The TARDIS lands in London in 1966 near the Post Office Tower. Inside the tower, Doctor and Dodo meet Professor Brett, the creator of WOTAN (Will Operating Thought Analogue) that will connect with other computers around the world in a kind of world-wide web, an international net, if you will. WOTAN is self-aware and it makes a decision that will endanger all humanity. The supercomputer organises the construction of ‘War Machines’- armed automata that can neutralise weapons and kill any who oppose them- and they are poised to strike.
This story illustrates how different the Hartnell era was from what followed more than any other. Today, there are many threats to contemporary Earth in general and London in particular. Today, the Doctor is known to at least one paramilitary organisation and can count on their support. However, this was the first time these tropes were ever seen in the programme and it genuinely seems odd to see the First Doctor blag his way into laboratories, confiding in politicians and being helped by the Army. The script is again by Ian Stuart Black and while it lacks the nuances of The Savages, it is successful in accomplishing what it sets out to do. It is, however, deeply weird to hear the lead character referred to as 'Dr. Who'!
The production values are impressive- there is extensive location filming around London and the design work is sound. Michael Ferguson directs the location scenes with panache, with high shots, what look like (but probably aren’t) crane shots and Dutch angles. He is generally fine with character scenes, but a fair few are fumbled- there are some conversation scenes where he only shoots one participant, or the wrong person and the actor doesn’t convincingly emote when not talking.
Again, the guest cast is merely competent at best and Alan Curtis is a bit rubbish as Major Green. However, the new regulars Anneke Wills and Michael Craze are instantly appealing. In her first scene, Polly gurns when she is called pretty, which is fantastic. There are also the brilliant scenes in the Inferno nightclub- I’m a sucker for 60’s club scenes with people shimmying about. The interplay between Dodo, Ben and Polly is great and feels real. It is a real pity that Dodo is given such short shrift by the story- she is the only companion who doesn’t get to say goodbye to the Doctor. Once her accent stabilised, Jackie Lane put in a good performance and had she had longer she would, no doubt, be better remembered.
The character of the Doctor is slightly different to how it has been presented in the past. Rather than gaining allies piecemeal or inspiring people, he is seen instructing military officers in strategy and is flanked by troops. There is also the only scene where we see the First Doctor losing control- the scene when WOTAN attempts to hypnotise him. Hartnell is easily up to this in a portrayal that is prescient in some ways of Pertwee’s.
This is a very enjoyable story but I get a sense of it being slightly dumbed down from the highs of earlier stories. The writing is not quite as sharp and it also seems to lack freshness which is, to be honest, unfair, as it was the first story of its kind, making it a story of great importance in Doctor Who and ending one of the finest seasons in the programme's history.
NEXT: The Smugglers
Showing posts with label dodo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dodo. Show all posts
Monday, 13 October 2008
Saturday, 11 October 2008
The Savages
The Doctor and his companions arrive on planet where the seemingly idyllic city of the Elders has one of the most advanced civilisations in the Universe. Outside the city is the realm of the Savages, people who live in Stone Age conditions. The Doctor is known to the Elders and he is invited to join their number, but the Doctor has questions he wants to answer…
As with Galaxy 4, this story is based on a simple idea. Here, one group of people treat another group as being little more than animals, despite them being the same species. Whereas the message of Galaxy 4 was ‘Beauty is only skin deep’ the message here is ‘Am I not a man and a brother?’ the Elders’ utopian state has a terrible cost- Savages are captured and placed in a machine which drains their ‘life essence’ and they are then thrown back into the wilderness to recuperate so that they can he harvested again. This is a story that is clearly about slavery, particularly the brutal slavery of the Atlantic, where human beings were, indeed treated like livestock. Interestingly several of the Elders have dark skin and the Savages are all white, presumably to drive the message home to the average 60s viewer, although it did not go as far as the ground-breaking 1965 BBC play Fable and actually cast black actors.
