Of all the things I was hoping for more of, a Gerry Davis penned Cyberman story was not high on my list. Despite their ubiquity in the Troughton era, there was only one good story that featured the cyborgs (The Invasion) and Davis had nothing to do with it. Like Terry Nation, Davis had a tendency of recycling ideas, but at least Nation’s ideas were good. Things don’t look good for the story at the outset, with Revenge of the Cybermen starting off looking like a remake of The Wheel in Space, the very worst Cyberman story of the Troughton era. The story seems to indicate Davis’s sabbatical from the programme has given him time to think of a couple of new ideas. The Cybermen wish to destroy the planet Voga, a planet with very high gold deposits, a metal that is lethal to the Cybermen. The Vogans wish to be rid of the Cyber menace, but some wish to take offensive action, while others prefer to hide.
The fact that Davis has actually come up with a reasonably original storyline would be refreshing- if perusal of the original script didn't reveal that most of the innovations were the work of Robert Holmes. Beyond this, the actual plotting leaves a great deal to be desired. The Cybermen use the Doctor and the Nerva crew as ‘suicide bombers’ to take explosives to the centre of the planet. The reason why they don’t plant the bombs themselves is unclear. It can’t be because the gold content makes it impossible for the Cybermen to set foot on Voga, as some do, later on in the story. When they do, they are able to kill the entire Vogan army- who, for some reason, don’t use gold in any of the weapons that they deploy against the Cybermen, despite the fact that they use gold in everything else! Although their plan doesn’t have the Heath Robinson level of idiotic complexity that Davis usually gives them, the Cyber-scheme is still convoluted. Vorus’s plan is also ridiculous- why not just shoot down the Cybermen’s spaceship before they disembark? The characters are poorly defined and, even if it wasn’t for the many plot holes, the scene to scene plotting is very pedestrian.
To compensate for this, the story is very well designed, with some great sets and costumes and some fantastic location work at Wookey Hole. The makeup for the Vogans is very effective, actually making each of them look slightly different. Michael E Briant directs very well throughout- there are very effective scenes in part 1 when the TARDIS crew find Nerva full of diseased bodies and is helped by a cast that is so good that it elevates the mundane script into something watchable. The Vogans boast Kevin Stoney, David Collings and Michael Wisher, three excellent actors who manage to turn poorly defined ciphers into characters. Kelman is a stock traitor on paper, but Jeremy Wilkin makes him one of the smarmiest characters seen on the series. Unfortunately, the Cybermen themselves are less successful- so poorly defined that they could be any set of alien thugs. The performance of Christopher Robbie as the Cyberleader is completely off- a petulant, camp, silver gimp. The regulars are great, thanks to some great character dialogue by Robert Holmes- if there’s one thing worth watching the story for, it is the ‘Harry Sullivan is an imbecile!’ scene.
This is the best Cyberman story that Gerry Davis wrote. However, that is the faintest that faint praise can be. And the cybermats are still rubbish.
NEXT: Terror of the Zygons
Showing posts with label Gerry Davis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gerry Davis. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Saturday, 1 November 2008
The Tomb of the Cybermen
The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria land on the planet Telos, where a group of archaeologists are excavating to find the lost tombs of the Cybermen. However, some of the party have their own motives for finding the tomb and when it is found, the Cybermen are not extinct as they thought.
The obvious inspiration for this story is The Mummy. The idea of a ruthless conquering race being archaeological curiosities, in the same way as the Romans and the Vikings adds a real sense of scale to the universe. The story is excellent visually- the sets and miniatures for the tombs are brilliantly designed and constructed and the location work is very impressive. Morris Barry knows how to construct a scene visually and how to use lighting to create mood. This makes the first two episodes very gripping as the tombs spring their deadly traps. The awakening of the Cybermen is brilliantly shot and scored and the cliffhanger for episode 2 is rightly iconic. Then the story crashes and burns. Big time
There were signs. Kaftan and Hopper are atrociously acted. Shirley Cooklin either smirks stupidly or blankly intones her dialogue. George Roubicek has the least expressive face and body language of any actor I have ever seen. To make up for this, he constantly moves his head from side to side when speaking. Characterisation is non-existent, but there are some good performances from some of the other actors. There is no good reason for Kaftan sealing the hatch to the tombs. However, this only hints at the rubbishness to come.
