Let's just dive straight in where we left off, shall we?
Dalek?
It's only for a fraction of a second that we believe it might be an
active Dalek - the huge plaque catches the eye almost immediately - but
that is enough to shock. Instead, though, it is - as the ninth Doctor
later said of a different foe - "the stuff of nightmares, reduced to an
exhibit."
I've been to the Doctor Who Exhibition in Cardiff. I went to the Doctor
Who Experience when it was in London. Heck, I've even visited a little
museum that had one of the model dinos from Invasion of the Dinosaurs!
So this sort of thing seems commonplace to me now. However, this was
broadcast at a time when the Daleks - and the show - were still new;
certainly not the subject of museum displays. Oh, there had been a few
publicity outings where props were present, but nothing long-term.
So this is something that jars, just as much as all the
lack-of-interaction stuff. And when Vicki says that it doesn't look
scary, and Ian says it's unlikely she'll meet the Daleks, it becomes
obvious that what this is doing is commenting on the TV show. Which fits
with the asides about splitting up and (lack of) peripheral vision.
Then, of course, there's the concept of the space museum itself:
somewhere you go to see Science Fiction Stuff. Kind of like the show,
but without the action. And the whole episode so far is like a static
museum exhibit, because our heroes have been unable to interact with the
world at all, just observe. Totally bizarre, and quite fascinating.
So, having taken a break in the middle of the tour to point out what is
going on behind the scenes, we need to make our way back to the exit -
and I'll move faster, so I can still get out before the place closes.
Silence
What happens next is, of course, the appearance of, and animated
discussion between, the black-garbed young Xerons. Having just made the
connections above, their silence makes perfect sense.
We get some more wandering through featureless corridors (and although I
forgot to mention it, at one point they discussed the lack of windows -
so even this has become part of the meta-commentary). I was amused to
spot that most future space equipment is built for rack-mounting! 4U,
mainly, unless my eyes or memory deceive me.
Vicki's Hand
Still, this isn't really holding Vicki's attention; perhaps industrial
design isn't one of her interests. So she decides to take advantage of
the lack of guards and touch an odd-looking device of tubes and glass. I
think she's made the right choice: it's certainly the most unusual of
the displays we've seen (other than the Dalek).
And unlike most museum exhibits I've touched, her hand goes right
through it. It's a great effect, and once again it shifts the ground
under our feet - because it's not the way in which we were expecting the
interaction to fail. Are they ghosts? Or... what? The Doctor expresses
it well when he says that it's just a matter of putting 2 and 2 together
to make 3.
Unseen
More Xerons, then, and the confirmation that our heroes really can't be
seen. It's the Doctor who puts his finger on it again, when he says (in
closeup) that "we're not really here" - though that's not really an
explanation, of course.
Fade then to black, to show that time passes as our footsore travellers
explore the museum, unseen by us. "How can we find the answer in here?"
they moan.
Exhibits
But they do find something. The TARDIS. Now, this is the least
successful effect of the episode, technically: it doesn't look as if the
familiar blue box is there, in the world of the museum, when it should
be. Still, I'm already invested in the mystery, so although it plays a
wrong note - or rather, the wrong sort of wrong note - it's not too harmful.
And fortunately things are moving now, as the mists are beginning to
clear slightly. We see the TARDIS crew, turned into exhibits themselves.
This reveal is spot on in so many ways, but particularly the timing.
The pacing of this episode has been slow even for 1965, but deliberately
so; and things are speeding up as we approach the end.
Frozen
Even as the action has sped up, there is much stillness in evidence: the
actors, camera and set as well as the frozen exhibits. Vicki - who grew
up in the future - explains the nature of time, firmly taking over from
the Doctor as the one who understands such things; while he still has
more knowledge of the practical side, and figures out that the TARDIS
has jumped a time track. Whatever that means. And we still have comedy
here, in the Doctor's explanation to Barbara.
Then the actors freeze, in exactly the same position as they were at the
beginning of the episode, in the ship - and then the director chooses
to use a montage of still shots to represent time catching up. It's odd,
and doesn't quite work, but fortunately it doesn't last long.
Footprints
The glass breaks, irrevocably. Morok guards find the travellers'
footprints as they appear in the dust. The figures in the cases
disappear. And the four wake, just as they did when we joined them.
"They've gone!" declares Barbara.
"Yes, my dear," replies the Doctor; "and we've arrived."
The story has begun.
Introduction
The Space Museum is based on an awesomely brilliant idea; the
phrase timey-wimey could have been invented for it. The audience thought
so too: the AI is the highest since World's End, before Susan
left. Aaand I would love to write more, but that's well over 2,000 words
on one episode. Hopefully I'll find some space to add more thoughts as I
tackle the next three...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 24th April 1965
Viewers: 10.5 million
Chart Position: 16
Appreciation Index: 61
Rating:
8.5/10.
Next Time:
The Dimensions of Time.
Friday, 8 February 2013
Monday, 4 February 2013
Episode 68 (Q1): The Space Museum
There's a lot to say about this serial that doesn't apply to just one
episode, but there's also a lot to say about this particular 23 minutes
38 seconds. As a result I'm going to spread the former out over the next
few entries (and hope they aren't as packed as this one).
Right, on with the review - and this is going to be full of spoilers. Please do try to watch it before reading on!
