The Daleks
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DVD NTSC
Region 1
in "The Beginning"
3-story box set
for North America
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DVD PAL
Region 2
"The Beginning"
3-story box set
for the U.K.
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VHS Video
NTSC
A
NTSC
B
PAL
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(Doctor Who Story No. 2, starring William Hartnell)
- written by Terry Nation
- directed by Christopher Barry (episodes 1, 2, 4, 5)
and Richard Martin (episodes 3, 6, 7)
- produced by Verity Lambert
- music by Tristram Cary
- 7 episodes @ 25 minutes each:
- The Dead Planet
- The Survivors
- The Escape
- The Ambush
- The Expedition
- The Ordeal
- The Rescue
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Story: The TARDIS lands in a petrified forest
on a post-apocalyptic alien planet. What happened
to cause the decimation of the civilizations and
ecosystems here? Is the nearby
city as deserted and lifeless as it appears? Or should
the Doctor and his friends be more afraid of the
new creatures approaching through the forest?
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DVD Extras include:
- Episode 2 audio commentary by director Christopher Barry,
producer Verity Lambert, and moderator Gary Russell.
- Episode 4 audio commentary by actors William Russell
(Ian Chesterton), Carole Ann Ford (Susan),
director Christopher Barry, and Gary Russell.
- Episode 7 audio commentary by actors William Russell,
Carole Ann Ford,
director Richard Martin, and Gary Russell.
- "Creation of the Daleks" making-of featurette (18 minutes)
- Pop-up Production Note subtitles, providing behind-the-scenes info as you watch.
- Photo Gallery
Buyers' Guide Review
by Martin Izsak
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(A more in-depth analysis, containing "SPOILERS" and intended
for those who have already seen the program, can be accessed
here.)
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Doctor Who's second story is a true classic,
a major mythological milestone in the series that may arguably be
even more important than the show's first story.
Not surprisingly, the story went on to form the basis of a
Doctor Who feature film fairly quickly, although the television
version remains far more artistic and satisfying.
This atmospheric, philosophically rich version of the
story first put Doctor Who on the map and ensured the
program's popularity and longevity.
Episode One - The Dead Planet - directed by Christopher Barry
This is one of the best episodes of the seven-part Dalek
story. As with "An Unearthly Child", this crucial 25-minute
program was re-recorded a second time to work out all the
technical hitches, a move which definitely paid off extremely
well. Christopher Barry is in fine form, making all the scenes
work. Terry Nation is at his best getting the Doctor Who regulars
to explore new worlds and new sci-fi ideas, which is what this
episode is all about both inside and outside of the TARDIS.
Other writers should have taken notes on how to use simple
curiosity on behalf of the main characters in order to involve
them in a story - it often attracts an audience's interest
as well! Thankfully, the Doctor in particular has plenty
to do, as he drives the plot with his lovable mischief.
Tristram Cary's music makes a wonderful debut, as most of the
pieces that will be re-used throughout the series get
introduced in well-deserving scenes. The cliff-hanger is
a true classic, and one of the most famous at that.
A great episode.
Episode Two - The Survivors - directed by Christopher Barry
After episode one's lead-up, and in retrospect considering
the Daleks' importance in Doctor Who as a whole, one approaches
this half-hour episode with high expectations of the classic
first encounter between the time traveller's group and his most
deadly adversaries. It isn't all that exciting, or particularly
well directed - the weakest in Chris Barry's contributions to
this story. Our main characters spend most of their time
being inactive in captivity, while the Doctor Who
production team has yet to find the best way to perform and
shoot their new Dalek creations. On the plus side, David Graham
and Peter Hawkins get their deep-grating Dalek voices spot on
right from the start, which is more than can be said for their
later work on
"The Dalek Invasion of Earth" (story no. 10),
"The Chase" (story no. 16), and
"Mission to the Unknown" (story no. 19),
where the highest ranking Dalek always
seems to end up with the lamest, squeakiest voice. Perhaps having a
good director to coach them makes all the difference.
The mysterious thundering jungle is very well done.
Despite this, the cliff-hanger doesn't really work - there is
less anticipation of danger or a new discovery as there is of
watching more of the same next week.
Episode Three - The Escape - directed by Richard Martin
This episode improves over the previous one, and is I think,
Richard Martin's best-directed half-hour episode ever.
Our main characters also have more
interesting things to do and scenes to perform.
Thankfully, Richard Martin does get it mostly right this time,
making episode three one of the more enjoyable ones of the
story. The cliffhanger is a vast improvement on the previous
episode as well.
Episode Four - The Ambush - directed by Christopher Barry
Christopher Barry comes back to the director's chair to do
what I consider to be the best episode in the entire Dalek story.
Three fascinating story beats keep interest running high,
firstly throughout the action at the lift.
The camera angle on the circular model lift is confusing;
particularly the darker "underside" shots are upside down from
what would be a more natural view.
The second story beat is one of the most memorable in the whole
story, as Tristram Cary lays on his most interesting (and later
most re-used) piece of Dalek music yet, building the creeping
suspense enormously as the Daleks smoothly glide into hiding
like the boogey-men in the closets that they represent - at last
a scene truly worthy of sending the proverbial children behind
the proverbial sofa to watch Doctor Who. Temmosus makes a grand
and riveting speech, in praise of peaceful cooperation, proving
Terry Nation's versatility in thinking and writing philosophically
for adolescent and adult audiences, and that the story is about much
more than a fight with bug-eyed monsters.