From the start of episode 3, the writers seemed to think the story didn't need a plot any more- it was enough to construct a series of set-pieces. This could work if the set-pieces weren't all idiotic- practically all of them have their own plot-hole. Why are the Cybermen unable to open the exit to their own tomb? Why are Kaftan and Klieg locked in the weapons room- with weapons? How does Klieg believe he can threaten the Cybermen with one gun? Why is the Cyberman Controller shut in the revitalisation chamber, which is then turned on? Why does the Doctor think that ropes can hold it shut? Why not just jump over the cybermats? I could go on.
The fact that the story literally 'loses the plot' damages the story irreparably. The Doctor's purpose is never made clear, which means he lets the archaeologists into the tomb, solves the logic puzzles to allow access to the Cybermen. Is this part of a grand scheme? No, because in the end, he just seals them up again. All the Doctor has done is allowed people to die who wouldn't have, had he not interfered. The Cybermen don't actually do much- they wander around a big room, replace Toberman's arm and, for some reason, quack a lot. None of the Cybermen leave the building- in fact only the Controller even leaves the cryonic chamber. This limits the story visually as well as dramatically.
There are two supporting characters that I wish to comment on. George Pastell's performance as Klieg is fascinating. Never before has such a charismatic screen presence been wedded to such an awful performance. Of course, it doesn't help that his dialogue is atrocious and the character is ludicrous. Pastell remains, however, interesting to watch. Then there is Toberman. If any aspect of this story has dated badly, it's the portrayal of a black man as a monosyllabic brutish slave. This, for once, is not the fault of the script (Davis and Pedler, for all their faults, went out of their way to portray black characters positively in their earlier scripts) and blame, unfortunately, must be apportioned to Morris Barry. It's interesting that Roy Stewart would play a similar sort of character in I, Claudius, nearly 10 years later but, with more subtle and skilful direction, the I, Claudius character is not offensive at all.
Troughton and Hines are on excellent form, Troughton still making the Doctor compelling, in spite of the fact that the script has no idea what to do with him. Watling is fine and her and Troughton share an excellent scene discussing the nature of bereavement that is better than the rest of the story combined.
The Tomb of the Cybermen has long been a favourite with those who saw it when they were children. Unfortunately, when viewed by an adult (as I suppose I am) it comes off as being a story that starts with great promise, but is utterly wrecked by a script that nose-dives in quality half-way through and then gets exponentially more brainless by the minute.
NEXT: The Abominable Snowmen
The obvious inspiration for this story is The Mummy. The idea of a ruthless conquering race being archaeological curiosities, in the same way as the Romans and the Vikings adds a real sense of scale to the universe. The story is excellent visually- the sets and miniatures for the tombs are brilliantly designed and constructed and the location work is very impressive. Morris Barry knows how to construct a scene visually and how to use lighting to create mood. This makes the first two episodes very gripping as the tombs spring their deadly traps. The awakening of the Cybermen is brilliantly shot and scored and the cliffhanger for episode 2 is rightly iconic. Then the story crashes and burns. Big time
There were signs. Kaftan and Hopper are atrociously acted. Shirley Cooklin either smirks stupidly or blankly intones her dialogue. George Roubicek has the least expressive face and body language of any actor I have ever seen. To make up for this, he constantly moves his head from side to side when speaking. Characterisation is non-existent, but there are some good performances from some of the other actors. There is no good reason for Kaftan sealing the hatch to the tombs. However, this only hints at the rubbishness to come.
From the start of episode 3, the writers seemed to think the story didn't need a plot any more- it was enough to construct a series of set-pieces. This could work if the set-pieces weren't all idiotic- practically all of them have their own plot-hole. Why are the Cybermen unable to open the exit to their own tomb? Why are Kaftan and Klieg locked in the weapons room- with weapons? How does Klieg believe he can threaten the Cybermen with one gun? Why is the Cyberman Controller shut in the revitalisation chamber, which is then turned on? Why does the Doctor think that ropes can hold it shut? Why not just jump over the cybermats? I could go on.
