Under the Mountain | |
---|---|
Genre | Adventure / Drama / Family / Sci-Fi / Thriller |
Based on | Under the Mountain by Maurice Gee |
Screenplay by | Ken Catran |
Directed by | Chris Bailey |
Starring |
|
Composer | Bernie Allen |
Country of origin | New Zealand |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Producer | Tom Finlayson |
Editor | Harley Oliver |
Running time | 24 minutes |
Production company | Television New Zealand |
Original release | |
Network | Television New Zealand |
Release | 6 October – 24 November 1981 |
Under the Mountain is an eight-part television series based on the 1979 novel of the same name written by Maurice Gee, first transmitted in 1981 and produced by Television New Zealand. Many of the minor roles in this series were played by people who were at the time well known performers in New Zealand.
The show focuses on twins Rachel and Theo Matheson. While on school summer holidays in Auckland, they are contacted by a man named Mr. Jones, who had met them briefly eight years earlier. This time, Mr. Jones reveals his true identity and mission. He is an alien—a member of the mysterious race called The People Who Understand and was sent from another world in a battle against another race of aliens. These latter creatures were a family of slimy, slug-like beasts who could take on human form. Led by the evil Mr. Wilberforce, the slug monsters were now bent on destroying Earth and only the twins' emerging psychic abilities could turn them back. The other major conflict presented by the series is that of Rachel and Theo's emerging abilities. Rachel accepted the truth of their abilities, while Theo was more of a cynic and often challenged Mr. Jones. The psychic abilities in the series increase in effectiveness as the individual grows in trust and acceptance of his or her abilities. In the final episode of the series, the twins are each required to throw a stone and focus their psychic energy into the stone to create a red and blue bridge-like construct that will defeat the Wilberforces. Because Theo's faith in his abilities and his belief in supernatural phenomena in general is lacking, his half of the bridge is insufficient to complete the construct. Mr. Jones uses the last of his life energy to complete the construct and defeat the Wilberforces, and can no longer be with Rachel and Theo as a result.
No. | Original title |
---|---|
1. | Maar |
2. | Volcano of the Bleeding Skies |
3. | Red Force, Blue Force |
4. | The Alien World Below |
5. | Weapons of the Mind |
6. | Any Shape, Any Form |
7. | Assault |
8. | The Gift of Oblivion |
Filming for the farm & bush scenes in the first episode took place near Silverdale, North of Auckland, at Mt. Pleasant, an historic dairy farm & homestead in Pine Valley Road.
All eight episodes have been released on one dual-layer region-free (region 0) DVD in New Zealand. [2]
For some reason the video format chosen for the DVD was NTSC, while the original production material would have been produced for PAL transmission as that is the standard in use throughout New Zealand and Australia. This makes the DVD unplayable for people with certain older TV sets unable to display NTSC.[ original research? ]
Picture quality is described on the DVD cover as "subject to quality of dated production source." Audio is mono, but is of an acceptable quality.[ citation needed ]
In 2009 Under the Mountain was adapted into a New Zealand feature film with cameos by Kirsty Wilkinson and Bill Johnson, directed by Jonathan King. [3] [4]
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is a 1981–1983 American animated television series produced by Marvel Productions, considered to be a crossover series connected to the 1981 Spider-Man series. The show stars already-established Marvel Comics characters Spider-Man and Iceman, along with an original character, Firestar. As a trio called the Spider-Friends, they fight against various villains of the Marvel Universe.
Boy Meets World is an American coming-of-age sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September 1993 and May 2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews and his friends and family, as he progresses from childhood to adulthood. Episodes chronicle the everyday events of Cory's home and school life; his teacher and neighbor George Feeny delivers life lessons as Cory learns to cope with social and personal issues of adolescence. Cory has strong relationships with his older brother Eric, younger sister Morgan, and parents, Amy and Alan. Cory's friendship with Shawn Hunter and romantic interest in Topanga Lawrence serve as central focuses of episodes. Overarching themes include a focus on family and friendships as well as discovering one's identity. Further characters were introduced in later seasons; Jonathan Turner, Eli Williams, Jack Hunter, Angela Moore and Rachel McGuire.
Maurice Gough Gee is a New Zealand novelist. He is one of New Zealand's most distinguished and prolific authors, having written over thirty novels for adults and children, and has won numerous awards both in New Zealand and overseas, including multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in the UK, the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship, the Robert Burns Fellowship and a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement. In 2003 he was recognised as one of New Zealand's greatest living artists across all disciplines by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, which presented him with an Icon Award.