During the third story beat,
the Doctor takes a keen interest
in the history of Skaro and its various cultures and peoples.
More great Terry Nation style exploration beautifully written,
acted, and directed. The cliff-hanger is great,
underscored by the horror on the travellers' faces and in Tristram
Cary's music. The Doctor has lots to do in this one, but Ian
is already emerging as the main character and beginning to steal
the show by undertaking all of the crucial, heroic actions.
Episode Five - The Expedition - directed by Christopher Barry
The moral argument that ensues between the four main characters
is a major attraction that sets this story apart from many
of the formulaic Dalek sequels that appeared on Doctor Who
in later years - it is well thought out and written by Terry Nation,
and also well acted, directed, and shot by the cast and crew.
Again, this is more than bug-eyed monster terror for tots.
Ian really comes to the fore as the man of both action and
moral conscience, outshining the Doctor and firmly taking over
the heroic `main character' role for the rest of the story.
Although William Hartnell's Doctor still has much to do in
this half-hour episode, it is interesting to note how many of
Ian's lines were later given to Peter Cushing's Doctor in the
movie version of the story, rightly re-positioning the Doctor
much closer to the heroic main character center.
The Daleks have many scenes all on
their own, something which doesn't always work in practice,
but it gets pulled off well here, thanks to some expert direction.
The swamp has a great atmosphere thanks
to a great montage of sound effects, and more suspenseful
direction, and minimal special effects `monster' shots. We get
a nice creepy cliffhanger, too.
Episode Six - The Ordeal - directed by Richard Martin
This episode is aptly named, because it is something of an
ordeal to watch.
If any of the episodes were created as last-minute story
padding, this is the one! Most of our attention remains
on Ian's party throughout, although their slow meanderings
are not very exciting. They could
have been made darkly atmospheric, but this doesn't happen;
the direction is a rather bland, and there is little recognizable
music in the episode until the very end, and even that doesn't
really work.
Richard Martin is sometimes listed as a director who was confident
and exuberant in tackling the technical problems
associated with studio sci-fi adventures, special effects, and
the Daleks in particular. True, but in these early days here
he doesn't seem to display much affinity for being
successfully ARTISTIC about it - camera angles often miss
the mark of drawing the audience's attention to the next most
natural item of interest that would move the story forward, actors
appear uninspired, and scenes lack the emotion intended for them
in the writing.
The Doctor makes his final heroic contribution, precisely
one episode too early, and it isn't very well or believably
directed either, but at least he has something crucial to do
in the final struggle with the Daleks.
Antodus gives the only really interesting performance
in the episode. It's often hard to stay awake while the other
members of the group go about their practically
transitional business. The cliffhanger is riveting
and dramatic, but Ian isn't all that believable at this point.
Episode Seven - The Rescue - directed by Richard Martin
Despite some more dodgy hit-and-miss direction from
Richard Martin, the story's concluding episode is much
more interesting and enjoyable than the better-directed episode
three, and of course miles ahead of episode six.
This may be one of
the all-time classic William Hartnell stories, but don't look
for a classic William Hartnell performance as the Doctor in its
two concluding episodes - it just wasn't in the script.
Ian is every bit the leading main character hero in this one.
It's strange that the Daleks' ability to paralyse humanoids
with their weapons was only seen once more in
"Planet of the Daleks" (story no. 68)
- it opens up so much more
in the way of story possibilities and Dalek deviousness if
they have something in between vocal threats and all out killing.
The directing is `on' here during the transition from cave
to city, with very good lighting effects, and a proper and
interesting looking cut-away shot.
The action-scenes are another matter.
Post-climax, the drama is satisfying once more, as the Doctor
collects himself and William Hartnell is back on form again.
The good-bye's are well-done, a bit cold and stiff but then
that is appropriate in this case. The dematerialization is
satisfying, and a good shot of the travellers munching away
in the console room while the Doctor adjusts controls all around
the console gives us a good appetite for the next story without
leaving any unresolved cliffhangers. A good closing for a classic,
and hats off to director Richard Martin for pulling it off.
Without fully realizing it at the time, Doctor Who had just set-up
its most iconic set of long term villains,
and did so with a solid dramatic story full of
atmospherics and other nice little touches,
inspiring a wave of Dalek-mania throughout Britain.
In short, this is yet another landmark classic that no serious fan
of the show will want to miss.
While the next television story will continue to put key
elements into place for the main characters and vehicle of the show,
and the best story of season one is also yet to come,
it is also useful to take a lot at how this first Dalek story
was translated into a less satisfying theatrical feature film.....
This story has become available on DVD as the second adventure in
"The Beginning" DVD box set.
Click on the Amazon symbol for the location nearest you
for pricing and availability:
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DVD NTSC Region 1
The Beginning 3-story box set
for the North American market:
in the U.S.
in Canada
|
DVD PAL Region 2
The Beginning 3-story box set
for the U.K.
|
VHS Video
NTSC
A
for North America
NTSC
B
for North America
PAL
for the U.K.
|
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