What went wrong with Galaxy 4? Part of it is certainly down to
circumstance. Given that Airlock is by far my favourite episode mainly
due to the direction I suspect that the rest of the serial would benefit
similarly from not having been junked. This was John Wiles' first story
as producer (although Verity Lambert was still technically in charge,
her attention was elsewhere) and the first script-edited by Donald Tosh
that wasn't written by a former script editor who knew the ropes. Nobody
could have predicted director Mervyn Pinfield falling ill, creating
disruption (although the direction itself benefits), and writer William
Emms had to rework the script for a different TARDIS team at quite short
notice.
Nevertheless, there's also some blame to be apportioned. William
Hartnell acted very childishly, taking out his genuine upset over
Lambert's departure on the production team, and the inexperienced Wiles
badly mishandled the conflict. Tosh should have done more to rescue the
script (particularly The Exploding Planet, where boosting the
Drahvins as a threat - for instance, by letting them find a way to
neutralise the Chumblies - could have made all the difference and been a
relatively easy change).
Because it's the script that is the biggest problem. There are some
fascinating and worthwhile ideas here, not least the demolishing of the
way that ugliness generally equals evil - a fallacy that Doctor Who has struggled with throughout its history, from The Daleks
right through to the current Capaldi season. But these ideas needed a
framework in which to flourish, and what we got barely worked as an
adventure serial.
Of course, I am not the target audience. Back in 1965, this was better received than The Time Meddler, with a higher average AI and better viewing figures for every episode - in fact, Airlock reached more people than any episode since The Web Planet!
Let's talk about the DVD release. This was an odd one. A cut-down version of the Loose Cannon recon had been prepared for The Time Meddler DVD, appropriately, but in the end it wasn't used. The discovery of Airlock
meant the BBC wanted to get the new episode out there, and it was
spliced into the recon; but what DVD could it go on? The only sensible
possibility was The Aztecs Special Edition. Because of the
lateness of the decision, artwork had already been prepared; so the only
indication that it also contained Galaxy 4 was a sticker.
Even ignoring the fact that we have an existing episode, this is a much better effort than the Marco Polo
reconstruction in The Beginning box set. There is enough, here, to get a
good feel for the story; and if I want to experience it again I'll
certainly be happy with it.
Right, I should also say something about the tie-in to The Suffering.
Ignoring real-world broadcast and release dates, it does seem odd that
neither Steven nor Vicki note the likelihood that the Drahvins came
about because of events recapped in the audio, especially since they
were thinking about it (and recounting it) just before Steven's haircut.
Still, it does fit well, and Jacqueline Rayner's story adds some depth
to the villains of the TV serial.
It's Thingy, from That Other Program, Part 5: Angelo Muscat
One name jumped out at me from the credits: Angelo Muscat, playing one
of the Chumblies. I didn't recognise him, of course; but I knew who he
was, because I'm a fan of The Prisoner, where he played the butler. Galaxy 4 was his first TV credit and he was fairly successful for a few years thereafter, also appearing in Alice in Wonderland and The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour; but after The Prisoner
work dried up. Maureen O'Brien said that she spent a lot of time with
the actors who were inside the Chumblies, and that because of their
height they were treated as youngsters, much as she herself was.
Muscat's last role was as an Oompa-Loompa in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; he died poor, five years later.
Isaac's Corner
We've all been struggling with bugs this half term; and, although his
most recent virus has now passed, Isaac has been left with limited
breath. He needs to use an inhaler and spacer device for the moment,
otherwise he has virtually no energy. I'm grateful the holidays are
coming to give everyone a chance just to rest! Anyway, he wasn't feeling
up to writing Isaac's corner this time, but told me a few thoughts
which I shall try to get down faithfully (as always, he focused mainly
on the positive, a trait I really like):
The different societies presented in Galaxy 4 were interesting,
and it was particularly good to see differing points of view on the same
situation. Having said that, the story wasn't clear enough in showing
people's motivations - for instance, why did Maaga shoot one of her own
soldiers? It came across as something she did just because she was EVIL. Overall it was a nice, simple story - I wasn't wowed by it, but I did like it. And the Chumblies were cute!
Rating:
Mine: 3/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 55.51%, 172nd.
