DR. WHO & THE DALEKS (1965)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 83 Minites 14 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Dolby Vision HDR 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.35:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Gordon Flemyng
Cast: Peter Cushing, Roberta Tovey, Jennie Linden, Roy Castle
Dr. Who & The Daleks (1965), directed by Gordon Flemyng (The Split), comes from Amicus producers Milton Subotsky and Max J. Rosenberg, who licensed the film adaptation rights to the black & white BBC-TV serial created by Terry Nation, to bring Dr. Who to the big screen for the very first time, and in vivid Technicolor and Techniscope, no less. As a kid I grew up watching the Tom Baker incarnation of Dr. Who on PBS, but have never actualy watched any other incarnation of the series, so I am coming into this as just a general fan of vintage sci-fi and, of course, as a huge fan of horror icon Peter Cushing (Corruption) who stars as the titular Dr. Who. Oddly enough, in this incarnation Dr. Who is not an alien Time Lord, but a fuddy-duddy but brilliant aging scientist named Dr. Who, who has invented a time-travel device called TARDIS, that can move through time and space, and yes, it looks exactly like a phone box. He alongside his granddaughters Susan (Roberta Tovey, The Beast in the Cellar), Barbara (Jennie Linden, Nightmare)as well as the latter's comic-relief boyfriend Ian (Roy Castle, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors), are instanaeously transported to the planet of Skaro after Ian moves a lever inside TARDIS accidentally. There they find themselves caught-up in the middle of a ancient war between the benevolent platinum-haired and shiny-skinned Thals and evil fasciscyborgs the Daleks. The planet's high levels of radiation, a by product from an ancient atomic war between the Daleks and the Thals, threatens to kill the Easrthy visitorswith radiation sickness, with Dr. Who and company becoming pawns of the Daleks who hope tio use them to thwart the Thals, while also trying to convince the peaceful Thals to rise-up against their Dalek oppressors and storm the metal city before they are all "EX-TER-MIN-ATED!" .
This technicolor sci-fi romp must have been quite a treat for Dr. Who fans who only ever saw the black and white TV shows, it's as colorful as a comic book, and the Dalek's look terrific is bright colors, puffing deadly smoke from their metal appendages, it's fun stuff ina kitschy sci-fi sort of way. The story here is an adaptation of the TV series arc called "The Desert Planet", which I have never seen, but it's a good framework for science fiction adventure, even if it feels a bit too restrained by it's TV production origins, only hinting at swamp dwelling creatures that pose athreat at a certain point, which I found utterly lacking. Thankfully, sort or, we have Peter Cushing onboard, but even he feels a bit miscast as Dr. Who. I still love seeing him but the grandfatherly fuddy-duddiness of it all wore on me a bit. I think part of the issue here is that it's clearly meant for kiddos, as exemplified by the comic relief from Roy Castle as the stumble-bumble boyfriend Ian, though I did find the youngest of the cast quite charming, that of Susan played by Roberta Tovey.
At the end of the day I didn't love this slice of kid-friendly Brit science fiction, it's quirky and has some kid-friendly thrills, but perhaps not being familiar with the Dr, Who lore took something away for me, or maybe I liked it more than I would if I was familiar with the long-running show, I cannot say for sure. It's still notable for being the frst screen adapatatiion for the BBC serial, and for starring horror icon Peter Cushing. but for me it's more of a fun enough curiosity that i found more notable than enjoyable, truth be told, but with that said, seeing Cushing in something that I'd not previously seen is never gong to be bad day for me. Highlights were the colorful fascists Daleks and their grating modulated voices, the minature and colors sets which have that certain Mario Bava-esque technicolor glow. I cannot say that it absorbed, but maybe it would have if I'd seen it as intended, a kid, maybe then it would have that nostalgc charm of yesteryear, but alas, I only saw it yesterday.
Audio/Video: Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) arrives on region-free 4K Ultra HD newly scanned in 4K from the original Techniscope 35mm negative by StudioCanal, presented in 2160p UHD with Dolby Vision/HDR10 color-grading. The Studio Canal restoration look brillant, well-managed grain, tight, crisp visuals, the color-grading looks wonderfu, and it's rich with detail and texture, with strong black levels. The accompaying Blu-ray also looks terrific, even without the WCG color-grade and 4K resolution. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and sounds great, the sci-fi sound effects, explosions, and the Daleks' modulated voices sound terrific.
