This is a great documentary showing the work of the talented people at AP films. It covers just about all the series the teams created from twizzle, supercar, and Thunderbirds. I Bought this on Blu-ray for a chance to see behind the camera at the various ways the episodes, models and effects were produced. It doesn't disappoint and goes into quite a bit of detail in most aspects of production. A surprise for me was four feathers fall which I was unaware of, it looks great but being black and white didn't get the repeats it probably deserved. Overall its a great story of a wonderful time in TV production and will probably leave a tear in the eye of most fans. With Thunderbirds getting a CGI reboot in 2015, all I can think is long live supermarionation.
9 Reviews
As animated as it gets
kosmasp19 November 2021
Thunderbirds - now if like me you've never seen a single episode - well do not be discouraged. Actually it might even be better - well at least it won't be worse. Wait that doesn't make any sense. All kidding aside and while I can't say what is better - I can tell you that watching this documentary will make you want to watch the Thunderbirds. And if a documentary achieves something like that - well what more can you ask for? That would be a rhetorical question of course.
I had the pleasure of meeting one of the voices of the cast a couple of years ago. And in the UK where this was produced, people are still quite fond of the show. And as far as I can tell, rightfully so. So many looks behind the scenes, honest reactions to things that went south or why certain things probably worked (by accident or on purpose) ... really well done and edited. You can tell whoever did this was a fan of the show and also a good filmmaker.
I had the pleasure of meeting one of the voices of the cast a couple of years ago. And in the UK where this was produced, people are still quite fond of the show. And as far as I can tell, rightfully so. So many looks behind the scenes, honest reactions to things that went south or why certain things probably worked (by accident or on purpose) ... really well done and edited. You can tell whoever did this was a fan of the show and also a good filmmaker.
Filmed in Supermarionation
jboothmillard6 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I grew up watching three of the most famous 1960s puppet television series from producer Gerry Anderson (Stingray, Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet - my favourite) when they repeated in the 1990s and early 2000s. I was most looking forward to watching a documentary film about his career, and the TV shows and films that he and his studio made. "Supermarionation" (a combination of the words "super", "marionette" and "animation") was a term coined by AP Films and Century 21 studios, to describe the unique form of puppetry employed by Gerry Anderson, and his wife Sylvia, and their team of puppeteers, writers, and team of technicians, special effects producers and more. This film also serves as a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of probably the most popular and successful shows from Anderson, Thunderbirds. So, it is hosted by the show's lead female, Lady Penelope (voiced by Sylvia Anderson), and her faithful butler Parker (voiced by David Graham), with appearances from International Rescue engineer, scientist and inventor Brains (also voice by Graham). The film examines the early beginnings for Anderson in the world of puppetry, with The Adventures of Twizzle (1957-1958), the young children's series (the puppets had no moving lips), followed by low-budget series, Torchy the Battery Boy (1958-1959) (the first to have puppets with moving lips). The third series was the first to introduce the term "Supermarionation", the children's western fantasy-adventure series Four Feather Falls (1959-60). Anderson's company was suffering financial difficulty, but was rescued by Lew Grade, head of the Associated Television (ATV), who offered a bigger budget for a bigger show. The new series was science-fiction Supercar (1960-61), which centred around a vertical-takeoff-and-landing craft, invented by Prof. Rudolph Popkiss and Dr Horatio Beaker, and piloted by Mike Mercury. The next series by APF was the futuristic space adventure Fireball XL5 (1962), which at the time was the company's biggest success. Then followed the submarine and underwater themed science-fiction series Stingray (1964), the first British TV series to be filmed in colour, with bigger facilities and bigger special effects. It was the 1963 Wunder von Lengede mining disaster the inspired the Andersons to create Thunderbirds (1964-1965), the show cantered around the secretive Tracy family, who formed International Rescue. The series revolves around many disasters occurring around the world, and rescue organisation who would rescue them using the five distinctive rocket-based machines, the Thunderbirds. The show enjoyed immense success worldwide, and led to a feature film, Thunderbirds Are GO (1966), which was a box office flop. But the show was cancelled, as Grade was unable to