DVD Extras include:
- Audio commentary by actors William Russell (Ian),
Carole Ann Ford (Susan),
and producer Verity Lambert.
- Remembering "The Aztecs" featurette, including interviews with:
- John Ringham (Tlotoxl)
- Walter Randall (Tonila)
- Ian Cullen (Ixta)
- Designing "The Aztecs" featurette,
with designer Barry Newberry and his photos.
- Restoring "The Aztecs" featurette
- Arabic language track for episode 4.
- Blue Peter featurette about the Aztecs.
- "Making Cocoa" featurette
- Pop-up Production Notes
- "Who's Who" actor biographies (text only)
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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My biggest complaint about this four part adventure is the
poor appearance that the TARDIS makes at the beginning
of the story. Ideally, one would want a shot of the TARDIS
materializing in the Aztec tomb, but someone decided
to do this episode on the cheap where the TARDIS was
concerned. There's also nothing to establish our four
main characters as time travellers, or to establish the
vast interior of the TARDIS. It is assumed that the audience
already knows all about these things. With the concept of time
travel playing such a big role in this adventure, it's a great
pity more attention wasn't paid to making sure these four
classic episodes could stand on their own, if someone were
to use this story to acquaint a new audience to the series.
The classic stories should be understandable to those who
don't watch the show regularly.
Anyway, that's as big as my complaining will get, because
what follows is most definitely a real gem: possibly the very
best of all the William Hartnell stories. For the first time
in the series, all the episodes of a story fit together to
form a complete whole with no padding, boring bits, embarrassing
effects, or unnecessary tangents, gaining the feel of the best of
Doctor Who's 70's stories. After the lack of TARDIS demonstration
which irks me on a personal level, the high quality of the
writing and the production is consistent throughout all four
episodes.
The characters become involved in this adventure in a way
which is typical for the first season.... their curiosity
leads them to venture too far, and early on their escape
in the TARDIS is prevented until the end of the story, in this
case by an ingenious Aztec one-way door in the tomb. Ooh, but
this time it gets far more interesting..... there are times
when the Doctor encounters renegade members of his own race,
and of other races, who "try to change history", and he usually
jumps in heroically throwing everything he has into the fight
to try and stop them. This first time the perceived threat
to history is from
Barbara, whom he has brought with him, and with whom he
would like to continue to get along with afterwards. And so he
must meet the challenge with words, philosophy, compassion,
and understanding. And he is the better for it in the end.
The time travellers and the Aztecs all have their human
flaws, and this story is an excellent interactive character
study. Barbara's actions cause the Doctor to confront his
strict policy of non-intervention at all costs, and his
belief that "not one line" of history can be re-written.
This belief is causing him to ignore all the help and good
he can provide to others through-out his journeys, causing
him to want to run back into the TARDIS throughout every
adventure. Barbara is (W)right to let her involvement run
true to her principles and her heart, but she is mistaken
in believing that one figure in authority can forcibly alter
the entire views, philosophies, and traditions of an entire
culture of people. The Doctor is right to caution her
bloated ego, knowing how much extra danger she is placing
all four travellers in unnecessarily if she isn't more careful.
Whose position is more right? This is the kind of question
that makes classic drama, and "The Aztecs" has it in loads.
Unfortunately, both Barbara and the Doctor resort to
deception in their methods, despite the Doctor's reassurance
to Tlotoxl in episode three that he "serves only the truth".
Barbara is mistaken for the reincarnation of the god Yetaxa,
a powerful position which she soon relishes and plans to use
to serve her own noble ends. For his own part, the Doctor allows
himself to get romantically involved with an Aztec woman,
whom he seems to be purposefully deceiving, although he
unknowingly ends up much more involved than he had
expected. This is yet another aspect of "The Aztecs" that
sets it apart from any other Doctor Who story - it is the
ONLY on-screen romantic interest that the Doctor has throughout
the television show's 26 year history!
The plot is full of twists and turns, as nearly every
character gets a scene in which to interact with every other
character, and one interesting possibility after another is
explored. The acting is the best that the series has turned
out so far. John Ringham as Tlotoxl is probably the finest
guest villain of the entire first season, creepy, powerful,
devious, and perfectly justified in his own mind (not to mention
within the rules of his own society) to hold the values
and use the methods that he does.
It is Carole Ann Ford's turn to take two weeks holiday
during episodes two and three of this story, yet she still
makes a strong appearance with one pre-filmed scene of good
length in each of those episodes - probably the best holiday
disappearance of any main Doctor Who character because the
absense is virtually non-existant. Her desperate plea for help
from her grandfather holds the greatest danger of being hammed up
in her performance, yet she carries the moment off beautifully.
Ian is also required to stand still and react emotionally
for the cliffhanger of part three, which is his most dangerous
task in acting, yet this too is surprisingly well done. John
Crockett must know some secret to getting actors to give their
best! William Hartnell and Jacqueline Hill are usually in top
form for most stories, and they certainly turn out some of their
best and most riveting work in this one.
The cliffhangers are mostly well done. (You can spoil
them for yourself a little bit by reading more about them
here.)
Most of the music is quite dark and atmospheric, yet
also in tune with the ancient culture which our time travellers
find themselves in. It is largely a very excellent score.
The only danger is that perhaps the
strangely light-sounding woodwind herald is used too often, and
it isn't too appropriate for announcing villains or danger.
Ian gets his own minor villain to tangle with in Ixta,
and their conflict is built to a dramatically satisfying
climax in the end. Ian also beats Jon Pertwee's
Doctor and Mr. Spock to the first use of a nerve-pinch
on the neck to subdue his enemy, and Autloc's charismatic
portrayal of surprise and astonishment milks the moment
for all the dramatic juice possible. The climax
highlights the beautiful and ingenious set-design
and John Crockett's mastery of how to make the illusion
of an outdoor city-overlooking pyramid balcony work, without
sacrificing any tension in the action-filled scene.
I wish this director had returned to Doctor Who on other occasions!
The Doctor and Barbara take
plenty of time to philosophize about the events that have unfolded.
Many fans see this tale as a vindication of the Doctor's position;
I prefer to notice that he virtually admits to Barbara that he
was half-wrong, while she does the same.
(Read more about that here.)
An emotionally and
philosophically satisfying ending.
Although we are once more denied exterior visuals of the
TARDIS going and coming, we do get two scenes in the interior
and at last the sound effect returns to accompany the Doctor
as he operates the contols and dematerializes. A final cliffhanger
leaves us exactly where a good cliffhanger should - curious
about the answer to a few simple questions, about where the
travellers will be in the next episode, and about what they will
encounter there.....
This story has become available on DVD and VHS video.
Click on the Amazon symbol for the location nearest you
for pricing and availability:
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DVD NTSC Region 1
in the U.S.
in Canada
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DVD PAL Region 2
for the U.K.
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VHS Video
NTSC
A
for North America
NTSC
B
for North America
PAL
for the U.K.
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