I like to think that I have good taste when it comes to TV and film (and, for that matter, art, music and literature. Not so much clothes). However, as anyone who knows me can testify, I will watch any old rubbish with dinosaurs in it. Here, everyone’s favourite extinct creatures are used in Malcolm Hulke’s last contribution to the programme. Hulke always tried to present conflict where there would be explanations given as to why each party would act in the way they did. If there were villains, their motives might not be as reprehensible as their actions. Here, we have Operation Golden Age; a group who have decided that human society is dooming itself and the planet and that therefore, the human race should start again- by rolling the planet back in time to before the dawn of man and starting anew there.
The script puts forward ideas related to the threats of pollution, overpopulation and how it can be sensibly dealt with. As the Doctor says, he admires the ideals of Operation Golden Age, but abhors the drastic means to justify that end, just as we should realise that there is no ‘quick fix’ for these problems in real life. There is also the fact that Operation Golden Age is led by well meaning establishment figures who are basically willing to annihilate every human life that has ever existed on the planet (bar a chosen few) to get their perfect society. Bearing in mind Hulke’s communist leanings, is Operation Golden Age a revolutionary force destroying the bourgeoisie or an aristocratic force destroying the proletariat? Of course, I could be reading too much into it, but the script is thought provoking and, whatever the political thought behind it, it is a case of a minority committing atrocities ‘for the greater good’. However, it is less well structured than his best scripts. Although there is good characterisation, it could be better- we never find out what General Finch’s motivations are to become a member of Operation Golden Age. Thankfully the guest performances are outstanding and go some way to compensate for this. The plot thread with the colonists who believe they are on a space ship heading to a new planet succeeds largely because of the performances of the Carmen Silvera and Terence Wilton- otherwise, it would just be a rather silly aside. It is a pity that the 6 episode length couldn’t have been used to develop character, rather than have interminable chase scenes.
The regulars do great work. Hulke had a very clear idea of the Doctor being a very moral person who knew that ends and means cannot be separated morally and Pertwee plays this interpretation of the character with his usual flair and humour. Sarah Jane actually gets to be a journalist in this story and (despite being trapped by both Grover and Finch) shows resourcefulness and intelligence. The most striking character development is, of course, that of Mike Yates. His membership of Operation Golden Age is the only one that is explored in any detail and his betrayal adds to the moral complexity of the story.
Paddy Russell directs with great flair, particularly in the deserted London of episode 1. However, there is a Stegosaurus in the room- the dinosaur sequences. These are among the worst attempts I have ever seen to realise dinosaurs on screen. The models lack any kind of mobility and are sloppily designed. It is also clear that the three Tyrannosaurus models that are used are different colours and shapes. The dinosaur in Doctor Who and the Silurians was hardly of Jurassic Park standards, but at least it could walk. The appalling model work is further exacerbated by the dreaded combination of video and film when combining them with people. All this comes to a ridiculous head with the risible ‘battle’ between the T. rex and the Apatosaurus (incidentally, I find it bizarre that they gave the Apatosaurus a correctly shaped head, but gave the T. rex too many fingers!).
There is much more to this story than having rubbish dinosaurs and, despite the special effects and some plot and pacing problems, it just about qualifies for the ‘worth watching’ category.
NEXT: Death to the Daleks
Showing posts with label Malcolm Hulke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malcolm Hulke. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Monday, 2 February 2009
Frontier in Space
The Doctor and Jo land in the 26th century, a time of great tension between the Earth Empire and the Draconian Empire. Despite the peace treaty between them, reports of piracy of Earth ships by Draconians and vice versa have been reported. The Doctor finds out that the culprits are actually Ogrons, but Ogrons never act alone…
Malcolm Hulke was always interested in telling more sophisticated stories than Earth invasion standards and, whatever the eventual quality of stories penned by him, they are always interesting thematically. The characters are well drawn with believable motivations (although General Williams's change of heart about the Draconians is a bit too sudden). Frontier in Space paints a vivid picture of Earth's future, a world where the government is benevolent, but not above suspending due process and imprisoning dissenters. Draconia too is presented as a culture, rather than as monsters and shock troops. This is bolstered by the outstanding design work. For once, the décor is subdued, rather than extrapolating from the worst excesses of 70's gaudiness. The make up for the Draconians is fantastic- if they were brought back now, there is very little the current production team would have to do to improve it. It is a bit disappointing that all the Draconians wear the same types of clothes, but this is a mere quibble. Fake newscasts add a real sense of a world existing outside the sets, and there is some great location work. Paul Bernard does excellent work as the director (perhaps attempting to atone for The Time Monster!) The script demands an expansive environment and, surprisingly, this is what we get.
