UFO (TV Series) Court Martial (1970) User Reviews

A bit anticlimactic...but still worth seeing.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 6 May 2010]

When Commander Straker discovers a bug planted in his car, he is livid and naturally assumes his constant thorn in the side, Henderson, is responsible. Well, his instinct turns out to be quite correct--but not for the reason he assumed. While he assumed Henderson was just being a big-time jerk-face (as usual), it turns out that Henderson has discovered a leak from SHADO to the press and the bug was used to gather information. However, at this point, the evidence seems to point to Colonel Foster as the leak--and a court martial hearing is ordered! Now considering Foster is one of the 'big three' (the three main leaders and actors on the show), whether or not he's really a leak is not even in question to most viewers if they've seen previous episodes. He simply cannot be the leak...period. This takes away some of the suspense but this doesn't necessarily mean the show is bad or seriously flawed. So, when Foster is found guilty and sentenced to death, you KNOW that by the end of the show he'll somehow miraculously be exonerated.

So, after all is said and done, is this an episode worth watching--even with this major shortcoming? Well, it does have a nice obligatory machismo scene but also a reasonable explanation for the security leak. It has Foster getting shot but not spilling a single drop of blood--but the explanation for how this occurred is pretty cool. All in all, there is a bit of good and a bit of bad but the good easily outweighs the bad. Worth seeing.

By the way, the weasel-like doctor/prosecutor, Jackson, is a recurring character played by Vladek Sheybal. You may recognize him from the film "From Russia With Love"--playing one of Blofeld's BFFs (who was ultimately killed by the scary as Satan, Klebb). Or, you may have seen this Polish-born actor in the god-awful film "The Apple".

The accused

[ShadeGrenade · 8/10 · 10 July 2012]

I was not too fond of this episode when I first saw the series in 1971. Why? No U.F.O.'s or Aliens, for one thing. In fact hardly any of the hardware associated with the show is on view here, except in the opening credits. I like it better now as it is a change from the norm of 'U.F.O.' episodes. Straker finds his car has been bugged by General Henderson, who explains it is there because of a major security leak in the S.H.A.D.O. organisation. Skydiver was due to rendezvous with a supply ship, but could not surface in case there was a boat-load of press men and photographers waiting. Orders concerning Moonbase have also been leaked. The main suspect appears to be Paul Foster, the only individual with access to the information. Furthermore, the sum of $10,000 has recently been deposited in his bank account. The Colonel goes on trial at S.H.A.D.O. H.Q. with 'Webb' ( Jack Hedley ) as Foster's defence counsel and the creepy 'Dr.Jackson' ( Vladek Sheybal ) as prosecutor. If Foster is found guilty of espionage, he will be sentenced to death...

You don't need me to tell you that Foster is innocent and has been targeted by industrial spies because of his connection with the Harlington-Straker studios. The head spy is one 'Jane Grant' ( Georgina Cookson, who was in two 'Prisoner' episodes ), the epitome of the attractive older woman. When we first see her in Straker's office she is standing in a most peculiar pose, almost as though she is struggling to doing an impersonation of Simon Templar's famous stick-man trademark. The late Neil McCallum plays 'Carl Mason', a temperamental film-maker who keeps trying to see Straker and is annoyed at being fobbed off because of his S.H.A.D.O. commitments.

An otherwise talky episode is enlivened by the scene where Foster escapes from Jackson's custody by jumping through the multi-coloured screen behind Straker's desk. It turns out to conceal a secret elevator which whisks him to the surface, cue an exciting chase across open ground which culminates in Foster getting shot. He isn't dead though. Straker exposes the real culprit and life at S.H.A.D.O. returns to normal.

Leaking classified information on Shado by top member!!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 9 April 2023]

UFO came to my collection on bootleg DVD-R format, a couple of years come out the official box of the entire series to my pleasure at last, this British feature has a trademark from their creators Gary & Sylvia Anderson, the concept is awesome, futuristic, secret protecting of alien invaders, using a wardrobe that epitomizes mainly the female casting.

This turn a leak of classified information reach in the newspaper that spread for everywhere, thus Straker (Ed Bishop) is summoned to his opposer Gen. Henderson (Grant Taylor) and also his bleak sidekick Jackson (Vladek Sheybal) to a summit, there the Col. Foster (Billington) is appointed as the informer of those classified info where just three members have consent to known of the subject matter, the proves are hard-hitting by the way, Col. Foster had received 10.000 pounds in your account bank from numbered account from Swiss, impossible find out the sender, worst all messages that leak were streamed by himself.

A Court Martial takes place even Straker still has a feeling that Col. Foster is not guilty about nothing, he and Col. Freeman (George Sewell) have a hard work to prove otherwise or Col. Foster will be declared guilty and sentenced to die in one month exactly, both make scans at Foster's apartment aiming for to find some wiretap or something, meanwhile Col. Foster escape from Shado's complex worsening his plight that already is almost irretrievable.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 2014 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

Episode with the best acting

[danrs000008 · 9/10 · 1 March 2022]

1. My memories of this episode are of an unpleasant story, that is the court-martial of Colonel Foster. After some time I come back to view this episode again realizing now what a great piece of writing it is. In addition all the main actors really show their stuff in this story. 2. General Henderson with his strict adherence to military protocol. Commander Straker with his search for facts and logic. Colonel Foster who manages to remain calm (for the most part) under great duress, and Dr Jackson with his somewhat sinister manner. 3. If it wasn't for movie executive Carl Mason and his continual complaining to Ed Straker, poor Colonel Foster wouldn't have had a chance. It would have been nice to see Foster, Straker and Colonel Freeman find a way to do something nice for Carl Mason. Of course Mason could never know the true reason for the nice favor.

Quality courtroom drama plus action

[lor_ · 16 August 2023]

Told in flashback, this dramatic story begins with Billington sentenced to death after conviction at a military court martial -accused of spying. Ed and Sewell do their own sleuthing to try and clear their prized employee.

This segment does a good job of reminding the viewer that SHADO is at war with the aliens, and even though that's kept a secret, it is ruled by military law.

Vladek Sheybal has a different role here, serving as the tribunal's prosecutor in this sci-fi adaptation of the traditional Courtroom Drama, plus some fine plot twists and action. Also, the vignette shows some fun interaction between SHADO and the movie studio front located upstairs (in real-life, the MGM studio in England where "2001: A Space Odyssey" was shot three years before UFO).

One defect is a very poor process shot to create a landscape backdrop for a conversation, shot in the studio, between Ed and Billington.