Reviews (5)

Zane Grey's West

Director: Charles Haid
Format: Color
Studio: Turner Home Video
Video Release Date: March 4, 1997

Cast:

Ed Harris Lassiter
Amy Madigan Jane
The rest of the cast: unidentified

The original story is about Latter Day Saints in the story by Zane Grey. They are not so identified in the film version.

Lassiter, a feared gunman seeking the gravesite of his sister, who had a daughter before she died. Upon coming onto the ranch of Jane, he finds a situation where a young man is being held by an apparent lynch mob for his friendship with Jane. Lassiter frees him. When the pastor hears about Lassiter's mission to kill his sister's abductor, he tries to kill Lassiter, who wounds him instead.

This is an interesting story by the old master of Western stories, who once lived a few miles from here on the Rogue River of Oregon. If you've never read Zane Grey's stories you have a great experience in store.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

More like this please
Excellent western with fantastic scenery. Follows Zane Grey's book almost to the letter.

Outstanding Western Drama!
I cannot say how pleased I am that I succumbed to temptation, and ordered this tape. It is wonderful--will be one of my favorite Westerns.

I saw this film with my sweet grandmotherly mom, who is a big Zane Grey fan. She loved the film too, but she said she would have liked to seen two younger stars, instead of Ed Harris and Amy Madigan (real-life husband and wife). I quickly disabused her of her absurd notion that these two fine actors were miscast. They are wonderful, and give real and exceptional performances. Their maturity is an asset to the film. (I confess, I envy Madigan's ability to look so lovely and natural without any noticable makeup!) And Harris is an Oscar-nominated actor, to boot! They are both very capable actors, attractive and well-suited for this film.

The story is unusual in my opinion. A female (Madigan) is the central character, and she is a strong, independent person. I found her to be a refreshing change from the typical "macho" male-centered Western we are often used to seeing. She is a member of a close-knit religious sect (in the book they are Mormon, but the film does not specify). She is being pressured by some in her community to marry a particular man, who makes it obvious that he just wants her land and cattle. This fellow does many devious and underhanded things in his attempts to coerce her to marry him. A total creep.

In comes Harris's character, Lassiter, with his own agenda of revenge. He's a mysterious and seemingly formidable character, with a reputation as a dangerous gunman. He hangs around to help her out and to protect her from those who wish to control and dominate her. Lassiter also wants to glean some answers from her--things only she knows. And, of course, along the way, he develops feelings for her.

Henry Thomas (little Elliot of "E.T.", all grown up now) does a wonderful job as a youthful friend of Madigan, and his romance with a mysterious girl is very sweet as well.

Another thing I kept on appreciating throughout this movie is the outstanding scenery. True, if the story had been stale or acting been bad, the scenery wouldn't have made up for it, but as it was, it was a sublime icing on the cake. Beautiful photography, all through the film.

This movie was gripping, had some pretty exciting plot twists along the way, and kept us hanging until the end.

Highly recommended--a good western drama and romance. I look forward to seeing it again!

GREAT MOVIE!!! Where is the DVD????
Wow! This is a great movie, and full of suspense and action! Wonderful acting and beautiful scenery! Should be released on DVD in widescreen 2:35/1 with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, at least! This is one I will buy, as soon as it is released!

BEST "RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE" THAT HAS BEEN MADE
MR. HAID HAS GIVEN US A VIDEO THAT REALLY IS BASED ON THE ZANE GRAY BOOK, NOT JUST THE TITLE. IT IS SUPERBLY ACTED BY ED HARRIS AND HIS REAL LIFE WIFE, AMY MADIGAN. THE LOCATIONS AND SETS ARE GREAT! MUCH OF THE DIALOG IS TAKEN WORD FOR WORD FROM THE BOOK. THIS VIDEO IS A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO ENJOYS WESTERNS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES. ... Read more

