The Talons of Weng-Chiang is the epitome of the Hinchcliffe/Holmes era. It takes some very familiar source material and weaves it into something that is fresh and invigorating. It is not surprising that this story has come as close to universal acclaim as any Doctor Who story has ever done. There are many reasons for this, but the most important has to be Robert Holmes’s script. Holmes takes from The Phantom of the Opera, Fu Manchu and Jack the Ripper, wraps it up in Holmesian mystery (of the Sherlock kind) and gives it that unique Doctor Who touch. The story is well constructed with masterful creations such as Mr Sin a deranged cyborg with the cerebral cortex of a pig, the dragon that shoots laser beams from its eyes etc. Holmes manages to make practically every speaking role a character in their own right, from the ghoul who finds Buller’s corpse, to the fantastic supporting roles of Jago and Litefoot. The dialogue throughout is great, from Jago’s alliterative declamation to Litefoot’s soothing confidence. This is helped by one of the finest guest casts that the programme has ever had. Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter effortlessly bring Jago and Litefoot to life and, just as every speaking role is written memorably, every part, no matter how small is excellently performed. On the villainous side, John Bennet makes Li H'sen Chang a figure of menace, but with great dignity and humanity and Michael Spice conveys the insanity of Weng-Chiang/ Magnus Greel very well. The Doctor is essentially providing his own spin on Sherlock Holmes, with Jago and Litefoot playing Watson. This is a masterful performance by Baker and he is ably supported by a very good reading of the Eliza Doolittle aspect of Leela’s character by the wonderful Louise Jameson.
This was, sadly, David Maloney’s final Doctor Who and he manages to maintain his usual excellence. The location scenes are shot with great atmosphere and the studio scenes are lit with great care. Maloney uses such methods as POV shots and hand-held ‘interview’ shots to subtle, but great effect. The re-creation of Victorian London was something the BBC costume and design departments could do in their sleep and their consummate excellence in this field supports the production tremendously.
Flaws are few and far between- there is some padding, such as the chase of Greel in the theatre, but it is by no means boring. Of course, one question that must be addressed is the presentation of the Chinese in the story. The villainous Tongs running amok in London are taken straight from Sax Roemer’s Fu Manchu stories, hardly the most racially sensitive stories and all of the Chinese characters are villainous to some degree or another . However the story never crosses over into racism and any insensitive comments about the Chinese are made by characters completely in keeping with the prejudices of their time. There is also the question of John Bennet’s casting as Li H'sen Chang. As said before, his performance is excellent, and stays on the right side of stereotypical. However, this was probably the last time the BBC would have got away with putting an actor in ‘yellowface’ and is, rightly, seen as being unacceptable now. The make-up at least tries to be more realistic than the simple taping back of eyes that would have been used in bygone years and gives Chang proper epicanthic folds- however, you would have to be extremely naïve nowadays to find it completely convincing.
There is one very important thing I have not mentioned- this story is great, great fun from start to finish, which is probably the best recommendation of all.
NEXT: Horror of Fang Rock
Showing posts with label David Maloney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Maloney. Show all posts
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Saturday, 28 March 2009
The Deadly Assassin
The Deadly Assassin is, quite simply, one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever made. Very few Doctor Who stories work successfully on so many levels. It is a thriller, a work of televisual surrealism, a political drama, a tale of the decline, fall and possible resurrection of a great civilisation. Most of all, it manages to be Doctor Who in every fibre of its being, whilst being unlike any other story- something which hadn’t happened since the Hartnell era.
Robert Holmes’s script is taut, yet is a thoroughly convincing portrait of the society of Gallifrey. A good deal on contemporary criticism of the story concerned its discontinuity with previous portrayals of the Time Lords. These are not the austere gods of The War Games, nor the technocrats of The Three Doctors. These are Time Lords with bad hips, old buffers who have ‘turned away from the barren road of technology’ whose great scientific achievements have become myth. The society of the Time Lords is led by a President and Chancellor, but other iconography is reminiscent of the Vatican. The Time Lords are, therefore, priests who have forgotten that they were once the very gods they served. However, there is still clearly a great deal of power on Gallifrey- mentions are made of a ‘Celestial Intervention Agency’ and the character of Borusa clearly knows more than he is telling. This world-building and political intrigue is bolstered by some very effective dialogue, making this a thoroughly believable reading of Gallifrey.
I have noted many times my admiration of David Maloney as a director and in this story, he really outdoes himself. From the very start of the story, with its scrolling text narrated by the Doctor, he sets out to make this story different. The scenes on Gallifrey have a foggy, funereal atmosphere and his shots are thoroughly effective throughout. Use of flashbacks and flash-forwards and interesting editing are used sparingly and effectively throughout. Then there are the scenes set in the Matrix (Holmes's estate should really sue the Wachowski brothers!) which is a fantastic array of surreal and frightening images, ranging from scenes inspired by Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, common phobias of injections and clowns, and the purely visceral, such as when the Doctor steps on a giant rotting egg and hears a ghostly squawk. Indeed, parts of this episode are like the Doctor Who equivalent of Eraserhead! This leads to a very tense face-off between him and his assailant, which takes up most of part three. These sequences are breathtaking in an already visually stunning story. The production values are impressive throughout- even the rather immobile mask used for the Master works reasonably well.
