Horror of Fang Rock was speed-written to replace another story, but this far from obvious in the finished story. The story is a simple one; if you think about it, it comes close to the base-under siege stories that the Troughton era had an embarrassment of. However, Terrence Dicks paces the story admirably well, creating a good deal of tension in what is still a very unnerving story. He peoples the script with a reasonably comprehensive representation of early 20th century society and sets them in motion against a monster in the confined environment of a lighthouse. These characters are more skilfully drawn than this description indicates and Dicks gives them unshowy, yet very effective dialogue and the characterisation is expertly done. We even get to see Reuben’s ‘saucy postcard’ collection, a surprising but very welcome (plot and character-wise, obviously!) development. This story has a particular effect on me, as I read Flannan Isle by Wilfrid Gibson at an early age and was terrified to find out, shortly afterwards, that it was based on a true story.
The design work is outstanding- the dark, fog-shrouded environment is brilliantly evocative and we never lose the impression that we are in a lighthouse. The period detail is as excellent as we have come to expect from BBC costume dramas. Paddy Russell directs with great atmosphere- the story is set entirely in one night and the atmosphere is like one of a primal nightmare. There is a very effective shot when we get a momentary glimpse of part of Ben’s dissected body, which is shocking without being gratuitous. The special effects are simple and all the more effective for it. The Rutan, which is basically realised as a luminous green balloon, is lit and voiced in a way to make us believe in it as an alien horror.
The performances are very well judged. Colin Douglas is fantastic as Reuben, making him solidly trustworthy as a human and chilling as a Rutan- his soulless grin as he is about to kill is terrifying. Annette Woolette is just the right degree of annoying as Adelaide and Lord Palmerdale and Skinsdale are well portrayed by Sean Caffrey and Alan Rowe. However, the best performance in the story is that of Louise Jameson. Leela is never better than in this story, being brave, uninhibited (she actually starts undressing in front of Vince) and eager to learn. The scene where she taunts the dying Rutan is awesome and Louise Jameson gives one of the best performances by a regular the programme has ever seen. Tom Baker is mesmerising throughout, although it is clear Paddy Russell is keeping him on a very long leash!
The story has few flaws, the only one worth mentioning being Tom Baker’s line about ‘…the chameleon factor, sometimes called lycanthropy…’. Not only does Baker mispronounce chameleon, most people know that that is not the definition of lycanthropy. This line illustrates some of the possible hazards of using technobabble- someone might recognise one of the long words that have been misused and what may be an obscure word or phrase now, might not be so in the future. This does not stop this story from being a highly enjoyable 100 minutes.
NEXT: The Invisible Enemy
Showing posts with label Paddy Russell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paddy Russell. Show all posts
Monday, 6 April 2009
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Pyramids of Mars
In doing this marathon, there are some stories I am encountering for the first time and others I am more familiar with to various degrees. There are a very few for which I have lost count how many times I have seen them and Pyramids of Mars definitely falls into this category. I love this story and want to have its babies.
One of the main reasons for this is the script, which is very well structured and believable. Because of the simplicity of the plot, it is easy to overlook the skill in the actual plotting. In journeying from point A to point B, in the plot, there is always something to see out of the window- the Doctor discovers the signal from Mars through a primitive radio telescope invented by Laurence Scarman. The small cast of characters are very well written- there are bonds of family and friendship between them that subtly make the events more real for the viewer. Also, this story manages to convey the alien in a way few others do. When Sutekh wants to know what planet the Doctor comes from, he asks for 'the binary location from galactic centre' as 'Names mean nothing'.
The guest cast are uniformally excellent, but there is one who stands out (no pun intended). Sutekh is a character created almost exclusively through voice, and what a voice it is! Gabriel Woolf makes Sutekh, for my money, the most awesomely powerful adversary the Doctor has ever faced. Hearing him intone 'Any further insolence and I shall shred your nervous system into a million fibres' is still chilling. Sutekh is utterly unforgettable, one of the greatest Doctor who baddies of all time. Bernard Archard is fantastic as the possessed Marcus Scarman and the wonderful Michael Sheard is almost heartbreaking as Laurence. The robot mummies look comical if one sees a clip, but they are genuinely chilling when seen in context in the story.
The emphasis on the alien leads to one of Tom Baker's finest performances as the Doctor. Here, for the first time since the Hartnell era, we truly see the Doctor as an alien with a human face. His rapport with Elisabeth Sladen makes this one of the finest performances from the regular cast. Paddy Russell directs with great dynamism and there are fantastic set pieces- the invisible force field, the poacher's death, Marcus Scarman expelling the bullet from his body. Good use of locations and some excellent set design are excellently blended together, with simple, yet very effective lighting and backed by one of Dudley Simpson's best scores.
