Attack on Cloudbase
Encyclopedia
"Attack on Cloudbase" is the 31st episode of the 1960s Supermarionation
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
. The penultimate instalment of the series, it first aired in the United Kingdom on ATV Midlands on 7 May 1968. In this episode, Symphony Angel ejects from her damaged interceptor into the Sahara Desert before Mysteron
spacecraft arrive on Earth to launch a crippling assault on Cloudbase
. While Tony Barwick
contributed the script, executive producer Gerry Anderson
selected Ken Turner
as director on account of the episode's "bizarre" atmosphere.
Filmed in October 1967, "Attack on Cloudbase" underwent script alterations prior to shooting. Challenges facing the Century 21 production team's special effects department included a complex shot in which a scale Angel aircraft model flies over the full-size Symphony Angel puppet, and the extended sequence depicting the attack on Cloudbase itself. The department produced only a limited number of saucer-shaped
spacecraft models, and decided to increase the apparent size of the Mysteron attacking force at low cost with the insertion of flashing light bulbs into the backdrop of the set.
Composer Barry Gray
produced a unique score at the behest of Anderson, who considered none of the music used in earlier episodes to befit the tenor of "Attack on Cloudbase". Voice actress Liz Morgan
recalls the emotion apparent in the script. Anderson praises Barwick for his "humanised" writing of some of the regular characters, and deems that the nature of the plot is essentially dark humour. In 1980, the New York branch of distributor ITC Entertainment
re-edited "Attack on Cloudbase" to form a segment of Captain Scarlet vs the Mysterons
, a Captain Scarlet compilation film.
s warn of its ultimate destruction, Spectrum's airborne headquarters, Cloudbase
, is placed on red alert and sealed from all outside contact. Destiny Angel is launched to search for Symphony, but in light of the threat is recalled on the orders of Spectrum's commander-in-chief, Colonel White
. This decision sparks a bitter argument between White and Captain Blue
, who is attracted to the Angel. However, White refuses to permit Blue to join the ground forces that are being mobilised to locate Symphony.
When night falls, Captain Magenta
detects a large trace in the Cloudbase Radar Room. Rhapsody Angel is launched to investigate and is shocked to find that the signal is emanating from a spinning Mysteron spacecraft, which blasts her fighter to pieces in mid-air. To prevent civilian deaths on the ground, Cloudbase moves into Himalayan
airspace on its horizontal thrusters, while personnel prepare for the inevitable final confrontation. When Magenta announces that more hostile forces are appearing on the radar, Captain Scarlet
volunteers to replace Destiny Angel to challenge the Mysterons, but crash-lands on the Cloudbase flight deck
to critical injuries after his interceptor is damaged.
As the Mysterons fire on the base itself, Dr Fawn is killed. Posing as his assistant, Mysteron agent Captain Black
reports that Scarlet's retro-metabolic powers
cannot heal such serious trauma and that the officer is dead with no hope of recovery. The Mysteron attack continues, resulting in the deaths of Magenta and the other Angels, until only White, Blue and Lieutenant Green
remain alive in the Control Room. As the stricken Cloudbase loses altitude, Green is killed in another explosion and Blue is left crippled and unable to save himself. White resolves to go down with his command, and is seen to salute in a spiralling freeze frame shot
as Cloudbase is heard crashing to Earth.
Immediately after, Symphony regains consciousness in the desert facing Scarlet and Blue, who have commanded the ground forces sent for her rescue. In the final scene, it is made clear that Symphony dreamt
the destruction of Cloudbase in a terrible nightmare brought on in the sweltering heat of the desert sun.
's original script for this episode, the role of Captain Magenta
is filled with the introduction of a new Spectrum character, Captain Sienna. However, the lines passed to the Magenta character after the production team determined that a new Spectrum puppet uniform would be too expensive to manufacture. The director position fell to Ken Turner
, since executive producer Gerry Anderson
believed that his manner of direction best suited the "more bizarre" tone to this episode. Unique among Captain Scarlet episodes, "Attack on Cloudbase" includes no guest characters, and it is one of only two episodes (the other being "Flight to Atlantica
") in which all the regular Spectrum personnel appear (although not all of them have speaking parts).
