The Catacombs The Merchandise Guide
Video: Europe
Compiled by Martin Willey

SPAIN: CBS-Fox

VHS cover

Spain 1986. VHS: 9056-51 Beta: 9056-41

Destino Base Lunar Alfa (Destination Moonbase Alpha). The cover is the Tom Chantrell poster (also used on US CBS-Fox release in 1983, CBS-Fox in Germany in 1986 and UK's Precision video in 1980).

The text at top is "La más fantástica aventura del hombre está a punto de comenzar" (The most fantastic adventure of man is about to begin)

The back cover has small pictures of other video releases: Lady Halcon (Lady Hawke) and Dune. Koenig is spelled "Koening".

Beta release

SPAIN: I.V.E.

Alien Ataca, IVE

Spain 1986?

Alien Ataca (Alien Attack) was released on VHS around 1986-1987 by the Spanish division of I.V.E., International Video Entertainment. IVE was formed in 1985 (the name was changed in 1990), and in the US they distributed the Sybil Danning Adventure Video versions of these titles.

Uniquely, this video release had a reworked version of the original Tom Chantrell cover art. The white-eyed Sparkman image is removed and replaced by a new shot of Helena (it may have been judged too disturbing for the cover). The English title is the centre is removed and replaced with an Eagle (with three red stripes and Airfix Eagle markings).


SPAIN: Quartz Video

Spain 1990s?

Quartz Video released a number of first series episodes singly on videotape. The strange packaging art featured weird jet-fighters (possibly the same art as the AvoFilm Italian 2nd edition shown below). Episodes included "Ring Around The Moon", and were dubbed into Spanish (series and episode titles were translated from English by a narrator).


SPAZIO 1999 (AvoFilm)

Italy. Cod. 3091

The 1975 Italian compilation film released on video: comprises Breakaway; Ring Around The Moon and Another Time, Another Place edited into an 88 minute feature, with music by Ennio Morricone.

  • First edition cover (1991) shows a stylised Eagle with a square landing pad on stilts in the background. (artwork by Giordano, based on an effects shot from Star Wars Return Of The Jedi)
  • Second edition (undated) shows sleek rocket ships and a death-star space station (based on a Boris Vallejo painting used on the cover of Frederick Pohl's 'Gateway' novel).
First edition- click for larger image (245k). Thanks to Andrea Gualco
Second edition- Italian video. Thanks to Ken Scott.

Cosmos 1999 (Sony Music Video)

French cover

France: volumes 1-4 1992, volumes 5 & 6 May 1993. 7 & 8 in 1994. VHS/Secam, each 140 F.
Also released in Belgium in VHS/PAL format.

Three episodes dubbed in French per 150 minute tape.

Covers were identical in design: a bright 'starburst', with a reversed promotional shot of Koenig & Helena, and a smaller shot of an Eagle. The back covers featured a Nasa photo of the Earth, and a small episode shot. Both back and front had much writing, highlighted in florid colours (apparently to evoke a kitsch 1970s impression).

The tapes were accompanied by interesting black & white leaflets, illustrated by plans (taken from the US Starlog magazine and Technical Notebook) and photos, describing features of the series such as the Eagles. The text was by "Fantasy & Co" (Alain Carrazé, a fan and TV presenter, also behind the later DVD releases).

Some images thanks to Nicolas Lemarignier.

1. A la dérive
Question de vie ou de mort
La machine infernale

Colour: Green-Yellow. Leaflet: La Moon Base Alpha


2. Le soleil noir
L'anneau de la Lune
Direction Terre

Colour: Orange. Leaflet: Cdt Koenig

3. Le gardien du Piri
Le maillon
Aute temps, autre lieu

Colour: Pink. Leaflet: L'Aigle [the Eagle]

4. L'enfant d'Alpha
Le dernier crépuscule
Puissance de vie

Colour: Red. Leaflet: Dr. Helena Russell

Also box set of volumes 1-4 (530 F) Garish orange box with small series photos.
5. Un autre Royaume de la mort
Collision inévitable
Le retour du Voyageur