The legend of the Mummy is taken and given a truly original spin with wit and intelligence. Yes, there are a few plot holes, but the story is so good, they can easily be ignored. This is a story that is not just worth watching, it should be watched and if I were to select one story as my absolute favourite, it would probably be this one.
NEXT: The Android Invasion
One of the main reasons for this is the script, which is very well structured and believable. Because of the simplicity of the plot, it is easy to overlook the skill in the actual plotting. In journeying from point A to point B, in the plot, there is always something to see out of the window- the Doctor discovers the signal from Mars through a primitive radio telescope invented by Laurence Scarman. The small cast of characters are very well written- there are bonds of family and friendship between them that subtly make the events more real for the viewer. Also, this story manages to convey the alien in a way few others do. When Sutekh wants to know what planet the Doctor comes from, he asks for 'the binary location from galactic centre' as 'Names mean nothing'.
The guest cast are uniformally excellent, but there is one who stands out (no pun intended). Sutekh is a character created almost exclusively through voice, and what a voice it is! Gabriel Woolf makes Sutekh, for my money, the most awesomely powerful adversary the Doctor has ever faced. Hearing him intone 'Any further insolence and I shall shred your nervous system into a million fibres' is still chilling. Sutekh is utterly unforgettable, one of the greatest Doctor who baddies of all time. Bernard Archard is fantastic as the possessed Marcus Scarman and the wonderful Michael Sheard is almost heartbreaking as Laurence. The robot mummies look comical if one sees a clip, but they are genuinely chilling when seen in context in the story.
The emphasis on the alien leads to one of Tom Baker's finest performances as the Doctor. Here, for the first time since the Hartnell era, we truly see the Doctor as an alien with a human face. His rapport with Elisabeth Sladen makes this one of the finest performances from the regular cast. Paddy Russell directs with great dynamism and there are fantastic set pieces- the invisible force field, the poacher's death, Marcus Scarman expelling the bullet from his body. Good use of locations and some excellent set design are excellently blended together, with simple, yet very effective lighting and backed by one of Dudley Simpson's best scores.
The legend of the Mummy is taken and given a truly original spin with wit and intelligence. Yes, there are a few plot holes, but the story is so good, they can easily be ignored. This is a story that is not just worth watching, it should be watched and if I were to select one story as my absolute favourite, it would probably be this one.
NEXT: The Android Invasion
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Invasion of the Dinosaurs
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
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
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
The Massacre
In seasons 2 and 3, we have seen the historical become more comedic, but the master, John Lucarotti , returns for a final story. Although story editor Donald Tosh rewrote most of the script, many of the qualities that made Marco Polo and The Aztecs so fantastic are again very much evident but unlike those stories, this one depicts an actual historical event. The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre was one of the key events of the French Wars of Religion. Henri IV, the Protestant king of Navarre in Spain, married Marguerite de Valois (‘La Reine Margot’) sister of King Charles IX of France. At a time of huge tension between the Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) this was thought to be an attempt to bring peace to France. However, leading Catholics took advantage of the fact that Huguenots would be gathering for the wedding to incite their massacre. Several thousand Protestants were killed in Paris and thousands more throughout the country.
Although this event is not familiar to the majority of people in Britain, it has been dealt with twice on screen. D W Griffith included it as part of his 1916 epic Intolerance and in 1994 it was brought to bloody life in Patrice Chereau’s adaptation of Dumas’s La Reine Margot. I have seen both of these and it is to the credit of The Massacre that its impact was not diminished. The undercurrent of fear and suspicion is excellently brought out- the scene in the tavern with the Huguenots drinking Henry’s health brilliantly portrays their pride and defiance in the midst of their fear. Death dominates this story more than any other so far and the sheer scale of it overwhelms. Marshal Tavannes loathes the Huguenots, but even he is appalled when it turns out that all of them must die.
The Doctor barely appears in this story. After a charming scene where he chats to the apothecary Charles Preslin, he takes no further part in events and does not appear again until episode 4. This means that it is Steven who carries most of the story. With no knowledge of the events, Steven reacts to situations naturally, helping his Huguenot friends even when they believe him to be a traitor. Purves is more than equal to the challenge in the portrayal of a man lost in a situation he doesn’t understand, but still determined to do the right thing. However, while the Doctor is absent, Hartnell is very much present in his portrayal of the sinister Abbot of Amboise. The abbot’s speech patterns are very different to the Doctor’s- slower and more precise, without laughing, going ‘hmmm?’ or even fluffing his lines. This proves that people who think that Hartnell was just playing himself as the Doctor are talking out of their proverbial. The fact that the Abbot is a double of the Doctor is not just a stunt- it results in Steven being mistaken for the servant of the Abbot and makes for a stunning end to episode 3 with the mob clustered round what appears to be the Doctor’s dead body.