The main problem with the story is that it is, yet again, a padded six-parter. The Doctor and Jo spend a lot of time in cells and are captured, interrogated and escape many times. However, although the padding is there, it is not boring so it is forgiveable.
The performances are very good across the board. Vera Fusek is regal and dignified as the President and Michael Hawkins makes General Williams very believable. The regulars are as good as ever, with the great chemistry between Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning working its usual magic. This is also, sadly, Roger Delgado's last performance as the Master and one of his best. He is given some great lines, which Delgado performs with panache and a real master plan (sorry) to decimate the Earth and Draconian Empires and assisting a third party to claim what is left. The third party is, of course, the Daleks and it sends a real chill down the spine to see Delgado share scenes with the diabolical dustbins.
The last episode ends on a cliffhanger, of course, and this intelligent and highly enjoyable story whets the appetite for an epic concluding half…
NEXT: Planet of the Daleks
Malcolm Hulke was always interested in telling more sophisticated stories than Earth invasion standards and, whatever the eventual quality of stories penned by him, they are always interesting thematically. The characters are well drawn with believable motivations (although General Williams's change of heart about the Draconians is a bit too sudden). Frontier in Space paints a vivid picture of Earth's future, a world where the government is benevolent, but not above suspending due process and imprisoning dissenters. Draconia too is presented as a culture, rather than as monsters and shock troops. This is bolstered by the outstanding design work. For once, the décor is subdued, rather than extrapolating from the worst excesses of 70's gaudiness. The make up for the Draconians is fantastic- if they were brought back now, there is very little the current production team would have to do to improve it. It is a bit disappointing that all the Draconians wear the same types of clothes, but this is a mere quibble. Fake newscasts add a real sense of a world existing outside the sets, and there is some great location work. Paul Bernard does excellent work as the director (perhaps attempting to atone for The Time Monster!) The script demands an expansive environment and, surprisingly, this is what we get.
The main problem with the story is that it is, yet again, a padded six-parter. The Doctor and Jo spend a lot of time in cells and are captured, interrogated and escape many times. However, although the padding is there, it is not boring so it is forgiveable.
The performances are very good across the board. Vera Fusek is regal and dignified as the President and Michael Hawkins makes General Williams very believable. The regulars are as good as ever, with the great chemistry between Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning working its usual magic. This is also, sadly, Roger Delgado's last performance as the Master and one of his best. He is given some great lines, which Delgado performs with panache and a real master plan (sorry) to decimate the Earth and Draconian Empires and assisting a third party to claim what is left. The third party is, of course, the Daleks and it sends a real chill down the spine to see Delgado share scenes with the diabolical dustbins.
The last episode ends on a cliffhanger, of course, and this intelligent and highly enjoyable story whets the appetite for an epic concluding half…
NEXT: Planet of the Daleks
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
The Sea Devils
Ships have been disappearing in a small area off the coast of England and the Doctor and Jo discover that a group of intelligent reptiles related to those on Wenley Moor are responsible and the Doctor must join forces with the Navy to investigate. Meanwhile, the Master's incarceration may not be as secure as it seems and he may not be entirely ignorant of the saurian threat.
Doctor Who and the Silurians was one of the highlights of the truly outstanding seventh season of Doctor Who and many of the same themes are revisited in this sequel. Indeed, the overall aim of the story is identical, in much the same way as the repetitive Cybermen stories of the Patrick Troughton era. Thankfully, Malcolm Hulke was a far better writer than Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis and there are enough differences to make this story more than a straight remake. Hulke takes care to make as many of the speaking roles proper characters. Trenchard is portrayed as a former colonial governor of the old school and Walker, the Private Secretary, is portrayed as a man who seldom talks without his mouth full (Pertwee-era Doctor Who seems to have little love for high ranking civil servants, what with Chinn and Brownrose). This care in characterisation is especially impressive when one notes just how many speaking roles there are, but even minor characters, such as the boatman, are given real personality. This is supported by a fine guest cast. Clive Morton makes Trenchard both bluff and sympathetic and Edwin Richfield gamely attempts to compensate for the lack of the Brigadier, with some success. I also love Martin Boddey's performance as the gluttonous Walker.