Worthy as these sentiments are, more is required for a drama to actually connect with the viewer and Ian Stuart Black is more than up to the task. A lesser writer would have had the Doctor and his friends helping the Savages launch an attack on the evil Elders and destroy them. Black, very sensibly, does something different. While the Elders’ treatment of the Savages is utterly reprehensible, they are not presented as evil. Their glorified vampirism is part of their way of life and has been for a long time, just as many ‘respectable businessmen’ in the past made a profit out of the horror of traffic in human flesh, yet genuinely saw nothing wrong with it.
The dénouement of the story is truly masterful. The Doctor is left drained after he has been subjected to the energy transfer process, so it seems like we are back to the storylines of Season One, where the Doctor is rescued by his companions. However, when the Doctor’s essence is transferred to the ruling Elder Jano, he starts to exhibit ‘Doctorish’ mannerisms and , more importantly, the reason for the Doctor’s opposition to the treatment of the Savages. The diabolical device of the adversary has been subverted and been used to fulfil the Doctor’s purpose- to make people better. Therefore, the climax is not a battle but the wrecking of the laboratories that have caused so much suffering to the Savages. Both groups must now build a new world together- a revolution must have a period of reconstruction afterwards.
Guest performances are solid throughout, with special mention going to Frederick Jaeger as Jano. Jaeger’s performance when Jano exhibits some of the Doctor’s mannerisms is excellent and very funny, rather than the dismal impressionism I was expecting. From looking at the telesnaps, the production seems to be of a high standard- good quarry work!
This is Peter Purves’s final story as Steven, and I am very sorry to see him go. Steven was often written similar to the way Ian was, but Purves always made Steven fresh, and when the writers did give him some good material, he attacked it with gusto, be it the comedy of The Gunfighters or the horror of The Daleks’ Masterplan or The Massacre. His decision to become the new leader of both the Elders and Savages is very much in character- he had seen more war and destruction than any other companion before, and had never lost his essential goodness. At first, it seems that the Doctor shows little sadness (although great pride) in Steven’s departure, but his last words of ‘Don’t look back’ to Dodo speak volumes, as does his final pained look.
A very thoughtful story from Ian Stuart Black and a great send-off for one of my favourite companions.
NEXT: The War Machines
As with Galaxy 4, this story is based on a simple idea. Here, one group of people treat another group as being little more than animals, despite them being the same species. Whereas the message of Galaxy 4 was ‘Beauty is only skin deep’ the message here is ‘Am I not a man and a brother?’ the Elders’ utopian state has a terrible cost- Savages are captured and placed in a machine which drains their ‘life essence’ and they are then thrown back into the wilderness to recuperate so that they can he harvested again. This is a story that is clearly about slavery, particularly the brutal slavery of the Atlantic, where human beings were, indeed treated like livestock. Interestingly several of the Elders have dark skin and the Savages are all white, presumably to drive the message home to the average 60s viewer, although it did not go as far as the ground-breaking 1965 BBC play Fable and actually cast black actors.
Worthy as these sentiments are, more is required for a drama to actually connect with the viewer and Ian Stuart Black is more than up to the task. A lesser writer would have had the Doctor and his friends helping the Savages launch an attack on the evil Elders and destroy them. Black, very sensibly, does something different. While the Elders’ treatment of the Savages is utterly reprehensible, they are not presented as evil. Their glorified vampirism is part of their way of life and has been for a long time, just as many ‘respectable businessmen’ in the past made a profit out of the horror of traffic in human flesh, yet genuinely saw nothing wrong with it.
The dénouement of the story is truly masterful. The Doctor is left drained after he has been subjected to the energy transfer process, so it seems like we are back to the storylines of Season One, where the Doctor is rescued by his companions. However, when the Doctor’s essence is transferred to the ruling Elder Jano, he starts to exhibit ‘Doctorish’ mannerisms and , more importantly, the reason for the Doctor’s opposition to the treatment of the Savages. The diabolical device of the adversary has been subverted and been used to fulfil the Doctor’s purpose- to make people better. Therefore, the climax is not a battle but the wrecking of the laboratories that have caused so much suffering to the Savages. Both groups must now build a new world together- a revolution must have a period of reconstruction afterwards.