Conclusion
My verdict isn't going to be particularly controversial: this is a brilliant episode damaged by one key aspect of production, the direction. Mervyn Pinfield, who some of you with eidetic memory may recall came bottom of my directors' table at the end of the first season, is back. He improved very slightly during Planet of Giants, but here he gives us endless lack of imagination in the shots. There are some that work very well but they are few and far between; and to be honest I'm a little aggrieved that his average score for this season will be boosted by other aspects of a production that he almost succeeds in trashing. On the other hand I feel slightly bad criticising someone who died not much more than a year later, but it's not enough to stop me.
Anyway, I want to work slowly through this episode, scene by scene - something I haven't done since The Velvet Web. This time I'm going to focus on story rather than direction and follow in the (figurative) footsteps of the TARDIS crew, as this is a journey that they take - almost always together, and invariably alone...
Frozen
So, to begin the tour, we go from the (still quite freaky) title music to the reprise from the end of The Warlords - or rather, part of it, with the crew frozen in their medieval duds. Straight away we know something bizarre is happening. The light fades, and then we get a shot that wasn't there last time: a pan across a model shot of spacecraft, with futuristic music. Only then does the TARDIS materialise, before we fade back to the bridging sequence with the four standing around the console - and they're wearing more normal clothes.
Now, this is quite a famous scene in fandom - and I've seen it several times - so it's tricky to unpick its actual impact. But take a close look at William Hartnell, who is spot on in his portrayal of the Doctor throughout this episode. He looks worried for one brief moment, before deciding to make light of the situation. The joke about wearing clothes is funny, but it also serves to highlight the uncertainty they are facing.
The reactions of the crew, in some ways, take us back to the early days of the show. Ian is incredulous and argumentative; Barbara stays in the background except for making some reasonable, supportive comments; the Doctor is pretending to know more than he does while hiding what he does know; and the teenager - Vicki now - rushes off to get into trouble...
Vicki's Hand
...except we're in the TARDIS, and not racing back towards Event One, so what trouble can she get into? This is the more proactive Vicki that I tried to foreshadow in my fanfic. Anyway, we get to glimpse the TARDIS wardrobe, which at this stage is just what you would expect from any wardrobe (or maybe Vicki only knew about one part of it), before she goes to the food machine - now looking a bit more complex than it did last season. And what a clanking, grumbling fuss it makes, just to deliver some water! It's a good job Vicki didn't ask it for a cup of tea. <cough>Douglas Adams is currently 13 years old.</cough>
Then Maureen O'Brien has the unenviable task of accidentally releasing her grip on a glass when nothing else is happening. Couldn't she have tripped, or turned and bumped her elbow on the machine or something? O'Brien does her best with a lovely 'drifting off' expression, but nobody could make that realistic. And partly as a result, the reforming glass is the weakest of the 'weird things happening' moments. It screams "effects shot! Look how clever I am!" - which takes me, at least, out of the moment.
When she returns and explains, notice Hartnell again. There's obvious worry on his face - and for a much longer time - but he converts his concern into energetic curiosity.
Footprints
Of course, Iananbarbara tease him about wanting to go look at the mysterious building - perhaps with memories of Skaro and fluid links, though softened now by their time as travellers - but everyone happily goes outside. And in another nod to how the show used to work, Vicki wanders off and the Doctor calls her back, suggesting that they need to stay together. How many storylines could that advice have short-circuited?
There is a backdrop that is less successful than the ones in The Web Planet, and some nonsensical discussion of geology and extinction; but these minor gaffes are more than made up for by the main event - the discovery that they are not disturbing the dust of this world.
Wow.
We've not had anything quite that weird since we were Inside the Spaceship in serial C - and with Planet of Giants and the aforementioned The Web Planet earlier in this season, that's saying something. No wonder the Doctor is so worried.
Silence
We leave this scene via a seriously long zoom in on the model of the space museum itself. Seriously too long, in fact, because we get close enough to the doors to see the lack of detail - which wasn't obvious from a reasonable distance. In this case I'm not talking about detail visible only on modern screens, either; this is so blatant that I'm sure many original viewers would have noticed it.
Anyway, the key thing here is Barbara's observation about the silence. It's been noticeable ever since they left the TARDIS, but it takes her comment to bring it to the forefront of our attention. Anyway, our heroes don't have long to ponder this before the doors open...
Unseen
...and two figures in white march out, slowly and stiffly - rather like Robomen, in fact. We get another funny moment as the crew scramble to hide, all the while in full view. This looks like particularly bad timing in the production - or perhaps a joke about the poor peripheral vision of enemies - until Vicki sneezes, and it becomes obvious that they cannot interact at all with the locals.
The two Moroks are the first living things we've encountered on this new planet, and normally this would be the start of the action. But we're already a fair way into the episode, and while in one sense quite a lot has happened there has been no real action - nor does there seem to be much prospect of any soon.
And what does any nice middle-class family do when everyone is bored and nothing else is happening? Why, visit a museum of course! So in they go.
Exhibits
Let's face it, it's not the best museum in the cosmos. There are no informative plaques, no interactive exhibitions, just corridor after corridor of static stuff. Give me MOSI, or @Bristol, or Weston Park, or Magna, or the Natural History/Science Museums any day. Still, as Vicki observes, it does at least have a lack of annoying museum guards following you round (though personally I like to talk to them; they can usually tell you more than the plaques).
Surely the 'things to do on a rainy Wednesday afternoon in the summer hols' vibe can't go on forever, though? And indeed it doesn't. They turn a corner and go through a doorway from one bland hall to another - only this time they freeze in shock as the music screams danger!
