Voyage To The Bottom Of
The Sea – Season One (Two Volumes)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: B
There has been so much complaining about movie versions of
often bad-to-begin-with TV shows that we sometimes forget that there have been
those moments where a TV series was better than the feature film that preceded
it. Buffy The Vampire Slayer was
a more recent example, but my favorite is Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. The hit Irwin Allen feature film does not
hold up well, but has good music, a good cast and some campy moments. When he launched the TV series in 1964, he
really dug in and got some great writer, a solid new cast lead by Richard
Basehart and David Hedison, some then-groundbreaking visual effects and an
enduring TV hit was born. It was
Allen’s biggest hit TV series ever.
The show was very consistent throughout its run, but the
first season had to be an ace and holds up very well after all these
years. Even when some of the shows are
hampered by dated effects or menaces, it is still played straight and serious
as if it is very real. Since the 1980s,
most such TV shows do not even begin to have that kind of respect for the
audience or themselves, but older and far more professional productions with
this kind of talent knew better and that is why a gem like this shines 40+
years later.
The show centers on the adventures of The Seaview, the
most advanced and technologically innovative submarine in the world. Every foreign power wants to steal or
destroy it, other forces of unexpected power will cross it and that is just the
starting point for so many good teleplays written by some of the best writers
of the time. It also helped make Allen
the king of Fox TV for the 1960s and he kept coming up with great, fun TV that
just seems to appreciate in value.
Basehart and Hedison are great on the show, totally convincing and they
were terrific. The two DVD boxes of
this first season split the 32 shows in half chronologically and the box art on
both is a plus.
The 1.33 X 1 black and white image is pretty good
throughout both sets, mixing great shots with some that are soft here and
there, but it is very watchable. This
was the only black and white season, with some fans considering it the best of
the four. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound
is available in Stereo and Mono, but I tended to like the Mono better. The combination is better than I have ever
seen these shows before. Extras on the
first volume include the never-before-seen Pilot episode, more home movies from
producer Irwin Allen, stills and a Promotional reel for the show. The second volume includes more stills, a
blooper reel and new interview with Hedison.
Now, we wait for the next seasons, but recommend the limited edition
soundtrack to the feature film (better than the film itself) while supplies
last. See the review at:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/964/Voyage+To+The+Bottom+Of+The+Sea+(1961,+Limited+CD)
- Nicholas Sheffo