The performances are excellent across the board, with special mention being given to Angus MacKay as Borusa. This is the only story where the Doctor is not given a companion and Tom Baker manages to deal excellently with all aspects of the story, both dark and humorous. This is truly one of the all-time great stories- so what are you waiting for?
NEXT: The Face of Evil
Robert Holmes’s script is taut, yet is a thoroughly convincing portrait of the society of Gallifrey. A good deal on contemporary criticism of the story concerned its discontinuity with previous portrayals of the Time Lords. These are not the austere gods of The War Games, nor the technocrats of The Three Doctors. These are Time Lords with bad hips, old buffers who have ‘turned away from the barren road of technology’ whose great scientific achievements have become myth. The society of the Time Lords is led by a President and Chancellor, but other iconography is reminiscent of the Vatican. The Time Lords are, therefore, priests who have forgotten that they were once the very gods they served. However, there is still clearly a great deal of power on Gallifrey- mentions are made of a ‘Celestial Intervention Agency’ and the character of Borusa clearly knows more than he is telling. This world-building and political intrigue is bolstered by some very effective dialogue, making this a thoroughly believable reading of Gallifrey.
I have noted many times my admiration of David Maloney as a director and in this story, he really outdoes himself. From the very start of the story, with its scrolling text narrated by the Doctor, he sets out to make this story different. The scenes on Gallifrey have a foggy, funereal atmosphere and his shots are thoroughly effective throughout. Use of flashbacks and flash-forwards and interesting editing are used sparingly and effectively throughout. Then there are the scenes set in the Matrix (Holmes's estate should really sue the Wachowski brothers!) which is a fantastic array of surreal and frightening images, ranging from scenes inspired by Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, common phobias of injections and clowns, and the purely visceral, such as when the Doctor steps on a giant rotting egg and hears a ghostly squawk. Indeed, parts of this episode are like the Doctor Who equivalent of Eraserhead! This leads to a very tense face-off between him and his assailant, which takes up most of part three. These sequences are breathtaking in an already visually stunning story. The production values are impressive throughout- even the rather immobile mask used for the Master works reasonably well.
The performances are excellent across the board, with special mention being given to Angus MacKay as Borusa. This is the only story where the Doctor is not given a companion and Tom Baker manages to deal excellently with all aspects of the story, both dark and humorous. This is truly one of the all-time great stories- so what are you waiting for?
NEXT: The Face of Evil
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Planet of Evil
Zeta Minor, a planet at the edge of the known universe, is the boundary between the universe and the universe of anti-matter. The Morestan scientist, Professor Sorenson believes he can use the anti-matter particles of Zeta Minor to provide energy for his dying civilisation. However, there is a sinister force at work on the planet…
Despite the obvious influence of Forbidden Planet and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (and the less obvious influence of Stanisław Lem’s Solaris) Planet of Evil adds a spin of its own to these sources. Louis Marks creates a planet that seems to have an intelligence of its own- the title, in fact, is a misnomer, but Planet of Self-Defence probably wouldn’t have been as catchy. The actual script is a mixture of the majestic with the commonplace- there is excellent dialogue, but it is oddly paced and the ending is a bit rubbish- in story terms, Sorenson has not really ‘earned’ the right to survive. The characterisation is also lacking in colour, with all supporting characters conforming to type.
Where this story excels is in its visualisation. The jungle set, especially the filmed one, is one of the best alien environments ever seen on television- the level of detail is astonishing and it honestly looks like a genuine location at times. This is contrasted with the Morestan space ship which, although sparse, do not look tacky. The full size set of the door to the ship is one of the few times in the programme that one actually believes that it is part of a space-ship, with a very tall structure with characters standing on two levels. David Maloney, one of my favourite directors on the programme, creates some very effective shots and is helped by having very effective lighting on all scenes, both film and video. The anti-matter monster is simply realised, but the effects it has on people are very memorable, with some gristly ‘freeze-dried’ corpses.
However, there are problems with the acting. As said, none of the characters are particularly well written and their eventual effectiveness depends on the actors. In the case of Frederick Jaeger and Ewen Solon, this is fine, both of them making their respective characters of Sorenson and Vishinsky convincing. However, there is the major problem of Prentis Hancock as Salamar. As I see it, Hancock is a bit-part actor who got very lucky and he is woefully out of his depth in a major supporting role. Even when he isn’t fluffing his lines (forgiveable in the Hartnell days, less so in the 70s, where they had more flexibility) he utterly fails to convince in any of the scenes he is in. Tom Baker and Lis Sladen are generally good, although Baker at times seems to be less than enthused by the story. Sladen is excellent throughout, despite being lumbered with an outfit that makes her look like a hillbilly’s fantasy.
This story is by no means a classic, but it is watchable and an effective shocker- but could easily have been a whole lot better.
NEXT: Pyramids of Mars
Despite the obvious influence of Forbidden Planet and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (and the less obvious influence of Stanisław Lem’s Solaris) Planet of Evil adds a spin of its own to these sources. Louis Marks creates a planet that seems to have an intelligence of its own- the title, in fact, is a misnomer, but Planet of Self-Defence probably wouldn’t have been as catchy. The actual script is a mixture of the majestic with the commonplace- there is excellent dialogue, but it is oddly paced and the ending is a bit rubbish- in story terms, Sorenson has not really ‘earned’ the right to survive. The characterisation is also lacking in colour, with all supporting characters conforming to type.