Dalek!
Yes! It's a Dalek! We are face-to-face with the menace behind all the strange goings-on! To put this in perspective, filming has just wrapped on the Cushing movie: Dalekmania is going strong, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the Doctor's next encounter with his oldest (and only recurring) alien foe. Their return has been advertised, but surely this is too soon? Wouldn't the BBC have got more bums on seats for this episode if they'd said this was when they were arriving?
There's more that's not quite right: the reveal should be at the end of the episode, surely? And like the fast return switch Inside the Spaceship, the metal monstrosity seems to be the only thing that is labelled in this museum. What?!
Hmm. I didn't really want to split this one, but I'm going to have to. And this seems as good a point as any...
Next Time:
The Space Museum, concluded.
Right, on with the review - and this is going to be full of spoilers. Please do try to watch it before reading on!
Conclusion
My verdict isn't going to be particularly controversial: this is a brilliant episode damaged by one key aspect of production, the direction. Mervyn Pinfield, who some of you with eidetic memory may recall came bottom of my directors' table at the end of the first season, is back. He improved very slightly during Planet of Giants, but here he gives us endless lack of imagination in the shots. There are some that work very well but they are few and far between; and to be honest I'm a little aggrieved that his average score for this season will be boosted by other aspects of a production that he almost succeeds in trashing. On the other hand I feel slightly bad criticising someone who died not much more than a year later, but it's not enough to stop me.
Anyway, I want to work slowly through this episode, scene by scene - something I haven't done since The Velvet Web. This time I'm going to focus on story rather than direction and follow in the (figurative) footsteps of the TARDIS crew, as this is a journey that they take - almost always together, and invariably alone...
Frozen
So, to begin the tour, we go from the (still quite freaky) title music to the reprise from the end of The Warlords - or rather, part of it, with the crew frozen in their medieval duds. Straight away we know something bizarre is happening. The light fades, and then we get a shot that wasn't there last time: a pan across a model shot of spacecraft, with futuristic music. Only then does the TARDIS materialise, before we fade back to the bridging sequence with the four standing around the console - and they're wearing more normal clothes.
Now, this is quite a famous scene in fandom - and I've seen it several times - so it's tricky to unpick its actual impact. But take a close look at William Hartnell, who is spot on in his portrayal of the Doctor throughout this episode. He looks worried for one brief moment, before deciding to make light of the situation. The joke about wearing clothes is funny, but it also serves to highlight the uncertainty they are facing.
The reactions of the crew, in some ways, take us back to the early days of the show. Ian is incredulous and argumentative; Barbara stays in the background except for making some reasonable, supportive comments; the Doctor is pretending to know more than he does while hiding what he does know; and the teenager - Vicki now - rushes off to get into trouble...
Vicki's Hand
...except we're in the TARDIS, and not racing back towards Event One, so what trouble can she get into? This is the more proactive Vicki that I tried to foreshadow in my fanfic. Anyway, we get to glimpse the TARDIS wardrobe, which at this stage is just what you would expect from any wardrobe (or maybe Vicki only knew about one part of it), before she goes to the food machine - now looking a bit more complex than it did last season. And what a clanking, grumbling fuss it makes, just to deliver some water! It's a good job Vicki didn't ask it for a cup of tea. <cough>Douglas Adams is currently 13 years old.</cough>
Then Maureen O'Brien has the unenviable task of accidentally releasing her grip on a glass when nothing else is happening. Couldn't she have tripped, or turned and bumped her elbow on the machine or something? O'Brien does her best with a lovely 'drifting off' expression, but nobody could make that realistic. And partly as a result, the reforming glass is the weakest of the 'weird things happening' moments. It screams "effects shot! Look how clever I am!" - which takes me, at least, out of the moment.
When she returns and explains, notice Hartnell again. There's obvious worry on his face - and for a much longer time - but he converts his concern into energetic curiosity.
Footprints
Of course, Iananbarbara tease him about wanting to go look at the mysterious building - perhaps with memories of Skaro and fluid links, though softened now by their time as travellers - but everyone happily goes outside. And in another nod to how the show used to work, Vicki wanders off and the Doctor calls her back, suggesting that they need to stay together. How many storylines could that advice have short-circuited?
There is a backdrop that is less successful than the ones in The Web Planet, and some nonsensical discussion of geology and extinction; but these minor gaffes are more than made up for by the main event - the discovery that they are not disturbing the dust of this world.
Wow.
We've not had anything quite that weird since we were Inside the Spaceship in serial C - and with Planet of Giants and the aforementioned The Web Planet earlier in this season, that's saying something. No wonder the Doctor is so worried.
Silence
We leave this scene via a seriously long zoom in on the model of the space museum itself. Seriously too long, in fact, because we get close enough to the doors to see the lack of detail - which wasn't obvious from a reasonable distance. In this case I'm not talking about detail visible only on modern screens, either; this is so blatant that I'm sure many original viewers would have noticed it.
Anyway, the key thing here is Barbara's observation about the silence. It's been noticeable ever since they left the TARDIS, but it takes her comment to bring it to the forefront of our attention. Anyway, our heroes don't have long to ponder this before the doors open...
Unseen
...and two figures in white march out, slowly and stiffly - rather like Robomen, in fact. We get another funny moment as the crew scramble to hide, all the while in full view. This looks like particularly bad timing in the production - or perhaps a joke about the poor peripheral vision of enemies - until Vicki sneezes, and it becomes obvious that they cannot interact at all with the locals.
