I've used a lot of words talking about visuals recently, so I'm going to give it a rest this time. Suffice to say that the lessons learned last episode haven't been forgotten, and that the sets and costumes are spot on. Nobody remembered the older lesson about not working with animals and children, however: they got away with a child actor in Guests of Madame Guillotine, but the horses this week slowed things down so much that they only just got the episode recorded in time.
Except: is it fair to blame the horses? Henric Hirsch was exhausted and collapsed after the camera rehearsals, so they had to get another director to step in for the actual shoot, using Hirsch's camera directions. I use the phrase "another director" advisedly, since there is some dispute over who this was. Most reports suggest it was John Gorrie, but he has no memory of it; Verity Lambert has also been suggested, but she too denies responsibility. Still, much of the decision-making was Hirsch's, and the results are consistent.
While they were in prison Susan and Barbara had discussed how lucky they'd been in the past; now, in this episode, (a) they get rescued by some allies of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel after a horse conveniently throws a shoe, reducing the opposition to a manageable number of guards; and (b) the jailer leaves his keys in Ian's cell door, then goes and gets himself paralytically drunk just in time for our hero to walk out. I don't mind a bit of coincidence but that is pushing things. Susan must have read the script, though, otherwise she would at least have tried to avoid getting her head cut off. Or perhaps she thought the guillotine was a sure-fire headache cure (true) and worth the side effects (death)? Hmm, do decapitated Time Ladies regenerate? Inquiring minds want to know!
None of these three regulars are particularly well served by the script this week. Carole Ann Ford draws the short straw, as usual, and halfheartedly plays the weak, distressed, worse-than-useless teenager; but you can tell she's stopped caring. Barbara is calm and collected, even when being drooled over by the polite-but-creepy Léon. And Ian is the quiet, determined hero; to be fair at least he doesn't have to outfight trained warriors, which is a definite plus. Jacqueline Hill and William Russell do their best with what they are given, but it's fairly run-of-the-mill.
William Hartnell, on the other hand, gets nothing but good scenes. He strides into Paris, full of confidence and determination, showing his worry for just a moment; and then he's into the comedy. Hartnell always seems to throw himself into his role when he's given a chance to be funny - see the last episode of Marco Polo, or Dennis Spooner's next story - and his scene with the tailor is perfectly pitched. His appearance in the Conciergerie afterwards, feathery hat and all, is great - and he flatters, fast-talks and blusters his way to the information he needs in a way that foreshadows future Doctors. It's all beautifully judged, and even though we spend more time with the others it feels like Hartnell's episode.
And then things start to twist again. Did Citizen Lemaitre deliberately trick the jailer into leaving his keys and then drug him, so that Ian could lead the way to the enemies of the Republic? Will he or the tailor bring about the Doctor's execution? This may not have been the most rounded episode, but by Timothy it makes me want to know what happens next!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 22nd August 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 34
Appreciation Index: 55
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
The Tyrant of France.
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