sell the show to an American network. The studio moved on to create a new show, science-fiction fantasy adventure series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967) which saw the creation of much more humanistic puppets and was a "darker" children's series. It revolves around the Spectrum organisation, who must defend Earth in a "war of nerves" against the Mysterons, invisible aliens on Mars who seek vengeance for the attack on their Martian complex. The leading character is Captain Scarlet, who was originally a Mysteron himself, but survived and gained the Mysteron powers of "retro metabolism", making him vertically indestructible. A second feature film, Thunderbird 6 (1968), was also unsuccessful. Century 21's next (and penultimate) Supermarionation series was science-fiction fantasy series Joe 90 (1968-1969). This series returned to more "child-friendly" territory, and centred around the adventures of a young boy who is also a secret agent who, with a supercomputer called 'BIG RAT', could be programmed to gain special knowledge and abilities for his missions. Anderson created a third feature film, Doppelgänger (1969), the first live-action production, and although it was not a commercial success, it was nominated an Oscar for its special effects. The final "Supermarionation" series to be created was The Secret Service (1969), about a priest who was an operative of the intelligence agency BISHOP ("British Intelligence Service Headquarters, Operation Priest"). The lead character was known for his nonsense language, 'Unwinese', and Lew Grade considered this unsellable to American audiences. The show was also notable for its strange mix of the close-up of puppets, but wider shots being played in real locations by live-action actors. All these television series are talked about, with behind-the-scenes footage and insights. This includes the special effects of Derek Meddings and the teams, including high-speed camerawork to create impressive looking explosions, and computer technology operating the lips of puppet heads to move in sync with the actors' recorded dialogue. It also mentions the great music of composer Barry Gray, who created iconic theme tunes, background music and songs (including "Aqua Marina"). With contributions from Gerry Anderson (filmed before his death), Sylvia Anderson, Jamie Anderson (Gerry and Sylvia's son), David Graham, Shane Rimmer (voiced Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds and appeared in other series), Nicholas Parsons (voiced Sheriff Tex Tucker in Four Feather Falls), David Elliott (director), Mary Turner (puppetry coordinator), Roger Woodburn (puppeteer), Desmond Saunders (supervising director), Hugh Woodhouse (Writer), Keith Wilson (production designer), Elizabeth Morgan (voiced Destiny, Rhapsody and Harmony Angels in Captain Scarlet), David Lane (editor and director), Brian Johnson (special effects director), Matt Zimmerman (voiced Alan Tracy in Thunderbirds), John Blundall (sculptor), Robert Easton (voiced Phones in Stingray), Ken Turner (director), and Alan Perry (camera operator). This is the perfect film to watch if you are a fan of classic children's puppet TV shows from Gerry Anderson, a nostalgic look back at some of the most popular and influential shows of the 1960s era, and an interesting insight into what went into making them, a most watchable documentary. Very good!
Delightful
ogdendc9 September 2017
For anyone who remembers the work of Gerry Anderson (and even if you don't) this is a wonderful documentary. It covers from the earliest work on The Adventures of Twizzle to his real-life series Space 1999, so more than covering just the 'supermarionation' years.
However, he undoubtedly peaked with Thunderbirds and it is fitting that Parker and Lady Penelope host the show. There is a rich vein of tongue-in cheek humour in the documentary, paralleling the humour in Anderson's work.
The best thing to ever have come out of Slough.
However, he undoubtedly peaked with Thunderbirds and it is fitting that Parker and Lady Penelope host the show. There is a rich vein of tongue-in cheek humour in the documentary, paralleling the humour in Anderson's work.
The best thing to ever have come out of Slough.
Delightful. insightful, revelatory and very entertaining.
pricejamesmr5 October 2014
I viewed this film at its premiere at the British Film Institute at the Southbank, in London.
When it was announced that the film would be two hours long my heart sort of slumped as even in a James Bond film with all the action and effects entailed, you lose enthusiasm after about 75 minutes even if Bond is going to save the world. You just want the film to end and go home! Not so with Filmed in Supermarionation. It was two hours of pure joy! The amount of laughs raised was fantastic and one scene from The Secret Service nearly brought the auditorium down with laughter. There is plenty of humour in this film.
There were many delightful revelations about the Anderson productions that I did not know and one thing that really struck me was the wonderful dry humour of Gerry Anderson.