Description

The Doctor and Sarah land on the desolate planet Karn amid a spaceship graveyard and are soon welcomed by Professor Solon, who is inordinately preoccupied with the Time Lord's capacious skull. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Silly episode with huge logic holes
Yes, it's nice to see Doctor Who take a break from all the science fiction and fantasy to land in a horror setting. But it's still just another evil villain looking for a new body episode except that Morbius, the disembodied brain of the title, isn't nearly as entertaining a villain as the Master. Who fans sometimes complain that Tom Baker jokes too much and displays humor at inappropriate times, but if ever there was an episode that could use a little camp it's this one, what with the evil scientist, his large, unwitting assistant, and the brain that desperately needs a good head. The writers/producers seemed to have come up with a great idea and no way to really make it work over 4 parts. But the biggest problem is just the plot inconsistencies. Not that Doctor Who gets big points generally on realism, but at least it doesn't usually contradict itself without an attempt at an explanation. Without giving away too much of what plot there is, let's just say that if the mad scientist goes on and on about how perfect the doctor's head is and how much care needs to be taken with it, he doesn't need to come up with tricks to let a group of old women take it off for him. And why not keep the doctor's body as well? Although that would spoil the one moment in this episode that merits it a second star -- the "creature" finally coming to life (which is, truth be told, a great Who moment). If this episode had a sense of humor or a villain with more than one dimension it might have rated as campy fun. With 20 years worth of episodes from which to choose, and most more worthy than this week effort, give this one a pass.

A "bland" Frankenstein story? No way
In the Gothic Tom Baker era of Doctor Who which saw stories influenced by classic horror and sci-fi, The Brain Of Morbius takes on Frankenstein, Igor, and the monster.

On landing on the forbidding world of Karn, the Doctor's in a right sulk, angry at the Time Lords. "Meddlesome interfering idiots, messing about with my TARDIS, dragging us a 1000 parsecs off course." His sulk doesn't last long after seeing a spaceship graveyard, a castle, and a headless body.

He also meets Professor Mehendri Solon, a foremost Earth neurosurgeon, and his hulking barbarian servant Condo, who has a long thick eyebrow and a hook for his left hand that Solon once calls a "chicken-brained biological disaster." Condo is counting on Solon to reattach his real left hand, which had to be removed to save his life. Solon though, is endeavouring to find a head suitable to house the brain of Morbius, something that'll be his greatest and last operation. This is puzzling, as Morbius was a renegade Time Lord who with his followers fought the Time Lords and was defeated and executed by vaporization on Karn. However, what is the weird headless creature with one giant claw in Solon's laboratory?

The Sisterhood, a society of virtually immortal women who guard the Sacred Flame and the Elixir of Life, become alarmed when they realize the Doctor is a Time Lord. They are protective of the Elixir and the Sacred Flame, which has been gradually dying. No flame means no elixir and pretty soon, no Sisterhood. Fearing that the Doctor has been by the Time Lords to steal the last of their Elixir, they kidnap him and sentence him to death. However, aging leader Maren, and her young subordinate Ohica, are thrown when he returns of his own free will (for help) and realize he's not out for their Elixir.

Throughout her travels, Sarah has been kidnapped, cryogenically frozen, hypnotized, and more. Here, she gets blinded (temporarily). As for the Morbius Monster, it is described as "made from butcher's leftovers," "potpourri," "Mr. Allsorts," and as "Chop Suey, the Galactic Emperor." It has to be seen to believed. Hmm, Dr. Who vs. Chop Suey--sounds like a bad sci-fi/kung-fu story. Never mind.

The scene where a brain drops on the floor offended some medical students, but it made for unintentional laughs. However, scenes of strangulation and someone being gassed by cyanide probably didn't go well with Mary Whitehouse, the UK's Tipper Gore on television.

Philip Madoc (Solon) turns in his best performance in a Who story, a performance that's very crucial to the story. He runs the gamut of emotions, enthusiastically welcoming, cool and rational, angry, desperate, exasperated, and distressed, especially in the brain-dropping scene. Cynthia Grenville (Maren) and Gilly Brown (Ohica) also do well in their roles.

But who is Robin Bland, the writer? Former script-editor Terrance Dicks turned in his story the day he went on holiday (big mistake, because the producer and current script editor Robert Holmes were unable to contact him) and when he got back, he was incensed, as the story had been changed so much that it was more Holmes' work. Dicks asked his name to be removed and have some "bland pseudonym" put in its place. When he saw the aired story, credited to Robin Bland, he'd calmed down since then and was disarmed by the joke.

The initial video release was an edited 60 minute programme, and it wasn't until 1996 that it was released in its entirety. This is one of the more popular stories, as the BBC saw fit to include this among the original video releases in the 1980's. Along with the story and strong characters, the studio sets work well, particularly Solon's castle.

Highly Recommended
I hid behind the sofa when I first watched this episode. It was black imitation leather. Funny what sticks in the mind. I love this episode, even though I haven't seen it in almost 30 years. Corridors, a brain, garish lighting, Sarah-Jane, Mary Shelley. I recommend it for any youngster today.

