ‘Marina Speaks’, featuring the mute heroine. Naturally she’s about as vocal as Harpo Marx or Gromit. In the meantime, to whet your appetite A Christmas To Remember is available to stream, free of charge, until 18:00 on Sunday 26th December.

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. Anyway, the series is a delight for newcomers and nostalgia fans alike. I can only imagine the amount of 1960s kids who must have spent ages playing with Stingray submarines at bath time. 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 AdventureGenerally 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. Remastered and reconstructed Super Space Theater films The Incredible Voyage Of Stingray and Invaders From The Deep (to be shipped separately in summer 2022) 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. Audio Recording - presented here is the cleanest version of Jerry Riopelle's tune "Hi Gear", taken from the remastered film. (6 min). 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?

When you have an iconic show like Stingray, rejigging the episodes to form something allegedly more epic is understandable.

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Network have finally confirmed what we’ve been hoping for (and they’ve been hinting at) for ages. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s groundbreaking underwater series Stingray is being remastered in high definition for a release on Blu-ray Disc in 2022! 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! 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.

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.Watching Stingray now, I can more fully appreciate the extensive effort that went into synching up all the details of the impressive production--not just the marionettes' mouth movements, but all of the effects, including moving the dolls around, the impressive, consistently imaginative production design, and the almost big-screen-worthy direction and editing of these little half-hour sci-fi adventures. With that said, I'm not sure what else I can add to a discussion or evaluation of the show...without sounding like some creepy old weirdo who's taking this all too seriously. Thunderbirds is my childhood touchstone with Gerry Anderson's world, and I have found memories of occasionally catching it when I was quite young. I've seen it a few times since then, and it never fails to entertain me. Briefly. Stingray, which came out the year before Thunderbirds, is less ambitious technically (not only in its half-hour run time, but in the scope of its special effects), but it still satisfies that nostalgia-driven rush of childlike pleasure when an adult viewer sees some cool models and funny-looking puppets moving around in herky-jerky fashion on the TV screen. However, there are remnants of your pop culture history that were perfectly acceptable to watch as a child (my two littlest kids watched Stingray for a couple of episodes--my little girl in particular took to the Barbie doll-like aspects of mute Marina), or cool and cute to watch in your twenties (girlfriends and wives love that "little boy" enthusiasm at that age when you're revisiting something in your past)...but which now feel a tad, um... juvenile when you're pushing 50--no matter how much you loved it when you were a kid (everyone knows that even Gerry Anderson, who always hoped for a big-screen live-action career, was slightly embarrassed having to do what amounted to kiddie shows with dolls). 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. 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). 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).