Journey back 50 years to the start of a phenom- no TARDIS required.
What They Say:
Susan Foreman is a mystery to her teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbra Wright, seemingly knowing more than she should about the past… and the future… Their curiosity leads them to follow her home one night, only to find that her “home” appears to be a deserted junkyard. In the junkyard, they discover an odd police box, and a strange old man, who claims to be Susan’s grandfather and calls himself the Doctor. The journey of a lifetime is about to begin…
The Review:
Audio:
Originally airing in 1963 the series was filmed in the only audio format in use for television at the time- glorious mono. The audio here actually breaks down as the presentation includes both the TV version, the early attempt filming which has come to be known as the pilot and a recording of the unedited studio recording of the episode which causes for a difference in quality to be noticed at times between them. Because of this, the audio has some subtle changes at times though for the most part it is consistent as being acceptable though occasionally distortions in the sound track can be heard as well as there being instances where the music can overpower dialogue as well as a few places where lines seem to be trampled on which can muddle things slightly when they appear. The ‘pilot’ also contains the echoes and flatness that can come from shooting on a small stage if the recorders aren’t used to where to place mikes in order to minimalize this which kind of breaks up the illusion being cast when they rise up. Overall it isn’t a track that will wow audiophiles use to today’s standards but considering the material is from a 50 year old TV serial it is pretty acceptable for its age.
Video:
The video is probably the weakest aspect to the presentation as it doesn’t hold up nearly as well as the audio, even with the remastering done for this disc as the video looks at least every year of its age if not more. Given it is 50 years old no one should be surprised that it is presented in 4:3 ratio and in black and white, though these aren’t nearly the stumbling blocks as such that the picture itself tends to be. Often in the presentation there are flaws that appear including a very soft picture overall, some motion blur at times, a bit of ghosting, noise, some blocking, either print damage or stuff on camera lens that is consistent through much of the presentation, and some dot crawl which in addition to the features grain can almost make it seem like the presentation is being watched through a thin film of water as definition is often lost. I want to give it the benefit of the doubt but considering how some other shows from about the same era such as Star Trek held up I can’t help but wonder if the series might have benefited greatly from having been stored better from its first days or if the conversion to NTCS for US standards from PAL is partially to blame.
Packaging:
The release of this disc comes packaged in a thin cardboard box that contained both An Unearthly Child in one DVD case as well as a second case that contains a two disc set featuring The Daleks and The Edge of Destruction (neither will be covered in this review). The box itself uses a large head shot of William Hartnell on the left in monochrome while the TARDIS is present in color in the center right with the classic Doctor Who logo set at the top of the front, placed over a blue-black star field with an olive green banner at the bottom announcing that this series takes place in the William Hartnell years of the franchise (1963-1966). The side of the box is black with a different headshot of Hartnell present with the classic Doctor Who logo present again in blue while the set’s title “The Beginning” is listed in white with the individual serials contained in the set listed under that. The back of the box is rather busy with 4 stills from the included serials being present along with the series title, William Hartnell’s name, the serials included titles, the copy, a list of DVD Extras and all the technical specs leading to a very pinched and crowded look.
The DVD case itself simplifies things a little as it uses the same image of Hartnell from the front of the box but instead of the TARDIS a headshot of Carole Ann Ford is present on the right and the colors for the first environment they visit, a spiral and then the blue-black of space come off as more vibrant than on the box. The back also feels a bit less cramped as it only needs to list this serial’s information which allows it to be less condensed and present in a larger font making it easier to read while still allowing for three stills to be present on the left. The DVD uses a large image of Hartnell from the box on the left while the right uses an image that looks like a close-up of a breaking tidal wave or close-up of one part of a vortex with some blue and yellow hues being present.
Menu:
The menus used are a rather simple affair that are on a 4:3 ratio format in keeping with the program, with the Main Menu listing the selectable options vertically in a beige-ish font in the right center of the screen while a small circle that is “filled” indicates the highlighted choice while the top of the screen has four stills present over some brief clips from the included serial that play in a loop along with a short piece of music. The Episode Select menu uses a white font as it has the selectable options inside small white bordered boxes against a background of the interior TARDIS’ walls with the first two boxes placed on the top and the next three below that with a pair of white lines that run through the top and bottom of each across the screen making the options seem almost like they are set on a musical score with the highlighted option using a red color this time for indication and the Scene Select screen largely runs with this same theme and look as well. The Extras Menu basically keeps the look of the Main Menu but doesn’t use the stills banner at the top allowing for the background images to be larger while the Subtitle Screen has its option in the center with the highlighted selection present in red again though the unselected one appears in a bright yellow as opposed to anywhere else on the disc. Even if the design of the menu isn’t going to wow anyone, the menu is very functional with the highlighted option being easily detected and the disc is prompt to change selections and load them.