The guest cast is one of the finest seen in the programme. Andre Morell (the third and best Quatermass) makes Tavannes utterly ruthless but still very human. Leonard Sachs makes Coligny a truly selfless, yet charismatic character. Barry Justice makes Charles IX very believable as a man who in unready for power and is dominated by his mother. Catherine de Medici (as usual) is blamed for being the mastermind behind the Massacre and Joan Young portrays her as willing to do anything to protect the power of her family.
The research that was made for this story is obviously extensive- for example, although the Abbot of Amboise is a fictional character, the name is obviously taken from the Huguenot attempt to kidnap Charles’s predecessor Francis II at the Chateau de Amboise. The use of history in this story is interesting. Steven tries to intervene in events without knowing the history, but fails to change anything- despite knowing of the plot to assassinate Coligny, he cannot warn the Admiral in time, and Coligny is wounded, as the history books say. Steven’s powerlessness in the face of the Massacre leads to the justly famous scene where he temporarily leaves the Doctor in disgust. This scene is brilliantly acted by Hartnell and Purves, with a beautiful soliloquy from the Doctor and is one of the finest the series has ever had. It is good to see Steven return though, although the introduction of Dodo at the end seems forced.
However, this does not detract from a brilliant quartet of episodes that tells the programme’s most serious and harrowing story ever.
Next: The Ark
Although this event is not familiar to the majority of people in Britain, it has been dealt with twice on screen. D W Griffith included it as part of his 1916 epic Intolerance and in 1994 it was brought to bloody life in Patrice Chereau’s adaptation of Dumas’s La Reine Margot. I have seen both of these and it is to the credit of The Massacre that its impact was not diminished. The undercurrent of fear and suspicion is excellently brought out- the scene in the tavern with the Huguenots drinking Henry’s health brilliantly portrays their pride and defiance in the midst of their fear. Death dominates this story more than any other so far and the sheer scale of it overwhelms. Marshal Tavannes loathes the Huguenots, but even he is appalled when it turns out that all of them must die.
The Doctor barely appears in this story. After a charming scene where he chats to the apothecary Charles Preslin, he takes no further part in events and does not appear again until episode 4. This means that it is Steven who carries most of the story. With no knowledge of the events, Steven reacts to situations naturally, helping his Huguenot friends even when they believe him to be a traitor. Purves is more than equal to the challenge in the portrayal of a man lost in a situation he doesn’t understand, but still determined to do the right thing. However, while the Doctor is absent, Hartnell is very much present in his portrayal of the sinister Abbot of Amboise. The abbot’s speech patterns are very different to the Doctor’s- slower and more precise, without laughing, going ‘hmmm?’ or even fluffing his lines. This proves that people who think that Hartnell was just playing himself as the Doctor are talking out of their proverbial. The fact that the Abbot is a double of the Doctor is not just a stunt- it results in Steven being mistaken for the servant of the Abbot and makes for a stunning end to episode 3 with the mob clustered round what appears to be the Doctor’s dead body.
The guest cast is one of the finest seen in the programme. Andre Morell (the third and best Quatermass) makes Tavannes utterly ruthless but still very human. Leonard Sachs makes Coligny a truly selfless, yet charismatic character. Barry Justice makes Charles IX very believable as a man who in unready for power and is dominated by his mother. Catherine de Medici (as usual) is blamed for being the mastermind behind the Massacre and Joan Young portrays her as willing to do anything to protect the power of her family.
The research that was made for this story is obviously extensive- for example, although the Abbot of Amboise is a fictional character, the name is obviously taken from the Huguenot attempt to kidnap Charles’s predecessor Francis II at the Chateau de Amboise. The use of history in this story is interesting. Steven tries to intervene in events without knowing the history, but fails to change anything- despite knowing of the plot to assassinate Coligny, he cannot warn the Admiral in time, and Coligny is wounded, as the history books say. Steven’s powerlessness in the face of the Massacre leads to the justly famous scene where he temporarily leaves the Doctor in disgust. This scene is brilliantly acted by Hartnell and Purves, with a beautiful soliloquy from the Doctor and is one of the finest the series has ever had. It is good to see Steven return though, although the introduction of Dodo at the end seems forced.
However, this does not detract from a brilliant quartet of episodes that tells the programme’s most serious and harrowing story ever.
Next: The Ark
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