Colour: Yellow. Leaflet: Victor Bergman, Le localisateur [the comlock]

6. Ruses de guerre
Au bout de l'éternité
Le grand cercle

Colour: Blue. Leaflet: Alan Carter, Le Pistolet Laser [the stun gun]

7. La Mission des Dariens,
En désarroi
Cerveau Spatial

Colour: mauve. Leaflet: Paul Morrow, le Poste Principal [Main Mission]

8. Le Domaine du Dragon
Le testament de l'Arcadie
Le Dernier Adversaire

Colour: blue. Leaflet: Sandra Benes, Uniformes

Poster

French poster advertising the videos, using the Charlton comic cover by Gray Morrow, but oddly reversed so Koenig's black sleeve is on his right.


Alien Attack (AYF)

France. VHS/Secam.

The cover is the Chantrell poster (with the title in English: Alien Attack). The back cover has 4 small photos.


Black Sun, Cosmic Princess (GCR)

France. VHS/Secam.

Two titles, dubbed in French, by "GCR Distribution". Thanks to Jerome Wybon.

Soleil Noir (Journey Through The Black Sun) Soleil Noir
Cosmic Princess Cosmic Princess

Mondbasis Alpha (Polygram Video)

Cover

Germany, end 1996. 19.95DM.

The attractive standard cover features a moon top left (actually a reverse image of Saturn's moon Dione taken by the real Voyager 1), portraits of the 3 main actors in the centre (Koenig, Helena and either Victor or Maya) and a lunar scene below.

Vol 1 Nr.3201

Ein Ring von Licht (Ring Around The Moon)

Die schwarze Sonne (Black Sun)

Moonbase Alpha
Vol 2 Nr.3202

Metamorphose (The Metamorph)

Die Verstossenen (The Exiles)

Nuclear Disposal Area 2
Vol 3 Nr.3203

Schottische Geschichten (Journey To Where)

Der entscheidende Stoff (All That Glisters)

Last Enemy Deltan ship

CBS-Fox Video

Germany 1986.

Angriff auf Alpha 1 (Destination Moonbase Alpha, "Attack on Alpha 1") CBS Fox Video # 9056

The Chantrell artwork seems to have been redrawn (the signature is "Chris Heiss"), probably to include the German title, making the characters notably more cartoonish.

The tagline is "Die tödliche Gefahr aus dem Weltraum": "The deadly threat from outer space"

1990 release

Above: The cover from 1990. Below, the revised "Silver screen collection" from 1993, thanks to Ekmar Brand.

1993 release 1993 release

Arcade Video

Germany

Alien Attack Die Außerirdischen schlagen zu (The Aliens Attack) #708
Black Sun (Journey Through The Black Sun) Der Todesplanet greift an (Enter The Death Planet) #715
click for larger image click for larger image

Månbas Alpha (Polygram, Sweden)

Sweden

At least 4 tapes were released. The cover design is a variation of the 1996 UK Polygram releases (volumes 21-24).

Volume 1 På Liv och Död ("On Life and Death", Matter Of Life And Death)
Dödsmaskinen ("Death Machine", The Infernal Machine)
Swedish Video 1
Volume 4 Den Oroliga Själen ("The Uneasy Shawl", The Troubled Spirit)
Rymdhjärnan ("Space Brain", Space Brain)
Swedish Video 4

Angreb på Månebase Alpha (Starbox Video, Denmark)

Denmark 1980s (the back cover has the text "the right to rent and sell until 1.11.87" indicating a date on or before 1987)

Alien Attack (the Danish title translates as "Attack on Moonbase Alpha"). # 4712/15

The tagline is "Mareridtest i rummet, var kun begyndelsen..." - "The nightmare in space was just the beginning...". The episode War Games had not been shown in the original 1976-1977 run, so this was the first time Danish audiences would see it.


Portugal

Portugal 1988

The names of the movies were different to the Prisvideo DVD releases in 2004 (Princesa Cósmica and Jornada Através do Sol Negro). Thanks António Rodrigues



Copyright Martin Willey