Guest performances are solid throughout, with special mention going to Frederick Jaeger as Jano. Jaeger’s performance when Jano exhibits some of the Doctor’s mannerisms is excellent and very funny, rather than the dismal impressionism I was expecting. From looking at the telesnaps, the production seems to be of a high standard- good quarry work!
This is Peter Purves’s final story as Steven, and I am very sorry to see him go. Steven was often written similar to the way Ian was, but Purves always made Steven fresh, and when the writers did give him some good material, he attacked it with gusto, be it the comedy of The Gunfighters or the horror of The Daleks’ Masterplan or The Massacre. His decision to become the new leader of both the Elders and Savages is very much in character- he had seen more war and destruction than any other companion before, and had never lost his essential goodness. At first, it seems that the Doctor shows little sadness (although great pride) in Steven’s departure, but his last words of ‘Don’t look back’ to Dodo speak volumes, as does his final pained look.
A very thoughtful story from Ian Stuart Black and a great send-off for one of my favourite companions.
NEXT: The War Machines
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
The Gunfighters
The Doctor has a toothache and, when the TARDIS lands, he sets off to find a dentist. Unfortunately, they have landed in Tombstone, and the Clantons and the Earps are moving in for their final confrontation at the OK Corral.
Donald Cotton’s first script for the programme was the comedic The Myth Makers which was practically a pastiche of the legend of Troy. The Gunfighters dials back the tomfoolery a notch, with no sitcom characters or excruciating puns, but, strangely enough, manages to be even funnier than Cotton’s last effort. The regulars relish the chance to play with the archetypes of the Western, and special mention must be made of Purves. With his double-taking, inability to swivel a gun and his swaggering along, he is utterly hilarious. Hartnell, of course, is no stranger to comedy and the Doctor’s sheer bewilderment at being handed guns left, right and centre is great. I particularly enjoyed the scene when Steven gives the Doctor a gun when he is incarcerated. Now that her accent has settled to one south of Watford, Jackie Lane is endearing, especially in the scene where she has to hold up Doc Holliday.
The music consists of a song called "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" sung by Lynda Baron, which is both appropriate to the setting and very funny in places- when Charlie the barman is killed, Baron starts singing ‘So it’s curtains for Charlie…’
This story was considered a disaster when broadcast and tends to be hated by fans of a certain age, and objectively, it’s hard to see why. It’s well acted, with John Alderson making a fine Wyatt Earp and Anthony Jacobs zestfully bringing Doc Holliday to life. Laurence Payne makes Johnny Ringo genuinely seem like the baddie in a Western and the introduction of the character in the episode named after him makes the shift in tone in the final episode seem natural. Whereas the Clantons seem brutish and callous, the first death in the story is Ringo shooting a man in the back. The sets by Barry Newbery are excellent as usual and there is some very effective direction from Rex Tucker- the climactic gunfight is shot and cut like one from an actual Western, with some quickfire editing and nice tracking shots. True, some of the American accents are a bit dodgy, but I, for one, can easily forgive this. There are a few production goofs, but no more than in any other historical- no-one mentions that some of the backdrops in The Aztecs look fake. The skill of everyone behind the scenes is evident in every department, even the caption writers- the cliffhanger for "A Holiday for the Doctor" has the very funny scene where Steven has to sing, with Dodo accompanying him. The caption appears: ‘NEXT EPISODE: DON’T SHOOT THE PIANIST!’
This story accomplishes everything it sets out to do and is thoroughly entertaining throughout.
Next: The Savages
Donald Cotton’s first script for the programme was the comedic The Myth Makers which was practically a pastiche of the legend of Troy. The Gunfighters dials back the tomfoolery a notch, with no sitcom characters or excruciating puns, but, strangely enough, manages to be even funnier than Cotton’s last effort. The regulars relish the chance to play with the archetypes of the Western, and special mention must be made of Purves. With his double-taking, inability to swivel a gun and his swaggering along, he is utterly hilarious. Hartnell, of course, is no stranger to comedy and the Doctor’s sheer bewilderment at being handed guns left, right and centre is great. I particularly enjoyed the scene when Steven gives the Doctor a gun when he is incarcerated. Now that her accent has settled to one south of Watford, Jackie Lane is endearing, especially in the scene where she has to hold up Doc Holliday.