Where this story excels is in its visualisation. The jungle set, especially the filmed one, is one of the best alien environments ever seen on television- the level of detail is astonishing and it honestly looks like a genuine location at times. This is contrasted with the Morestan space ship which, although sparse, do not look tacky. The full size set of the door to the ship is one of the few times in the programme that one actually believes that it is part of a space-ship, with a very tall structure with characters standing on two levels. David Maloney, one of my favourite directors on the programme, creates some very effective shots and is helped by having very effective lighting on all scenes, both film and video. The anti-matter monster is simply realised, but the effects it has on people are very memorable, with some gristly ‘freeze-dried’ corpses.
However, there are problems with the acting. As said, none of the characters are particularly well written and their eventual effectiveness depends on the actors. In the case of Frederick Jaeger and Ewen Solon, this is fine, both of them making their respective characters of Sorenson and Vishinsky convincing. However, there is the major problem of Prentis Hancock as Salamar. As I see it, Hancock is a bit-part actor who got very lucky and he is woefully out of his depth in a major supporting role. Even when he isn’t fluffing his lines (forgiveable in the Hartnell days, less so in the 70s, where they had more flexibility) he utterly fails to convince in any of the scenes he is in. Tom Baker and Lis Sladen are generally good, although Baker at times seems to be less than enthused by the story. Sladen is excellent throughout, despite being lumbered with an outfit that makes her look like a hillbilly’s fantasy.
This story is by no means a classic, but it is watchable and an effective shocker- but could easily have been a whole lot better.
NEXT: Pyramids of Mars
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Genesis of the Daleks
Genesis of the Daleks has been an ‘all-time-classic’ since it was first broadcast and, like some other all-time-classics it has been re-evaluated and found wanting since then. I will, therefore, try to be as fair as I can to a story that I have, to be honest, seen more than once before.
It is impossible to talk about the merits of the story without talking of the merits of Terry Nation as a writer. He was great with the basic ideas but less successful at other things- such as plotting and dialogue. Consider the ‘one-line pitch’ for the story:
The Doctor is sent back in time to the moment of the Daleks’ creation on Skaro, which has a society very reminiscent of the Nazis and meets their creator, Davros, a crippled genius who, disturbingly, uses a wheelchair shaped like the lower half of a Dalek.
There are so many possibilities, so many ways that this storyline could be executed. Nation effectively makes the similarity between the Nazis and the Daleks more explicit than ever before- we are told that the Kaled race ‘must be kept pure’ and that the Daleks are, in fact the ultimate expression of eugenics. Unfortunately, Nation again makes the story one of captures, escapes, recaptures and a few cliffhangers with terrible conclusions. We have many poorly thought out details such as a 100 year long war of attrition between two cities that have secret passages to each other that both sides know about. Most critically, we are left unsure of what it is, exactly, the Doctor accomplished. Apart from Davros, characterisation is virtually non-existent and Nation’s dialogue ranges from the functional to the bloody awful (‘She is a Norm! She must be killed!’) Nation resorts to some really egregious padding to bulk the story to a six episode length especially towards the end, where the Doctor loses the Time Ring and then has to destroy the tape recording of Dalek defeats.
All this seems to irretrievably damn the story. However, the story has the advantage of practically every other aspect of its realisation being nothing less than first rate. The guest performances are never less than excellent- for example, Ronson and Gharman are, essentially the same character on paper, but the performances by James Garbutt and Dennis Chinnery more than compensate for this. Peter Miles is utterly compelling as Davros’s right hand man (or should that be left hand man?) Nyder. Then there is the stunning direction. David Maloney is one of the best directors ever to work in Doctor Who and his mastery of mise-en-scène is a joy to watch here- note the proto-steadicam shots that introduce Nyder. Then, of course, there is the excellent opening sequence with gas-masked soldiers gunning each other down in slow motion. The lighting by Duncan Brown is astonishingly effective, creating shadows and reflections on Dalek casings and having Davros in shadow, with only his cybernetic eye glowing.
The design is first rate, taking inspiration from the two world wars. The front line is reminiscent on the Western Front, but has a small underground rail network, similar to that at the Maginot line. The Kaleds, of course are Nazis in manner and dress, with Nyder even sporting an all-black analogue of the Iron Cross. However, if the story has one absolutely indisputable triumph, it is Davros himself. As an image, that of a half man, half Dalek, he is potent enough. However, most crucially, Michael Wisher portrays him as a man, not a monster, which is what makes the character so chilling in this story. The regulars are not as well served by the script as they should be, but Sladen, Marter and Baker put in some typically sterling work. The Doctor is seen as always being mindful of the physical and moral consequences of actions, something simply, yet brilliantly brought to light when the Doctor talks of the morality of the creation of a deadly disease with Davros. This sequence, together with the famous one where the Doctor questions his right to destroy the Daleks at their birth are excellently performed and written, although they are blatantly the work of Robert Holmes.
With Genesis of the Daleks, the whole is less than the sum of its parts, because the parts have been sloppily gummed together. But the story is so well-made that it is definitely worth watching- although perhaps not all in one sitting.
NEXT: Revenge of the Cybermen
It is impossible to talk about the merits of the story without talking of the merits of Terry Nation as a writer. He was great with the basic ideas but less successful at other things- such as plotting and dialogue. Consider the ‘one-line pitch’ for the story:
The Doctor is sent back in time to the moment of the Daleks’ creation on Skaro, which has a society very reminiscent of the Nazis and meets their creator, Davros, a crippled genius who, disturbingly, uses a wheelchair shaped like the lower half of a Dalek.