The two Moroks are the first living things we've encountered on this new planet, and normally this would be the start of the action. But we're already a fair way into the episode, and while in one sense quite a lot has happened there has been no real action - nor does there seem to be much prospect of any soon.
And what does any nice middle-class family do when everyone is bored and nothing else is happening? Why, visit a museum of course! So in they go.
Exhibits
Let's face it, it's not the best museum in the cosmos. There are no informative plaques, no interactive exhibitions, just corridor after corridor of static stuff. Give me MOSI, or @Bristol, or Weston Park, or Magna, or the Natural History/Science Museums any day. Still, as Vicki observes, it does at least have a lack of annoying museum guards following you round (though personally I like to talk to them; they can usually tell you more than the plaques).
Surely the 'things to do on a rainy Wednesday afternoon in the summer hols' vibe can't go on forever, though? And indeed it doesn't. They turn a corner and go through a doorway from one bland hall to another - only this time they freeze in shock as the music screams danger!
Dalek!
Yes! It's a Dalek! We are face-to-face with the menace behind all the strange goings-on! To put this in perspective, filming has just wrapped on the Cushing movie: Dalekmania is going strong, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the Doctor's next encounter with his oldest (and only recurring) alien foe. Their return has been advertised, but surely this is too soon? Wouldn't the BBC have got more bums on seats for this episode if they'd said this was when they were arriving?
There's more that's not quite right: the reveal should be at the end of the episode, surely? And like the fast return switch Inside the Spaceship, the metal monstrosity seems to be the only thing that is labelled in this museum. What?!
Hmm. I didn't really want to split this one, but I'm going to have to. And this seems as good a point as any...
Next Time:
The Space Museum, concluded.
Friday, 1 February 2013
Serial P: The Crusade
This serial caused some friction between William Hartnell and David Whitaker, because elements of the script implied an incestuous relationship between King Richard and Joanna; appropriate changes were made. It was also at this time that both Verity Lambert and Dennis Spooner decided to leave, though I doubt this was to do with The Crusade!
You've heard my opinions of the episodes, but for once I still have quite a lot to say. First, though, my co-watcher:
Isaac's Corner
I thought this was a very well-written story (though it was a bit hard to follow because of the recons), and the acting was great! [insert smiley face here] I liked the scene where Joanna was angry with the king about him trying to marry her off for peace. The actress was really into playing a strong-minded character, and the actor playing Richard was just like I imagine a king to be in a stalemated war, while back in his own country someone else is vying for power. I also liked the way the Doctor and Vicki get into danger because a noble mistrusts them, and Barbara does because she makes one of Saladin's lords look a fool. I thought the scene with the older Ian on the DVD was a really nice little feature by the BBC, which made up a bit for the loss of two episodes. I really enjoyed this story, not only because of the writing but also because it was a pure historical - which us Doctor Who fans all like, don't we? I rate it 9.25/10.
A Pure Historical?
According to Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel), the plot was based on two real-life events: Richard attempting to arrange the marriage of his sister to Saphadin, and his being saved by William de Preux' deception. The two events - in real life a month or so apart - were merely conflated. Great! Sufficient historical accuracy to be educational, surely?
Except, it doesn't actually matter. Because this isn't a historical in the same way as Marco Polo or The Reign of Terror; like The Romans, this is a different sort of beast. Someone on Elizabeth Sandifer's blog recently observed that television is not the same as theatre, and that classic Doctor Who often fell into the trap of playing like theatre which just happens to be being recorded. Fair comment; but in this serial, of course, that's deliberate: we are talking Shakespeare here.
And that's the key. The Romans was a farce that happened to be set in history, like the later Up Pompeii! - and this is one of the Bard's history plays. But here, more than in the previous offering, the TARDIS crew are intruders. They have to learn that they are in a play, how the dialogue works and what actions are appropriate. The Doctor takes to it like the proverbial duck to water, but none of the others ever quite fit. And that clash of genre expectations is what raises this above a mere "filmed play".
(True confessions time: this genre clash is also a major thread of Dr. Sandifer's Eruditorum, and I have no doubt that - although I haven't read the specific entry on The Crusade in quite some time - I got the idea from there, and that it informed my viewing. Well, we all pick up stuff willy-nilly; hopefully I've added some thoughts of my own as well. Go read her blog anyway.)
There's a flip side to this business of playing with genre: you have to follow through for it to work. And the ending doesn't, really. It feels like a disjointed episode of Doctor Who rather than the final act of an invaded history play. And mainly for that reason - despite my loving the third episode (and really hoping for the second to be discovered) - the serial as a whole is, for me, below average.
Doctor Who and the Crusaders
The Crusade was the last story to be novelised before the Target era, and although I haven't read it a couple of points are worth mentioning.
First is David Whitaker's treatment of Barbara. At the time he was criticised for an allegedly salacious description of her getting whipped in El Akir's harem. This is something I can't judge, but I welcome comments from those who have read it.
Second is the prologue, which gets the name of Susan's husband wrong: she apparently married David Cameron! Samantha should be told. It also mentions the Talking Stones of Tyron. This inspired the comment in William Russell's linking sequence (filmed in Ian Levine's house, originally for the 1999 VHS release), which in turn inspired the fanfic that delayed these reviews.