The Greatest American Hero is an American comedy-drama superhero television series that aired on ABC. Created by producer Stephen J. Cannell, it premiered as a two-hour pilot movie on March 18, 1981, and ran until February 2, 1983. The series features William Katt as teacher Ralph Hinkley, Robert Culp as FBI agent Bill Maxwell, and Connie Sellecca as lawyer Pam Davidson. The lead character's surname was temporarily changed to "Hanley" for a few months immediately after President Ronald Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker is an American television series that aired on ABC during the 1974–1975 season. The series followed wire service reporter Carl Kolchak who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, particularly those involving the supernatural or science fiction, including fantastic creatures. The series was preceded by the two television movies, The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973). Although the series lasted only a single season, it developed cult status in syndication.
The Dead Zone, also known as Stephen King's The Dead Zone is a science fiction drama television series starring Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Smith, who discovers he has developed psychic abilities after a coma. The show, credited as "based on characters" from Stephen King's 1979 novel of the same name, first aired in 2002, and was produced by Lionsgate Television and Paramount Network Television for the USA Network.
Poltergeist: The Legacy is a horror television series which ran from 1996 to 1999. The series tells the story of the members of a secret society known as the Legacy and their efforts to protect humankind from occult dangers.
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. Filming took place in various locations around the world, with "Old Indy" bookend segments filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina and on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The series was a Lucasfilm Television production in association with Amblin Television and Paramount Television.
The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the sixth incarnation of the Scooby-Doo franchise. It premiered on September 10, 1983, featuring the return of Daphne, and ran for one season on ABC as a half-hour program made up of two eleven-minute short cartoons. For season two, Fred and Velma briefly return to the show after a four-year absence. The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries ran for another season on ABC.
Space Academy is an American science fiction television series produced by Filmation that originally aired Saturday mornings on the CBS television network, from September 10 to December 17, 1977. A total of 15 half-hour episodes were made.
She-Wolf of London is a television series produced by the Finnegan/Pinchuk Company, HTV and MCA Television Entertainment that aired in first-run syndication in the United States from October 1990 to April 1991. The first 14 episodes were filmed in England and aired under the She-Wolf title, and a second season of six episodes was filmed in Los Angeles and aired under the title Love and Curses, with a drastically reduced cast.
The Third Eye is an American anthology series on Nickelodeon. It consisted of several English-language science fiction serials from the United Kingdom and New Zealand. All of the program's featurettes focused on characters with psychic abilities.
Sensing Murder is a television show in which three psychics are asked to act as psychic detectives to help provide evidence that might be useful in solving famous unsolved murder cases by communicating with the deceased victims. The program format was developed in 2002 by Nordisk Film TV in Denmark and has been sold to many countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the US. In 2004, Granada Entertainment bought the US rights. The New Zealand series first aired in 2006 and was hosted by Rebecca Gibney. On 17 January 2017, it was announced that Amanda Billing would be the new host for the Australia/New Zealand version.
Oliver Driver is a New Zealand actor, director, broadcaster and television presenter.
The All-New Super Friends Hour is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 10, 1977, to September 2, 1978, on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is an American animated horror comedy television series serves as the eleventh incarnation of the Scooby-Doo media franchise created by Hanna-Barbera, as well as the first that was not originally run on Saturday mornings. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Cartoon Network UK and premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on April 5, 2010, with the next twelve episodes continuing, and the first episode re-airing, on July 12, 2010. The series concluded on April 5, 2013, after two seasons and fifty-two episodes.
The Outer Limits is a science fiction anthology television series that originally aired between 1995 and 2002 on Showtime, Syfy, and in syndication. The series is a revival of the original The Outer Limits series that aired from 1963 to 1965.
Under the Mountain is a 2009 New Zealand film directed by Jonathan King starring Sam Neill, Oliver Driver, Sophie McBride, and Tom Cameron. It is based on the 1979 novel of the same name by New Zealand author Maurice Gee.
Under the Mountain is a 1979 children's book by New Zealand writer Maurice Gee. It has been adapted into a 1981 television miniseries, a 2009 film and stage show.
"All Hell Breaks Loose" is the joint title for the two-part second-season finale of The CW television series Supernatural. It consists of the twenty-first and twenty-second episodes of the second season. "Part One" was first broadcast on May 10, 2007, and the second part aired the following week on May 17, 2007. The narrative follows series protagonist Sam Winchester —a young man who travels the continental United States with his brother Dean hunting supernatural creatures—as he is abducted by series villain Azazel and sent to an abandoned town. Azazel intends to find a leader for his demon army by having Sam and other psychic children like him fight to the death. Sam is eventually killed, but is resurrected after Dean sells his soul. The sole survivor, Jake Talley, is sent by Azazel to a cemetery protected against demons, where he opens a gateway to Hell. At the end of the episode, Azazel is finally killed by Dean with the mystical Colt revolver, but not before hundreds of demons are released into the world.