Evil gets a head
With the possible exception of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" I can't think of a show in all television history that makes fun of itself so gleefully without losing its dramatic integrity. This is why I loved "Who" as a kid catching it in fuzzy 22 minute re-runs on late-nite PBS, and why I love it now, when I can watch it on VHS and DVD without being tortured by sadistic fundraisers hawking Channel 26 tote bags.

During Tom Baker's run (I'm not very familiar with the other Doctors yet, having grown up with #4) the writers of the show tended to have the most fun when they borrowed from classic horror tales and concepts. "The Brain of Morbius" follows in this tradition, being more or less the concept of "Frankenstein" set in space, or rather, on a stormy, abandoned graveyard of a planet named Karn.

The story opens with the Doctor throwing a comic tantrum because the Tardis has been diverted to this out of the way dump of a planet against his will. He suspects the Time Lords are manipulating him into doing some dirty work for them, and of course, he's right. Within 30 seconds Sarah, whose portrayal by Liz Sladen I am coming more and more to appreciate as I get older, has discovered not only a number of wrecked spacecraft all in a tiny area but also the headless body of a freshly murdered space traveller. Why is he headless? Why have all these ships crashed in the same spot? Why has the Tardis been diverted to Karn, which was once the seat of power for a renegade Time Lord named Morbius? And while we're on the subject, who lives in that spooky castle on top of the mountain?

"Morbius" like all Who episodes good and bad, has a lot of competing plot elements in it. On the one hand is the Sisterhood of Karn, a group of immortal, telekenetic biddies given to bad makeup, chanting and a burn-them-at-the-stake-first, ask-questions-later mentality. On the other is Dr. Soren (Philip Madoc) and his hook-handed, ape-like assistant Igor, uh, I mean, Condo, who live in the spooky castle with a lot of surgical equipment and seem to have a strange interest in heads with large craniums. The Sisters want to kill the Doctor because they think he's after their Elixir, which is the secret of their immortality and the reason the supposedly dead Morbius came to Karn in the first place. Soren wants the Doctor's severed head to play host for a certain brain he's keeping in the basement. Sarah, who is blinded by Maryn, the grumpy crone who runs the Sisterhood, wants her sight back. And poor Condo just wants to know where Soren is keeping his arm.

Philip Madoc, who later returned to play a small part in the forgettable "Power of Kroll" is spectacular here. He recites incredibly campy and villainous dialogue with such relish it is impossible not to laugh. The best thing about "Doctor Who" has always been the classic, mustasche-twirling evil of its bad guys, and this episode is no exception. Similarly, Baker and Sladen are in very good form, as is the actress who plays Maryn, and the guy who does the voice for Morbius shows what fans of old radio shows have always known -- to make evil come alive, all you need is a great voice.

Of course "Morbius" is not a perfect episode. The scenes with the Sisters are overlong, dreary, and replete with whispery chanting which is so annoying that even the Doctor, who is about to be burned at the stake, can't help complaining, "This music is terrible!" They are nasty, murderous, self-absorbed hags who seem not much better on the moral scale than the crazy Dr. Soren; I can't say I cared whether the reborn Morbius, who looks like he's been put together from spare parts from your local zoo and/or aquarium and is topped off by a fishbowl holding his brain, strangles them all with that nasty-looking crab claw or not. Also, I can't help but feeling a wee bit sorry for the old fella. Living as a disembodied brain in a jar filled with glowing green goo, with only the crazy Dr. Soren and the incredibly stupid Condo for company, has got to be a huge downer. Who can blame him for being so cranky when he wakes up?

As for the controversy surrounding what the Doctor does to Soren, all I can say is, when push comes to shove, Tom Baker's Who shows in numerous episodes that he can be one mean SOB. Besides, as the original Frankenstein discovered, sometimes it's best to let sleeping body parts lie.

