Attack on Cloudbase

"Attack on Cloudbase" is the 31st episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, a 1960s British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by their company Century 21 Productions. It is the series' penultimate episode and was written by Tony Barwick.

"Attack on Cloudbase"
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode
The Mysteron fleet fires on Cloudbase. For reasons of economy, miniature models appear only in the foreground of the shot; the dots behind them are light bulbs fitted to the backdrop to make the attacking force appear larger. The spacecraft were modelled on "flying saucer" UFOs.[1]
Episode no.Episode 31
Directed byKen Turner
Written byTony Barwick
Cinematography byTed Catford
Editing byBob Dearberg
Production codeSCA 30[2]
Original air date5 May 1968

Set in 2068, the series depicts a "war of nerves" between Earth and the Mysterons: a race of Martians with the power to create functioning duplicates of destroyed people or objects, which they then use to carry out specific acts of aggression. Earth is defended by a military organisation called Spectrum, whose foremost agent, Captain Scarlet, is a Mysteron duplicate that has regained the consciousness of the original, human officer. The new Scarlet possesses abilities of self-repair that allow him to recover from injuries that would be fatal to others, making him Spectrum's top asset in its fight against the Mysterons. In "Attack on Cloudbase", Spectrum fighter pilot Symphony Angel is forced to eject into the Sahara when her aircraft is damaged, after which a fleet of Mysteron spacecraft enter Earth's atmosphere to launch a devastating assault on Spectrum's airborne headquarters, Cloudbase.

Filmed in late 1967, "Attack on Cloudbase" underwent a number of script changes prior to shooting. Gerry Anderson chose Ken Turner to direct the episode due to its unusual tone. Century 21's special effects department was faced with a number of technical challenges, which included filming a scene in which a miniature Angel aircraft flies over the Symphony Angel puppet in the same shot. For the main attack sequence, only a small number of miniature Mysteron spacecraft were built; flashing light bulbs were added to the back of the set as a cost-effective way of increasing the fleet's apparent size. Series composer Barry Gray wrote a full musical score for the episode after Anderson decided that none of Century 21's pre-existing incidental music suited the grim nature of the plot.

Originally broadcast on 5 May 1968 on ATV London,[2] "Attack on Cloudbase" has drawn a largely positive response, with one commentator naming it the best episode of Captain Scarlet. Some criticism has been directed at its ending plot twist. Anderson, who likened the episode to a black comedy, praised Barwick for his "humanised" writing of the puppet characters. In 1980, the New York branch of distributor ITC re-edited the episode into the Captain Scarlet compilation film Captain Scarlet vs. the Mysterons.

Plot

While on patrol over the Sahara, Spectrum fighter pilot Symphony Angel (voiced by Janna Hill) is forced to eject after the tail of her aircraft mysteriously explodes. On the ground, she is overcome by heat stroke and passes out. In a transmission from Mars, the Mysterons (voiced by Donald Gray) warn Spectrum that they intend to destroy its airborne headquarters, Cloudbase.

Cloudbase is placed on red alert and isolated from all external contact. Destiny Angel (voiced by Liz Morgan) has been launched to search for Symphony but is recalled by base commander Colonel White (voiced by Donald Gray) in view of the Mysteron threat. This action leads to a heated exchange between White and Captain Blue (voiced by Ed Bishop), who admits that he has romantic feelings for Symphony. However, White refuses to let Blue join the ground search.

Night falls, and Captain Magenta (voiced by Gary Files) detects a large object on Cloudbase's radar system. Rhapsody Angel (voiced by Liz Morgan) is launched to investigate and discovers a spinning Mysteron spacecraft that destroys her fighter in mid-air. When more craft arrive, Captain Scarlet (voiced by Francis Matthews) volunteers to challenge the Mysterons in Destiny's place. However, his fighter is damaged and he crash-lands on the Cloudbase flight deck, seriously injured.

As the Mysterons open fire on Cloudbase itself, medical officer Dr Fawn is killed. Posing as his assistant, Mysteron agent Captain Black reports that Scarlet's retro-metabolic powers have failed and that he is therefore permanently dead. The Mysteron attack intensifies, resulting in the deaths of everyone else on board except White, Blue and Lieutenant Green (voiced by Cy Grant). As the stricken Cloudbase loses altitude, another explosion kills Green and cripples Blue. Resolving to go down with his command, White stands to attention and salutes.

