Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 2, 2013

Gordon Flemyng's "Dr. Who and the Daleks" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; audio commentary with actors Jennie Linden and Roberta Tovey, moderated by writer Jonathan Southcote; documentary film produced by Lumiere Pictures; new video interview with writer Gareth Owen; new featurette focusing on the restoration of the film; and a collection of promotional and production stills. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Where are we?

The great Peter Cushing is Dr. Who, an eccentric inventor who has created Tardis, a sophisticated time machine. Accompanied by his two grand-daughters, Susan (Roberta Tovey) and Barbara (Jennie Linden, Women in Love, A Severed Head), Dr. Who decides to show his creation to Ian (Roy Castle), Barbara’s boyfriend, but an accident occurs and Tardis transports its occupants to the mysterious planet Skaro. After searching the landing area, Dr. Who and his three companions conclude that Skaro must have been devastated by a nuclear war.

Not too far away from Tardis, the time travelers discover a giant metal city populated by the Daleks, evil mutants living inside metal casings designed to protect them from the radiation in Skaro’s atmosphere. The Daleks capture Dr. Who and his companions to study their immune system.

Soon after, Dr. Who learns that the Daleks are getting ready to eliminate their enemies, the Thals. Like the Daleks, the Thals have also been forced by the radiation to change the way they live. However, unlike the Daleks, the Thals have sworn to live in peace.

While the Daleks are preparing to drop a giant nuclear bomb that will wipe out their enemies, Dr. Who and his three companions manage to escape from the metal city and contact the leader of the Thals. However, much to Dr. Who’s disappointment, he refuses to believe that the Daleks are planning to exterminate the Thals.

Gordon Flemyng’s Dr. Who and the Daleks was the first big film adaptation of the classic British TV series. The film, which was shot in Techniscope and completed in 1965, also marked the first time the good Doctor was seen in color.

The plot of Dr. Who and the Daleks is fairly simple. The film also looks rather simple, which shouldn’t be surprising considering the fact that its budget was very low. In the audio commentary included on this disc, it is noted that the sets were so small and the decors so basic that different sequences had to be shot using the exact same materials. For example, there were only a couple of the strange flowers Susan discovers early into the film which had to be used multiple times.

The simple, often even minimalistic decors, however, make the film look quite stylish. In fact, with a different soundtrack and a few minor adjustments in the script, this reviewer believes that Dr. Who and the Daleks easily could have been one of the best psychedelic adventure films ever made.

As it is Dr. Who and the Daleks has enough to appeal to older fans of the classic TV series as well as younger fans who don’t mind seeing something different with their favorite characters. The outcome of the confrontation between the Daleks and the Thals is easy to figure out, but the journey through the colorful planet Skaro is definitely worth seeing. Considering the production’s limitations, the great Peter Cushing is also particularly good as the eccentric inventor who amidst all the chaos has to figure out a way to restart Tardis.

Dr. Who and the Daleks was lensed by cinematographer John Wilcox, who also teamed up with director Gordon Flemyng on its sequel, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.

Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Gordon Flemyng's Dr. Who and the Daleks arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

StudioCanal's restoration and presentation of Dr. Who and the Daleks is very impressive. Clarity and especially image depth are enormously pleasing. Even the forest footage with the heavy neon-esque lights looks quite wonderful (see screencaptures #1 and 19). Close-up also convey nice depth. The most sizable upgrade, however, is in the area of color reproduction. There is a wide range of very healthy colors that completely transform the entire film. (Previous DVD releases of Dr. Who and the Daleks now look shocking poor). Furthermore, there are no traces of excessive degraining corrections. As the screencaptures included with this review reveal, there are absolutely no annoying sharpening corrections either. Unsurprisingly, the entire film has a very strong and enormously convincing organic look. Excluding a few instances where tiny artifacts pop up, compression is also very good. Lastly, it is easy to tell that the film has been very carefully cleaned up as there are no debris, scratches, damage marks, cuts, or stains. Indeed, this is a wonderful presentation of Dr. Who and the Daleks which is guaranteed to make its fans happy. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, StudioCanal have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The sound is always stable and well rounded. The audio effects, in particular, sound very good. Overall dynamic intensity is limited, but this should not be surprising as the film's sound design has plenty of native limitations. The dialog and the effects, however, are indeed beautifully mixed.

Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - actors Jennie Linden (Barbara) and Roberta Tovey (Susan) discuss their contributions to Dr. Who and the Daleks, their initial impressions of director Gordon Flemyng, and the critical reactions to the film after it was released. Also, there is plenty of information about the film's production history, Peter Cushing's involvement with the film, some of the technical obstacles that had to be overcome during the shooting, etc. The commentary is moderated by Jonathan Southcote, author of The Cult Films of Peter Cushing.

• Dalekmania - a documentary film focusing on the production history of Dr. Who and the Daleks featuring clips from interviews with Marcus Hearn, former editor of Bizarre & Hammer Horror, Gary Gillatt, editor of Doctor Who Magazine, Terry Nation, scriptwriter and Dalek creator, actors Roberta Tovey (Susan), Barrie Ingham (Alydon) and Yvonne Antrobus (Dyoni). Jill Curzon (Louise) and stuntman Eddie Powell also discuss their contributions to Doctor Who: Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.. The documentary, which was produced by Lumiere Pictures, is dedicated to the memories of Peter Cushing and Roy Castle. In English, not subtitled. (58 min).

• Restoring Dr. Who and the Daleks - film and television historian Marcus Hearn, BFI National Archive curator Jo Botting, Deluxe senior colorist Steve Bearman, Deluxe restoration supervisor Tom Barrett, and Deluxe content mastering manager Ian Pickford discuss the production history and new restoration of Dr. Who and the Daleks. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Interview with Gareth Owen - Gareth Owen, author of The Shepperton Story, discusses the history and timeless appeal of Dr. Who and the Daleks. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of promotional and production stills from Dr. Who and the Daleks. (3 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for Dr. Who and the Daleks. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

StudioCanal's restoration of Gordon Flemyng's Dr. Who and the Daleks is every bit as impressive as the studio's restoration of Roy Ward Baker's Quatermass and the Pit - the film looks simply beautiful on Blu-ray. The release also comes with a very good selection of supplemental features. Order with confidence, folks. This is a very solid Blu-ray release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.