Dr. Who and the Daleks: Classic or Dud

mark s has comments over on freaky trigger btw

was 1965 so the tv series had been on previously. the daleks and the tardis were the only thing that made this Dr Who. Roy Castle's comic relief was dreadful.

Only bit i actively enjoyed was Barry Gray's "electronic music".

What about the sequel, "Dr Who & The Dalek Invasion Of Earth 2150 AD" (adapted from the second TV Dalek story)? In it the Daleks have conquered the Earth and are planning to hollow it out and use it as a giant spaceship. I seem to remember they are going to do this by dropping an atomic bomb down a mine shaft leading to The Centre Of The Earth.

is on this weekend (friday?) on ch4. was also a converted tv script and, interestingly(?), the dvd contains a version where they've redone the special effects using cgi rather than tin plates on wires.

http://www.purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rtwebsite/serialk.htm

the other thing that bugged me was the way the daleks needed a metallic power strip in order to move around 'like dodgems at the fairground' but didn't seem to have any way of completing the circuit (the way dodgems have that conductor that trails along the roof).

And interesting that they clearly make 'Dr Who' an eccentric grandfather, and very much human. Cushing's rather funny in the role, though I don't think he quite matches Hartnell... where are the edges of this old buffer? :)

It may be a faux-pas, but, early in the film, doesn't Barbara call Cushing's Doctor her grandfather...? Might seem bizarre to any well-versed DW fan, but 't would fit with the essential *family ethos* the film was trying to get across, and indeed Barbara was much younger than in the TV series - as was Susan, here a mere child.

"family ethos" haha - my pore mother had to sit through "thunderbirds are go!" w. me, and complained bitterly about subsequently (ie quite recently): i am glad for her sake she didn't have to suffer this

odd to see that the three lead males were known for a) Dracula / Hammer Horror films / general scary stuff b) narrating The Wombles c) narrating Mr Benn.

and nice to know Sugar Puffs will still be around in 2150.

It scared the shit out of me more than anything i'd ever seen when i saw it (on my dad's old super 8 projector) as a kid... the whole thing about those helmets, the humans being made to betray to the daleks, the whole london-under-siege (very Blitz) atmosphere... brrr.

B: It's so deserted.
Dr: (looks around at rubble)
I would say decaying.
B: Maybe it's Sunday...

Went looking for the _Inferno_ dvd at the vid store up the street, and found both movies. Watching the first one now; great freaky pre-Star Trek sci-fi design going on. Big shiny sets, colored spotlights everywhere and blaring John Barry-type score. I'm disappointed that the sparkly and made-up Thals didn't become glam icons.

Peter Cushing's Doctor is a bit too doddering for my tastes, tho.

Oh yeah, and naturally the lighting is far, FAR better(and fitting) than what appeared during the regular show.

Hey Bernard Cribbins is in this one!

I watched Inferno this weekend on rental. It was quite good, especially the parallel world bits, but I still like Pertwee the least out of all the doctors.

It's odd; Pertwee is maybe the most annoying Doctor (INCLUDING Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy!) but has a lot of the best stories.

Pertwee annoying? Madness! More than Colin Baker? Institution time.
(NB I blame Baker's writers for his annoying-ness: I think it was a nice idea to have a regeneration-gone-wrong/unstable personality theme, but it wasn't done well)