This is a GREAT episode!
Some say this was not as good an episode but I must disagree. This is an intriguing Frankenstein type Dr. Who adventure that really has an interesting and chilling plot. The evil villin in this story is Morbius, who once was a timelord like Dr. Who but was destroyed, or so the timelords thought. All that is left is Morbius's brain and he is desperate for a HEAD to put it in. The problem is that most of the alien life forms that he has brought down from the sky have not been suitable homes for the brain of Morbius, that is, until the unexpected entrance of the good Doctor. Dr Solon gets soooo excited at the sight of the head of Doctor Who, that you almost can see him salivate. Hehe. Unfortunately, the Doctor stumbles upon the sisterhood, who hate all intruders, especially males!!! Sarah, the close companion of the Doctor, is as useless as ever and gets herself into more trouble then she is at helping and eventually gets herself temporarily blinded by the ring of the leader of the sisterhood. You can imagine how helpful Sarah is after that! lol. One of the interesting character of this episode is the igor looking helper of Dr. Solon. Dr. Solon has promised (igor) is arm back if he helps him find a head for Morbius's brain. I am not sure how igor lost his arm??? Hmmmm. At any rate, the tale evolves around the Doctor attempting to stop the resurrection of Morbius into a new head while keeping the sisterhood from killing him at the same time. There is a lot of running back and forth between Dr. Solon's laboratory and the caves of the sisterhood. In the end... well, I wont spoil the ending, but I do suggest you add this episode to your collection of Dr. Who's. You wont be disappointed. This episode is one of my favorite with Sarah as the Doctors companion. Have fun! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Semi-educational movies?
While the YIJ series takes some liberties with history, these movies are a great way to learn about the crucial events of the turn of the century. Some even seem to be more of a thinking-person's adventure, which is quite a departure from the swash-buckling Indiana Jones movies.

Too bad this series is so under-rated! I only wish Lucas would produce more! I don't understand why real-quality shows like this don't ever seem to last longer on the networks. Guess it needs to be on Discovery, the History Channel, or TLC.

Shadows in the mist tell intriguing stories
In a significant way, the two hours of this episode could not be more mismatched. Hour one is a film noir exploration of the paranoia associated with a life of espionage. Hour two takes a decidedly more phantasmagoric tack, resulting in scenes of no small terror.

In Hour One, Indy is a spy in Turkey, trying at once to get married and complete a mission for the French Secret Service. It is easily the best-directed hour of the entire series. The lighting, pulled focuses, and intriguing camera movements all evoke the bittersweet emotion the plot would have us feel.

But it's hardly an original plot. It's "From Russia With Love" meets "The Maltese Falcon" meets "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Fortunately, these are all very good films, so the trip is one we're more than willing to take.

Hour two is perhaps more questionable in this regard. It's a fantastic journey through the dark side of Romanian mythology, and while appropriately creepy for a Haloween party, it marks a significant departure from the traditional themes of Indy plots that some parents may wish to shield their younger children from. I wouldn't call the violence "needless", as other reviewers have, but it is graphic. It is, in short, classic gothic, and it's done very well.

All in all, then, this is an episode well worth your time, but, along with "Trenches of Hell" and "Temple of Doom", it's one of the few Indiana Jones episodes inappropriate for young children.

Definitely not for young children
After reading another review on this site (gypsy18, 5/31/01), I was shocked to see that the reviewer's child had the exact same reaction, almost word-for-word, as did my son. He was equally upset that such violence could have come from the mind of George Lucas.

This video was in the children's section of the store, and it had a "family" label stuck right on it. We asked the store to remove the label, as it is NOT appropriate.

THIS EPISODE ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR CHILDREN!
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones is an extraordinarily well done series. My son, age 8, just loves it. But it was a mistake buying MASK OF EVIL. My son (usually a tough little guy) was almost physically ill from a particularly bloody scene (although the violence was performed behind a curtain). He had trouble sleeping & actually started crying in the middle of the day from the trauma of remembering this scene! He said, "Mom, I wish we'd never bought this one." My son also said, "Mom, why did George Lucas let this one be unrated? That was bad!" Out of the mouths of babes! Vampires are just too violent a subject for children I think (& some adults, including me)!