Michael Briant's direction is hugely effective, helped by extensive use of stock footage and naval hardware courtesy of the Royal Navy, making this a very lavish production. Briant also shoots very atmospherically, showing great aptitude with action scenes and moody, unsettling ones, with interesting camera angles and very effective lighting. The gradual revelation of the Sea Devils is very well done. The titular saurians are very well designed (although close ups of their heads tend to draw attention to the fact that their eyes are painted on). Most impressively, the Sea Devils are not slow and lumbering, but are shown running on several occasions. The music is even more bizarre than on Doctor Who and the Silurians, but is far less ridiculous, thanks to the lack of crumhorns!
However, the fact remains that this story does not build and expand on its predecessor in the way that a good sequel should do, but covers the same themes. The Sea Devils, unlike the Silurians, are not portrayed as characters- indeed only one of them (the leader) even speaks, which makes them less sympathetic than their land-based cousins. The fact that they are portrayed as being more aggressive than their relatives does not help matters. They are not antagonists with understandable motives of their own, they are The Enemy. The fact that the Master is involved does not help matters as he takes the role of 'Young Silurian' and there is no real reason why he should have been included at all. This is unfortunate, as Roger Delgado gives his best performance yet as the Master. More seriously, the story implies that the Doctor has learnt nothing from his previous encounter with the reptiles as he takes exactly the same tack in dealing with them. Indeed, the fact that it is the Doctor, not the armed forces, who destroy the Sea Devil base implies that he is moving towards the Government's way of thinking, which is somewhat disturbing and very out of character.
The script is also far less structured than Doctor Who and the Silurians. The earlier story used its seven parts well, but The Sea Devils seems overlong at six parts. There is obvious padding, such as the sword fight between the Doctor and the Master and the last episode is somewhat anticlimactic and, as said before, has a rather unsavoury conclusion. The regulars are on excellent form, with Pertwee balancing humour and authority excellently. Jo Grant is at her best when she is not depicted as a totally scatter-brained moron, and Katy Manning is excellent here.
The Sea Devils is rarely boring, is well acted with much good dialogue and characterisation and has a good race of monsters. However, it fails to build on its predecessor and can only really be seen as a qualified success.
Next: The Mutants
Doctor Who and the Silurians was one of the highlights of the truly outstanding seventh season of Doctor Who and many of the same themes are revisited in this sequel. Indeed, the overall aim of the story is identical, in much the same way as the repetitive Cybermen stories of the Patrick Troughton era. Thankfully, Malcolm Hulke was a far better writer than Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis and there are enough differences to make this story more than a straight remake. Hulke takes care to make as many of the speaking roles proper characters. Trenchard is portrayed as a former colonial governor of the old school and Walker, the Private Secretary, is portrayed as a man who seldom talks without his mouth full (Pertwee-era Doctor Who seems to have little love for high ranking civil servants, what with Chinn and Brownrose). This care in characterisation is especially impressive when one notes just how many speaking roles there are, but even minor characters, such as the boatman, are given real personality. This is supported by a fine guest cast. Clive Morton makes Trenchard both bluff and sympathetic and Edwin Richfield gamely attempts to compensate for the lack of the Brigadier, with some success. I also love Martin Boddey's performance as the gluttonous Walker.
Michael Briant's direction is hugely effective, helped by extensive use of stock footage and naval hardware courtesy of the Royal Navy, making this a very lavish production. Briant also shoots very atmospherically, showing great aptitude with action scenes and moody, unsettling ones, with interesting camera angles and very effective lighting. The gradual revelation of the Sea Devils is very well done. The titular saurians are very well designed (although close ups of their heads tend to draw attention to the fact that their eyes are painted on). Most impressively, the Sea Devils are not slow and lumbering, but are shown running on several occasions. The music is even more bizarre than on Doctor Who and the Silurians, but is far less ridiculous, thanks to the lack of crumhorns!
However, the fact remains that this story does not build and expand on its predecessor in the way that a good sequel should do, but covers the same themes. The Sea Devils, unlike the Silurians, are not portrayed as characters- indeed only one of them (the leader) even speaks, which makes them less sympathetic than their land-based cousins. The fact that they are portrayed as being more aggressive than their relatives does not help matters. They are not antagonists with understandable motives of their own, they are The Enemy. The fact that the Master is involved does not help matters as he takes the role of 'Young Silurian' and there is no real reason why he should have been included at all. This is unfortunate, as Roger Delgado gives his best performance yet as the Master. More seriously, the story implies that the Doctor has learnt nothing from his previous encounter with the reptiles as he takes exactly the same tack in dealing with them. Indeed, the fact that it is the Doctor, not the armed forces, who destroy the Sea Devil base implies that he is moving towards the Government's way of thinking, which is somewhat disturbing and very out of character.