DVD Release: Lost in Time
Finally, a little about the DVD. For budgetary reasons there are no production subtitles and only one commentary track - on The Wheel of Fortune - but it's quite a fun one. Oddly, I didn't expect Julian Glover to sound old; but since he was nearly eighty when it was recorded it's not really surprising! His memories were surprisingly clear given the distance from the serial, which helped a lot.
The first Who DVDs I watched were borrowed - some came from my brother-in-law, some from our next door neighbours. Once I started buying them, beginning with three I found in a charity shop for £2.50 each, it became a mutual trade. For some reason I initially focused quite heavily on the Hartnell era, whereas the neighbours had very few black and white releases. They found them quite hard going, and one also made it very clear that he couldn't understand why anybody would watch orphaned episodes. At the time I had just suggested Lost in Time to my family as a possible birthday present; they gave it to me, but unsurprisingly it was never lent next door.
I'm a completist. Of course I want every episode found; but failing that, I want to be able to listen to the soundtrack and have some idea of how the actors move, how the director frames the shots. So I want to see at least one episode of every story. If only ten more episodes were to be recovered, I would want one from each completely missing serial (though I wouldn't turn my nose up at something like the whole of The Power of the Daleks).
And who knows? We might discover more gems like The Wheel of Fortune...
Rating:
Mine: 4.5/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 70.06%, 100th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 7.75, 63rd out of 234.
Next Time:
The Space Museum.
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Episode 67 (P4): The Warlords
It wasn't a week between the previous episode and this one: it was
longer. And when we did get to watch it we had a string of
interruptions. This added to the difficulties caused by the poor quality
of the audio (neither I nor my son have particularly good hearing) to
produce an experience that was, well, less than ideal. Even for a
missing episode.
So, what can I say? Ian gets more to do than he has since the fight at the beginning of The Lion, so that's nice. Unfortunately it's mostly fighting again, which really can't be judged from the soundtrack (though he does get to rescue the Doctor at the end through guile). His sparring partner Ibrahim's voice reminded me of the evil emissary of Emir Ahmed el Ahmed, ruler of the land of Silver Sand, from Noggin and the Flying Machine - which was first broadcast in 1964, so that's probably not so surprising. As I've mentioned Noggin before I won't say too much now; but the feeling of recognition was quite intense.
This isn't a strong episode for women, despite a significant part of it taking place in the quarters of El Akir's harem. Barbara tries to organise an escape, but is overtaken by events; Maimuna weeps that her family is safe; Fatima is sneaky. And that's it. The plot is resolved by the men - Haroun, who I believed dead, arrives to kill the Emir; Ian sorts out their flight back to the TARDIS. Elsewhere neither Joanna nor Safiya appear, and Vicki hardly gets to do anything at all.
In fact, the plot thread taking place in Richard's castle resolves itself all too quickly. I thought it was neat that the King knew it was Leicester who betrayed him to his sister, but said otherwise because he needs the Earl more than he needs the Doctor; but one scene with Julian Glover (and none with Bernard Kay or Jean Marsh) felt far too little.
As a conclusion to the serial, this isn't very satisfying. The previous episode seemed quite tightly plotted, and I was looking forward to seeing how the jigsaw fitted together at the end; but here it feels like the pieces are pushed together randomly, with corners cut off to speed things along. It's as if David Whitaker thought he was writing a six-parter but then realised he had run out of episodes, and had to tie things up in a hurry.
I will give a thumbs up to the music, though: there's very little, but what we have is good. I particularly like the piece Dudley Simpson provides for the Doctor and Vicki's leaving scene in the castle. One of my complaints about the new series is how every moment has to be filled with sound, and this shows how effective a smattering of music can be.
The Warlords was first broadcast 35 years (well, 35 years less 7 hours 25 minutes) before my daughter was born. It's the first episode to fall on a significant birthday for me, and makes me more aware of the passage of time than any abstract knowledge that Doctor Who is fifty this year. My memory is also not what it once was, so although I had heard this episode and The Knight of Jaffa when I first got the Lost in Time set, it was as if I was coming to them completely fresh as part of my marathon. Heck, I barely remembered the recovered episodes!
The epilogue in the TARDIS truly belongs to the next serial, so I'm going to talk about it there. As it is, though, this has to be the weirdest bridging sequence yet, dethroning the one at the end of The Sensorites where the Doctor suddenly decides to chuck Iananbarbara off the ship for no reason...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 17th April 1965
Viewers: 9.5 million
Chart Position: 27
Appreciation Index: 49
Rating:
3/10, though it would be a bit higher if the sound quality were better - and visuals would make a greater difference!
Next Time:
Serial P as a whole.
So, what can I say? Ian gets more to do than he has since the fight at the beginning of The Lion, so that's nice. Unfortunately it's mostly fighting again, which really can't be judged from the soundtrack (though he does get to rescue the Doctor at the end through guile). His sparring partner Ibrahim's voice reminded me of the evil emissary of Emir Ahmed el Ahmed, ruler of the land of Silver Sand, from Noggin and the Flying Machine - which was first broadcast in 1964, so that's probably not so surprising. As I've mentioned Noggin before I won't say too much now; but the feeling of recognition was quite intense.
This isn't a strong episode for women, despite a significant part of it taking place in the quarters of El Akir's harem. Barbara tries to organise an escape, but is overtaken by events; Maimuna weeps that her family is safe; Fatima is sneaky. And that's it. The plot is resolved by the men - Haroun, who I believed dead, arrives to kill the Emir; Ian sorts out their flight back to the TARDIS. Elsewhere neither Joanna nor Safiya appear, and Vicki hardly gets to do anything at all.