The fact that the story literally 'loses the plot' damages the story irreparably. The Doctor's purpose is never made clear, which means he lets the archaeologists into the tomb, solves the logic puzzles to allow access to the Cybermen. Is this part of a grand scheme? No, because in the end, he just seals them up again. All the Doctor has done is allowed people to die who wouldn't have, had he not interfered. The Cybermen don't actually do much- they wander around a big room, replace Toberman's arm and, for some reason, quack a lot. None of the Cybermen leave the building- in fact only the Controller even leaves the cryonic chamber. This limits the story visually as well as dramatically.
There are two supporting characters that I wish to comment on. George Pastell's performance as Klieg is fascinating. Never before has such a charismatic screen presence been wedded to such an awful performance. Of course, it doesn't help that his dialogue is atrocious and the character is ludicrous. Pastell remains, however, interesting to watch. Then there is Toberman. If any aspect of this story has dated badly, it's the portrayal of a black man as a monosyllabic brutish slave. This, for once, is not the fault of the script (Davis and Pedler, for all their faults, went out of their way to portray black characters positively in their earlier scripts) and blame, unfortunately, must be apportioned to Morris Barry. It's interesting that Roy Stewart would play a similar sort of character in I, Claudius, nearly 10 years later but, with more subtle and skilful direction, the I, Claudius character is not offensive at all.
Troughton and Hines are on excellent form, Troughton still making the Doctor compelling, in spite of the fact that the script has no idea what to do with him. Watling is fine and her and Troughton share an excellent scene discussing the nature of bereavement that is better than the rest of the story combined.
The Tomb of the Cybermen has long been a favourite with those who saw it when they were children. Unfortunately, when viewed by an adult (as I suppose I am) it comes off as being a story that starts with great promise, but is utterly wrecked by a script that nose-dives in quality half-way through and then gets exponentially more brainless by the minute.
NEXT: The Abominable Snowmen
Saturday, 25 October 2008
The Moonbase
The Doctor and his companions arrive on an isolated base to find that the Cybermen are back. The villainous cyborgs plan to use a human invention to destroy the world, and the only thing that stops them is the discovery of a weakness and exploiting it. Yes, it’s pretty much the same plot as The Tenth Planet, but if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. Ah.
To be fair, The Moonbase has a better script than its predecessor, but that only really means that it is stupid on fewer levels. The Cyber-plan is still unnecessarily complex- why did they go to the trouble of spreading a virus in such a random and ineffective manner? The moon-base has a small complement composed entirely of scientists- would it have not been easier to tunnel in, subdue and convert the personnel directly and then take control of the Gravitron. However they eventually succeed- and then suddenly change their plan to destroy the Earth (the reason for which is never given!) If the Cybermen are a logical race, they must base their behaviour on Logic lecturers who are, by and large, utterly barmy. The script contains some good lines, but a cornucopia of terrible ones.
The guest performances are adequate, but at least there aren’t any egregiously bad ones. Again, Pedler and Davis try to show a multi-racial future, with the Nigerian geologist Ralph Adebayo. Unfortunately, he is dragged away by the Cybermen half-way through the first episode, which is a pity, as Mark Heath seems to give one of the better performances amongst the guest cast. However, characterisation is non-existent and it is only the differing nationalities that give the base personnel any individuality (poor André Maranne again being a professional Frenchman). The regulars put in good work as usual- I love the scenes where Troughton is trying to collect specimens from people while they are still working.
The Cybermen have been given the first of many makeovers and they might, at the time, have looked more impressive than their Tenth Planet forbears. Forty years later, however, I personally think the original Cybermen look better, if only for the fact that they don’t have flares and lace-up boots! More seriously, I don’t think the idea of the Cybermen being humans who have violated their own bodies has ever been visualised better than the original design. The voices, though, are very effective (although still a bit hard to understand). The set design and costuming is fine, but the special effects for the Cyber-ships leave a great deal to be desired, being amongst the worst ever seen in the programme- at least the wires holding up the Dalek ship in The Dalek Invasion of Earth didn’t snap halfway through the shot. Morris Barry directs with panache, except for the laughable scene where the Gravitron is used on the Cybermen.