The script is also far less structured than Doctor Who and the Silurians. The earlier story used its seven parts well, but The Sea Devils seems overlong at six parts. There is obvious padding, such as the sword fight between the Doctor and the Master and the last episode is somewhat anticlimactic and, as said before, has a rather unsavoury conclusion. The regulars are on excellent form, with Pertwee balancing humour and authority excellently. Jo Grant is at her best when she is not depicted as a totally scatter-brained moron, and Katy Manning is excellent here.
The Sea Devils is rarely boring, is well acted with much good dialogue and characterisation and has a good race of monsters. However, it fails to build on its predecessor and can only really be seen as a qualified success.
Next: The Mutants
Monday, 5 January 2009
Colony in Space
Colony in Space has the Third Doctor travelling in the TARDIS for the first time to an alien planet, namely, the planet Uxarieus, where a colony from earth has been established. However, the ruthless Interplanatary Mining Company want to claim the planet for its mineral wealth and the apparently primitive natives hold a deadly secret.
When Malcolm Hulke writes a Doctor Who story, one thing the viewer can expect is a degree of intelligence, airing of social issues and the like. However, it takes more than that to create an engaging narrative. This story is well designed and competently directed. The performances are generally good, although perhaps a bit mannered in places. However, the story fails in two key areas- characterisation and plot.
The colonists have no really interesting characters amongst them. They are depicted as worthy decent folk, some slightly more aggressive than others. The impression that is given is, frankly, The Good Life in space (although the story predates that programme). What made that cosy 70s sitcom watchable were the characters and the fact that it could be very funny. Remove that, and you have a bunch of earnest middle-class types talking endlessly about crops- hardly the most arresting series of events. The IMC people are more interesting purely because they are bent on causing the colonists harm. However, the colonists are so boring that, whilst the viewer wants IMC to be thwarted, it is not for the sake of the colonists. Pertwee and Delgado are great as usual, but Katy Manning is severely hampered by a story that asks no more of her than to scream and be rescued by the Doctor.
The arrival of the Master makes things much more interesting. We are taken into the alien city and are shown the reason for the Master's presence (and the reason for the Time Lords allowing the Doctor to travel in the TARDIS. The aliens are reasonably well realised, as is their city, although the realisation of the alien leader is unwittingly reminiscent of Vic and Bob's Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye! The problem is that these events occur too late in what is a longueur saturated 6-episode narrative. Had more time been given to this, the story might have been saved.
This is a pity, as there is little in the story that is actually bad- in fact, the story might have been more entertaining had there been a hammy performance, silly music or a really rubbish monster. Instead, Colony in Space commits a crime that very few Doctor Who stories are guilty of- being dull. One for completists only.
NEXT: The Dæmons
When Malcolm Hulke writes a Doctor Who story, one thing the viewer can expect is a degree of intelligence, airing of social issues and the like. However, it takes more than that to create an engaging narrative. This story is well designed and competently directed. The performances are generally good, although perhaps a bit mannered in places. However, the story fails in two key areas- characterisation and plot.
The colonists have no really interesting characters amongst them. They are depicted as worthy decent folk, some slightly more aggressive than others. The impression that is given is, frankly, The Good Life in space (although the story predates that programme). What made that cosy 70s sitcom watchable were the characters and the fact that it could be very funny. Remove that, and you have a bunch of earnest middle-class types talking endlessly about crops- hardly the most arresting series of events. The IMC people are more interesting purely because they are bent on causing the colonists harm. However, the colonists are so boring that, whilst the viewer wants IMC to be thwarted, it is not for the sake of the colonists. Pertwee and Delgado are great as usual, but Katy Manning is severely hampered by a story that asks no more of her than to scream and be rescued by the Doctor.
The arrival of the Master makes things much more interesting. We are taken into the alien city and are shown the reason for the Master's presence (and the reason for the Time Lords allowing the Doctor to travel in the TARDIS. The aliens are reasonably well realised, as is their city, although the realisation of the alien leader is unwittingly reminiscent of Vic and Bob's Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye! The problem is that these events occur too late in what is a longueur saturated 6-episode narrative. Had more time been given to this, the story might have been saved.