The music consists of a song called "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" sung by Lynda Baron, which is both appropriate to the setting and very funny in places- when Charlie the barman is killed, Baron starts singing ‘So it’s curtains for Charlie…’
This story was considered a disaster when broadcast and tends to be hated by fans of a certain age, and objectively, it’s hard to see why. It’s well acted, with John Alderson making a fine Wyatt Earp and Anthony Jacobs zestfully bringing Doc Holliday to life. Laurence Payne makes Johnny Ringo genuinely seem like the baddie in a Western and the introduction of the character in the episode named after him makes the shift in tone in the final episode seem natural. Whereas the Clantons seem brutish and callous, the first death in the story is Ringo shooting a man in the back. The sets by Barry Newbery are excellent as usual and there is some very effective direction from Rex Tucker- the climactic gunfight is shot and cut like one from an actual Western, with some quickfire editing and nice tracking shots. True, some of the American accents are a bit dodgy, but I, for one, can easily forgive this. There are a few production goofs, but no more than in any other historical- no-one mentions that some of the backdrops in The Aztecs look fake. The skill of everyone behind the scenes is evident in every department, even the caption writers- the cliffhanger for "A Holiday for the Doctor" has the very funny scene where Steven has to sing, with Dodo accompanying him. The caption appears: ‘NEXT EPISODE: DON’T SHOOT THE PIANIST!’
This story accomplishes everything it sets out to do and is thoroughly entertaining throughout.
Next: The Savages
Monday, 6 October 2008
The Celestial Toymaker
The TARDIS is drawn into the realm of the Celestial Toymaker, an immortal, indestructible being who, in his dominion, is all powerful. He bids the travellers play a series of games to win the right to return to the TARDIS and leave. If they feel, the Doctor will become the Toymaker’s opponent forever and Steven and Dodo will be reduced to dolls without true life or will.
Each episode of this story is based around a physical challenge for Steven and Dodo, where they must compete against the Toymaker’s dolls who are very keen on winning themselves. This brings to mind game shows like The Crystal Maze, but with a very nasty edge. In "The Hall of Dolls", the Queen of Hearts intimates that the dolls were once people themselves and therefore they are fighting for their own existence, as well as being pawns of the Toymaker. This gives what are, basically, children’s games a very sinister edge. Meanwhile the Doctor plays the ‘Trilogic Game’ (a variation of the 'Tower of Hanoi' puzzle) which he must win in exactly 1023 moves.
The guest cast is small, but very effective. Carmen Silvera and Campbell Singer give extraordinary performances as the main dolls, managing to make their characters in each successive episode completely different- with just the audio, it is hard to believe that they are played by the same actors. Peter Stephens is fantastic as Cyril, especially the sinister schoolboy (‘Call me Billy!’). However, it is Michael Gough as the Toymaker who makes this story memorable. He plays the role with a kind of playful detachment that hints at the fact that this character is omnipotent in this world. His performance binds the story together and makes it far more than just a glorified game show.
Hartnell is absent for the middle of this story, so it is again up to the companions to carry the story. Purves is as wonderful as ever and Lane too is fine, although her accent wanders between Cockney and Mancunian! Even though his role is limited, Hartnell’s performance is subtly different. This is no ordinary adversary and the Doctor cannot afford to be flippant with the Toymaker, and the Doctor is portrayed as being more guarded throughout. The writers manage to do a great deal with very little, the sense of unease almost never being underlined by dialogue, only by situation.