DWM 50th Anniversary: 57.98%, 210th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 5.15, 210th out of 234.
Next Time:
Mission to the Unknown.
Showing posts with label DVD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DVD. Show all posts
Friday, 23 October 2015
Saturday, 9 May 2015
Serial S: The Time Meddler
This was the third story I watched featuring William Hartnell's Doctor (counting the initial broadcast of The Three Doctors
as my first), back in the days when repeats were few and far between -
1992, to be precise, over a decade since the previous opportunity. Now
I've seen all his surviving episodes and heard soundtracks for the rest,
and the main thing that stops me seeing them more often is my physical
inability to watch much TV. I also have access to a massively larger
library of information than I did then, and consequently there is a kind
of double vision viewing this. I can still just about remember the
excitement I felt watching it originally, unspoilt except for whatever
the announcers said beforehand; but my main memories are from the six or
seven times I've seen the DVD in the last decade, knowing what's
coming, and for most of those viewings knowing the context. It still
holds up on repeat viewing, but I am very glad I first saw it without
foreknowledge of that cliffhanger.
This serial marks the beginning of the first ever run with no contemporary companions in the TARDIS (a run that corresponds exactly to this section of my marathon). I think that's a sign of confidence: there is less need for an "audience identification figure" now that the program has been running for over a year, and is still proving popular. It can't be the new broom effect, because even though this is the first serial edited by Donald Tosh, it was the previous team that set it up.
When this story was originally being planned, almost everything was up in the air. William Russell was leaving and needed a replacement, but it was unclear whether Jacqueline Hill was staying; Dennis Spooner hadn't renewed his contract but hadn't announced his departure either. The Chase was going to be an expensive production, which meant that the following serial had to save money as well as introduce the audience to a new companion. In the circumstances producer Verity Lambert thought an experienced writer was needed to introduce Ian's replacement and handle the uncertainty, so applied for special permission for the story editor to write it.
This was a good decision. In the event Spooner decided to leave to work on The Baron; and his writing here reminds me of the previous companion introduction, The Rescue (again written by a departing script editor, and another of my favourites). All the main characters are well served, and Steven is indeed given some depth.
It wasn't a happy production for everyone, however. Upset at all the change, William Hartnell threw tantrums in the presence of incoming producer John Wiles, souring their relationship from the start. It was fortunate that this didn't affect the end product - at least for this serial...
Special Features
Starting with the standard fare, there's Radio Times listings (which I never look at these days, though I might have done for this DVD when I first got it) and the Info text (which I can't be bothered to read); I've already mentioned the commentary in my episode reviews. It's quite chatty, full of anecdotes but paying very little attention to what is on screen for long stretches, so less informative than some, but enjoyable. The Coming Soon is for The Five Doctors 25th Anniversary Edition, quite a fun trailer. Most of the Photo Gallery is made up of shots of the cast on set - there are some good quality photos, but nothing really surprising. Then, towards the end, we get a few of the bare sets (which do interest me) and some casting shots of Peter Purves, looking rugged and handsome. Not much stands out but I still enjoyed this one more than many, which I think is largely because the music is so good.
There's no 'making of' documentary, and the only other story-specific extras are the audio for the missing twelve seconds cut by censors overseas (good to have as a completist, but not really adding anything) and a piece on the restoration work. Much of this can be found on other releases, but I don't begrudge that; it's always good to be reminded of how much care and attention went into producing these disks. Of particular interest for me, though, is the use of the original film for the stock footage of the Viking ship.
Placed on essentially the wrong release for reasons outside of anyone's control, we have a fairly rushed obituary and photo gallery for the late, great Verity Lambert. I say rushed because the former is basically a simple PowerPoint presentation - almost entirely text, too - and the latter feels like a slideshow of holiday shots. Both lack a soundtrack. It's touching, but I wish they'd waited for a more appropriate release to put it on and then done a more thorough job.
Finally, we have one that could be placed on any Hartnell-era release: Stripped for Action, looking at the comics of his era. This is sorta-kinda a regular feature, in that there is one for each Doctor; but because there's only one for each Doctor, this is the first I've covered in my marathon. I like them. I don't know much about the comics featured and finding out more intrigues me, so that's one reason for my enjoyment; but I also appreciate the style, with the fake 'online comic' feel to the titles, the enthusiastic comic historians and (in this case) one slightly bemused artist. Short and sweet.