The Best!
It has it all with spies and vamprires! We see indy's first supernatural adventure but at the beging it is a spy thriller. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Quiet Bombshell
I can't say enough good things about this low-budget gem. Fine acting and a gripping plot make this a must see. Based on the story of a mulatto girl who returns to her father's plantation to take back what is hers, this tale uncovers many an ugly skeleton in America's closet. It shows better than any other drama(Amistad included!), the refined cruelties of slavery and the obnoxious ideology behind it. The girl, Miss Dickson, returns to a post-civil war Georgia beseiged with a bigotry almost as appalling as slavery itself. Denied the land and house rightfully left to her by her slave-master father(superbly portrayed by the stellar Sam Waterson), she enlists the help of a noble lawyer, who dares to serve justice and not Jim Crow. Together, they trudge towards a final victory which takes Miss Dickson back through the ravages and diappointments of time, where ever since childhood, her 'blackness' and mother's identity have been kept in secret. The film does an amazing job of mixing the past with the present, making them appear indivisible. Resented and rejected by the other slaves, she tries to 'pass' into the white world, which ultimately scorns her, once her 'secret' is divulged. The Miss must confront who she is and that means acknowledging and accepting her slave mother. These scenes between mother and daughter are particuarly poignant and moving. The film shows just how much degradation you had to endure if you were a black woman in 19th century America. Perhaps the best performance of the film was that of Julia, Miss Dickson's mother. The dignity of her character still managed to shine, despite all the endless humiliation she had to suffer. Unlike most slave-period dramas, A House dares to show how whites were also prisoners of their own system of prejudice, one that forbid interracial love. But not rape. The film artfully sculpts the amibiguous relationship between Waterson's character, David Dickson, slave owner, and that of Julia. Despite the brutal rape, the nature of his feelings for Julia remain a series of speculation....did he really feel something for her.....shame at what he had done.....affection....respect..... dependence.....we are never quite sure.....the film keeps you guessing. Like a good film should. If you want a great piece of drama that tells the ignominous story of American racism as it really was and unfortunatley, still is, then A House Divided is the one to watch.

A House Divided
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I loved the candor with which the film portrays the characters and struggles they endured in the face of unflinching opposition. Although, these events took place during very racially charged times Miss Julia, Miss Dickson and Mr. Daly quitely and courageously pursued and obtained justice. I was pleasantly and refreshingly surprised to get to the end of the movie and find it based on a true story!

Good movie, no civil war...
This movie was excellent, in fact i would give it 5 stars if it had any war scenes. If you are looking for an action packed movie, this is not the one to buy. If you are looking for a sentimental movie about the civil war, the this IS you movie. It is from the SHOTIME network and is a very racially inclined movie. It has some harsh veiws of slaves. Still I see no reason for the movie to be rated R. It has one sex scence, but for the most part it is clean. The only foul word is 'n....'

A Great Movie
I really enjoyed this movie. It is based on a true story. David Dickson is a brave man who willed his fortune to his daughter. His daughter was the product of an affair with his slave. He angered his family and the town that he lived in but justice prevailed and his daughter was giving the fortune that rightfully belonged to her. The movie offers an intriguing view of the times before and after the civil war and it is a great testament to the love a father has for his daughter. This is a great movie worth watching.

Excellent for era.
I enjoyed the movie. I thouht the content was done well. I think all of the character performed well. I especailly like the way Mr Daly or (Charles Dubose) handle himself in the courtroom. He was professional through-out the movie. I'm 55 years Young.55 ... Read more

Amazon.com

An earnest and at times overblown story of a music teacher's impact on those around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is at times a genuinely touching drama in the vein of It's a Wonderful Life. Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) plays an aspiring composer and musician who takes a job teaching music at a local high school to save money while he composes his music. But when his wife (Glenne Headley) becomes pregnant, Glenn Holland must put aside his dreams and address the everyday realities of his life, from the melancholy and sometimes tragic fates of his students to the discovery that the son he cherishes is deaf. Building to a highly emotional climax in which the teacher sees the impact he's had on the world around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is a showcase for a fine Oscar-nominated performance by Dreyfuss and an engaging, heartwarming story. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Reviews (88)

A Rare Contemporary Film that will Stand the Test of Time
Hats off to Steven Herek for creating such a beautiful and realistic, life-affirming masterpiece. Unlike so many of today's films that rely on sex, violence, and trends that last all of 15 seconds, here is a movie that is appropriate for anyone who loves music and a thoroughly enjoyable story.

Glen Holland (Richard Dreyfuss)is a musician who hopes one day to compose a piece of music he will be immortalized for, so he takes a job as a high school music teacher believing that he'll have spare time to achieve his goal. He is sadly mistaken after, having had a few rough months reaching his students, he becomes one of the most popular teachers in his school and community. Free time for his own musical pursuits is the last thing he has left as his life becomes a parallel to the line in John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy"--Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.

This life involves a vice principal who's jealous of him for being more popular than he is, never ending schedules to teach marching bands, individual students how to play their instruments and lessons in life, driver's ed, and school plays.