There are so many possibilities, so many ways that this storyline could be executed. Nation effectively makes the similarity between the Nazis and the Daleks more explicit than ever before- we are told that the Kaled race ‘must be kept pure’ and that the Daleks are, in fact the ultimate expression of eugenics. Unfortunately, Nation again makes the story one of captures, escapes, recaptures and a few cliffhangers with terrible conclusions. We have many poorly thought out details such as a 100 year long war of attrition between two cities that have secret passages to each other that both sides know about. Most critically, we are left unsure of what it is, exactly, the Doctor accomplished. Apart from Davros, characterisation is virtually non-existent and Nation’s dialogue ranges from the functional to the bloody awful (‘She is a Norm! She must be killed!’) Nation resorts to some really egregious padding to bulk the story to a six episode length especially towards the end, where the Doctor loses the Time Ring and then has to destroy the tape recording of Dalek defeats.
All this seems to irretrievably damn the story. However, the story has the advantage of practically every other aspect of its realisation being nothing less than first rate. The guest performances are never less than excellent- for example, Ronson and Gharman are, essentially the same character on paper, but the performances by James Garbutt and Dennis Chinnery more than compensate for this. Peter Miles is utterly compelling as Davros’s right hand man (or should that be left hand man?) Nyder. Then there is the stunning direction. David Maloney is one of the best directors ever to work in Doctor Who and his mastery of mise-en-scène is a joy to watch here- note the proto-steadicam shots that introduce Nyder. Then, of course, there is the excellent opening sequence with gas-masked soldiers gunning each other down in slow motion. The lighting by Duncan Brown is astonishingly effective, creating shadows and reflections on Dalek casings and having Davros in shadow, with only his cybernetic eye glowing.
The design is first rate, taking inspiration from the two world wars. The front line is reminiscent on the Western Front, but has a small underground rail network, similar to that at the Maginot line. The Kaleds, of course are Nazis in manner and dress, with Nyder even sporting an all-black analogue of the Iron Cross. However, if the story has one absolutely indisputable triumph, it is Davros himself. As an image, that of a half man, half Dalek, he is potent enough. However, most crucially, Michael Wisher portrays him as a man, not a monster, which is what makes the character so chilling in this story. The regulars are not as well served by the script as they should be, but Sladen, Marter and Baker put in some typically sterling work. The Doctor is seen as always being mindful of the physical and moral consequences of actions, something simply, yet brilliantly brought to light when the Doctor talks of the morality of the creation of a deadly disease with Davros. This sequence, together with the famous one where the Doctor questions his right to destroy the Daleks at their birth are excellently performed and written, although they are blatantly the work of Robert Holmes.
With Genesis of the Daleks, the whole is less than the sum of its parts, because the parts have been sloppily gummed together. But the story is so well-made that it is definitely worth watching- although perhaps not all in one sitting.
NEXT: Revenge of the Cybermen
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Planet of the Daleks
…And we get this. The Doctor and Jo arrive on the planet Spiridon, where the invisible race of natives have been enslaved by the Daleks, who have hidden a huge army on the planet and seek to find the secret of invisibility. The Doctor and Jo join forces with a Thal expeditionary force to combat the Daleks.
In the 60s, Terry Nation was still a jobbing scriptwriter and had to prove to various production teams that he could be relied on to deliver the goods. Come the 70s, things were different and nowhere is this more obvious than in this phenomenally lazy script. Parts of previous Nation scripts are reused. Spiridon is a watered down version of Kembel, the Spiridonians obviously influenced by the Visians. The Jo/Latep attraction is a weak echo of the Barbara/Alydon attraction. The narrative is a weakly connected assortment of even weaker set pieces. The dialogue and characterisation never rises above the functional and the story could be described as padded if there was anything of substance to pad out.
The production values are competent at best. The squirting fungus pods and eye plants are quite imaginative, but the jungle set is otherwise unexceptional. However, cheap unimaginative design litters the rest of the production. Worst of all are the Daleks themselves, who wobble around continuously (explained, albeit inadequately. in the story) and seem in danger of literally flipping their lids (not explained in the story) The performances from the regulars are reliably good as usual, but only Bernard Horsfall stands out amongst the guest cast. It is a pity that this should appear on David Maloney’s CV, considering his outstanding record as a director in the programme.
I would like to know how contemporary viewers felt about this story. Frontier in Space promised an epic story with the Master joining forces with the Daleks. What we get is this. There is nothing really bad in the story, but there is nothing really good. It's just 150 minutes of- nothing. There are several Doctor Who stories worse than this one, but very few more boring- as far as I am concerned, boring is the worst thing a Doctor Who story can be. I was checking my watch half way through episode 2 and it says a lot when the greatest excitement was when episode 3 was in black and white, an effect that will be lost forever due to the very impressive re-colourisation used for the upcoming DVD. This is, quite simply, one of the most unappealing Doctor Who stories of all time.