In conclusion, then, don't buy this release for the extras, buy it for the story.
Rating:
Mine: 10/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 72.81%, 75th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 8.14, 39th out of 234.
Next Time:
Wait a minute! What about Isaac's corner? Has he given up? Far from it. He wanted to write more about this serial, and May also had some thoughts, but they're not quite ready yet; so before my blog is invaded by my children, a round-up and overview of the second season.
This serial marks the beginning of the first ever run with no contemporary companions in the TARDIS (a run that corresponds exactly to this section of my marathon). I think that's a sign of confidence: there is less need for an "audience identification figure" now that the program has been running for over a year, and is still proving popular. It can't be the new broom effect, because even though this is the first serial edited by Donald Tosh, it was the previous team that set it up.
When this story was originally being planned, almost everything was up in the air. William Russell was leaving and needed a replacement, but it was unclear whether Jacqueline Hill was staying; Dennis Spooner hadn't renewed his contract but hadn't announced his departure either. The Chase was going to be an expensive production, which meant that the following serial had to save money as well as introduce the audience to a new companion. In the circumstances producer Verity Lambert thought an experienced writer was needed to introduce Ian's replacement and handle the uncertainty, so applied for special permission for the story editor to write it.
This was a good decision. In the event Spooner decided to leave to work on The Baron; and his writing here reminds me of the previous companion introduction, The Rescue (again written by a departing script editor, and another of my favourites). All the main characters are well served, and Steven is indeed given some depth.
It wasn't a happy production for everyone, however. Upset at all the change, William Hartnell threw tantrums in the presence of incoming producer John Wiles, souring their relationship from the start. It was fortunate that this didn't affect the end product - at least for this serial...
Special Features
Starting with the standard fare, there's Radio Times listings (which I never look at these days, though I might have done for this DVD when I first got it) and the Info text (which I can't be bothered to read); I've already mentioned the commentary in my episode reviews. It's quite chatty, full of anecdotes but paying very little attention to what is on screen for long stretches, so less informative than some, but enjoyable. The Coming Soon is for The Five Doctors 25th Anniversary Edition, quite a fun trailer. Most of the Photo Gallery is made up of shots of the cast on set - there are some good quality photos, but nothing really surprising. Then, towards the end, we get a few of the bare sets (which do interest me) and some casting shots of Peter Purves, looking rugged and handsome. Not much stands out but I still enjoyed this one more than many, which I think is largely because the music is so good.
There's no 'making of' documentary, and the only other story-specific extras are the audio for the missing twelve seconds cut by censors overseas (good to have as a completist, but not really adding anything) and a piece on the restoration work. Much of this can be found on other releases, but I don't begrudge that; it's always good to be reminded of how much care and attention went into producing these disks. Of particular interest for me, though, is the use of the original film for the stock footage of the Viking ship.
Placed on essentially the wrong release for reasons outside of anyone's control, we have a fairly rushed obituary and photo gallery for the late, great Verity Lambert. I say rushed because the former is basically a simple PowerPoint presentation - almost entirely text, too - and the latter feels like a slideshow of holiday shots. Both lack a soundtrack. It's touching, but I wish they'd waited for a more appropriate release to put it on and then done a more thorough job.
Finally, we have one that could be placed on any Hartnell-era release: Stripped for Action, looking at the comics of his era. This is sorta-kinda a regular feature, in that there is one for each Doctor; but because there's only one for each Doctor, this is the first I've covered in my marathon. I like them. I don't know much about the comics featured and finding out more intrigues me, so that's one reason for my enjoyment; but I also appreciate the style, with the fake 'online comic' feel to the titles, the enthusiastic comic historians and (in this case) one slightly bemused artist. Short and sweet.
In conclusion, then, don't buy this release for the extras, buy it for the story.
Rating:
Mine: 10/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 72.81%, 75th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 8.14, 39th out of 234.
Next Time:
Wait a minute! What about Isaac's corner? Has he given up? Far from it. He wanted to write more about this serial, and May also had some thoughts, but they're not quite ready yet; so before my blog is invaded by my children, a round-up and overview of the second season.
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