This is a pity, as there is little in the story that is actually bad- in fact, the story might have been more entertaining had there been a hammy performance, silly music or a really rubbish monster. Instead, Colony in Space commits a crime that very few Doctor Who stories are guilty of- being dull. One for completists only.
NEXT: The Dæmons
Saturday, 6 December 2008
Doctor Who and the Silurians
The Doctor, Liz and UNIT investigate power losses at the Wenley Moor research station, where it found that ancient reptilian humanoids have been awoken from hibernation and intend to reclaim their planet from its human usurpers. The Doctor has to help the humans, but things are not as cut and dried as they usually are…
Spearhead from Space dealt with an alien invasion and the reintroduction of the Doctor and the story whizzed past as a result. Doctor Who and the Silurians presents a more complex tale and it is only at the end that we find out who the ‘bad guys’ really are. The reptiles, unlike any other adversary the Doctor has faced, have a right to live on the Earth and merely defeating an invading force will not be enough. Hulke uses the near three-hour length of this story to expertly examine the issues brought up by this story. The reptiles are not seen clearly until the end of episode 3. We see the fear they instil in those who have encountered them, and the fact that they control a large carnivorous dinosaur. Yet when Quinn speaks to them, they do not threaten him, but merely expect him to help them in exchange for information. The Doctor points out that the dinosaur is called off before it can inflict any real damage. Even when they harm humans, it is only in self-defence. It is Quinn’s imprisonment of the lone Silurian (who was rashly wounded by Major Baker) which sets off the reptiles’ desire to pursue a more aggressive route. The Silurians are clearly not just ‘monsters’.
Characterisation is expertly utilised by Malcolm Hulke in driving this story. Dr Lawrence is adamant that the research station not be closed down, in the face of overwhelming evidence that it should be. He is portrayed as a man desperate to protect his career at all costs, in a masterful performance by Peter Miles. There is also the very interesting relationship between Dr Quinn and Miss Dawson. Miss Dawson clearly holds a torch for Quinn and her reaction to his death is to give an inaccurate account of Quinn’s dealings with the Silurians, which plays a part in deciding the course of action to take. The great Fulton Mackay is great as Quinn, a man who is by no means bad, but lets his ego lead him to his doom. Thomasina Heiner makes for a sympathetic Miss Dawson. Then, there is the welcome fact that the Silurians are given different personalities as well. There is the headstrong young Silurian who wants to have the ‘apes’ exterminated, and the old Silurian leader who is willing to consider peace with the humans. This leads to a power struggle that results in the young Silurian authorising the release of a plague to destroy the humans. These strands are woven expertly to make full use of seven episodes.
Visually, this story was the start of ‘Classic 70s Doctor Who’- colour videotape for the studio, colour 16mm film for location. It is a good time to point out something important here- PAL videotape looks a lot better than NTSC videotape, not just because of its higher resolution, but because of its superior colour bandwidth (Ironically, as the PAL masters are lost, we have to rely on the colours from an NTSC conversion). Even so, colour videotape is less ‘cinematographic’ than black and white videotape, but there is some excellent use of lighting in the cave sets. The location scenes are very exciting, with helicopter shots (and the helicopter used to shoot them!) and scenes of a large scale search party. The scenes where the plague takes London is shot with cinematic slickness and helps make part 6 a very exciting episode. Timothy Combe directs with great energy (despite a couple of gratuitous zooms) throughout. Barry Newbery’s set design is exemplary as usual, with special mention for the aforementioned cave sets and the cyclotron room, with the cyclotron itself being a simple, yet visually interesting design. The Silurians themselves, although a bit wobbly headed, have moving lips and actually look different from each other. The voices, by Peter Halliday, are also very effective. The less said about the dinosaur, the better, but it’s only in a couple of shots, as is the (soon to be ubiquitous) use of CSO.
The main quibble I have does not really relate to the story, but the science. If there is one area of science that the average child knows a lot about, it’s prehistoric life and I could have told you at the age of four that amphibians had not evolved in the Silurian, let alone intelligent reptiles. Still, I don’t think that Doctor Who and the Maastrichtians would have been anything like as effective a title. There are also problems with the nuclear physics and a misunderstanding of protective layers of the atmosphere. The story is, however, good enough to make me forget these inaccuracies. There is also the question of the music. It is mostly fine apart from, unfortunately, the ‘Silurian theme’ for which Carey Blyton, for some reason decided to use a crumhorn, an instrument famously described by Terry Pratchett as having ‘a sound like the ghost of a refried bean’. It sounds bizarre at the best of times and does threaten to undermine the action.