In fact, the plot thread taking place in Richard's castle resolves itself all too quickly. I thought it was neat that the King knew it was Leicester who betrayed him to his sister, but said otherwise because he needs the Earl more than he needs the Doctor; but one scene with Julian Glover (and none with Bernard Kay or Jean Marsh) felt far too little.
As a conclusion to the serial, this isn't very satisfying. The previous episode seemed quite tightly plotted, and I was looking forward to seeing how the jigsaw fitted together at the end; but here it feels like the pieces are pushed together randomly, with corners cut off to speed things along. It's as if David Whitaker thought he was writing a six-parter but then realised he had run out of episodes, and had to tie things up in a hurry.
I will give a thumbs up to the music, though: there's very little, but what we have is good. I particularly like the piece Dudley Simpson provides for the Doctor and Vicki's leaving scene in the castle. One of my complaints about the new series is how every moment has to be filled with sound, and this shows how effective a smattering of music can be.
The Warlords was first broadcast 35 years (well, 35 years less 7 hours 25 minutes) before my daughter was born. It's the first episode to fall on a significant birthday for me, and makes me more aware of the passage of time than any abstract knowledge that Doctor Who is fifty this year. My memory is also not what it once was, so although I had heard this episode and The Knight of Jaffa when I first got the Lost in Time set, it was as if I was coming to them completely fresh as part of my marathon. Heck, I barely remembered the recovered episodes!
The epilogue in the TARDIS truly belongs to the next serial, so I'm going to talk about it there. As it is, though, this has to be the weirdest bridging sequence yet, dethroning the one at the end of The Sensorites where the Doctor suddenly decides to chuck Iananbarbara off the ship for no reason...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 17th April 1965
Viewers: 9.5 million
Chart Position: 27
Appreciation Index: 49
Rating:
3/10, though it would be a bit higher if the sound quality were better - and visuals would make a greater difference!
Next Time:
Serial P as a whole.
Monday, 28 January 2013
Episode 66 (P3): The Wheel of Fortune
Now, this must be the episode that inspires The Crusade's
huge reputation among fans! I would say it's near perfect. The bit at
the start where Haroun outwits the guards who are searching for Barbara
appears to be written for laughs and then filmed seriously, so that it
jars somewhat; but it's not the place for light relief anyway, so only a
script rewrite could have saved it. And that's pretty much all I've got
by way of negative criticism. One short scene - and even that contains a
great shot of Barbara running up to the camera - followed by more than
20 minutes of gold. My son and I were gripped.
We're lucky to have this episode, too, like The Lion and the soundtrack to the two that are still otherwise missing. A copy of The Wheel of Fortune was found at the BBC Film Library, who had only been given it by accident. Phew!
So. Douglas Camfield has really got his act together since his good-but-not-great work on the first episode, and provides us with some excellent shots. Nothing is quite so wacky and inventive as The Web Planet, but everything works and fits together nicely. I could point to some lovely lighting (Barbara lit through the grille in Haroun's house, El Akir and his solder lit by the torch between them), lots of closeups, and places where you can draw a vertical line down the scene and see very different views in the two halves; but it's the consistent quality that really makes it.
The sets continue to be of good quality. We see more of Richard's castle - including a clever view out of a window - and it really does feel more like a castle than a set. The streets around Haroun's house - and the house itself - are good too.
William Russell was on holiday the week this was recorded, so we don't get as much of the newly-knighted Sir Ian as I'd hoped; but, the prefilmed sequence in the desert means that his absence wasn't at all obvious. Still, it's really a game of two plots: political machinations in the castle, and El Akir's hunt for Barbara in Lydda.
Taking the former first, this is where we have some appropriate lightheartedness. The scene with the Doctor being fitted with a completely tasteless "cloak of shiny" can be read as him getting comfortably settled in the world of Shakespearean drama while simultaneously laughing at it; or it can be a seen as just a bit of fun, an indicator that we can relax more in the castle scenes. Following this up with the conclusion of the Victor/Victoria ("no, just Vicki") subplot emphasises the mood.
Julian Glover and Jean Marsh are on fiery form. It's fun just to watch them in action, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the dialogue. In the scenes involving them I didn't care about the plot, to be honest, because I was simply enjoying the performance. The actors around them seem to be invigorated and "raise their game" too - William Hartnell, for instance, shines both in his throneroom confrontation with the Earl of Leicester and at the end, when he realises he has lost. The one scene with Saladin and Saphadin is really part of the palace politics thread, too; and it's a powerful one, thanks both to Camfield's direction and the actors' performances.
On to Barbara's scenes, then, and the far more intense half of the episode. The ever-reliable Jacqueline Hill, given the opportunity to show what she can do, is beautifully expressive - without contradicting Barbara's rather reserved character. It's a fine line to walk, but she treads it effortlessly. She has good support from Petra Markham (sister of makeup designer Sonia Markham) as Safiya; the scene where they are hiding in the secret alcove is beautiful, because they are both scared but show it in such different ways. The whole business with the knife is quite harrowing, and Camfield pulls no punches - I don't know how long that extreme closeup of Barbara contemplating it is held, but it felt like ages.