Extras:
The biggest draw with this set is likely to be that the disc contains both the originally shot video of the first episode as well as commentary tracks for some of the episodes with contributions from Verity Lambert (producer), Waris Hussein (this serial’s director), Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman), William Russell (Ian Chesterton) and Gary Russell moderating as they talk about the trials and tribulations that went through trying to get the series on the air as well as some of the memories from the production of these couple episodes. Listening to the commentary it is a historical irony to hear how the production team thought their original plan of making a yearlong serial was incredibly risky and others thought it may not make it to three episodes while a fair number of people in the BBC offices and other departments were at best incredibly skeptical to outright hostile to the idea as the program was so unlike anything the BBC was making for children at the time and various people appeared to be actively hoping for failure. The commentary tracks are an incredible insight into some of the efforts it took in TV offices just to get the show on the air while also including thoughts about these individual episodes and the characters, series and ruminations from the actors on their memories from the set.
Part of what is discussed is the originally shot video that is called the “Pilot” episode which contains many familiar pieces that made it into the version that was shown on television but which has a number of differences that reveal the direction the show could have gone which might have limited greatly its success in hindsight. As the commentaries mention, the episode was never intended as a ‘pilot’ as the BBC didn’t do such things at the time but when the final product was first screened for the Head of Drama Sydney Newman he took the rare (and in the experience of the cast and crew in the commentaries unheard of) step of having them re-shoot the episode and make changes to the performances that he saw where needed. When watching first the original shoot and then the broadcast version I can’t say he was wrong either as while there are a few moments I miss from the first shoot the effect is such overall that the story is more difficult to get into as Susan is performed initially a far more odd character in her mannerisms, but it is the Doctor who sees the biggest changes. In the initial production William Hartnell portrays the character as far more combative- almost belligerently so- and caustic in his dealings with the strangers who he comes across in the junkyard and then when they are in the TARDIS which has him looking like a very stern and borderline cruel figure. The reshoot however has him portray the character as having a few of those characteristics there but softened and not nearly as in the foreground which gives a performance that seems closer to what the commentaries said they were looking for when envisioning the character- that is a figure that could be stern and at times scary in mannerisms reflecting the idea of what a real life grandfather can come across as to children. This change in mannerisms probably helps to save the character more than anything as he goes from being cold to more capricious, like a wizard in stories who can be moved to anger (sometimes seemingly rather easily) but who also is capable of kindness tempered with his own eccentricities yet also susceptible to his own ego.
While these two extras would probably be enough for any fans of the series, the DVD goes further by including a Gallery which includes promotional shots of the actors; some behind the scenes and set shots; Production Notes that can be turned on during the viewing (though I was unable to get them to work); Theme Music Videos which present the full version of the opening in Mono, Stereo and 5.1; and finally a collection of four Comedy Sketches that had been made over the years that poked some lighthearted fun at the series as well as some of its fans.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
On November 23, 1963 a brand new children’s program debuted on England’s BBC network which would go on to be a rousing success spanning 50 years, 11 (soon to be 12) leads, a number of spin-off TV shows, novels, audio dramas and more assorted merchandise than one could shake a Dalek at while becoming an international sensation that launched actors into the public consciousness. Which isn’t bad at all for a show few at the BBC had any faith in and even the show’s driving core of production team didn’t see as lasting more than a year (which seemed overly optimistic in and of itself to many). Of course, much like the series’ main character this information is only gleaned by having knowledge of the passing years which no one who was part of the launch could possibly have dreamed and not thought themselves mad.
The series starts by introducing a pair of teachers- Ian Chesterton who teaches science and Barbra Wright who is the history teacher at a seemingly typical British High School- as they are discussing a student who is a bit of a problem for them after a fashion. Unlike “problem” children that teachers are generally expecting based on experience and are taught how to handle the 15 year old in question, Susan Foreman, is an enigma that is raising questions as at times she seems to posses knowledge far beyond her (or most people’s) years in fields like science and history but her knowledge of things most teenagers would know, such as pocket change currency, is strangely lacking.