Jon Pertwee is captivating throughout as the Doctor. He is given a problem that is different from any other he has faced- save the humans, but attempt to make peace with the Silurians, and Pertwee performs marvellously with this in mind. Caroline John continues to make Liz an interesting and strong character- when she awakes after being knocked out by the fugitive Silurian, she doesn’t scream, she merely states ‘I saw one.’ Nicholas Courtney presents the Brigadier as a strong, intelligent man of action and his interplay with Pertwee is very interesting. The Doctor and the Brigadier clearly like each other, but they are still a long way from being friends.
This leads me to the ending. The Silurian plan has been thwarted and they remain in hibernation. As we prepare for the expected conclusion, we see the Doctor and Liz going to drive away in Bessie, after the Doctor has been assured the Silurians will be revived slowly, in order to negotiate peace. Then, we see the caves being blown up. The Government cannot take the responsibility of an intelligent race joining the humans on earth, so the Brigadier has been ordered to take drastic action. The Doctor is disgusted, a feeling we share. It is a shocking twist, ending a truly first rate story.
NEXT: The Ambassadors of Death
Spearhead from Space dealt with an alien invasion and the reintroduction of the Doctor and the story whizzed past as a result. Doctor Who and the Silurians presents a more complex tale and it is only at the end that we find out who the ‘bad guys’ really are. The reptiles, unlike any other adversary the Doctor has faced, have a right to live on the Earth and merely defeating an invading force will not be enough. Hulke uses the near three-hour length of this story to expertly examine the issues brought up by this story. The reptiles are not seen clearly until the end of episode 3. We see the fear they instil in those who have encountered them, and the fact that they control a large carnivorous dinosaur. Yet when Quinn speaks to them, they do not threaten him, but merely expect him to help them in exchange for information. The Doctor points out that the dinosaur is called off before it can inflict any real damage. Even when they harm humans, it is only in self-defence. It is Quinn’s imprisonment of the lone Silurian (who was rashly wounded by Major Baker) which sets off the reptiles’ desire to pursue a more aggressive route. The Silurians are clearly not just ‘monsters’.
Characterisation is expertly utilised by Malcolm Hulke in driving this story. Dr Lawrence is adamant that the research station not be closed down, in the face of overwhelming evidence that it should be. He is portrayed as a man desperate to protect his career at all costs, in a masterful performance by Peter Miles. There is also the very interesting relationship between Dr Quinn and Miss Dawson. Miss Dawson clearly holds a torch for Quinn and her reaction to his death is to give an inaccurate account of Quinn’s dealings with the Silurians, which plays a part in deciding the course of action to take. The great Fulton Mackay is great as Quinn, a man who is by no means bad, but lets his ego lead him to his doom. Thomasina Heiner makes for a sympathetic Miss Dawson. Then, there is the welcome fact that the Silurians are given different personalities as well. There is the headstrong young Silurian who wants to have the ‘apes’ exterminated, and the old Silurian leader who is willing to consider peace with the humans. This leads to a power struggle that results in the young Silurian authorising the release of a plague to destroy the humans. These strands are woven expertly to make full use of seven episodes.
Visually, this story was the start of ‘Classic 70s Doctor Who’- colour videotape for the studio, colour 16mm film for location. It is a good time to point out something important here- PAL videotape looks a lot better than NTSC videotape, not just because of its higher resolution, but because of its superior colour bandwidth (Ironically, as the PAL masters are lost, we have to rely on the colours from an NTSC conversion). Even so, colour videotape is less ‘cinematographic’ than black and white videotape, but there is some excellent use of lighting in the cave sets. The location scenes are very exciting, with helicopter shots (and the helicopter used to shoot them!) and scenes of a large scale search party. The scenes where the plague takes London is shot with cinematic slickness and helps make part 6 a very exciting episode. Timothy Combe directs with great energy (despite a couple of gratuitous zooms) throughout. Barry Newbery’s set design is exemplary as usual, with special mention for the aforementioned cave sets and the cyclotron room, with the cyclotron itself being a simple, yet visually interesting design. The Silurians themselves, although a bit wobbly headed, have moving lips and actually look different from each other. The voices, by Peter Halliday, are also very effective. The less said about the dinosaur, the better, but it’s only in a couple of shots, as is the (soon to be ubiquitous) use of CSO.
