Classic TV Themes: Joe 90
You can write pages on Gerry Anderson's 1968 Supermarionation series Joe 90. There's the morally ambiguous premise of giving an emotionally immature nine-year-old the experiences of an adult. Then the psychological effects of allowing him to kill at will. Then there's the perennial issue of scientists prostituting their skills to the intelligence community. One can also reflect upon the absence of any major female characters in the series and how that may impact upon Joe himself. Finally, when one finally arrives she's a gold-digging bitch who tries to exploit Joe’s Dad, Professor McClaine. Joe 90 is certainly a psychiatrist’s dream subject.
Classic Movie Themes: Thunderbird 6
Despite the popularity of the TV show in 1965, the two spinoff Thunderbirds feature films were both box offices failures. This has often been attributed to the indifferently written screenplays that seem to have completely missed the sense of suspense that the fifty-minute episodes achieved. Both feature films feel rather slow and like extended episodes rather than big budget extravaganzas. They fail to do anything different with established characters and apart from showcasing more extensive miniature effects in a widescreen format, don’t really have much more to offer. It’s curious that the winning, character driven formula that worked on television was overlooked for these big screen outings.
Theremin versus Ondes Martenot
A few years ago UK Film Critic Mark Kermode made a short video extolling the virtues of that curious musical instrument the Theremin. However his performance was far from edifying, so to redress the balance, I’ve posted below the main theme from Mars Attacks by Danny Elfman. It highlights the ubiquity of this instrument in the science fiction genre. All of which stems from the wonderfully atmospheric score for the 1951 classic, The Day the Earth Stood by the great Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann. It was a milestone in the evolution of film soundtracks. Both tracks illustrates the point made by Mr. Kermode perfectly. The Theremin, due to its frequent use in a genre during its most formative years, has virtually become the de facto “sound of space" in popular culture.