NEXT: The Green Death
In the 60s, Terry Nation was still a jobbing scriptwriter and had to prove to various production teams that he could be relied on to deliver the goods. Come the 70s, things were different and nowhere is this more obvious than in this phenomenally lazy script. Parts of previous Nation scripts are reused. Spiridon is a watered down version of Kembel, the Spiridonians obviously influenced by the Visians. The Jo/Latep attraction is a weak echo of the Barbara/Alydon attraction. The narrative is a weakly connected assortment of even weaker set pieces. The dialogue and characterisation never rises above the functional and the story could be described as padded if there was anything of substance to pad out.
The production values are competent at best. The squirting fungus pods and eye plants are quite imaginative, but the jungle set is otherwise unexceptional. However, cheap unimaginative design litters the rest of the production. Worst of all are the Daleks themselves, who wobble around continuously (explained, albeit inadequately. in the story) and seem in danger of literally flipping their lids (not explained in the story) The performances from the regulars are reliably good as usual, but only Bernard Horsfall stands out amongst the guest cast. It is a pity that this should appear on David Maloney’s CV, considering his outstanding record as a director in the programme.
I would like to know how contemporary viewers felt about this story. Frontier in Space promised an epic story with the Master joining forces with the Daleks. What we get is this. There is nothing really bad in the story, but there is nothing really good. It's just 150 minutes of- nothing. There are several Doctor Who stories worse than this one, but very few more boring- as far as I am concerned, boring is the worst thing a Doctor Who story can be. I was checking my watch half way through episode 2 and it says a lot when the greatest excitement was when episode 3 was in black and white, an effect that will be lost forever due to the very impressive re-colourisation used for the upcoming DVD. This is, quite simply, one of the most unappealing Doctor Who stories of all time.
NEXT: The Green Death
Saturday, 29 November 2008
The War Games
The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves in what appears to be the Western Front in World War I. The truth, however, is more sinister- an alien race is kidnapping human soldiers from wars that have occurred throughout human history prior to the 21st century (actually, it seems to be prior to World War II) to create the ultimate army, an army which will be used to conquer the galaxy.
Patrick Troughton’s tenure as the Doctor comes to an end with this epic 10-part story, second only to The Daleks’ Master Plan in length (yes, yes, Trial of a Time Lord blah, blah). There is just over 4 hours of material here, yet it never becomes boring or repetitive. The story gradually escalates in scale- the first episode feels like it actually takes place on the Western Front, with aliens having infiltrated. When Jamie meets the Redcoat from Culloden, this interpretation is questioned and we find that there are soldiers from throughout human history and mysterious machines that materialise with a sound similar, but not identical to, the TARDIS. We are then taken to the control centre where we see the aliens processing the humans and, indeed, pitting the humans against each other like they are playing a deadly game of Risk (perhaps a hint of Malcolm Hulke's communist leanings seeping through?). There are power struggles in the higher echelons of the aliens’ command structure. We then discover that the similarities of the time machines to the TARDIS are not a coincidence and we find out more about the Doctor than we have ever done before. Terrence Dicks and Malcolm Hulke manage to fill the story with memorable dialogue and good characterisation throughout and expertly weave a narrative that moves from the grittiness of the trenches to the ‘futurama’ of the aliens’ domain. There is a distinct stylistic difference between the two, but it works thematically- the aliens maintain a detachment from the affairs of the humans at all times. In a story of ten parts, there is, obviously, some padding evident, but much less than one would expect. It is interesting to note that there are several Troughton stories (The preceding Space Pirates leaps to mind) which are six parters by design, that are considerably more padded than stories which had extra parts foisted on them.
Visually, the story is a triumph. The Western Front zone (the war zone that is explored the most fully) is excellently realised and could come from a respectable historical drama dealing with the period. The scenes at the alien control point are as differentiated visually as they are thematically and never crosses the line into cheesiness- even the bizarre goggles that are worn do not look ridiculous. David Maloney again directs with consummate style and subtlety with very effective camera work and an unshowy but highly effective use of lighting.
The guest cast is extensive and astonishingly good. James Bree is memorable as the security chief- his diction is almost Dalek like, but seems natural with the character and makes the struggles he has with Edward Brayshaw’s marvellous War Chief very memorable. Philip Madoc is outstanding as the War Lord, a figure who is usually shown speaking calmly with the ghost of a smile on his face, but still projects a horrifying amorality. This makes the depiction of his breakdown in the final episode all the more effective. David Savile and Jane Sherwin are very effective as Lt Carstairs and Lady Jennifer Buckingham. Unlike in The Tomb of the Cybermen, the blatant nepotism (Jane Sherwin was married to Derrick Sherwin) is vindicated. Even minor roles are excellently portrayed- it is not surprising that many were played by future stars. Most notable is Rudolph Walker as the doomed Harper, who puts in a brilliant performance for what amounts to about 5 minutes of screen time.
I have said before that I find the team of the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe to be the best line-up of the Troughton era and this story demonstrates this excellently. Frazer Hines displays for the last time that irresistible blend of unschooled resourcefulness and fiery energy that makes Jamie one of the greatest companions of all time and Wendy Padbury’s infectious enthusiasm continues to endear the viewer. We can see that the relationship between the characters has deepened considerably- when the Doctor is about to face a firing squad, he gives Zoe an avuncular kiss on the cheek. When the Doctor is faced with his greatest challenge yet, it is made clear- for the very first time- that his companions are willing to spend their entire lives with him.