The stranding of Symphony Angel in a desert and the final Mysteron
assault on Cloudbase
posed a number of challenges to the special effects department, under the supervision of Derek Meddings
. A shot depicting the jet of Destiny Angel shooting past the grounded Symphony required close collaboration between puppeteers (to control the wired Symphony marionette) and effects staff (to stage the scale model
fighter travelling overhead in the same shot). Designers modelled the Mysteron spacecraft on the traditional "saucer-shaped
" appearance of UFOs as reported during the 1960s. To aid the impression that the objects are spinning in mid-air, Meddings added veins to each model to catch and reflect light directed onto the set. Although models appear in the foreground of the high-altitude attack sequence, due to a shortage of model operators, small light bulbs flash in the background to give the impression of a larger number of spinning vehicles.
Just before Cloudbase crashes to Earth off-screen, Colonel White
is seen in a still shot giving a solemn salute from behind his Control Room desk. Anderson, who attributes this creative decision to maritime tradition, remembers suggesting, "Let's make sure [Colonel White] goes down like the captain of a big ship." Liz Morgan
, who provided the voices of Destiny and Rhapsody Angels, recalls how the emotion of the script manifested itself at the 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!'"
Unlike most of the later Captain Scarlet episodes, incidental music
for "Attack on Cloudbase" uses a special score
as opposed to being recycled from a track library. Composer Barry Gray
created new tracks for "Attack on Cloudbase" after Anderson decided that that none of the used incidental music suited the atmosphere of the episode. Gray recorded the music on 3 December 1967, four months after his last contribution to the series, with an orchestra of 14 musicians. The new pieces are titled "Desert Symphony" and "The Mysterons Attack!" Music for the earlier episode "Expo 2068
" originates from the same studio session.
recalls that the episode originally set out to be comic, but suggests that the finished product can instead be categorised under black humour. Although he concedes that the use of the dream
and reset button
techniques in fiction can appear clichéd and uninspired, in the case of "Attack on Cloudbase" he defends them as ideal means both to shock viewers with the apparent deaths of main characters and then to reassure them that the narrative events are, in the end, "all a dream". Anderson goes on to praise Tony Barwick
's script, stating that the decisions to depict the characters of Captain Blue
and Symphony Angel in a romantic relationship, and Blue in moral conflict with Colonel White
, are strong examples of Barwick's "humanisation of these puppets". The comic role of the character of Captain Magenta
is, similarly, another "wonderful example of 'Barwickism'".
In their Captain Scarlet tie-in guide, Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett describe "Attack on Cloudbase" as "tense and exciting", and assert that it is "guaranteed to keep the viewer guessing". Passing the episode with a "U" certificate
, the British Board of Film Classification
states that "Attack on Cloudbase" contains "very mild, fantasy
" violence. Anderson argues that the dramatic content of the episode is balanced with Barwick's scripting of the end scene, which followed the reasoning that there needed to be "a sequence where everyone was happy together, and clearly no one had come to any grief" to form the "inevitable happy ending
" to the plot.
, a Captain Scarlet compilation film released in 1980. An additional sequence created at the New York offices of original distributor ITC Entertainment
presents a computer-animated Mysteron
pyramid with a voice-over
implying that the attack on Cloudbase
is in fact real and not a dream. Time is then reversed to leave the base intact. The alterations made to the original footage have attracted a negative response from fans.
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
. The penultimate instalment of the series, it first aired in the United Kingdom on ATV Midlands on 7 May 1968. In this episode, Symphony Angel ejects from her damaged interceptor into the Sahara Desert before Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
spacecraft arrive on Earth to launch a crippling assault on Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
. While Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
contributed the script, executive producer Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
selected Ken Turner
Ken Turner (director)
Ken Turner is a British television and film director and screenwriter who has worked extensively on series created by Gerry Anderson....
as director on account of the episode's "bizarre" atmosphere.