As said, this is a better story than The Tenth Planet, but it lacks the significance of the earlier story making the grievous flaws in plotting and dialogue all too obvious.
NEXT: The Macra Terror
To be fair, The Moonbase has a better script than its predecessor, but that only really means that it is stupid on fewer levels. The Cyber-plan is still unnecessarily complex- why did they go to the trouble of spreading a virus in such a random and ineffective manner? The moon-base has a small complement composed entirely of scientists- would it have not been easier to tunnel in, subdue and convert the personnel directly and then take control of the Gravitron. However they eventually succeed- and then suddenly change their plan to destroy the Earth (the reason for which is never given!) If the Cybermen are a logical race, they must base their behaviour on Logic lecturers who are, by and large, utterly barmy. The script contains some good lines, but a cornucopia of terrible ones.
The guest performances are adequate, but at least there aren’t any egregiously bad ones. Again, Pedler and Davis try to show a multi-racial future, with the Nigerian geologist Ralph Adebayo. Unfortunately, he is dragged away by the Cybermen half-way through the first episode, which is a pity, as Mark Heath seems to give one of the better performances amongst the guest cast. However, characterisation is non-existent and it is only the differing nationalities that give the base personnel any individuality (poor André Maranne again being a professional Frenchman). The regulars put in good work as usual- I love the scenes where Troughton is trying to collect specimens from people while they are still working.
The Cybermen have been given the first of many makeovers and they might, at the time, have looked more impressive than their Tenth Planet forbears. Forty years later, however, I personally think the original Cybermen look better, if only for the fact that they don’t have flares and lace-up boots! More seriously, I don’t think the idea of the Cybermen being humans who have violated their own bodies has ever been visualised better than the original design. The voices, though, are very effective (although still a bit hard to understand). The set design and costuming is fine, but the special effects for the Cyber-ships leave a great deal to be desired, being amongst the worst ever seen in the programme- at least the wires holding up the Dalek ship in The Dalek Invasion of Earth didn’t snap halfway through the shot. Morris Barry directs with panache, except for the laughable scene where the Gravitron is used on the Cybermen.
As said, this is a better story than The Tenth Planet, but it lacks the significance of the earlier story making the grievous flaws in plotting and dialogue all too obvious.
NEXT: The Macra Terror
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
The Highlanders
The TARDIS arrives in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, the British army triumphant over the rebel forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie. They are entangled in the ‘mopping up’ operation by the redcoats, where the brave highlanders must choose between death and slavery. This story is hardly the most historically accurate one the programme has made, but it must be remembered that this was broadcast only two years after Peter Watkins’s ground-breaking Culloden, the definitive television exploration of that event. The Highlanders simply gets on with telling a good story, and succeeds admirably.
There is an undercurrent of brutality in the story- characters are threatened with hanging and drowning and the sense of horror at the fact that defeat is only the beginning. However, there is a great deal of humour in the story, especially where the Doctor is concerned. Here, the Doctor dons all manner of disguises and silly voices- a German doctor (Doktor von Wer, no less!) who is fond of bizarre astrological and holistic remedies, a Redcoat and an aged Scottish crone. In fact, he spends more time pretending to be someone else than he does as himself. However, it is notable that it is his new-found fondness for headgear (‘I would like a hat like that!’) that gets them all into trouble. He also seems to have a new-found violent streak- witness his subduing of Grey, with the great quip ‘I've never seen a silent lawyer before’. Fortunately, these are played for laughs.
The guest characters are very memorable, especially David Garth as the loathsome Solicitor Grey, who refers to the Scottish prisoners as ‘Highland cattle’. Michael Elwyn puts in a funny, but sympathetic performance as the foppish Lt Algernon Ffinch ('...with two "f"s!') a man who illustrates the perils of ‘buying a commission’, but proves to be honourable in the end. I must also mention Dallas Cavell as Captain Trask, who seems to have wandered in from The Smugglers!
Ben and Polly are also on fantastic form- in fact Polly has never been better than here, where she schemes and uses her feminine wiles on the hapless Ffinch. However, this story contributed something very important to the legacy of Doctor Who- Jamie McCrimmon. Surprisingly, he doesn’t take centre stage at any point here, but is still engagingly played by Frazer Hines throughout.