And then, it's all for nothing. Haroun is killed, Barbara is recaptured, leaving Safiya silently crying. Brr. The mood could have been spoilt by a cartoon El Akir, but fortunately we have a slightly more subtle villain; and we close on a defiant Barbara. Death is so very far away, but so is the next episode. I hope I don't have to wait a week to find out what happens next...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 10th April 1965
Viewers: 9.0 million
Chart Position: 32
Appreciation Index: 49
Rating:
I wavered for a long time between 9.5 and 10 but to be honest its flaws are so minor that it would be churlish to dock it a whole half-mark, so for only the second time in the blog thus far (and pushing The Velvet Web into third place):
10/10.
Next Time:
The Warlords.
We're lucky to have this episode, too, like The Lion and the soundtrack to the two that are still otherwise missing. A copy of The Wheel of Fortune was found at the BBC Film Library, who had only been given it by accident. Phew!
So. Douglas Camfield has really got his act together since his good-but-not-great work on the first episode, and provides us with some excellent shots. Nothing is quite so wacky and inventive as The Web Planet, but everything works and fits together nicely. I could point to some lovely lighting (Barbara lit through the grille in Haroun's house, El Akir and his solder lit by the torch between them), lots of closeups, and places where you can draw a vertical line down the scene and see very different views in the two halves; but it's the consistent quality that really makes it.
The sets continue to be of good quality. We see more of Richard's castle - including a clever view out of a window - and it really does feel more like a castle than a set. The streets around Haroun's house - and the house itself - are good too.
William Russell was on holiday the week this was recorded, so we don't get as much of the newly-knighted Sir Ian as I'd hoped; but, the prefilmed sequence in the desert means that his absence wasn't at all obvious. Still, it's really a game of two plots: political machinations in the castle, and El Akir's hunt for Barbara in Lydda.
Taking the former first, this is where we have some appropriate lightheartedness. The scene with the Doctor being fitted with a completely tasteless "cloak of shiny" can be read as him getting comfortably settled in the world of Shakespearean drama while simultaneously laughing at it; or it can be a seen as just a bit of fun, an indicator that we can relax more in the castle scenes. Following this up with the conclusion of the Victor/Victoria ("no, just Vicki") subplot emphasises the mood.
Julian Glover and Jean Marsh are on fiery form. It's fun just to watch them in action, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the dialogue. In the scenes involving them I didn't care about the plot, to be honest, because I was simply enjoying the performance. The actors around them seem to be invigorated and "raise their game" too - William Hartnell, for instance, shines both in his throneroom confrontation with the Earl of Leicester and at the end, when he realises he has lost. The one scene with Saladin and Saphadin is really part of the palace politics thread, too; and it's a powerful one, thanks both to Camfield's direction and the actors' performances.
On to Barbara's scenes, then, and the far more intense half of the episode. The ever-reliable Jacqueline Hill, given the opportunity to show what she can do, is beautifully expressive - without contradicting Barbara's rather reserved character. It's a fine line to walk, but she treads it effortlessly. She has good support from Petra Markham (sister of makeup designer Sonia Markham) as Safiya; the scene where they are hiding in the secret alcove is beautiful, because they are both scared but show it in such different ways. The whole business with the knife is quite harrowing, and Camfield pulls no punches - I don't know how long that extreme closeup of Barbara contemplating it is held, but it felt like ages.
And then, it's all for nothing. Haroun is killed, Barbara is recaptured, leaving Safiya silently crying. Brr. The mood could have been spoilt by a cartoon El Akir, but fortunately we have a slightly more subtle villain; and we close on a defiant Barbara. Death is so very far away, but so is the next episode. I hope I don't have to wait a week to find out what happens next...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 10th April 1965
Viewers: 9.0 million
Chart Position: 32
Appreciation Index: 49
Rating:
I wavered for a long time between 9.5 and 10 but to be honest its flaws are so minor that it would be churlish to dock it a whole half-mark, so for only the second time in the blog thus far (and pushing The Velvet Web into third place):
10/10.
Next Time:
The Warlords.
Friday, 25 January 2013
Episode 65 (P2): The Knight of Jaffa
It's episodes like this that make me dread seasons 3 to 5. This is the
first missing episode of series 2, and I'm glad there's only one more to
go because I found it heavy going. After a couple of false starts Isaac
and I decided to repeat our experiment from The Reign of Terror:
watch a reconstruction, but sync it with the narrated soundtrack. This
worked better, though I still felt I was missing out on a lot.
Still, many of the viewers at the time of original broadcast wouldn't have said so. This was the first time since before the last Dalek serial that the ratings dropped below 10 million (though to be fair the appreciation index shows that those who remained were enjoying this serial more than they did the second half of The Web Planet). Perhaps the ones who left had heard the announcement the day before that William Russell and Jacqueline Hill were going to be leaving, and decided the show had run its course.
And actually, we're lucky to be able to hear this one at all! For a long time we had nothing but the script and telesnaps. It was only in 1995 that an off-air recording of the soundtrack was discovered - one of the final few needed to 'complete the set'.
The one benefit of the situation is that I really had to concentrate on the dialogue because that's most of what there is. And I realised that the distinction between the Shakespearean characters (who inhabit the world of the play) and the TARDIS crew (who are just visiting) still exists. When the crew are talking amongst themselves they speak in a much more natural fashion. It's like the difference between a private conversation with friends or family, full of rapid-fire comments, colloquialisms and in-references; and speaking clearly and rhythmically, using carefully-prepared sentences, for a public audience. Nicely done.