The most challenging thing for Glen Holland may be that he has to come to terms with the disappointment of being a music teacher whose own son is deaf, and the most touching thing is the closure he finally discovers with him after realizing his own infalibilities when almost tempted to run away with a young student cast in one of the school's low budget musical productions.

Not only is this film moving, but it has several moments of down-to-earth humor: Check out the kids who think they have talent as they try out for the Gershwin review. It may remind you a bit of American Idol. My personal favorite? Just before he reports for his first day of classes, Glen says to wife Iris, "What kind of people like to go to work at 7:30 in the morning?" I can only laugh and think what kind of people like to go to work at ALL?

Normally I don't care for Richard Dreyfuss, but he's so wonderful as a not-so-perfect Glen Holland who you sometimes don't like so well, and he's surrounded by a wonderful cast of characters. Olympia Dukakis as the principal is one of the best characters, and Alicia Witt is endearing as clarinet player Gertrude Lang.

This movie also has a strong message about the dangers of cutting creative programs in favor of turning kids into athletes and business machines. If you love music or any form of the arts in general, this is a movie you should see. Not only that, but it's also a life-affirming look at somebody who hated their position in life and, until he had to think about it years later, realized how much he loved it!

Please give this movie a go, even if you've heard it's corny sometimes. Life itself has corny moments. Beside that, what do you think will be playing on a classic movie channel 50 years from now: Mr. Holland's Opus or Hidalgo?

Great drama, character development
"Mr. Holland's Opus" takes the viewer on a journey through the life of a young musician (played by Dreyfuss) and his family. When pregnancy enters the picture the couple decides that, for the present, life on the road is not a good idea while the baby is on the way. He then accepts a position as a High School music teacher, just to make ends meet, and to give him time to compose. Then real life hits...

In the end it is teaching, not performing, that defines Mr. Holland's life. He is faced with personal and family challenges, motivated and ambivalent students, turbulent social times, and the continuing desire to compose...but there never seems to be enough time to do everything.

This is an excellent movie! The acting is wonderful, and the story is compelling and believable. And the sound track is great.

This movie is a triubute to the human spirit, and to the effect dedicated teachers can have on lives of their students. It deserves nothing less than 5 stars.

If you haven't watched this movie, do yourself a favor and give it a look. If, however, your movie tastes are driven by action, adventure, high-tech special effects, etc., then this movie may not be for you.

To all the teachers out there -- of music and everything else -- THANK YOU!

Alan Holyoak

Movie that I think enspires the Deaf to watch
In my opinion this movie is an excellent way for the Hearing In Paired to watch movies like this one.There should be more movies like Mr Holland's Opus.I have read in one reveiw which The Beatles are the main topic of the movie (music)which is crap as there are all types of music in the movie wheather there influence is there or not,watch the movie and love the music or don't watch it at all.

A Great movie for the whole family
Glenn Holland[Richard Dreyfuss] is a man who has a dream of becoming a classical music composer. But it turns out that he teaches a high school music class. He first thinks that he shouldn't be teaching this class and he should be composing music. The story tells how he goes through his life helping his students, his wife and his deaf son Cole. After teaching for 30 years, he then discovers that teaching was really the correct job for him to do. He also discovers that he loved teaching for all those years even though that wasn't his first decision.

I thought that Richard Dreyfus did a great job. I thought that the movie was very well done and I thought that the story was very heartwarming. I also think that if you loved the movie, the soundtrack might also be worth getting. I own the soundtrack and some of the songs I really like.

Director Steven Herek has made a movie with a story that I will never forget.

SCHMALTZY AND CLICHED, SAVED ONLY BY DREYFUSS
Most of the reviewers on Amazon seemed to have loved this movie. They've said it made them cry, and think. This movie didn't provoke a tear from me.

I am not sure I'd attend classes that begin with rhetoric like 'What is music?' but Dreyfuss does a decent job of a quasi-inspiring teacher. Although this band master could be a little less mean when returning assignments.

The acting overall in the film is pretty plain though, and the somewhat interesting premise gets old real quick.

Some scenes are even borderline idiotic. First, our supposedly great teacher expects kids who don't know how to play their instruments to be playing Mozart after one day.

Then, there is a scene where he is teaching a girl how to play her clarinet. She has been playing the thing for 3 years but still can't get out a note. He tells her to think of the sunset, and suddenly she can play perfectly.