What finally tips the scales though for Barbra is that after she offers to teach Susan at home and help bring out her remarkable talents Susan’s grades have suddenly dropped and now Barbra wants to confront Susan’s grandfather about what is going on with her and to this end she enlists Ian to come along with her as her attempts to explore Susan’s background have proven frustrating. Having attempted to go to the address listed in Susan’s file for her home Barbra found instead a junkyard and so she and Ian travel there in his car after school to see if the young lady appears at the site which she does and enters after looking around as if she fears being watched. When the pair follow in after her they find no trace of the young woman in this fenced in yard full of junk and incredibly oddly a Police Box which is in a bizarre location as they are almost always placed in far more public areas to be used.
As the two try to puzzle out where Susan could have gone they hear the approach of another person and hide, watching as an old man comes through the junkyard door and he heads for the Police Box and as he unlocks the door the hidden pair hear Susan’s voice which causes them to blow their cover, surprising the old man who quickly shuts the door and engages in verbal sparring with the pair. In this battle of wits and words the old man attempts to get them to leave while they try to find out the mystery behind the box that they are sure the voice of their student came from but the contest is interrupted when the door to the Police Box opens and the teachers rush in to find that all their knowledge and learning has just been turned on its head.
Instead of the inside of a box that should only be about big enough to hold one person the pair find that they are suddenly in a sizable room where Susan is standing that is more than big enough to hold all four of the people along with some eclectic furniture and a console standing in the room with plenty of space to spare. As the pair desperately try to figure out just how it is that the box can be so much bigger on the inside than on the outside they discover that this is actually a ship that Susan calls a TARDIS (for Time and Relative Dimension in Space) and the old man tells Susan that the teachers have seen too much and won’t be allowed to leave. When Susan protests the old man looks like he is going to let her leave with them but he instead proceeds to throw a switch on the console and suddenly the ship lurches knocking the teachers off their feet and out of consciousness.
When they awake the group finds themselves in a new place that looks like a wasteland with little to be seen and oddly some cold sand on the ground and the man Ian calls Doctor Foreman (and elicits the response “Doctor Who?”) claims that he will be able to tell when they are once he takes some samples as his ship’s scanner isn’t working properly (nor is the ship’s disguise ability as it still looks like a Police Box from the outside). The group soon finds however that their predicament is incredibly precarious as they have landed near the territory of a group of cavemen who are experience a form of political upheaval as the current leader is being challenged in his position by a former outsider who has managed to win over support of much of the tribe. Now the travelers find themselves captured and in the midst of a struggle that may prove fatal to them as modern man will find that his superiority to his more primitive ancestors when outnumbered and confronting them on their territory isn’t all that he would hope and the result of which may lead to one of the shortest (centuries spanning) sojourns of all time.
In some ways it is rather impossible at this point to look at this initial story of Doctor Who and see it as a standalone adventure without comparing it to what comes after and make notes of what in the character of the Doctor has carried out over the 5 decades since and notice what the series has shied away from in the intervening years. One of the first things that comes across in this story is how the Doctor is not exactly the central figure as Ian tends to do much of the moving of the plot along and dealing with confrontations while the Doctor seems to be like a wise wizard who often is only partially present, imparting his help and wisdom only when he chooses to though he often seems to out of his element as well in this tale. Some of these elements displayed have appeared in character traits for some of the other Doctors over the years though it seems rougher here as the writers appear to be trying to figure out just what the Doctor’s role should be which does limit him a bit as a character in this early going as he seems to be almost a co-star in the show that bears his name.
There is also a good deal of arrogance to be found in the character as at times he clearly resents these outsiders who have found their way into his home and he proceeds to discuss their fate like they are beasts with no say in the matter, or perhaps less than beasts as he mocks their attempts to even try to figure out just what it is they are experiencing in an incredibly condescending way when they first board the TARDIS. On top of that, the Doctor also demonstrates that if people aren’t going to follow his lead he is willing to withhold his help and at one point he seems to be trapped in a place where he recognizes his ego and when it is being stroked by others for manipulation yet finds himself not able to dismiss the attempt but instead allowing it to be effective in winning his cooperation. Also there is one point where he claims not to be a doctor of medicine though in subsequent years this has been refuted on a number of occasions, at least by implication if not having been specifically spelled out. Possibly the most dramatic difference though is found in one moment where it looks like The Doctor was about to kill a wounded opponent and he has to be stopped from carrying it out and then be goaded into helping the injured man which flies in the face of the later examples where the character will go quite out of his way to offer a chance of survival to his opponents, even at great risk to himself and companions.