This story presents the greatest challenge as an actor that Patrick Troughton ever achieved in the role and, of course, we all know that he is more than up to the task. Half-way through the story we hear of a mysterious and powerful race called the Time Lords. We find out that the War Chief is one of them and, in a wonderful moment, it only takes one glance for the Doctor and the War Chief to recognise each other and it is later revealed that the Doctor too is a Time Lord. There is a scene that consists entirely of exposition that is utterly fantastic, starting with the War Chief saying ‘You may have changed your appearance, but I know who you are.’ In this scene, we see the Doctor as we have never seen him before. The Doctor, this incarnation especially, has always been mysterious, always guarded about his origins and past. Now he is with a true peer who knows exactly who he really is. From this pivotal scene onwards, the Doctor is forever changed in our eyes. Troughton’s performance is effortless, yet hugely effective.
The Doctor has to summon the Time Lords as the task of returning tens of thousands of soldiers to their times is beyond him. He tries to escape, but the Time Lords have complete control over the TARDIS- the cliffhanger to episode 9 has the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe running more and more slowly towards the TARDIS as the Time Lords slow down time around them. However, they are eventually brought back to the Doctor’s home planet, where we see the Time Lords for the first time, imposing, forbidding and, by all appearances, well-nigh omnipotent. The Doctor is forced to take leave of Jamie and Zoe in what has to be the most touching departure scene since Ian and Barbara left, which is beautifully played by the three actors. The Doctor is sentenced to exile on earth with a new appearance and we see him continuing to protest as he spirals off into infinity…
Unlike William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton chose to leave the programme and, therefore, is given this thoroughly amazing story as a send off. The faults are very few and far between- the only notable one I can think of is the fact that most of the fight scenes are very poorly done. However, this story has so much more to offer and is excellent as a final Troughton story, one of his best, and would even work well as a final ever Doctor Who adventure. Seven years on the air and 253 episodes is a phenomenally good run by any standards, but, although viewing figures were down…
NEXT: Spearhead from Space
Patrick Troughton’s tenure as the Doctor comes to an end with this epic 10-part story, second only to The Daleks’ Master Plan in length (yes, yes, Trial of a Time Lord blah, blah). There is just over 4 hours of material here, yet it never becomes boring or repetitive. The story gradually escalates in scale- the first episode feels like it actually takes place on the Western Front, with aliens having infiltrated. When Jamie meets the Redcoat from Culloden, this interpretation is questioned and we find that there are soldiers from throughout human history and mysterious machines that materialise with a sound similar, but not identical to, the TARDIS. We are then taken to the control centre where we see the aliens processing the humans and, indeed, pitting the humans against each other like they are playing a deadly game of Risk (perhaps a hint of Malcolm Hulke's communist leanings seeping through?). There are power struggles in the higher echelons of the aliens’ command structure. We then discover that the similarities of the time machines to the TARDIS are not a coincidence and we find out more about the Doctor than we have ever done before. Terrence Dicks and Malcolm Hulke manage to fill the story with memorable dialogue and good characterisation throughout and expertly weave a narrative that moves from the grittiness of the trenches to the ‘futurama’ of the aliens’ domain. There is a distinct stylistic difference between the two, but it works thematically- the aliens maintain a detachment from the affairs of the humans at all times. In a story of ten parts, there is, obviously, some padding evident, but much less than one would expect. It is interesting to note that there are several Troughton stories (The preceding Space Pirates leaps to mind) which are six parters by design, that are considerably more padded than stories which had extra parts foisted on them.
Visually, the story is a triumph. The Western Front zone (the war zone that is explored the most fully) is excellently realised and could come from a respectable historical drama dealing with the period. The scenes at the alien control point are as differentiated visually as they are thematically and never crosses the line into cheesiness- even the bizarre goggles that are worn do not look ridiculous. David Maloney again directs with consummate style and subtlety with very effective camera work and an unshowy but highly effective use of lighting.
The guest cast is extensive and astonishingly good. James Bree is memorable as the security chief- his diction is almost Dalek like, but seems natural with the character and makes the struggles he has with Edward Brayshaw’s marvellous War Chief very memorable. Philip Madoc is outstanding as the War Lord, a figure who is usually shown speaking calmly with the ghost of a smile on his face, but still projects a horrifying amorality. This makes the depiction of his breakdown in the final episode all the more effective. David Savile and Jane Sherwin are very effective as Lt Carstairs and Lady Jennifer Buckingham. Unlike in The Tomb of the Cybermen, the blatant nepotism (Jane Sherwin was married to Derrick Sherwin) is vindicated. Even minor roles are excellently portrayed- it is not surprising that many were played by future stars. Most notable is Rudolph Walker as the doomed Harper, who puts in a brilliant performance for what amounts to about 5 minutes of screen time.
I have said before that I find the team of the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe to be the best line-up of the Troughton era and this story demonstrates this excellently. Frazer Hines displays for the last time that irresistible blend of unschooled resourcefulness and fiery energy that makes Jamie one of the greatest companions of all time and Wendy Padbury’s infectious enthusiasm continues to endear the viewer. We can see that the relationship between the characters has deepened considerably- when the Doctor is about to face a firing squad, he gives Zoe an avuncular kiss on the cheek. When the Doctor is faced with his greatest challenge yet, it is made clear- for the very first time- that his companions are willing to spend their entire lives with him.