It was wonderful to see the people behind the productions of these iconic Supermarionation classics being interviewed and especially Sylvia Anderson, Lady Penelope herself - an amazing woman.
So, marks out ten? I would love to give it a ten but I can't! I'd rather give it a twelve, instead! Definitely see this film at the selected cinemas or buy the DVD. You will be entertained, enthralled and most of all be amazed how an unglamorous setting in Slough with cramped conditions brought about the most amazing shows for children's television. It is now nearly 50 years since Thunderbirds was shown and this film in tribute to it and the other classic Anderson puppet films was made so perfectly.
Lady Penelope and Parker narrate this film and they are a wonderful double act and haven't changed at all!
When it was announced that the film would be two hours long my heart sort of slumped as even in a James Bond film with all the action and effects entailed, you lose enthusiasm after about 75 minutes even if Bond is going to save the world. You just want the film to end and go home! Not so with Filmed in Supermarionation. It was two hours of pure joy! The amount of laughs raised was fantastic and one scene from The Secret Service nearly brought the auditorium down with laughter. There is plenty of humour in this film.
There were many delightful revelations about the Anderson productions that I did not know and one thing that really struck me was the wonderful dry humour of Gerry Anderson.
It was wonderful to see the people behind the productions of these iconic Supermarionation classics being interviewed and especially Sylvia Anderson, Lady Penelope herself - an amazing woman.
So, marks out ten? I would love to give it a ten but I can't! I'd rather give it a twelve, instead! Definitely see this film at the selected cinemas or buy the DVD. You will be entertained, enthralled and most of all be amazed how an unglamorous setting in Slough with cramped conditions brought about the most amazing shows for children's television. It is now nearly 50 years since Thunderbirds was shown and this film in tribute to it and the other classic Anderson puppet films was made so perfectly.
Lady Penelope and Parker narrate this film and they are a wonderful double act and haven't changed at all!
Filmed in Supermarionation
studioAT20 August 2023
This is a nice little film about how Gerry Anderson and his team changed the landscape for children's televsion through his Supermationation puppet shows.
I liked the fact that this wasn't all about the mega hit that was 'Thunderbirds', and that all the other shows got a mention too.
How it all came to be was well covered, but how it ended was a bit rushed.
The inclusion of Lady Penelope and Parker (Scott Tracy and Brains do pop up though) as guides to the documentary through linking material was a nice touch too, and it was good to see them being done in the 'old' way. I'm not sure Sylvia Anderson quite managed the voice of Lady P again, but that's splitting hairs.
A nice tribute.
I liked the fact that this wasn't all about the mega hit that was 'Thunderbirds', and that all the other shows got a mention too.
How it all came to be was well covered, but how it ended was a bit rushed.
The inclusion of Lady Penelope and Parker (Scott Tracy and Brains do pop up though) as guides to the documentary through linking material was a nice touch too, and it was good to see them being done in the 'old' way. I'm not sure Sylvia Anderson quite managed the voice of Lady P again, but that's splitting hairs.
A nice tribute.
Handsome tribute documentary
Leofwine_draca19 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
FILMED IN SUPERMARIONATION is a two-hour documentary celebration of the puppet productions made by Gerry Anderson throughout the 1960s. I was never a huge fan of these shows - it wasn't my era, after all - although I do remember watching and enjoying STINGRAY and CAPTAIN SCARLET as a kid. In any case, this documentary is very handsomely mounted and nicely put together. It's a real labour of love and love is what comes to the fore for all involved, with lots of assembled cast and crew members reuniting. You get a good sense of setting and era and the sheer hard work that went into making these shows such a success, and indeed a real one-off internationally. Lots of well-chosen clips add to the fun, too.
Wonderful
brockfal13 May 2022
Growing up in the 1960s we thrived on Thunderbirds Stingray and the other TV series produced by Sylvia & Gerry Anderson. This super documentary tells the whole story in detail and very engagingly, nostalgically, and with great humour. Fantastic and often surprising stories abound from everyone involved, and of course there are lots of great clips. A wonderful way to spend a couple of hours.
Wonderful
shanayneigh23 August 2022
I'm too young to have any connection to these shows, but the story of their creation entertaining. It perhaps would have been interesting to hear more about their legacy, films like Team America: World Police were clearly very inspired by Thunderbirds in particular.
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