Inferno (Pertwee story) (spoilers)
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Inferno (Pertwee story) (spoilers)
Anyone like this one and/or other Pertwee? I'd be glad to hear everyone's likes/dislikes and what not about Inferno and/or Pertwee Who.
Incidentally should I warn of "spoilers" for episodes dating 'way back? Did as a precaution but would rather not have to if it's all the same.
Delighted to have seen the DVD of this one earlier. Although not as good in picture quality as could have been had the dear BBC not been soeager to chuck their assets terribly hard pressed for spare tape and storage space, it is truly amazing what the restoration team managed in their efforts. A bit poor in spots but the entirety has been restored to colour of some quality and most is not all that bad. Compared to the old dub tape I had seen before it's a wonder. Key personnel and cast incl. Nick and Caroline get in on the bonus interview. Here are 3 pics from the photos:
The alternate universe Lethbridge-Stewart. Not a pleasant fellow! Makes one appreciate one's Brigadier.
The alternate universe Liz Shaw. Not all so bad... but the Doctor would not trade to be sure!
Doctor and Liz. Jon's being a good chap and warming the cold floor a bit for Caroline's... Notice the console: they say in the docu that is the original, Hartnell's TARDIS console taken out of storage! Alas this was also its last appearance as it was scrapped after. Imagine what the BBC could have sold it for today.
Some random chatter:
The principal adversary Stahlman is intolerant and appropriately intolerable to us. Last for Liz Shaw. I like Jo but it was a pity they couldn't have seen to at least having Liz Shaw pop in now and again; their characters and roles differed enough to have allowed it without undue redundancy, not unlike having both the Brig and Sgt. Benton recurring. Such was the way then...
What doesn't play well at all for me are the teal paint and Halloween costume primate versions. Not at all. Still I wouldn't be surprised if they worked very well in scaring the kids at the time. On the other hand, Pertwee's being game for his own driving and related action shots surprised me and there is some other good stunt work too. All part of the fun in any case.
The science might make people howl today but fortunately the underlying points and the character attitudes and conflicts are good and hold up enough. The writers clearly struggle trying to fill 7 episodes at the depth they (and their time schedules and budgets) are want to go. I'd like to point up two nice examples of the better side to the writing that might not be discussed too much. Spoilers follow.
The guy supposedly supervising under Stahlman coming back from a meeting with the authority to stop Stahlman. He is being chauffeured back and is supposed to be waylaid by the driver. Instead of the boring scene one would normally have had there, they did what would now be lauded as "subverting the cliche": the driver confesses, both discuss it reasonably (!), the driver agrees to taking him back as he should have. Then he takes his eyes off the road in the course of conversation and - accident! It'd fit rather nicely in a Hitchcock film.
At one point the good Doctor is facing the wrong end of a gun and we naturally cut "to be continued..." We expect when we pick up, our man will be spared by someone interceding or, if unlucky, it's out of bullets. No, they have the earth suddenly shake and the gunman falls. The quake is due to the drilling going on in the story but one might think it a cheat. Its purpose is obligatory, but that's actually a wonderful symbolic point if one thinks about it: the Doctor is about to be stopped in his efforts to stop drilling that will destroy the earth, so isn't it fitting it is the earth that saves the Doctor at that point?
Phew. Anyway, has its moments, Inferno.
Incidentally should I warn of "spoilers" for episodes dating 'way back? Did as a precaution but would rather not have to if it's all the same.
Delighted to have seen the DVD of this one earlier. Although not as good in picture quality as could have been had the dear BBC not been so
The alternate universe Lethbridge-Stewart. Not a pleasant fellow! Makes one appreciate one's Brigadier.
The alternate universe Liz Shaw. Not all so bad... but the Doctor would not trade to be sure!
Doctor and Liz. Jon's being a good chap and warming the cold floor a bit for Caroline's... Notice the console: they say in the docu that is the original, Hartnell's TARDIS console taken out of storage! Alas this was also its last appearance as it was scrapped after. Imagine what the BBC could have sold it for today.
Some random chatter:
The principal adversary Stahlman is intolerant and appropriately intolerable to us. Last for Liz Shaw. I like Jo but it was a pity they couldn't have seen to at least having Liz Shaw pop in now and again; their characters and roles differed enough to have allowed it without undue redundancy, not unlike having both the Brig and Sgt. Benton recurring. Such was the way then...
What doesn't play well at all for me are the teal paint and Halloween costume primate versions. Not at all. Still I wouldn't be surprised if they worked very well in scaring the kids at the time. On the other hand, Pertwee's being game for his own driving and related action shots surprised me and there is some other good stunt work too. All part of the fun in any case.
The science might make people howl today but fortunately the underlying points and the character attitudes and conflicts are good and hold up enough. The writers clearly struggle trying to fill 7 episodes at the depth they (and their time schedules and budgets) are want to go. I'd like to point up two nice examples of the better side to the writing that might not be discussed too much. Spoilers follow.