Corny. Very corny. Dreyfuss is pretty much the only thing going for this one-time rental. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Doctor Who does a horror version of Forbidden Planet
In this extremely well directed story with Hammer-like flourishes, The Doctor (Tom Baker) explores a lush alien jungle on a planet at the edge of the known universe. There, Professor Sorenson (Frederick Jaeger), engaged in experiments to harness the power of anti-matter, has unleashed a terrible anti-matter beast that threatens the men onboard the ship sent to rescue him. The alien planet is extremely well designed, and the scenes involving the anti-matter monster leave the viewer with a genuine sense of dread. There are also some very nicely directed sequences involving The Doctor falling into the anti-matter pit. As the anti-matter monster divides itself and attacks from all sides, the claustrophobia and tension increases, making one frequently look behind oneself. In an midst of a very well done Forbidden Planet remake, we have a terrific and genuinely frightening story with nice special effects for the era.

Great adventure. Typical of producer Hinchcliffes work.
The Doctor and Sarah land on a planet plagued by an anti-matter monster who has caused a number of deaths amongst a crew mining for anti-matter. This is probably one of the better serials of Tom Baker's era as The Doctor. The CSO effects are good and the story is a good reworking of the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. The interplay between the Doctor and Sarah is fantastic and the guest cast put in some credible performances. Overall, one of the most horryfying and gripping stories of Phillip Hinchcliffe's era as producer.

Nature prunes dumb scientists.
There was a trilogy of Tom Baker stories during the shows "Golden Age" which bid homage to the classics of Gothic horror fiction -- "The Brain of Morbius" (Frankenstein); "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" (Dracula); and, of course, "Planet of Evil" which was essentially Dr. Jekkyl & Mr. Hyde in space. This episode is inferior to "Talons" (what isn't?) and not as much fun as "Morbius" but it is still a good outing, concentrating far less on humor and camp and more on the classic elements of Gothic horror -- tampering with forbidden knowledge, the internal struggle of good vs. evil, and the mounting terror of a group which is trapped in a haunted house (so to speak) and being picked off one by one. Like "Talons" which also mixed in homages to Phantom of the Opera and the real-life Jack the Ripper killings, this story also borrows heavily from "Forbidden Planet" in its choice of a semi-invisible monster projected, more or less, from it's victims own minds. There are also less-than-subtle moral messages about colonialism and gross exploitation of the environment, which is always humorous when you consider the Brits spent 300 years doing just that to our little planet. I guess Orwell was right when he said that hypocrisy is THE English vice (then again, he also said, "The Americans always have to go you one better on any type of beastliness" so you can read it either way).

The story is your basic 'trapped in a haunted house with a mysterious killer' bit, but the overlapping plot elements and homages prevent it from falling into parody. Tom Baker plays the Doctor with less humor and more edge in this outing, not troubling to hide his disgust at what he sees as militaristic fools tampering with forces they don't understand, and expressing his usual lack of patience with those less intelligent than himself, which in this story is absolutely everybody. The (relative) humorlessness of the normally cheeky, campy Doc helps underscore the mounting sense of doom. As always, the guest characters help to make the episode. Professor Sorenson, the Jekkyl/Hyde character, is both creepy and pitiable with his sunken, bleary eyes, stubbly face, and mixture of nervousness and exhaustion; he is more complex than your average guest character and it is difficult to see if he will play out as a villain or a hero. Not so with Controller Salamar, a ship's captain so repressed and stuck-up not only would butter not melt in his mouth, but if you inserted a lump of coal into this bloke's you-know-what, in thirty seconds you'd have a diamond. What Salamar lacks in charm, me makes up for with his shoot first, ask-questions-never style of command. Finally there is Vishinsky, the kindly veteran X.O., who seems to have gotten the helping of common sense that Salamar missed out on when he was going back to the buffet for a second course of being a jackass. All of these actors work well.

One interesting feature of the story is its violence. This episode has a huge body count and there are times I half-expected to hear that creepy "ch-ch-ch, ha-ha-ha" music from "Friday the 13th" as our heroes stumble around in the jungle, waiting to die.

Speaking of which, "Planet's" biggest strength is its creepy production design -- Zeta Minor, where most of the story takes place, is strange, jungle-like, very alien and claustrophobic, perfect to the atmosphere of the story. The black pit from whence the creature emerges is truly eerie-looking, and a very nice bit of prop-work, especially the fake bubbles which give it the illusion of depth. And the ship, which serves as the final battleground has an unpleasant, overbright 'death trap' feel to it.