Filmed in October 1967, "Attack on Cloudbase" underwent script alterations prior to shooting. Challenges facing the Century 21 production team's special effects department included a complex shot in which a scale Angel aircraft model flies over the full-size Symphony Angel puppet, and the extended sequence depicting the attack on Cloudbase itself. The department produced only a limited number of saucer-shaped
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
spacecraft models, and decided to increase the apparent size of the Mysteron attacking force at low cost with the insertion of flashing light bulbs into the backdrop of the set.
Composer Barry Gray
Barry Gray
Barry Gray was a British musician and composer who is best known for his work for Gerry Anderson.-Life:...
produced a unique score at the behest of Anderson, who considered none of the music used in earlier episodes to befit the tenor of "Attack on Cloudbase". Voice actress Liz Morgan
Elizabeth Morgan (actor)
Elizabeth Morgan is a British actress, primarily in supporting roles, in films, television, and onstage. She was often credited as "Liz Morgan".-External links:...
recalls the emotion apparent in the script. Anderson praises Barwick for his "humanised" writing of some of the regular characters, and deems that the nature of the plot is essentially dark humour. In 1980, the New York branch of distributor ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
re-edited "Attack on Cloudbase" to form a segment of Captain Scarlet vs the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet vs the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet vs the Mysterons is a 1980 television film based on the 1967 British Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It is a compilation film incorporating re-edited footage from the series episodes "The Mysterons", "Winged Assassin", "Seek and Destroy" and...
, a Captain Scarlet compilation film.
Plot
While on aerial patrol, Symphony Angel is forced to eject into the Sahara Desert following a sudden explosion to the rear of her interceptor, and falls unconscious in the heat. When the MysteronMysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s warn of its ultimate destruction, Spectrum's airborne headquarters, Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
, is placed on red alert and sealed from all outside contact. Destiny Angel is launched to search for Symphony, but in light of the threat is recalled on the orders of Spectrum's commander-in-chief, Colonel White
Colonel White
Colonel White is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is the commander-in-Chief of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth against the Mysterons from Mars...
. This decision sparks a bitter argument between White and Captain Blue
Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Blue is a character in the 1967 Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation and a close friend of Captain Scarlet....
, who is attracted to the Angel. However, White refuses to permit Blue to join the ground forces that are being mobilised to locate Symphony.
When night falls, Captain Magenta
Captain Magenta
Captain Magenta is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation, but seldom leaves Cloudbase....
detects a large trace in the Cloudbase Radar Room. Rhapsody Angel is launched to investigate and is shocked to find that the signal is emanating from a spinning Mysteron spacecraft, which blasts her fighter to pieces in mid-air. To prevent civilian deaths on the ground, Cloudbase moves into Himalayan
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
airspace on its horizontal thrusters, while personnel prepare for the inevitable final confrontation. When Magenta announces that more hostile forces are appearing on the radar, Captain Scarlet
Captain Scarlet (character)
Captain Scarlet is the fictional main character in Gerry Anderson's British Supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet....
volunteers to replace Destiny Angel to challenge the Mysterons, but crash-lands on the Cloudbase flight deck
Flight deck
The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft is also referred to as the...
to critical injuries after his interceptor is damaged.
As the Mysterons fire on the base itself, Dr Fawn is killed. Posing as his assistant, Mysteron agent Captain Black
Captain Black (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Black is the fictional nemesis of Captain Scarlet and recurring Mysteron agent in the 1960s British supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet...
reports that Scarlet's retro-metabolic powers
The Mysterons (Captain Scarlet episode)
"The Mysterons" is the first episode of the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first officially broadcast in the UK on ATV Midlands on , although it had been granted an unscheduled test transmission for the London area on...