Just as Cloudbase is heard crashing to Earth, Symphony wakes up in the desert facing Scarlet and Blue, who are part of the ground forces that have been sent to rescue her. In the final scene, it is revealed that Symphony dreamt the Mysteron attack in a nightmare brought on by the desert heat.

Production

"Attack on Cloudbase" was one of the last Captain Scarlet episodes to be made. It was directed by Ken Turner, whose style Gerry Anderson thought best suited the episode's "more bizarre" tone.[1]

Filming began on 25 October 1967,[2] less than three weeks before Joe 90, Century 21's next series, entered production.[3] To avoid overworking the designers, who were busy preparing for the new series, the episode was devised as a bottle show to reduce the number of puppets and sets required: it features no characters other than the regular puppet cast (for which it is unique among Captain Scarlet episodes)[4] and was filmed mostly on pre-existing sets.[2] The previously unseen Cloudbase Radar Room was created with walls and props originally built for earlier episodes of the series or the film Thunderbirds Are Go (1966).[2]

"Attack on Cloudbase" is one of only two episodes (the other being "Flight to Atlantica") to feature all of the regular characters,[5] though not all of them have speaking parts. As originally scripted, Captain Magenta's role was to be played by a Spectrum officer called Captain Sienna.[4][6] To avoid the cost of making a new Spectrum uniform, this character was replaced with Magenta.[4][6]

The scenes of Symphony Angel in the desert and the Mysterons attacking Cloudbase posed several challenges for Derek Meddings' special effects team. Shots of the scale model of Destiny Angel's fighter overflying the Symphony puppet required close collaboration between the puppet operators and the effects technicians, the former keeping the puppet under control while the latter guided the model over the set. The look of the Mysteron spacecraft was based on that of "flying saucer" UFOs commonly reported during the 1960s. To make it seem that the craft are spinning in mid-air, Meddings added "veins" to each scale model to reflect the studio lights. Due to a lack of model operators, during the filming of the main attack sequence the miniatures could be flown only in the foreground of the set; flashing light bulbs were fitted to the backdrop to make the Mysteron fleet seen larger.[1]

Just before Cloudbase hits the ground, Colonel White is shown saluting in a spiralling freeze-frame shot. Anderson based this on maritime tradition, later stating that he wanted viewers to see White "[going] down like the captain of a big ship."[1] Liz Morgan, who voiced Destiny and Rhapsody Angels, remembers how the emotion of the script manifested itself during the dialogue-recording session: "It was a moment when Destiny was very worried about Captain Scarlet and she was making impassioned pleas for him. Well, I started to cry, and immediately a voice came down from the recording booth and [producer] Reg Hill, who was directing that particular week, said, 'No, Liz, love. Do it again, love. Puppets don't cry!'"[7][8]

"Attack on Cloudbase" is one of only a few Captain Scarlet episodes to feature a unique score rather than incidental music recycled from earlier instalments.[1] The score was devised by series composer Barry Gray on the instruction of Anderson, who could find nothing in Century 21's musical archives that he felt suited the episode's unusual tone.[1] It was the penultimate score to be produced for the series and was recorded on 3 December 1967 during a four-hour studio session attended by a group of 14 instrumentalists.[9] The CD release of the Captain Scarlet soundtrack includes pieces from "Attack on Cloudbase" titled "Desert Symphony" and "The Mysterons Attack!"[10][11]

Reception

In a DVD audio commentary that he recorded for the episode, Anderson recalled that while "Attack on Cloudbase" was intended to be humorous, he thought that the end result was more akin to a black comedy. He praised the script, noting Blue's affection for Symphony and the tension between Blue and White as examples of Tony Barwick's "humanisation" of the puppet characters. He also described Captain Magenta's comical commentary on the attack, which ends only with the character's death, as another "wonderful example of 'Barwickism'". Although he conceded that dream sequences could be seen as unoriginal, he defended this episode's use of the technique for its ability to unsettle, and then re-assure, the audience (after the deaths of most of the puppet cast, it is revealed that it was "all a dream"). He argued that the episode's dark tone is alleviated by its closing scene, which according to him was written because there needed to be "a sequence where everyone was happy together, and clearly no one had come to any grief", thus forming the "inevitable happy ending" to a tragic plot.[1]