This story presents the greatest challenge as an actor that Patrick Troughton ever achieved in the role and, of course, we all know that he is more than up to the task. Half-way through the story we hear of a mysterious and powerful race called the Time Lords. We find out that the War Chief is one of them and, in a wonderful moment, it only takes one glance for the Doctor and the War Chief to recognise each other and it is later revealed that the Doctor too is a Time Lord. There is a scene that consists entirely of exposition that is utterly fantastic, starting with the War Chief saying ‘You may have changed your appearance, but I know who you are.’ In this scene, we see the Doctor as we have never seen him before. The Doctor, this incarnation especially, has always been mysterious, always guarded about his origins and past. Now he is with a true peer who knows exactly who he really is. From this pivotal scene onwards, the Doctor is forever changed in our eyes. Troughton’s performance is effortless, yet hugely effective.
The Doctor has to summon the Time Lords as the task of returning tens of thousands of soldiers to their times is beyond him. He tries to escape, but the Time Lords have complete control over the TARDIS- the cliffhanger to episode 9 has the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe running more and more slowly towards the TARDIS as the Time Lords slow down time around them. However, they are eventually brought back to the Doctor’s home planet, where we see the Time Lords for the first time, imposing, forbidding and, by all appearances, well-nigh omnipotent. The Doctor is forced to take leave of Jamie and Zoe in what has to be the most touching departure scene since Ian and Barbara left, which is beautifully played by the three actors. The Doctor is sentenced to exile on earth with a new appearance and we see him continuing to protest as he spirals off into infinity…
Unlike William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton chose to leave the programme and, therefore, is given this thoroughly amazing story as a send off. The faults are very few and far between- the only notable one I can think of is the fact that most of the fight scenes are very poorly done. However, this story has so much more to offer and is excellent as a final Troughton story, one of his best, and would even work well as a final ever Doctor Who adventure. Seven years on the air and 253 episodes is a phenomenally good run by any standards, but, although viewing figures were down…
NEXT: Spearhead from Space
Saturday, 22 November 2008
The Krotons
The Krotons is a similar type of story to The Dominators- the Doctor helps a race of humanoids against alien aggressors. This time, however, the story succeeds because it is far more intelligently scripted. This is the début story for Doctor who stalwart Robert Holmes, who would go on to become one of the programme's most respected writers.
The story (which has shades of John Christopher's Tripods books) deals with the Gonds, a race who are ruled by the unseen Krotons. The Krotons spoon-feed knowledge to the Gonds very selectively, making sure they do not get too advanced in areas that will enable them to threaten their dominance. In return, the brightest Gond students are sent to become 'companions' of the Krotons. In reality, their mental energy is drained and then they are disintegrated. The script touches on themes such as colonialism (the Gonds being a subject race with the conquerors inhibiting their development and stealing their resources) and religious faith (the Krotons are seen as being almost gods, and they forbid certain areas of study) without beating the viewer over the head with them. The script also contains some fascinating ideas. The Krotons themselves are crystalline beings who cannot really die, but can be 'deactivated' if their structure dissolves. They can, however, recrystallise later. They use mental power to fly their spaceship, the Dynatrope and are on the lookout for two more 'high brains' to enable them to leave. Ironically, their limitation of the Gonds learning has led to none of them being suitable, which makes the arrival of the Doctor and Zoe very interesting for the Krotons. While Holmes's script doesn't have the excellent characterisation he would become famous for later, it is very economical, especially when compared with the bloated 6-parters of the previous season.
David Maloney's direction is understated, but very effective, as are the designs. The sets for the Dynatrope are excellently designed and lit and the Krotons themselves are effective, if a bit cumbersome, with great booming voices (one of which, strangely, sounds either South African or from Northampton!). The story is notorious for the first shot, where the shutter for the Krotons' message delivery system doesn't close properly. This is actually only really noticeable if you're looking for it and doesn't really detract at all.
The guest cast are solid, although the only real standout performance is the excellent Philip Madoc as Eelek. The regulars are given some very good material and do their usual magic. Wendy Padbury is particularly marvellous- only she could pull off the line 'The Doctor's almost as clever as I am' without being annoying. All in all, this is a hugely underrated story and well worth a look.
NEXT: The Seeds of Death
The story (which has shades of John Christopher's Tripods books) deals with the Gonds, a race who are ruled by the unseen Krotons. The Krotons spoon-feed knowledge to the Gonds very selectively, making sure they do not get too advanced in areas that will enable them to threaten their dominance. In return, the brightest Gond students are sent to become 'companions' of the Krotons. In reality, their mental energy is drained and then they are disintegrated. The script touches on themes such as colonialism (the Gonds being a subject race with the conquerors inhibiting their development and stealing their resources) and religious faith (the Krotons are seen as being almost gods, and they forbid certain areas of study) without beating the viewer over the head with them. The script also contains some fascinating ideas. The Krotons themselves are crystalline beings who cannot really die, but can be 'deactivated' if their structure dissolves. They can, however, recrystallise later. They use mental power to fly their spaceship, the Dynatrope and are on the lookout for two more 'high brains' to enable them to leave. Ironically, their limitation of the Gonds learning has led to none of them being suitable, which makes the arrival of the Doctor and Zoe very interesting for the Krotons. While Holmes's script doesn't have the excellent characterisation he would become famous for later, it is very economical, especially when compared with the bloated 6-parters of the previous season.