From the only episode that exists, it appears that the budget was small, but good use was made of what was there. However, this story is one that relies a lot on imagery- we cannot see the Toymaker picking up the dolls from the dollhouse and them subsequently coming to life (although we do see the disturbing sight of Cyril after he has been defeated- he is now merely a broken doll on the floor). I would also love to have seen the realisation of "The Dancing Floor", as the audio makes it sound fascinating.
This story is a unique experience- fun and disquieting at the same time, with some great performances.
NEXT: The Gunfighters
Each episode of this story is based around a physical challenge for Steven and Dodo, where they must compete against the Toymaker’s dolls who are very keen on winning themselves. This brings to mind game shows like The Crystal Maze, but with a very nasty edge. In "The Hall of Dolls", the Queen of Hearts intimates that the dolls were once people themselves and therefore they are fighting for their own existence, as well as being pawns of the Toymaker. This gives what are, basically, children’s games a very sinister edge. Meanwhile the Doctor plays the ‘Trilogic Game’ (a variation of the 'Tower of Hanoi' puzzle) which he must win in exactly 1023 moves.
The guest cast is small, but very effective. Carmen Silvera and Campbell Singer give extraordinary performances as the main dolls, managing to make their characters in each successive episode completely different- with just the audio, it is hard to believe that they are played by the same actors. Peter Stephens is fantastic as Cyril, especially the sinister schoolboy (‘Call me Billy!’). However, it is Michael Gough as the Toymaker who makes this story memorable. He plays the role with a kind of playful detachment that hints at the fact that this character is omnipotent in this world. His performance binds the story together and makes it far more than just a glorified game show.
Hartnell is absent for the middle of this story, so it is again up to the companions to carry the story. Purves is as wonderful as ever and Lane too is fine, although her accent wanders between Cockney and Mancunian! Even though his role is limited, Hartnell’s performance is subtly different. This is no ordinary adversary and the Doctor cannot afford to be flippant with the Toymaker, and the Doctor is portrayed as being more guarded throughout. The writers manage to do a great deal with very little, the sense of unease almost never being underlined by dialogue, only by situation.
From the only episode that exists, it appears that the budget was small, but good use was made of what was there. However, this story is one that relies a lot on imagery- we cannot see the Toymaker picking up the dolls from the dollhouse and them subsequently coming to life (although we do see the disturbing sight of Cyril after he has been defeated- he is now merely a broken doll on the floor). I would also love to have seen the realisation of "The Dancing Floor", as the audio makes it sound fascinating.
This story is a unique experience- fun and disquieting at the same time, with some great performances.
NEXT: The Gunfighters
Saturday, 4 October 2008
The Ark
Millions of years in the future, in what is called the 57th segment of time, the TARDIS lands on a vast ship on a voyage from Earth to the planet Refusis II. On board are the last humans and a race called the Monoids who act as servants, whole generations of which are born and die in the 700 year journey. Much has changed in the 57th segment of time and Dodo’s cold starts an epidemic that has far-reaching consequences.
The structure of this four part story is very interesting as it is really a pair of closely linked two-parters. "The Steel Sky" and "The Plague" deal with the deadly effect of Dodo’s cold on the Monoids and humans and, not surprisingly, the Doctor finds a cure and leaves. However, the TARDIS takes them back to the same ship only to find that the Monoids are now the masters- apparently the cure was merely a palliative, and the virus mutated and caused the humans to become weaker willed, allowing the Monoids to take over. They are now orbiting Refusis II, which is not as uninhabited as it appears.
The ‘world-building’ by writer Paul Erickson is very ambitious. We are so far in the future that calendars that measure in centuries no longer have meaning. Millions of Humans and Monoids are kept ‘miniaturised’ on slides and, critically, the split in the story actually shows how this world develops in 700 years. The conclusion is not based on one species defeating and exterminating the other and it is obvious that a good deal of thought has gone into the concepts. Steven wonders if they have been spreading diseases throughout time and space, and his subsequent illness shows that mankind lost their immunity millions of years before the Ark set out.
