It's been a long while since I posted anything, and even longer since I
posted a review, thanks to my impromptu story-writing. I'm looking
forward to it again. This episode was missing for a long time; the story
of its return is available from the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club's website.
The first thing that struck me watching this was a sense of nostalgia,
not for anything in the actual story but for the quality of the film. I
love the work of the Restoration Team, but the fact that this is fuzzier
than the individual DVD releases took me back to my childhood. This is
closer to how I first saw Patrick Troughton's and Jon Pertwee's Doctors,
the main difference being that the TV I'm watching it on has a much
bigger screen. It made for an interesting change.
On to the story, then, and this one is in some ways a lot like a stage
play. Most obvious is, of course, the dialogue, which is plainly
modelled on Shakespeare's. Marry! 'Tis an uncertain mast upon which to
nail one's faith - since cod-Shakespearean (like wot I rote just then)
can so easily miss the mark and come across as totally naff. Fortunately
David Whitaker is a lot more subtle, and while I'm no Shakespeare
expert it has a certain ring to it - he captures the feel, rather than
copying the trappings, and in so doing manages to evoke the correct
mood. Which is, in this case, one of the history plays - Richard I,
of course. It's not a comedy, though there is comedy in it, and it's
not poking fun at Shakespeare - it's trying to be part of the same
strain of theatre.
The other thing that gives a theatrical impression is its division into
scenes. There are five of these, with no intercutting between them.
Let's take a look at them in order:
A Forest in Palestine
The story opens in a good forest set, the atmosphere of which is
enhanced by the birdsong, and - where appropriate - dramatic music. Like
the TARDIS team, we are plunged into the thick of it; and the
combination of some nice camerawork (though with less imaginative
framing than Richard Martin's) and a properly cinematic filmed fight
really sets the mood. There's a Hollywood feel to it, both in the
costumes and the action; this is very pacy.
It's also fun to see the Doctor physically active. William Hartnell once
again gives the impression of someone very willing to get stuck in,
knowledgeable about fighting but slightly limited by his age. In
contrast, Vicki is fairly useless; but at least she's trying! The fight
is mainly Ian's, though, which is a good job because we aren't going to
be seeing him for the next few scenes...
El Akir's Tent
...the first of which we get to via a nice fade from Ian's worried face
to Barbara's, then focusing on hands pouring water and "sounds off", as
they say. Beyond that it's mostly setting up Barbara's part of the plot,
showing us what a nice bloke William is and what a nasty specimen we
have in El Akir. Oh, and having some actual black actors for a change
(though all the speaking parts for Saracens are, of course, still going
to blacked up white people). But for now, I'm going to move swiftly on.
A Market in Jaffa
Next up is a comedy sequence featuring a trader of garments, reminiscent of the scene in The Reign of Terror
where the Doctor becomes a Regional Officer. This time we even get
comedy music! This is great, and positioned at just the right point in
the narrative. The only grating aspect is the thief's mockney accent,
which feels somehow out of place.
Hartnell is on fine form, and I chuckled out loud at the
self-referential joke of echoing his heartfelt speech when leaving
Susan: "I shall return. Yes, I will return." He even ends with an
almost-trademark string of words: "mm, yes, yes, goodbye, goodbye."
Nice.
Saphadin's Tent
The next scene is the most obviously Hollywood in look. It's fun to see
El Akir outwitted, though you can tell it's storing up trouble for the
future; he's not one to take humiliation lying down. Barbara, meanwhile,
is set up as a potential Scheherazade - and I look forward to seeing
how that turns out while El Akir is still around to try and turn the tables.
The list of stories she mentions when referring to her past travels is
interesting, because at first glance it looks as if it covers all her
recent adventures - but she misses out Dido. Which is handy for the
expanded universe: if she misses out one, why not more? Why not
Victorian China, a platform above a gas giant, or even a planet of
talking stones?
The direction is more confident here, with better framing. There's a
great shot of Saladin's dark face and light turban alongside Barbara's
light face and dark hair, just before the cut to the other side in the
conflict...
Richard's Castle
...where we see Julian Glover in full-on Shakespearean mode. There's an
interesting transition here; I can't quite put my finger on what it is
that gives this impression, but it seems to me that there is a moment
shortly before the end when Ian steps from his world into Richard's.
Hmm...getting long-winded again. I'll just add a note about the
production team. It's full of well-remembered names, not just early ones
like Barry Newbery but also a couple who haven't yet hit the heights:
director Douglas Camfield on his first full outing, and composer Dudley
Simpson on his second (both having previously worked on serial J, Planet of Giants). This bodes well for future episodes...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 27th March 1965
Viewers: 10.5 million
Chart Position: 16
Appreciation Index: 51
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
The Knight of Jaffa.
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