The main quibble I have does not really relate to the story, but the science. If there is one area of science that the average child knows a lot about, it’s prehistoric life and I could have told you at the age of four that amphibians had not evolved in the Silurian, let alone intelligent reptiles. Still, I don’t think that Doctor Who and the Maastrichtians would have been anything like as effective a title. There are also problems with the nuclear physics and a misunderstanding of protective layers of the atmosphere. The story is, however, good enough to make me forget these inaccuracies. There is also the question of the music. It is mostly fine apart from, unfortunately, the ‘Silurian theme’ for which Carey Blyton, for some reason decided to use a crumhorn, an instrument famously described by Terry Pratchett as having ‘a sound like the ghost of a refried bean’. It sounds bizarre at the best of times and does threaten to undermine the action.
Jon Pertwee is captivating throughout as the Doctor. He is given a problem that is different from any other he has faced- save the humans, but attempt to make peace with the Silurians, and Pertwee performs marvellously with this in mind. Caroline John continues to make Liz an interesting and strong character- when she awakes after being knocked out by the fugitive Silurian, she doesn’t scream, she merely states ‘I saw one.’ Nicholas Courtney presents the Brigadier as a strong, intelligent man of action and his interplay with Pertwee is very interesting. The Doctor and the Brigadier clearly like each other, but they are still a long way from being friends.
This leads me to the ending. The Silurian plan has been thwarted and they remain in hibernation. As we prepare for the expected conclusion, we see the Doctor and Liz going to drive away in Bessie, after the Doctor has been assured the Silurians will be revived slowly, in order to negotiate peace. Then, we see the caves being blown up. The Government cannot take the responsibility of an intelligent race joining the humans on earth, so the Brigadier has been ordered to take drastic action. The Doctor is disgusted, a feeling we share. It is a shocking twist, ending a truly first rate story.
NEXT: The Ambassadors of 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
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
The Faceless Ones
The Doctor and his companions arrive at Gatwick Airport where it is soon very clear that something is afoot. People are disappearing from flights run by the mysterious Chameleon Tours and a man has been murdered. It transpires that the alien Chameleons are taking humans and transforming themselves into duplicates of them- but to what end?
The Faceless Ones is something of an oddity. It does not concern itself with aliens bent on conquest and destruction, but on aliens who are seeking to save themselves. They have lost their identities and are stealing those of humans. It’s a nice spin on the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers trope, making as much of gaining an identity as losing one. The script has the aliens doing evil things, but never characterises them as evil, merely desperate, meaning that the Doctor has more options open to him than merely defeating them. It has really interesting things to say about identity- the Chameleons are basically moving lumps of flesh without them, and when they are disconnected from the original, they disintegrate.
The story does rely a lot on the visual which is unfortunate, as only the first and third episodes exist. Telesnaps and the soundtrack indicate things which would have looked fantastic on broadcast- the catatonic ‘originals’ kept in storage, the airliner converting into a rocket and then flying into a huge mother ship, the miniaturised humans and, of course, the horrific appearance of the aliens themselves. The end of episode one is still genuinely frightening today- an alien is escorted by its transformed brethren to the sick bay- all we see of it are decayed looking hands and a skull-like head from the back. The Chameleons, whatever their motivation, certainly look like the stuff of nightmares.
The fact that this is such a visual story is also unfortunate, as the surviving episode 3 is easily the ugliest looking episode of 60s Doctor Who I have yet seen, which is truly incredible for anything that has Wanda Ventham in it. Any scene with a conversation involving more than two people has clumsy composition that wastes the screen. The sets and costumes that appear in the episode have very similar shades of grey, as opposed to the dynamic range we are used to. This is not a problem in the first episode, however, and doesn’t appear to be so in the missing episodes from the telesnaps, so I will put this down to rushed camerawork and an unfortunate combination of sets for the episode. Gerry Mill puts in good directorial work elsewhere in the story and would direct episodes of Robin of Sherwood, one of the most beautiful series ever broadcast.
