A couple of entries ago, I commented that the off-air recordings had allowed the Restoration Team to produce "acceptable" soundtracks. While I still hold that this is generally the case, the sound quality at the beginning of this episode is poor. I had trouble hearing what most of the actors were saying (bless William Russell for speaking loudly and clearly while showing Ian's sense of urgency), and it did affect my enjoyment. This is an episode where the reconstruction wins out over the narrated soundtrack.
Okay... take a deep breath. I need to tackle a subject I was hoping I could brush past in this serial, but I might as well get on with it.
Racism, Part 1: Yellow Faces
First, a necessary statement of identity. I am white, middle-class and male, born and raised in a predominantly white area of suburban Southern England. This upbringing naturally colours my perceptions, and while I am arrogant enough to believe I have some understanding of racism I will always bow to the superior experience of those on the sharp end. What follows, therefore, is all In My More Humble Than Usual Opinion...
Doctor Who has a mixed record when it comes to race. This is 1964, when The Black and White Minstrel Show was regularly pulling in audiences of 18 million or more, and I think our show deserves credit for what it does right; but not everything it does is right.
In the 1960s it was common for white actors to be cast in non-white parts, often in makeup ("blackface" or "yellowface"). The lack of suitable non-white actors was often used as an excuse; there is some argument over this, but even if true the shortage would have been the result of racism. Anyway, while I don't like to see it happen these days I accept it as a feature of the times. What makes the difference for me, whether it's something that I note and then ignore or whether it truly affects my enjoyment, is how those parts are played.
Marco Polo got off to a relatively good start. The story being set in Cathay is itself positive, of course, when representations of European history usually dominate. One of the main characters, Ping-Cho, is played by Burmese actress Zienia Merton (better known for Space:1999 - I knew I'd seen her somewhere), and Derren Nesbitt as Tegana plays the character straight. Some of the minor characters are maybe a little dodgy, but nothing extreme.
Then we get to this episode, and Wang-Lo. Gábor Baraker plays him as a bumbling Chinese bureaucrat, wide-eyed and kowtowing (in the metaphorical sense), with a classic cartoon accent and comedy manner. Individually these could all be accepted; combined, they are wince-worthy. It was so bad that I was in the mood to read the role of Kuiju as a stereotypical "shifty Chinee", which is actually unfair as on reflection I don't see a racial intent, even subconscious. I took advantage of the scripts being provided with the audio, and read Wang-Lo's dialogue. There's nothing there to show that he has to be played in this way, so I'm letting John Lucarotti off the hook. That leaves the actor and director.
At that time it was the director's responsibility to choose the cast. Interestingly we have a non-white director, India-born Waris Hussein, who chose Baraker and (presumably) didn't disapprove of his portrayal. This was his last Who serial; he decided he would rather work on individual plays afterwards. I do wonder what his thoughts on this episode are now; unless it is discovered somewhere and he records a commentary for the DVD I guess we'll never know.
I mentioned the pulps last time. Racism was casual and ubiquitous in these works, and one common theme was the Yellow Peril threatening the supremacy of the white race. Marco Polo avoids this, because almost all the guest parts - good and bad - are from Cathay. This is a better setup than having only non-white parts who are "whiter than white", as it were, which is just a kinder reflection of the Yellow Peril idea - one aspect of the pulps I'm glad the story didn't take up.
Another plus is the way racism itself (and, perhaps, "chronologism") is depicted within the story. This episode, for example, has Ian believing that exploding bamboo will scare off the cowardly, superstitious bandits - and actually thinking it has worked until the Doctor points out the more plausible explanation that they are running because their leader has just been killed. He's also wrong about Tegana's designs on the TARDIS because he believes the warlord is frightened of their "magic box". Meanwhile the Doctor looks down on everyone. This is great! It doesn't entirely make up for Wang-Lo, but it certainly helps.
Okay, that's the thorny bit out of the way. Before I go, I just want to say a bit about the ending. Good grief, how stupid is Susan?!! There is no trace of the unearthly child's genius in her actions here, as she throws away their freedom to say goodbye to Ping-Cho. It is touching to see how well the girls get on together, and you can see just how much they don't want to be parted, but really! If you want to teach kids not to break promises, this is not the way to do it. All I can say is, poor Carole Ann Ford. No wonder she was fed up with the part already.
Hey ho, roll on next episode...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 21st March 1964
Viewers: 9.4 million
Chart Position: 37
Appreciation Index: 59
Rating:
3.5/10.
Next Time:
Mighty Kublai Khan.
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