The Highlanders marks the end of another era in Doctor Who, that of the pure historical. There would be trips to the past after this, but there would always be an alien or monster waiting there. Whatever the motivation behind this decision, it is a real shame- all of them are well worth watching/ listening to, and some rank as among the finest examples of 1960s television. They were also very varied in tone, from the doom-laden Massacre to the farcical Myth Makers. The Highlanders is a very entertaining story to end this era.
Next: The Underwater Menace
There is an undercurrent of brutality in the story- characters are threatened with hanging and drowning and the sense of horror at the fact that defeat is only the beginning. However, there is a great deal of humour in the story, especially where the Doctor is concerned. Here, the Doctor dons all manner of disguises and silly voices- a German doctor (Doktor von Wer, no less!) who is fond of bizarre astrological and holistic remedies, a Redcoat and an aged Scottish crone. In fact, he spends more time pretending to be someone else than he does as himself. However, it is notable that it is his new-found fondness for headgear (‘I would like a hat like that!’) that gets them all into trouble. He also seems to have a new-found violent streak- witness his subduing of Grey, with the great quip ‘I've never seen a silent lawyer before’. Fortunately, these are played for laughs.
The guest characters are very memorable, especially David Garth as the loathsome Solicitor Grey, who refers to the Scottish prisoners as ‘Highland cattle’. Michael Elwyn puts in a funny, but sympathetic performance as the foppish Lt Algernon Ffinch ('...with two "f"s!') a man who illustrates the perils of ‘buying a commission’, but proves to be honourable in the end. I must also mention Dallas Cavell as Captain Trask, who seems to have wandered in from The Smugglers!
Ben and Polly are also on fantastic form- in fact Polly has never been better than here, where she schemes and uses her feminine wiles on the hapless Ffinch. However, this story contributed something very important to the legacy of Doctor Who- Jamie McCrimmon. Surprisingly, he doesn’t take centre stage at any point here, but is still engagingly played by Frazer Hines throughout.
The Highlanders marks the end of another era in Doctor Who, that of the pure historical. There would be trips to the past after this, but there would always be an alien or monster waiting there. Whatever the motivation behind this decision, it is a real shame- all of them are well worth watching/ listening to, and some rank as among the finest examples of 1960s television. They were also very varied in tone, from the doom-laden Massacre to the farcical Myth Makers. The Highlanders is a very entertaining story to end this era.
Next: The Underwater Menace
Saturday, 18 October 2008
The Tenth Planet
There are very few Doctor Who stories that are as important as The Tenth Planet. It introduced one of the programme’s most enduring adversaries, the Cybermen and it introduced the very concept that enabled the programme to become the longest-running science-fiction show in television history.
The Cybermen are a brilliantly realised race, with excellent costume designs by Sandra Reid and there is the genius touch of having the Cybermen not move their ‘lips’ when they speak with their eerie voices. Derek Martinus manages to come up with some very effective shots and his revelation of the Cybermen at the end of episode one is excellent. We see eerie figures in the snow, who knock out the men outside the base. The camera then focuses on a human hand, which is attached to a grotesque robotic parody of a human body.
Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler try and show a future where racial barriers no longer exist- not only is one of the astronauts in the Zeus IV capsule black, he is the commanding officer. However , the script itself is at best unpolished and at worst, downright terrible. The Cybermen’s plan doesn’t make much sense- if Mondas is the Earth’s twin, why not simply move operations there instead of risking both planets? There is real stupidity in some of the finer plot points. We are asked to believe that it never occurred to Barclay to sabotage the Z-Bomb missile. We are asked to believe that General Cutler would sacrifice millions of lives for the mere possibility of saving his son. Scientific accuracy completely goes out of the window in a story that was co-written by Kit Pedler, who was meant to be the programme’s scientific adviser. I won’t go into his complete ignorance of astrophysics and just point out one thing that demonstrates the lack of care in plotting and scientific accuracy- the radiation chamber has a ventilation shaft that leads to other rooms in the Snowcap base!