James Stansfield of the website Den of Geek believes "Attack on Cloudbase" to be the best episode of Captain Scarlet. Describing the episode as highly entertaining even if "shocking and surprisingly bleak", he praises the writing and characterisation – in particular, the death of Rhapsody Angel and the conflict between Blue and White. However, he comments negatively on the ending plot twist as well as what he considers to be a minor plot hole: for reasons unknown, Symphony discards her helmet after landing in the desert, making it impossible for Cloudbase to contact her. Stansfield suggests that the dreamt nature of the plot is implied long before it is confirmed in dialogue, arguing that moments such as the death of the normally "indestructible" Scarlet and Blue's lack of surprise at the sudden appearance of Captain Black serve as "hints ... that all might not be quite as it seems".[12]

Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy describes the episode as "thrilling" and "perhaps the highlight" of the series. However, he criticises the "lame, 'it was all a dream' ending", arguing that it is made more frustrating by the fact that the series' final episode, "The Inquisition", is a clip show that ends with the conflict between Earth and the Mysterons unresolved: "Cut the final few minutes from 'Attack on Cloudbase' and imagine what a finale that would have been!"[13] Andrew Thomas of Dreamwatch magazine regards dream sequences as an "appalling" narrative technique but describes the episode's scenes of destruction as "very well handled".[14]

Martin Cater of the Network imprint calls the episode "dramatic" and "memorable" despite its reliance on a "cop-out" dream sequence. He compares it to the Fireball XL5 episode "A Day in the Life of a Space General" (1963), which features an "orgy of destruction with the convenient cop-out of a dream to act as a 'reset button'."[15] Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett describe "Attack on Cloudbase" as "tense and exciting", commenting that it is "guaranteed to keep the viewer guessing".[16]

Some commentators, including Chris Bentley, question why the episode gives no explanation for the explosion that brings down Symphony Angel's fighter in the opening scene.[4][6][17]

The British Board of Film Classification certifies the episode U, noting that it contains "very mild, fantasy" violence.[18]

1980 re-edit

The New York branch of distributor ITC Entertainment later re-edited the episode to serve as the concluding segment of the compilation film Captain Scarlet vs. the Mysterons (1980). This entailed the production of a new ending featuring a computer-animated pyramid and a Mysteron voice-over (supplied by an American actor) implying that the destruction of Cloudbase was in fact real and not a dream. The Mysterons then use their powers to reverse time, leaving Cloudbase and its personnel intact. These changes were poorly received by fans of the original episode.[19]

Footnotes
  1. Anderson, Gerry (2001). "Attack on Cloudbase" audio commentary (DVD). Carlton.
  2. Bentley 2017, pp. 198-199.
  3. Bentley 2017, p. 183.
  4. Bentley, Chris (2008) [2001]. The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide (4th ed.). London, UK: Reynolds & Hearn. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-905287-74-1.
  5. Bentley 2001, p. 78.
  6. Bentley 2001, p. 89.
  7. Bentley 2001, p. 26.
  8. La Rivière, Stephen (2009). Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future. Neshannock, Pennsylvania: Hermes Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-932563-23-8.
  9. de Klerk, Theo (25 December 2003). "Complete Studio-Recording List of Barry Gray". tvcentury21.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  10. Marsh, Peter (17 November 2003). "Barry Gray: Captain Scarlet Original Soundtrack Review". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  11. de Klerk, Theo (26 October 2017). "Barry Gray Discography" (PDF). barrygray.co.uk. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  12. Stansfield, James (6 September 2012). "Top 10 Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons Episodes". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  13. Jeffery, Morgan (19 November 2011). "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: Tube Talk Gold". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines. Archived from the original on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  14. Thomas, Andrew (1994). Leigh, Gary (ed.). "Captain Indestructible!". Dreamwatch. Vol. 1 no. 4 (Winter Special). Brighton, UK: Dreamwatch Publishing. p. 26. ISSN 1356-482X. OCLC 225907941.
  15. Cater, Martin (15 June 2018). "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: How to End a Series ..." www.networkonair.com. Network. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  16. Drake, Chris; Bassett, Graeme (1993). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. London, UK: Boxtree. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-85283-900-0.
  17. Brown, Stephen; Jones, Mike (2017). Jones, Mike (ed.). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: Close-Up. Fanderson. p. 67.
  18. "'Attack on Cloudbase' Rated U by the BBFC". bbfc.co.uk. British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  19. Bentley 2001, p. 121.

Works cited
  • Bentley, Chris (2001). The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet. London, UK: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84222-405-2.
  • Bentley, Chris (2017). Hearn, Marcus (ed.). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: The Vault. Cambridge, UK: Signum Books. ISBN 978-0-995519-12-1.
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