cannot heal such serious trauma and that the officer is dead with no hope of recovery. The Mysteron attack continues, resulting in the deaths of Magenta and the other Angels, until only White, Blue and Lieutenant Green
Lieutenant Green
Lieutenant Green is the assistant of Colonel White in the Supermarionation television series series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is of Trinidadian origin, and as well as being the only non-white male on Cloudbase, he is the only officer to hold the rank of lieutenant...
remain alive in the Control Room. As the stricken Cloudbase loses altitude, Green is killed in another explosion and Blue is left crippled and unable to save himself. White resolves to go down with his command, and is seen to salute in a spiralling freeze frame shot
Freeze frame shot
A freeze frame shot is used when one shot is printed in a single frame several times, in order to make an interesting illusion of a still photograph....
as Cloudbase is heard crashing to Earth.
Immediately after, Symphony regains consciousness in the desert facing Scarlet and Blue, who have commanded the ground forces sent for her rescue. In the final scene, it is made clear that Symphony dreamt
Dream sequence
A dream sequence is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a dream, or some other element. Commonly, dream sequences appear in many...
the destruction of Cloudbase in a terrible nightmare brought on in the sweltering heat of the desert sun.
Production
One of the last episodes of Captain Scarlet to be produced, filming for "Attack on Cloudbase" commenced towards the end of October 1967. In Tony BarwickTony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
's original script for this episode, the role of Captain Magenta
Captain Magenta
Captain Magenta is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation, but seldom leaves Cloudbase....
is filled with the introduction of a new Spectrum character, Captain Sienna. However, the lines passed to the Magenta character after the production team determined that a new Spectrum puppet uniform would be too expensive to manufacture. The director position fell to Ken Turner
Ken Turner (director)
Ken Turner is a British television and film director and screenwriter who has worked extensively on series created by Gerry Anderson....
, since executive producer Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
believed that his manner of direction best suited the "more bizarre" tone to this episode. Unique among Captain Scarlet episodes, "Attack on Cloudbase" includes no guest characters, and it is one of only two episodes (the other being "Flight to Atlantica
Flight to Atlantica
"Flight to Atlantica" is the 30th episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick and directed by Leo Eaton....
") in which all the regular Spectrum personnel appear (although not all of them have speaking parts).
The stranding of Symphony Angel in a desert and the final Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
assault on Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
posed a number of challenges to the special effects department, under the supervision of Derek Meddings
Derek Meddings
Derek Meddings was a British television and cinema special effects expert, initially noted for his work on the "Supermarionation" television puppet series produced by Gerry Anderson, and later for the 1970s James Bond films and the Superman film series.-Early years:Both Meddings' parents had...
. A shot depicting the jet of Destiny Angel shooting past the grounded Symphony required close collaboration between puppeteers (to control the wired Symphony marionette) and effects staff (to stage the scale model
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
fighter travelling overhead in the same shot). Designers modelled the Mysteron spacecraft on the traditional "saucer-shaped
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
" appearance of UFOs as reported during the 1960s. To aid the impression that the objects are spinning in mid-air, Meddings added veins to each model to catch and reflect light directed onto the set. Although models appear in the foreground of the high-altitude attack sequence, due to a shortage of model operators, small light bulbs flash in the background to give the impression of a larger number of spinning vehicles.
Just before Cloudbase crashes to Earth off-screen, Colonel White
Colonel White
Colonel White is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is the commander-in-Chief of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth against the Mysterons from Mars...
is seen in a still shot giving a solemn salute from behind his Control Room desk. Anderson, who attributes this creative decision to maritime tradition, remembers suggesting, "Let's make sure [Colonel White] goes down like the captain of a big ship." Liz Morgan
Elizabeth Morgan (actor)
Elizabeth Morgan is a British actress, primarily in supporting roles, in films, television, and onstage. She was often credited as "Liz Morgan".-External links:...
, who provided the voices of Destiny and Rhapsody Angels, recalls how the emotion of the script manifested itself at the recording session: "It was a moment when Destiny was very worried about Captain Scarlet
Captain Scarlet (character)
Captain Scarlet is the fictional main character in Gerry Anderson's British Supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New 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
Reg Hill
Reginald E. Hill was a British television producer and was most prominently associated with the work of puppet animator Gerry Anderson.-Professional life:...