There are some truly dreadful performances in episode one and it is a real relief that the two main offenders (Tito and the American Sergeant) are killed by the Cybermen at the end of episode one. Of the remaining cast, only Robert Beatty is really better than adequate which is strange, considering the quality of the cast, such as the wonderful Earl Cameron, who had been touted as the ‘British Sidney Poitier’ since the 1950s. The blame for this must be shared by Derek Martinus- whilst he is excellent visually, he is less successful in directing performances.
It is truly astonishing how little the Doctor contributes to the story and it is a real pity that Hartnell is effectively playing second-fiddle in his own swan song- Ben essentially fulfils the Doctor’s function in this story, and it is Michael Craze who comes out best in this story, playing Ben as being resourceful, intelligent and being the prime motivator of events. However, the focus is on the Doctor again in the last third of the final episode. He is obviously weakened by events and needs to be helped into the TARDIS. There then follows one of the most striking scenes in the history of the programme. It seems that the TARDIS is in as unpredictable a state as the Doctor, with the light flickering and levers on the console moving of their own accord. The weakened Doctor manages to open the doors to let Ben and Polly in, before collapsing. Alarmed, they see the Doctor’s body glow in an unearthly light- and when it fades, there is a stranger lying on the TARDIS floor.
This scene is still hugely effective now, but the impact it must have had on audiences in 1966 must have been staggering. It is one of the iconic movements that make this hugely flawed story a must-see for anyone interested in Doctor Who.
Next: The Power of the Daleks
The Cybermen are a brilliantly realised race, with excellent costume designs by Sandra Reid and there is the genius touch of having the Cybermen not move their ‘lips’ when they speak with their eerie voices. Derek Martinus manages to come up with some very effective shots and his revelation of the Cybermen at the end of episode one is excellent. We see eerie figures in the snow, who knock out the men outside the base. The camera then focuses on a human hand, which is attached to a grotesque robotic parody of a human body.
Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler try and show a future where racial barriers no longer exist- not only is one of the astronauts in the Zeus IV capsule black, he is the commanding officer. However , the script itself is at best unpolished and at worst, downright terrible. The Cybermen’s plan doesn’t make much sense- if Mondas is the Earth’s twin, why not simply move operations there instead of risking both planets? There is real stupidity in some of the finer plot points. We are asked to believe that it never occurred to Barclay to sabotage the Z-Bomb missile. We are asked to believe that General Cutler would sacrifice millions of lives for the mere possibility of saving his son. Scientific accuracy completely goes out of the window in a story that was co-written by Kit Pedler, who was meant to be the programme’s scientific adviser. I won’t go into his complete ignorance of astrophysics and just point out one thing that demonstrates the lack of care in plotting and scientific accuracy- the radiation chamber has a ventilation shaft that leads to other rooms in the Snowcap base!
There are some truly dreadful performances in episode one and it is a real relief that the two main offenders (Tito and the American Sergeant) are killed by the Cybermen at the end of episode one. Of the remaining cast, only Robert Beatty is really better than adequate which is strange, considering the quality of the cast, such as the wonderful Earl Cameron, who had been touted as the ‘British Sidney Poitier’ since the 1950s. The blame for this must be shared by Derek Martinus- whilst he is excellent visually, he is less successful in directing performances.
It is truly astonishing how little the Doctor contributes to the story and it is a real pity that Hartnell is effectively playing second-fiddle in his own swan song- Ben essentially fulfils the Doctor’s function in this story, and it is Michael Craze who comes out best in this story, playing Ben as being resourceful, intelligent and being the prime motivator of events. However, the focus is on the Doctor again in the last third of the final episode. He is obviously weakened by events and needs to be helped into the TARDIS. There then follows one of the most striking scenes in the history of the programme. It seems that the TARDIS is in as unpredictable a state as the Doctor, with the light flickering and levers on the console moving of their own accord. The weakened Doctor manages to open the doors to let Ben and Polly in, before collapsing. Alarmed, they see the Doctor’s body glow in an unearthly light- and when it fades, there is a stranger lying on the TARDIS floor.
This scene is still hugely effective now, but the impact it must have had on audiences in 1966 must have been staggering. It is one of the iconic movements that make this hugely flawed story a must-see for anyone interested in Doctor Who.
Next: The Power of the Daleks
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