So, putting its missing status to one side as much as I can, what else do I want to say about the story? Well, I was surprised to see Ben Daheer, the market trader, again; I'd thought he was a one-off, but it seems he is going to provide a comic relief subplot. His bit with William Hartnell this week is short but still amusing, the Doctor handling the situation believably and well. We also meet Joanna for the first time, played by Jon Pertwee's ex-wife Jean Marsh, who we'll be seeing more of a little later in this marathon. It could have been another actress, Adrienne Hill, who was also up for the part; and we'll be seeing her even sooner. I don't have a great deal to say about Joanna, yet; nor about the Chamberlain. Maybe next time.
The most important thread of the plot is Barbara's, and it takes a turn I wasn't expecting. Rather than being forced into storytelling she is tricked and kidnapped by El Akir before escaping into the streets of Lydda. We meet two more new characters in the process, the maidservant and Ferrigo; and I can't judge them at all in this format.
Last time I was trying to figure out where I'd seen the actor who played El Akir before, but it wasn't until the credits that I finally got there. Walter Randall was the rather stiff (many would say wooden) Tonila in The Aztecs, but here he gets the chance to show off his slimy and sadistic side - which seems to suit him better. I think he has a tendency to hold something back, which worked against him when he was Tonila; but as El Akir - where someone like John Ringham might have gone for scenery-chewing EEEEVIIIILLL! - Randall's more subdued style is actually an advantage, taking the edge off a cartoon villain just slightly and bringing him back towards the space occupied by Bernard Kay's Saladin and Julian Glover's King Richard.
Richard is involved in the second-most important part of the proceedings, the one that forms the focus for the linking material on the DVD/video: the knighting of Sir Ian Chesterton. William Russell was no stranger to playing a knight, of course. He was the eponymous (love that word!) warrior in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot in 1956-7, which was the first British series to be shot in colour thanks to success in the American market.
I'm sure most of us would agree that Ian deserves knighting. We'll see what he does with the honour (beyond a quick chat with William des Preaux) next time.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 3rd April 1965
Viewers: 8.5 million
Chart Position: 29
Appreciation Index: 50
Rating:
4.5/10.
Next Time:
The Wheel of Fortune.
Still, many of the viewers at the time of original broadcast wouldn't have said so. This was the first time since before the last Dalek serial that the ratings dropped below 10 million (though to be fair the appreciation index shows that those who remained were enjoying this serial more than they did the second half of The Web Planet). Perhaps the ones who left had heard the announcement the day before that William Russell and Jacqueline Hill were going to be leaving, and decided the show had run its course.
And actually, we're lucky to be able to hear this one at all! For a long time we had nothing but the script and telesnaps. It was only in 1995 that an off-air recording of the soundtrack was discovered - one of the final few needed to 'complete the set'.
The one benefit of the situation is that I really had to concentrate on the dialogue because that's most of what there is. And I realised that the distinction between the Shakespearean characters (who inhabit the world of the play) and the TARDIS crew (who are just visiting) still exists. When the crew are talking amongst themselves they speak in a much more natural fashion. It's like the difference between a private conversation with friends or family, full of rapid-fire comments, colloquialisms and in-references; and speaking clearly and rhythmically, using carefully-prepared sentences, for a public audience. Nicely done.
So, putting its missing status to one side as much as I can, what else do I want to say about the story? Well, I was surprised to see Ben Daheer, the market trader, again; I'd thought he was a one-off, but it seems he is going to provide a comic relief subplot. His bit with William Hartnell this week is short but still amusing, the Doctor handling the situation believably and well. We also meet Joanna for the first time, played by Jon Pertwee's ex-wife Jean Marsh, who we'll be seeing more of a little later in this marathon. It could have been another actress, Adrienne Hill, who was also up for the part; and we'll be seeing her even sooner. I don't have a great deal to say about Joanna, yet; nor about the Chamberlain. Maybe next time.
The most important thread of the plot is Barbara's, and it takes a turn I wasn't expecting. Rather than being forced into storytelling she is tricked and kidnapped by El Akir before escaping into the streets of Lydda. We meet two more new characters in the process, the maidservant and Ferrigo; and I can't judge them at all in this format.
Last time I was trying to figure out where I'd seen the actor who played El Akir before, but it wasn't until the credits that I finally got there. Walter Randall was the rather stiff (many would say wooden) Tonila in The Aztecs, but here he gets the chance to show off his slimy and sadistic side - which seems to suit him better. I think he has a tendency to hold something back, which worked against him when he was Tonila; but as El Akir - where someone like John Ringham might have gone for scenery-chewing EEEEVIIIILLL! - Randall's more subdued style is actually an advantage, taking the edge off a cartoon villain just slightly and bringing him back towards the space occupied by Bernard Kay's Saladin and Julian Glover's King Richard.
Richard is involved in the second-most important part of the proceedings, the one that forms the focus for the linking material on the DVD/video: the knighting of Sir Ian Chesterton. William Russell was no stranger to playing a knight, of course. He was the eponymous (love that word!) warrior in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot in 1956-7, which was the first British series to be shot in colour thanks to success in the American market.
I'm sure most of us would agree that Ian deserves knighting. We'll see what he does with the honour (beyond a quick chat with William des Preaux) next time.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 3rd April 1965
Viewers: 8.5 million
Chart Position: 29
Appreciation Index: 50
Rating:
4.5/10.
Next Time:
The Wheel of Fortune.
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Episode 64 (P1): The Lion
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)