, who was directing that particular week, said, 'No, Liz, love. Do it again, love. Puppets don't cry!'"
Unlike most of the later Captain Scarlet episodes, incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for "Attack on Cloudbase" uses a special score
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
as opposed to being recycled from a track library. Composer Barry Gray
Barry Gray
Barry Gray was a British musician and composer who is best known for his work for Gerry Anderson.-Life:...
created new tracks for "Attack on Cloudbase" after Anderson decided that that none of the used incidental music suited the atmosphere of the episode. Gray recorded the music on 3 December 1967, four months after his last contribution to the series, with an orchestra of 14 musicians. The new pieces are titled "Desert Symphony" and "The Mysterons Attack!" Music for the earlier episode "Expo 2068
Expo 2068
"Expo 2068" is the 25th episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Shane Rimmer and directed by Leo Eaton...
" originates from the same studio session.
Reception
In a DVD audio commentary for "Attack on Cloudbase", Gerry AndersonGerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
recalls that the episode originally set out to be comic, but suggests that the finished product can instead be categorised under black humour. Although he concedes that the use of the dream
Dream sequence
A dream sequence is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a dream, or some other element. Commonly, dream sequences appear in many...
and reset button
Reset button technique
The reset button technique is a plot device that interrupts continuity in works of fiction. Simply put, use of a reset button device returns all characters and situations to the status quo they held before a major change of some sort was introduced...
techniques in fiction can appear clichéd and uninspired, in the case of "Attack on Cloudbase" he defends them as ideal means both to shock viewers with the apparent deaths of main characters and then to reassure them that the narrative events are, in the end, "all a dream". Anderson goes on to praise Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
's script, stating that the decisions to depict the characters of Captain Blue
Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Blue is a character in the 1967 Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation and a close friend of Captain Scarlet....
and Symphony Angel in a romantic relationship, and Blue in moral conflict with Colonel White
Colonel White
Colonel White is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is the commander-in-Chief of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth against the Mysterons from Mars...
, are strong examples of Barwick's "humanisation of these puppets". The comic role of the character of Captain Magenta
Captain Magenta
Captain Magenta is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation, but seldom leaves Cloudbase....
is, similarly, another "wonderful example of 'Barwickism'".
In their Captain Scarlet tie-in guide, Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett describe "Attack on Cloudbase" as "tense and exciting", and assert that it is "guaranteed to keep the viewer guessing". Passing the episode with a "U" certificate
History of British film certificates
-Overview:The UK's film ratings are decided by the British Board of Film Classification and have been since 1912. Previously, there were no agreed rating standards, and local councils imposed their own - often differing - conditions or restrictions...
, the British Board of Film Classification
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
states that "Attack on Cloudbase" contains "very mild, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
" violence. Anderson argues that the dramatic content of the episode is balanced with Barwick's scripting of the end scene, which followed the reasoning that there needed to be "a sequence where everyone was happy together, and clearly no one had come to any grief" to form the "inevitable happy ending
Happy ending
A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the protagonists, their sidekicks, and almost everyone except the villains....
" to the plot.
Later appearances
Footage from "Attack on Cloudbase" has been re-edited to form a segment of Captain Scarlet vs the MysteronsCaptain Scarlet vs the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet vs the Mysterons is a 1980 television film based on the 1967 British Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It is a compilation film incorporating re-edited footage from the series episodes "The Mysterons", "Winged Assassin", "Seek and Destroy" and...
, a Captain Scarlet compilation film released in 1980. An additional sequence created at the New York offices of original distributor ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
presents a computer-animated Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
pyramid with a voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
implying that the attack on Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
is in fact real and not a dream. Time is then reversed to leave the base intact. The alterations made to the original footage have attracted a negative response from fans.
External links
- "Attack on Cloudbase" at TheVervoid.com