This is helped by the fact that this is the most visually stunning story since the first one. Michael Imison creates some very interesting both with montage and mise-en-scène (for the lack of a less pretentious term) that really stretch the boundaries of what was possible in a 1960s studio set. The first shot is an unbroken tracking shot that gradually reveals a Monoid walking towards where the TARDIS is materialising. When the Doctor states that they are in a vast space ship, it cuts to a high shot that pulls sharply back. The scenes where the Doctor is talking to the Guardians via monitors is expertly edited. The design work is utterly astonishing, with effective use of model shots and painted backdrops. I must also mention the special effect for the Earth’s destruction, which is not done using pyrotechnics, but by filming an effervescent ball in a tank and is very effective. The statue that is being build by the humans is a constant factor throughout the story. Originally meant to be a human, by the time the TARDIS crew return, it has a Monoid’s head. This is not only a striking image in itself, but effectively tells the story of the intervening 700 years. The Monoids themselves are brought to life reasonably convincingly, with their single eye being realised by having the actors hold a fake eye in their mouth that they can roll. a nice touch is that, in the first two episodes, the Monoids are mutes who communicate by sign language. In the concluding half, they have developed artificial voice boxes, but still gesticulate extensively when they speak.
Unfortunately, the performances of the guest cast are merely adequate, which comes as a bit of a disappointment after the excellent guest performances we have seen in this particular season so far. It is good, however, to see Michael Sheard’s first appearance in Doctor Who, looking very young (he was in his mid-twenties). Also, whilst Imison does come up with some fantastic shots, there is some clumsy editing elsewhere. Scenes virtually crash into each other and a key montage, where the Doctor creates the treatment for the virus could have been cut better.
Hartnell puts in another virtuoso performance, curing a plague, helping to build bridges between races and preventing disasters. Peter Purves is more of stock hero here, but it has been for some time that he has a very good idea of what Steven’s personality was, and he puts in another stellar performance. Jackie Lane’s Dodo is fine here, but her performance is nothing like as good as the other two regulars. Still, she manages not to be annoying, which is the main thing.
Overall, a very rewarding story- and I didn’t even mention that there is a real live elephant in it!
NEXT: The Celestial Toymaker
The structure of this four part story is very interesting as it is really a pair of closely linked two-parters. "The Steel Sky" and "The Plague" deal with the deadly effect of Dodo’s cold on the Monoids and humans and, not surprisingly, the Doctor finds a cure and leaves. However, the TARDIS takes them back to the same ship only to find that the Monoids are now the masters- apparently the cure was merely a palliative, and the virus mutated and caused the humans to become weaker willed, allowing the Monoids to take over. They are now orbiting Refusis II, which is not as uninhabited as it appears.
The ‘world-building’ by writer Paul Erickson is very ambitious. We are so far in the future that calendars that measure in centuries no longer have meaning. Millions of Humans and Monoids are kept ‘miniaturised’ on slides and, critically, the split in the story actually shows how this world develops in 700 years. The conclusion is not based on one species defeating and exterminating the other and it is obvious that a good deal of thought has gone into the concepts. Steven wonders if they have been spreading diseases throughout time and space, and his subsequent illness shows that mankind lost their immunity millions of years before the Ark set out.
This is helped by the fact that this is the most visually stunning story since the first one. Michael Imison creates some very interesting both with montage and mise-en-scène (for the lack of a less pretentious term) that really stretch the boundaries of what was possible in a 1960s studio set. The first shot is an unbroken tracking shot that gradually reveals a Monoid walking towards where the TARDIS is materialising. When the Doctor states that they are in a vast space ship, it cuts to a high shot that pulls sharply back. The scenes where the Doctor is talking to the Guardians via monitors is expertly edited. The design work is utterly astonishing, with effective use of model shots and painted backdrops. I must also mention the special effect for the Earth’s destruction, which is not done using pyrotechnics, but by filming an effervescent ball in a tank and is very effective. The statue that is being build by the humans is a constant factor throughout the story. Originally meant to be a human, by the time the TARDIS crew return, it has a Monoid’s head. This is not only a striking image in itself, but effectively tells the story of the intervening 700 years. The Monoids themselves are brought to life reasonably convincingly, with their single eye being realised by having the actors hold a fake eye in their mouth that they can roll. a nice touch is that, in the first two episodes, the Monoids are mutes who communicate by sign language. In the concluding half, they have developed artificial voice boxes, but still gesticulate extensively when they speak.
