Doctor Who - The Moonbase
Very, very sick with a cold. But here's my thoughts on "The Moonbase" along with nearly 70 caps I took.
http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z255/impossiblecase/Doctor%20Who/033_Moonbase/
"The Moonbase" was a four-part serial, first broadcast on BBC TV between 11 February 1967 - 4 March 1967. It was written by Kit Pedler, and directed by Morris Barry. It starred Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, Anneke Wills as Polly, Michael Craze as Ben Jackson, and Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon.
The Cybermen return in a story that shamelessly retreads "The Tenth Planet", broadcast less than four months previously. Yes, there are some interesting quirks to it (such as the sugar being used to poison the Moonbase crew) but overall, it's the same thing. It is a slicker production all around, and makes better use of the Doctor here than in the former tale. The Cybermen themselves have been redesigned, and although I prefer the original versions, they now look for more advanced and threatening, albeit a little too robotic for my taste. The idea of monsters coming and going as they please (crawling through holes and hiding in the infirmary) is truly frightening and extra tension is gained by the restrictive environment, making it harder to tackle the enemy, such as in Episode 3 when a crewman encounters Cybermen on the surface of the Moon and it takes time to get help to him.
Patrick Troughton is excellent, giving one of his best ever performances as the Doctor. He's absolutely marvelous, especially at such quietly serious moments as the classic "There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things, things which act against everything that we believe in. They must be fought" speech, which provides the rationale for much of the series. Here, more than anywhere else so far in the series, is the point where the Doctor has stopped being a mere wanderer and become a crusader for justice.
Anneke Wills' Polly gets to shine again, quickly moving on from her coffee-making skills. She's caring, resourceful and proactive, displaying a good rapport with the Doctor. She delivers a wonderful line about the electronic doctor administering to Jamie: "It can't be nice to him." Unfortunately, Michael Craze's Ben is underwritten. He doesn't have much to do, is extremely out of character (his knowledge of the Gravitron, acetones and the composition of the Cybermen) and says embarrassing things like "Not you, Polly! This is men's work!"
As a consequence of being a late addition to the script, Frazer Hines' Jamie stays in the background, rendered unconscious and remaining in the Moonbase's medical bay for much of the adventure. However, one of the story's best moments is his reaction to a Cyberman, thinking it's the Phantom Piper come to take him to the afterlife. I also rather like the hint of jealousy between Jamie and Ben over Polly, and it's a bit of a shame this wasn't developed further.
Of the guest cast, Patrick Barr (Hobson), Andre Maranne (Benoit) and Michael Wolf (Nils) all put in nice performances that show the three main crew members as distinctive from one another. The rest, however, are completely faceless and uninspiring.
Morris Barry's direction is patchy. His work in the first two episodes is great, full of suspense and shadows; really contributing to the atmosphere of the tale. For the rest he just seems to give up, making a decidedly insipid effort. One exception is the repulsion of the Cybermen from the lunar surface. It's not a brilliant scene, but concentrating on the lower halves of the monsters as they rise into space thankfully avoids any "held up by strings" embarrassments.
Production wise, "The Moonbase" is very good. The designs of the interior of the base and the Gravitron are impressive, and the lunar surface is very effective, conveying an eerie, lonely place, although the model flying saucers are woefully poor. The uniforms of the crew look practical, T-shirts and coveralls being a better choice than the usual fashion horrors seen in sci-fi settings. As for Benoit's neckerchief, it's worn to cover up an erroneous number on his shirt, but his exaggerated accent (strange coming from a French actor) already pushes national stereotypes far enough!
An enjoyable, albeit mixed and formulaic tale of base under siege Cyber-suspense. The lack of originality doesn't really appeal, and the climax is weak, but overall the plot is sound and the Cybermen come across as a real, menacing threat, harsher and more calculating, complete with an enhanced appearance and a touch of sarcasm ("Clever, Clever, Clever"). Exciting and atmospheric in places, deadly dull in others, it's just not quite as good as it might have been.