The story does have its share of longueurs and has poor pacing in parts. The reason for the Chameleons losing their identities is ‘a gigantic explosion’ which beats the ‘jumping a time track’ from The Space Museum and the jamming of the fast return switch from The Edge of Destruction for the award for Stupidest Reason for Something Happening in Doctor Who. Also, why do the Chameleons not process Inspector Gascoigne instead of killing him? Why do they draw attention to themselves by naming the airline ‘Chameleon Tours’ and by copying Polly and then giving her a different identity? The ending is also a bit weak and rushed, especially considering the story has blatantly been expanded from a four-parter.
The supporting cast are solid, though not great. The story features an early performance by Pauline Collins and, although she is fine, it is another case of a great future actor appearing in the programme before they have hit their stride. This story also marks the departure of Ben and Polly and unfortunately, they are sidelined for much of the story and don’t get the send-off they deserve. Both Anneke Wills and Michael Craze never failed to put in a good performance and although they were never very characterfully written, they filled in the gaps admirably. Their dynamic was also one of the most interesting ones given to programme regulars. Ben was a working class lad working a working class job, but was clearly very intelligent indeed and we are left to wonder what he would have become had he come from the same background as Polly.
Despite its flaws, the ambition of the story and the intelligence of its concepts makes it worth a look- but make sure you have the telesnaps to hand (available free on the BBC website) when you are listening to it.
NEXT: The Evil of the Daleks
The Faceless Ones is something of an oddity. It does not concern itself with aliens bent on conquest and destruction, but on aliens who are seeking to save themselves. They have lost their identities and are stealing those of humans. It’s a nice spin on the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers trope, making as much of gaining an identity as losing one. The script has the aliens doing evil things, but never characterises them as evil, merely desperate, meaning that the Doctor has more options open to him than merely defeating them. It has really interesting things to say about identity- the Chameleons are basically moving lumps of flesh without them, and when they are disconnected from the original, they disintegrate.
The story does rely a lot on the visual which is unfortunate, as only the first and third episodes exist. Telesnaps and the soundtrack indicate things which would have looked fantastic on broadcast- the catatonic ‘originals’ kept in storage, the airliner converting into a rocket and then flying into a huge mother ship, the miniaturised humans and, of course, the horrific appearance of the aliens themselves. The end of episode one is still genuinely frightening today- an alien is escorted by its transformed brethren to the sick bay- all we see of it are decayed looking hands and a skull-like head from the back. The Chameleons, whatever their motivation, certainly look like the stuff of nightmares.
The fact that this is such a visual story is also unfortunate, as the surviving episode 3 is easily the ugliest looking episode of 60s Doctor Who I have yet seen, which is truly incredible for anything that has Wanda Ventham in it. Any scene with a conversation involving more than two people has clumsy composition that wastes the screen. The sets and costumes that appear in the episode have very similar shades of grey, as opposed to the dynamic range we are used to. This is not a problem in the first episode, however, and doesn’t appear to be so in the missing episodes from the telesnaps, so I will put this down to rushed camerawork and an unfortunate combination of sets for the episode. Gerry Mill puts in good directorial work elsewhere in the story and would direct episodes of Robin of Sherwood, one of the most beautiful series ever broadcast.
The story does have its share of longueurs and has poor pacing in parts. The reason for the Chameleons losing their identities is ‘a gigantic explosion’ which beats the ‘jumping a time track’ from The Space Museum and the jamming of the fast return switch from The Edge of Destruction for the award for Stupidest Reason for Something Happening in Doctor Who. Also, why do the Chameleons not process Inspector Gascoigne instead of killing him? Why do they draw attention to themselves by naming the airline ‘Chameleon Tours’ and by copying Polly and then giving her a different identity? The ending is also a bit weak and rushed, especially considering the story has blatantly been expanded from a four-parter.
The supporting cast are solid, though not great. The story features an early performance by Pauline Collins and, although she is fine, it is another case of a great future actor appearing in the programme before they have hit their stride. This story also marks the departure of Ben and Polly and unfortunately, they are sidelined for much of the story and don’t get the send-off they deserve. Both Anneke Wills and Michael Craze never failed to put in a good performance and although they were never very characterfully written, they filled in the gaps admirably. Their dynamic was also one of the most interesting ones given to programme regulars. Ben was a working class lad working a working class job, but was clearly very intelligent indeed and we are left to wonder what he would have become had he come from the same background as Polly.
Despite its flaws, the ambition of the story and the intelligence of its concepts makes it worth a look- but make sure you have the telesnaps to hand (available free on the BBC website) when you are listening to it.
NEXT: The Evil of the Daleks
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