Another perfect synergy: a rare night off from rehearsal, and three new Doctor Who DVD's arrive in the mail. I'm only getting through one tonight, what with all the special features and such to sift through, but it's a treat; a real classic.
"Doctor Who And The Silurians" (1970) has been painstakingly and beautifully restored to as close to original broadcast quality as possible. The original video masters were erased, and only a black & white film copy remained in the BBC archives. One fuzzy home video copy survived, and through some kind of computer magic, they've melded the two together. I've seen the BW film version, a 90's attempt at recolorization, and this one, and the difference is simply staggering. Just lovely.
It's also a great story, too. This was the first season of the Doctor's exile to present-day Earth, where the challenge became evident among the production staff that they were basically limited to two plots: mad scientists and alien invasions (well, they had to come here, since we couldn't go there). This story is a clever twist on the latter plot; they've been here all along.
A race of humanoid reptiles, descended from the dinosaurs, had their own advanced civilization millions of years before the dawn of man. They went into hibernation when they detected an approaching asteroid (which instead of striking Earth, became the moon). They overslept due to a faulty mechanism, and only now have begun to revive to reclaim the Earth.
The Doctor is in the unenviable position of mediator between the mutually xenophobic species. The more he tries to alleviate the tension, the more the situation grows beyond his control; ultimately he fails. Once the humans gain the upper hand and drive the Silurians back to their base deep inside a cavern, the Brigadier blows the cave entrance up. The Doctor is utterly appalled, and this is undoubtedly the nadir of his relationship with UNIT.
One can read as many geopolitical allegories into the plot as one desires. Israel and Palestine, anyone? It's also intriguing to see just how knee-jerk the humans' impulse toward revenge is; even Liz, after being attacked by the wounded Silurian in the barn, assumes violent intent for the entire race. Nothing like judging the group by the actions of its fringe...
As with most serials of this era, the plot ambles along with a very measured pace, in this case stretched over seven 25-minute episodes. It's not exactly for the ADD set, but still even by my standards it doesn't drag. The longer serials of this era tended to be dialogue-oriented, upping the ante upon reaching the cliffhanger. These cliffhangers seem perfectly spaced, like mileposts along a stretch of road, which to me is a mark of sturdy craftsmanship. Contrast with other episodes where the action meanders listlessly until the Doctor and/or companion(s) become confronted with peril that has very little to do with the task at hand. In this case...
Ep 1 - The Doctor investigates the mysterious caves and is confronted by a dinosaur...
Ep 2 - The wounded Silurian lurches toward the unsuspecting Liz Shaw...
Ep 3 - The Doctor confronts the wounded Silurian at Quinn's cottage...
Ep 4 - The Young Silurian begins to fry the Doctor with his third eye...
Ep 5 - Major Baker becomes the first victim of the Silurian plague...
Ep 6 - Just as he find a cure for the plague, the Doctor is attacked by Silurians...
Ep 7 - The Doctor fumes as the cave entrance is destroyed.
If written for the program today, it could very easily take up all of one 45-minute episode.
There are some very lovely moments. Dr Lawrence's gradual mental breakdown leading to his brilliantly over-the-top death scene. The Doctor, certain that Quinn is in contact with the Silurians, toys with him instead of confronting him outright upon dropping in at his cottage unannounced ("My it's hot in here, just like the reptile house at the zoo..."). Miss Dawson's unscripted but obvious love for Quinn, whose death at the hands of the wounded Silurian contributes to her increasing bloodlust. The location shoot of plague victims dropping at the London train station. Geoffrey Palmer ("As Time Goes By") and Paul Darrow ("Blake's 7") in early TV roles. The Young Silurian transcending his somewhat unidimensional characterization in the final episode by selflessly sacrificing himself to attempt to save his people. Oh, and of course, no attempt at concealing Jon Pertwee's tattoo (see above).
A few nitpicky points - a significant plot point (Major Baker's escape) hinges on the tired device of the One Dumb Guard (UNIT's recruitment policies had some notable failings, apparently), and episode six is pretty useless (those plague scenes in London notwithstanding) featuring Silurians and UNIT playing cat & mouse in the caves during action shots of the Doctor! And Liz! In a laboratory! With test tubes! And the Brigadier! On the Phone!
A very worthy addition to my collection.
(Next: The Sea Devils - The Silurians' aquatic cousins)
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