David Maloney's direction is understated, but very effective, as are the designs. The sets for the Dynatrope are excellently designed and lit and the Krotons themselves are effective, if a bit cumbersome, with great booming voices (one of which, strangely, sounds either South African or from Northampton!). The story is notorious for the first shot, where the shutter for the Krotons' message delivery system doesn't close properly. This is actually only really noticeable if you're looking for it and doesn't really detract at all.
The guest cast are solid, although the only real standout performance is the excellent Philip Madoc as Eelek. The regulars are given some very good material and do their usual magic. Wendy Padbury is particularly marvellous- only she could pull off the line 'The Doctor's almost as clever as I am' without being annoying. All in all, this is a hugely underrated story and well worth a look.
NEXT: The Seeds of Death
Monday, 17 November 2008
The Mind Robber
The Mind Robber is one of the most bizarre Doctor Who stories ever broadcast. The only story it can be compared to is The Celestial Toymaker- both stories involve the TARDIS being drawn into a realm where the controller of that realm has absolute control over its reality. However, The Mind Robber is even more daring and creative than its predecessor, a story that would stand out in any season of Doctor Who, but especially so after the 'monster of the week' stories of the preceding seasons.
The TARDIS travels out of time and space and is drawn into the domain of the 'Land of Fiction' where characters from myth, fairy tale and literature exist. It turns out that the realm is the creation of the Master Brain, a powerful computer that feeds off the imagination of 'The Master', a writer for a boys' magazine (Interestingly, in the same way that Cyril from The Celestial Toymaker is 'not' Billy Bunter' the Master is 'not' Frank Richards!)
This type of storyline, if used at its most basic level, can be a fun runaround where the protagonist interacts with famous fictitious characters and this is indeed, what we get. However, this story has so much more besides. It takes on the question of free will versus determinism in a completely different way from The Space Museum- the Doctor realises that he must be a writer, not a character in this reality, or he will become fiction, and when Jamie and Zoe are fictionalised, they are unable to do more than speak lines which were written for them. It also deals with the process of writing for Doctor Who itself- witness the 'write-off' between the Master and the Doctor. Both are suffused with a subtly different form of the existential horror present in The Celestial Toymaker. Peter Ling's script manages to be very thought provoking without rubbing your face in how profound it is.
Of course, for such an ambitious script to succeed, it would have to work visually. Not only does it do so, this story is stuffed to the brim with memorable images. The white void, the destruction of the TARDIS, the forest of words, Medusa coming to life, Jamie having his face taken away, the creaking toy soldiers, Jamie and Zoe being fictionalised by being trapped in a giant book… David Maloney doesn't put a foot wrong in his realisation of this wacky world in one of the best directorial jobs ever seen on the programme. Even the fight between the Karkus and Zoe, which should have been a rush job, works wonderfully.
The supporting performances are all superb. Bernard Horsfall is excellent as Gulliver, who can only speak in lines given to him by Jonathan Swift. Emrys James is phenomenal as the Master, making him both an affable old buffer and a harsh machine-controlled intelligence. The regulars put in their best performances yet, each one of them being thoroughly compelling throughout.
In an era that is affected by the purging of the BBC archives more than any other, it is a joy that this, Troughton's best story, exists in its entirety. It is so good, so entertaining and so much damn fun that I am not even going to mention the couple of very small niggles I had with it.
NEXT: The Invasion
The TARDIS travels out of time and space and is drawn into the domain of the 'Land of Fiction' where characters from myth, fairy tale and literature exist. It turns out that the realm is the creation of the Master Brain, a powerful computer that feeds off the imagination of 'The Master', a writer for a boys' magazine (Interestingly, in the same way that Cyril from The Celestial Toymaker is 'not' Billy Bunter' the Master is 'not' Frank Richards!)
This type of storyline, if used at its most basic level, can be a fun runaround where the protagonist interacts with famous fictitious characters and this is indeed, what we get. However, this story has so much more besides. It takes on the question of free will versus determinism in a completely different way from The Space Museum- the Doctor realises that he must be a writer, not a character in this reality, or he will become fiction, and when Jamie and Zoe are fictionalised, they are unable to do more than speak lines which were written for them. It also deals with the process of writing for Doctor Who itself- witness the 'write-off' between the Master and the Doctor. Both are suffused with a subtly different form of the existential horror present in The Celestial Toymaker. Peter Ling's script manages to be very thought provoking without rubbing your face in how profound it is.
Of course, for such an ambitious script to succeed, it would have to work visually. Not only does it do so, this story is stuffed to the brim with memorable images. The white void, the destruction of the TARDIS, the forest of words, Medusa coming to life, Jamie having his face taken away, the creaking toy soldiers, Jamie and Zoe being fictionalised by being trapped in a giant book… David Maloney doesn't put a foot wrong in his realisation of this wacky world in one of the best directorial jobs ever seen on the programme. Even the fight between the Karkus and Zoe, which should have been a rush job, works wonderfully.
The supporting performances are all superb. Bernard Horsfall is excellent as Gulliver, who can only speak in lines given to him by Jonathan Swift. Emrys James is phenomenal as the Master, making him both an affable old buffer and a harsh machine-controlled intelligence. The regulars put in their best performances yet, each one of them being thoroughly compelling throughout.
In an era that is affected by the purging of the BBC archives more than any other, it is a joy that this, Troughton's best story, exists in its entirety. It is so good, so entertaining and so much damn fun that I am not even going to mention the couple of very small niggles I had with it.
NEXT: The Invasion
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