The guy supposedly supervising under Stahlman coming back from a meeting with the authority to stop Stahlman. He is being chauffeured back and is supposed to be waylaid by the driver. Instead of the boring scene one would normally have had there, they did what would now be lauded as "subverting the cliche": the driver confesses, both discuss it reasonably (!), the driver agrees to taking him back as he should have. Then he takes his eyes off the road in the course of conversation and - accident! It'd fit rather nicely in a Hitchcock film.
At one point the good Doctor is facing the wrong end of a gun and we naturally cut "to be continued..." We expect when we pick up, our man will be spared by someone interceding or, if unlucky, it's out of bullets. No, they have the earth suddenly shake and the gunman falls. The quake is due to the drilling going on in the story but one might think it a cheat. Its purpose is obligatory, but that's actually a wonderful symbolic point if one thinks about it: the Doctor is about to be stopped in his efforts to stop drilling that will destroy the earth, so isn't it fitting it is the earth that saves the Doctor at that point?
Phew. Anyway, has its moments, Inferno.
Re: Inferno (Pertwee story) (spoilers)
Personally, I've always enjoyed Inferno. I'm not certain it needed to be seven episodes- I think they could have shed two, tightened up the script, and it would have really cracked along. Still, as the conclusion to Pertwee's first year in the role, it was fairly inventive story, and those images of the parallel Earth being consumed in fire were really unsettling.
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Re: Inferno (Pertwee story) (spoilers)
Not a fan of Inferno. Too long and drawn out - as folk here know I'm also not a fan of alt-earth/universe stories. Love Pertwee's garb in the rehearsal photo!
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Re: Inferno (Pertwee story) (spoilers)
I'm a fan of Inferno and Pertwee, to be sure. Prior to the start of the new series, he was my second favorite Doctor. Still is, actually, it's just he's got to share the spot with someone else now. I'd agree it was probably an episode or two too long, but I don't mind. I love parallel universe stories, always have. But then I grew up on comics and that's a concept that often features there..
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Re: Inferno (Pertwee story) (spoilers)
Zoltar wrote:I'm a fan of Inferno and Pertwee, to be sure. Prior to the start of the new series, he was my second favorite Doctor. Still is, actually, it's just he's got to share the spot with someone else now. I'd agree it was probably an episode or two too long, but I don't mind. I love parallel universe stories, always have. But then I grew up on comics and that's a concept that often features there..
In one of the docu's for the first Pertwee series, one of the writers states that they hated the length themselves but it was dictated to them from higher up that stories were to be stretched 6-7 episodes each. The rationale for this was of course not to stretch the story but to stretch the budget: more footage could possibly be had from the same sets, costumes, shot setups and so forth. This was likely a known "preference" should we say from the beginning but evidently became defacto policy for a while.
Patrick, I think that's what the writer said too, that he'd have wanted it shorter by two. Revisiting it I was quite surprised at how well they did manage to maintain any thrust over all that.
C=O, so do I. Ah the '70s here we come. For alt universe stuff, I like the idea though my enthusiasm has been tempered by two things. First, it managed to annoy me as too over the top a time or two in Farscape. Secondly, it comes with a cliche: they're almost always worse if not worse and doomed. Hitler always won over there. They reverse type with the good guys but not the bad; Stahlman is bull headed (at best) in both. Perhaps it would be interesting to have an alt universe encounter where our characters find others and/or themselves are better in some sense and take awareness of that back with them. That way it could be less the gimmick and more integral to long term character development.
It was fun here in Inferno, to me, as the plot slipping sideways from the straight ahead "how will they stop it in time" path it was on to that point. I felt the alternate Liz came off better than the alternate Brig though. The Brig is "just right" as is.
Pertwee's Doctor is an affable chap. Others are as or more fascinating to watch, but his Doctor would be perhaps the most comfortable to be around, alongside Davison's. One would really have to watch it with the others!
Re: Inferno (Pertwee story) (spoilers)
Makes sense.Time_Spectator wrote:In one of the docu's for the first Pertwee series, one of the writers states that they hated the length themselves but it was dictated to them from higher up that stories were to be stretched 6-7 episodes each. The rationale for this was of course not to stretch the story but to stretch the budget: more footage could possibly be had from the same sets, costumes, shot setups and so forth. This was likely a known "preference" should we say from the beginning but evidently became defacto policy for a while.
I agree, it would be nice to see more alt universes with a positive spin. It does happen, but much more rarely, if only because of the idea of seeing the heroes of your show reversed into dark versions of themselves. It can be fun for the audience and the actors themselves to change things up.Time_Spectator wrote:For alt universe stuff, I like the idea though my enthusiasm has been tempered by two things. First, it managed to annoy me as too over the top a time or two in Farscape. Secondly, it comes with a cliche: they're almost always worse if not worse and doomed. Hitler always won over there. They reverse type with the good guys but not the bad; Stahlman is bull headed (at best) in both. Perhaps it would be interesting to have an alt universe encounter where our characters find others and/or themselves are better in some sense and take awareness of that back with them. That way it could be less the gimmick and more integral to long term character development.
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