3 / 5 stars
http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z255/impossiblecase/Doctor%20Who/033_Moonbase/
"The Moonbase" was a four-part serial, first broadcast on BBC TV between 11 February 1967 - 4 March 1967. It was written by Kit Pedler, and directed by Morris Barry. It starred Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, Anneke Wills as Polly, Michael Craze as Ben Jackson, and Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon.
The Cybermen return in a story that shamelessly retreads "The Tenth Planet", broadcast less than four months previously. Yes, there are some interesting quirks to it (such as the sugar being used to poison the Moonbase crew) but overall, it's the same thing. It is a slicker production all around, and makes better use of the Doctor here than in the former tale. The Cybermen themselves have been redesigned, and although I prefer the original versions, they now look for more advanced and threatening, albeit a little too robotic for my taste. The idea of monsters coming and going as they please (crawling through holes and hiding in the infirmary) is truly frightening and extra tension is gained by the restrictive environment, making it harder to tackle the enemy, such as in Episode 3 when a crewman encounters Cybermen on the surface of the Moon and it takes time to get help to him.
Patrick Troughton is excellent, giving one of his best ever performances as the Doctor. He's absolutely marvelous, especially at such quietly serious moments as the classic "There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things, things which act against everything that we believe in. They must be fought" speech, which provides the rationale for much of the series. Here, more than anywhere else so far in the series, is the point where the Doctor has stopped being a mere wanderer and become a crusader for justice.
Anneke Wills' Polly gets to shine again, quickly moving on from her coffee-making skills. She's caring, resourceful and proactive, displaying a good rapport with the Doctor. She delivers a wonderful line about the electronic doctor administering to Jamie: "It can't be nice to him." Unfortunately, Michael Craze's Ben is underwritten. He doesn't have much to do, is extremely out of character (his knowledge of the Gravitron, acetones and the composition of the Cybermen) and says embarrassing things like "Not you, Polly! This is men's work!"
As a consequence of being a late addition to the script, Frazer Hines' Jamie stays in the background, rendered unconscious and remaining in the Moonbase's medical bay for much of the adventure. However, one of the story's best moments is his reaction to a Cyberman, thinking it's the Phantom Piper come to take him to the afterlife. I also rather like the hint of jealousy between Jamie and Ben over Polly, and it's a bit of a shame this wasn't developed further.
Of the guest cast, Patrick Barr (Hobson), Andre Maranne (Benoit) and Michael Wolf (Nils) all put in nice performances that show the three main crew members as distinctive from one another. The rest, however, are completely faceless and uninspiring.
Morris Barry's direction is patchy. His work in the first two episodes is great, full of suspense and shadows; really contributing to the atmosphere of the tale. For the rest he just seems to give up, making a decidedly insipid effort. One exception is the repulsion of the Cybermen from the lunar surface. It's not a brilliant scene, but concentrating on the lower halves of the monsters as they rise into space thankfully avoids any "held up by strings" embarrassments.
Production wise, "The Moonbase" is very good. The designs of the interior of the base and the Gravitron are impressive, and the lunar surface is very effective, conveying an eerie, lonely place, although the model flying saucers are woefully poor. The uniforms of the crew look practical, T-shirts and coveralls being a better choice than the usual fashion horrors seen in sci-fi settings. As for Benoit's neckerchief, it's worn to cover up an erroneous number on his shirt, but his exaggerated accent (strange coming from a French actor) already pushes national stereotypes far enough!
An enjoyable, albeit mixed and formulaic tale of base under siege Cyber-suspense. The lack of originality doesn't really appeal, and the climax is weak, but overall the plot is sound and the Cybermen come across as a real, menacing threat, harsher and more calculating, complete with an enhanced appearance and a touch of sarcasm ("Clever, Clever, Clever"). Exciting and atmospheric in places, deadly dull in others, it's just not quite as good as it might have been.
3 / 5 stars