Unfortunately, the performances of the guest cast are merely adequate, which comes as a bit of a disappointment after the excellent guest performances we have seen in this particular season so far. It is good, however, to see Michael Sheard’s first appearance in Doctor Who, looking very young (he was in his mid-twenties). Also, whilst Imison does come up with some fantastic shots, there is some clumsy editing elsewhere. Scenes virtually crash into each other and a key montage, where the Doctor creates the treatment for the virus could have been cut better.
Hartnell puts in another virtuoso performance, curing a plague, helping to build bridges between races and preventing disasters. Peter Purves is more of stock hero here, but it has been for some time that he has a very good idea of what Steven’s personality was, and he puts in another stellar performance. Jackie Lane’s Dodo is fine here, but her performance is nothing like as good as the other two regulars. Still, she manages not to be annoying, which is the main thing.
Overall, a very rewarding story- and I didn’t even mention that there is a real live elephant in it!
NEXT: The Celestial Toymaker
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
The Massacre
In seasons 2 and 3, we have seen the historical become more comedic, but the master, John Lucarotti , returns for a final story. Although story editor Donald Tosh rewrote most of the script, many of the qualities that made Marco Polo and The Aztecs so fantastic are again very much evident but unlike those stories, this one depicts an actual historical event. The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre was one of the key events of the French Wars of Religion. Henri IV, the Protestant king of Navarre in Spain, married Marguerite de Valois (‘La Reine Margot’) sister of King Charles IX of France. At a time of huge tension between the Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) this was thought to be an attempt to bring peace to France. However, leading Catholics took advantage of the fact that Huguenots would be gathering for the wedding to incite their massacre. Several thousand Protestants were killed in Paris and thousands more throughout the country.
Although this event is not familiar to the majority of people in Britain, it has been dealt with twice on screen. D W Griffith included it as part of his 1916 epic Intolerance and in 1994 it was brought to bloody life in Patrice Chereau’s adaptation of Dumas’s La Reine Margot. I have seen both of these and it is to the credit of The Massacre that its impact was not diminished. The undercurrent of fear and suspicion is excellently brought out- the scene in the tavern with the Huguenots drinking Henry’s health brilliantly portrays their pride and defiance in the midst of their fear. Death dominates this story more than any other so far and the sheer scale of it overwhelms. Marshal Tavannes loathes the Huguenots, but even he is appalled when it turns out that all of them must die.
The Doctor barely appears in this story. After a charming scene where he chats to the apothecary Charles Preslin, he takes no further part in events and does not appear again until episode 4. This means that it is Steven who carries most of the story. With no knowledge of the events, Steven reacts to situations naturally, helping his Huguenot friends even when they believe him to be a traitor. Purves is more than equal to the challenge in the portrayal of a man lost in a situation he doesn’t understand, but still determined to do the right thing. However, while the Doctor is absent, Hartnell is very much present in his portrayal of the sinister Abbot of Amboise. The abbot’s speech patterns are very different to the Doctor’s- slower and more precise, without laughing, going ‘hmmm?’ or even fluffing his lines. This proves that people who think that Hartnell was just playing himself as the Doctor are talking out of their proverbial. The fact that the Abbot is a double of the Doctor is not just a stunt- it results in Steven being mistaken for the servant of the Abbot and makes for a stunning end to episode 3 with the mob clustered round what appears to be the Doctor’s dead body.
The guest cast is one of the finest seen in the programme. Andre Morell (the third and best Quatermass) makes Tavannes utterly ruthless but still very human. Leonard Sachs makes Coligny a truly selfless, yet charismatic character. Barry Justice makes Charles IX very believable as a man who in unready for power and is dominated by his mother. Catherine de Medici (as usual) is blamed for being the mastermind behind the Massacre and Joan Young portrays her as willing to do anything to protect the power of her family.