Onto the extras we start off eith three commentaries, the first is an Audio Commentary With Whovians Barry Forshaw, Stephen Jones And Kim Newman; a second Audio Commentary With Stars Jennie Linden And Roberta Tovey, Moderated By Journalist Jonathan Sothcott, and a third
Audio Commentary With Critic Kim Newman, Screenwriter/
Writer Robert Shearman And Actor/Writer Mark Gatiss.
The 10-min Subotsky And The Daleks: Part 1 – Interview With Producer Milton Subotsky, which was recorded in 1985 by writer Philip Putnam for a book that was never published. We get talk of purchasing the rights from the BBC for a big-screen adaptation, the screenplay by Subotsky, how it was directed by Gordon Flemyng, and how Subtosky did not like the look of the film, the set design, nor the make-up in the finished film, bringing Peter Cushing on board for name recognition, and young Roberta Tovey for added kiddie appeal, and Roy Castle for a comedic touch. He speaks about how the six week shoot went smoothly, but problems arose during editing because of the Daeks blinking lights of all things. He also gets into how the Daleks were provided by BBC, which saved on costs, also touching on the ring vibrator voice of the Daleks, and distribution woes which prevented it from a broader audience.
In the 15-min Kara And The Daleks – Interview With Doctor Who Expert Kara Dennison talks about how the series was originally meant to be educational, how the Cushing films are sort of considered a novelty, and how she first watched it via Riff Trax. getting into how the Cushing flicks don't fit into canon, even though canon had truly not been established that early on, to the frustration of some fans, and some theories from Cushing himself about where and how it fits into canon.
Also included us the 60-min Dalekmania - a 1995 documentary that examines the pop-culture phenomena of the Daleks. We also get an Interview With Gareth Owen, Author Of The Shepperton Story, and the The Dalek Legacy: Destination Skaro – With Nicholas Briggs (Voice Of The Daleks), Screenwriter Robert Shearman, Visual Effects Designer Mike Tucker (Doctor Who), Editorial Assistant Emily Cook (Doctor Who Magazine) And Writer/3D Artist Gavin Rymill (Doctor Who Magazine), all of whom chome in on their thoughts and feelings about the Cushing fims. Disc extras are buttoned-up with a new Trailer and a Still Gallery. The 2-disc release arrives in a black dual-hubbed keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the terrific orignal illustrated movie poster artwork.
Special Features:
Disc 1: UHD (Film + Special Features):
- Audio Commentary With Whovians Barry Forshaw, Stephen Jones And Kim
Newman
- Audio Commentary With Stars Jennie Linden And Roberta Tovey, Moderated By
Journalist Jonathan Sothcott
- Audio Commentary With Critic Kim Newman, Screenwriter/Writer Robert Shearman And Actor/Writer Mark Gatiss
- Trailer (3:13) 1
Disc 2: Blu-ray (Film + Special Features):
- Audio Commentary With Whovians Barry Forshaw, Stephen Jones And Kim
Newman
- Audio Commentary With Stars Jennie Linden And Roberta Tovey, Moderated By
Journalist Jonathan Sothcott
- Audio Commentary With Critic Kim Newman, Screenwriter/Writer Robert Shearman
And Actor/Writer Mark Gatiss
- 1992 Audio Interview With Director Gordon Flemyng By Author/Journalist Tony
Earnshaw
- Subotsky And The Daleks: Part 1 – Interview With Producer Milton Subotsky (10:13)
- Kara And The Daleks – Interview With Doctor Who Expert Kara Dennison (15:26)
- DALEKMANIA – 1995 Documentary (59:57)
- Interview With Gareth Owen, Author Of The Shepperton Story
- The Dalek Legacy: Destination Skaro – With Nicholas Briggs (Voice Of The Daleks), Screenwriter Robert Shearman, Visual Effects Designer Mike Tucker (Doctor Who), Editorial Assistant Emily Cook (Doctor Who Magazine) And Writer/3D Artist Gavin Rymill (Doctor Who Magazine)
- Trailer
- Still Gallery
Severins 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray presentation of Dr. Who and the Daleks looks and sounds terrific, plus we get an array of bonus content that adds context to this early Dr. Who film adaptation. While the film itself didn't really connect with me it's still a terrific release from Severin, and should please the ravenous Whovians out there looking to upgrade to 4K UHD.
Screenshots from the Severin Films Blu-ray:
Extras:
Buy it!
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