What does stay the same though is that even at this early point the TARDIS’ controls don’t always function like they are supposed to and the Doctor seems to have little to no control over where it is going, though he does posses a book that he has been keeping notes in that he uses to try to get it to operate as close to his desires as he can. This serial also twice makes use of the joke of “Doctor Who?” when it comes to his name which later pops up from time to time as a bit of a joke (and sometimes, especially in Season 6 of the modern era numbering’s finale, it gets overused) but here it doesn’t seem as obnoxious as the layers of piling on and ‘wink and a nod’ nature that it is often presented with is absent as the material is largely played straight.
The serial story itself is one that runs into some problems that have come from time as well, but in a different facet as the concept of modern man meeting his ancestors (or another planet’s version of them in some instances) has been done practically to death by science fiction, particularly by series that have aired on TV and needed episodes that carry a distinctive look while still having a rather low budget in terms of production costs needed to establish the atmosphere. For the most part the presentation here chooses to play its material in as straightforward a manner as possible which helps to some extent as the absence of the campy nature that many other similar stories have used allows for the drama they are attempting to weave to survive, even if all the pieces aren’t exactly something that if shot the same way today probably wouldn’t capture the same attention due to changes in cultural storytelling.
Another factor that has to be considered is that which is brought up in the various commentaries available on the disc in that Doctor Who was originally intended to be a children’s show aimed roughly at the 8-14 year old demographic which may help to illustrate some of the choices made in terms of presentation and story elements. The commentaries mention that the production team intentionally set out to make a presentation than was divergent from the norm for the BBC’s children offerings at the time. This in part probably helps to explain why there is as much exposition and dialogue as is present as the serial seems very comfortable letting its cast talk, occasionally about some pretty big ideas, without doing so in a way that might come across as talking down to its intended audience which may also give a clue as to why the program managed to reach so far beyond its target as it didn’t aim its sights too low as a result and turn older viewers off. Of course some of this might also have to do with the limits of the show’s budget as well, a very substantial amount of which was used creating the TARDIS set which impacted the amount of money available for individual episodes sets, effects and other cost items and which may have helped create some of the opportunities for dialogue partially out of necessity but if so it was a miraculous turn of events.
Still looking back at it 50 years (and 30 some odd television seasons later) it is rather amazing just how much of what has become central to the character is present here and still enjoyable when so many other long running series have early seasons that are almost painful in retrospect as the cast and writers attempt to find a grove for the characters to play in. That this start is able to be both smart and entertaining is a positive mix that helped the show rise above a limited budget and some effects that probably won’t impress anyone today and create a story and continuity that is still engaging and which has captured the attention of so many people over the past half century.
In Summary:
Every legend has a beginning and sometimes it is fun to step back and experience those early days and sometimes it turns out to be a painfully awkward and uncomfortable trip. Luckily Doctor Who at its earliest stage where the writers are introducing the Doctor, TARDIS and their fascinating adventures holds up really well due to the strong performances of the cast and their dedication to not playing their roles for camp or talking down to their audience which helps to lay the foundation for the extraordinary series. While the adventure here may not quite grab everyone’s attention as well as some of the tales that followed there is a genuineness and sense of new discovery that more than makes up for some perceived flaws or the budget shortcuts that appear on the screen at times. With its fantastical lead and his amazing ship these adventures starts out with an amazing promise, and even if all the elements don’t quite combine here to fully make use of all its potential it is still one hell of a ride through time.
Content Grade: B
Audio Grade: B
Video Grade: C-
Packaging Grade: B-
Menu Grade: C
Extras Grade: A+
Released By: BBC Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 18th, 2012
MSRP: $37.92
Running Time: 311 Minutes
Video Encoding: 480i/p MPEG-2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Review Equipment:
Samsung 50″ Plasma HDTV, Denon AVR-790 Receiver with 5.1 Sony Surround Sound Speakers, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080.
It should be born in mind as regard to picture quality that at the time UK television was 405 line black and white.