The research that was made for this story is obviously extensive- for example, although the Abbot of Amboise is a fictional character, the name is obviously taken from the Huguenot attempt to kidnap Charles’s predecessor Francis II at the Chateau de Amboise. The use of history in this story is interesting. Steven tries to intervene in events without knowing the history, but fails to change anything- despite knowing of the plot to assassinate Coligny, he cannot warn the Admiral in time, and Coligny is wounded, as the history books say. Steven’s powerlessness in the face of the Massacre leads to the justly famous scene where he temporarily leaves the Doctor in disgust. This scene is brilliantly acted by Hartnell and Purves, with a beautiful soliloquy from the Doctor and is one of the finest the series has ever had. It is good to see Steven return though, although the introduction of Dodo at the end seems forced.
However, this does not detract from a brilliant quartet of episodes that tells the programme’s most serious and harrowing story ever.
Next: The Ark
Although this event is not familiar to the majority of people in Britain, it has been dealt with twice on screen. D W Griffith included it as part of his 1916 epic Intolerance and in 1994 it was brought to bloody life in Patrice Chereau’s adaptation of Dumas’s La Reine Margot. I have seen both of these and it is to the credit of The Massacre that its impact was not diminished. The undercurrent of fear and suspicion is excellently brought out- the scene in the tavern with the Huguenots drinking Henry’s health brilliantly portrays their pride and defiance in the midst of their fear. Death dominates this story more than any other so far and the sheer scale of it overwhelms. Marshal Tavannes loathes the Huguenots, but even he is appalled when it turns out that all of them must die.
The Doctor barely appears in this story. After a charming scene where he chats to the apothecary Charles Preslin, he takes no further part in events and does not appear again until episode 4. This means that it is Steven who carries most of the story. With no knowledge of the events, Steven reacts to situations naturally, helping his Huguenot friends even when they believe him to be a traitor. Purves is more than equal to the challenge in the portrayal of a man lost in a situation he doesn’t understand, but still determined to do the right thing. However, while the Doctor is absent, Hartnell is very much present in his portrayal of the sinister Abbot of Amboise. The abbot’s speech patterns are very different to the Doctor’s- slower and more precise, without laughing, going ‘hmmm?’ or even fluffing his lines. This proves that people who think that Hartnell was just playing himself as the Doctor are talking out of their proverbial. The fact that the Abbot is a double of the Doctor is not just a stunt- it results in Steven being mistaken for the servant of the Abbot and makes for a stunning end to episode 3 with the mob clustered round what appears to be the Doctor’s dead body.
The guest cast is one of the finest seen in the programme. Andre Morell (the third and best Quatermass) makes Tavannes utterly ruthless but still very human. Leonard Sachs makes Coligny a truly selfless, yet charismatic character. Barry Justice makes Charles IX very believable as a man who in unready for power and is dominated by his mother. Catherine de Medici (as usual) is blamed for being the mastermind behind the Massacre and Joan Young portrays her as willing to do anything to protect the power of her family.
The research that was made for this story is obviously extensive- for example, although the Abbot of Amboise is a fictional character, the name is obviously taken from the Huguenot attempt to kidnap Charles’s predecessor Francis II at the Chateau de Amboise. The use of history in this story is interesting. Steven tries to intervene in events without knowing the history, but fails to change anything- despite knowing of the plot to assassinate Coligny, he cannot warn the Admiral in time, and Coligny is wounded, as the history books say. Steven’s powerlessness in the face of the Massacre leads to the justly famous scene where he temporarily leaves the Doctor in disgust. This scene is brilliantly acted by Hartnell and Purves, with a beautiful soliloquy from the Doctor and is one of the finest the series has ever had. It is good to see Steven return though, although the introduction of Dodo at the end seems forced.
However, this does not detract from a brilliant quartet of episodes that tells the programme’s most serious and harrowing story ever.
Next: The Ark
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