One minor quibble -- when the irradiated Sorenson does his slavering, shamelessly over-the-top Mr. Hyde routine, it takes a will of iron not to burst out into hysterical laughter. Blaaaaah! Yeaaaaahh! Grrrrrr! Trick or treat! He hardly needed to strangle his victims; they would have laughed themselves into heart attacks anyway. This aside, "Planet" is one of the more downright creepy episodes shot during Baker's run, and it does an effective job of putting our heroes through one wringer after another before the Tardis whisks off on its next adventure.

A great Doctor Who Story
Planet of Evil is an amazing story prbably one of the creapist of the Doctor Who stories from the 4th Doctor's era.It saw them land on a planet called Zeta Minor in the far future.The Doctor battling an unknown entity controled by antiMatter. What more can i say very enjoyable story. Tom Baker at his best.

The boundary between matter and anti-matter
The year--37,166. The place: Zeta Minor, at the fringes of the known universe. The surviving members of a Morestran survey team are being killed off by an invisible force in a way that resembles "a rapid form of freeze drying." Dr. Sorenson is on the verge of a scientific discovery that could save the Morestran civilization--their sun is dying. Baldwin, a member of the expedition, manages to activate an SOS as he is being attacked. Guess who answers the SOS? A certain jelly-baby loving Time Lord and his assistant.

Also en route to Zeta Minor is a military expedition headed by the young and inexperienced Controller, Salamar. The Doctor and Sarah are captured by Salamar's troops and accused of murdering seven members of Sorenson's expedition. They escape, only to encounter the cause of the deaths at the cliffhanger to Episode 1. Speaking of cliffhangers, the one ending Episode 2 is effective, as the Doctor is seen falling into the black pit, seemingly doomed.

All the great lines are by the Doctor, but this one covers the overall concept of colonial thinking and Sorenson's mission: "Here on Zeta Minor is the boundary between existence as you know it and the other universe which you don't understand. You call it 'nothing' a word term to cover ignorance, and centuries ago, scientists invented another name for it: anti-matter. And you, by coming here, have crossed that boundary into that other Universe to plunder it." Sorensen, however, puts it another wayL "Full scale exploitation of this planet will provide us with perpetual energy in whatever way we need it." The main point being that Sorenson cannot take any minerals of that planet with him. In the meantime, Sorenson's men are being killed off one by one.

Prentis Hancock's impatient action-not-waiting Salamar is a retread of his portrayal as Vaber in Planet Of The Daleks. But Ewen Solon takes top honors as the older and wiser voice of reason, a variation of the Trojan War's Nestor, as second-in-command Vishinsky.

Other notes: The anti-matter monster, despite being shown corporeally on the video cover, is only seen as a glowing yellow outline, which is an interesting way. And Elizabeth Sladen's expression, especially her eyes, brilliantly portray that feeling of her mind leaving her body, a sensation she feels whenever the anti-creature is near. The casualty rate is also high in this story.

By Episode Three, there is a clear Jekyll and Hyde theme established. The larger theme is that of anti-colonialism, a theme previously explored in the Who story The Mutants. Figures, since the British Empire plundered resources of countries in its domain. And with this story, the British, by experience, portrays the immorality of exploiting other countries for their wealth. Sounds like a country I'm familiar with. A worthy story in the Dr. Who canon. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Really funny
The first half is a hoot the whole way through, it has to be the funniest Young Indy episode. The ending is great; I remember being surprised when I first watched it on TV, so I won't give it away. I'll just say Giulietta isn't as naive as she seemed.

To the second half. This one wasn't supposed to be amusing, but it was. First off I'll say that I did not like Edith Wharton, and from what I've read about her books, I wouldn't like them either. (Basically they're about people with repressed passions, who have affairs that ruin their lives...blah). Edith is obviously going through a midlife crises, and sees Indy as a potential boy toy to make her feel young again. Indy sees her as a mother figure, though a couple lines at the end try to convince us he wishes he were his father's age so he could have a romantic relationship with her. Frankly, it sounded more like he was just saying that to make her feel better.

There was some slight adventure going on in the second half, but it was just backdrop for the romantic tale. All in all, this one is great to watch if you want to laugh at the characters all the way through.

One of the best in the series to start with
Though the series is plagued with misguided efforts to steer Indy into the company of historical greats, this time Lucasfilm keeps the improbabilities to a minimum. This pleasant surprise allows Indy some interesting character development. This is the only tape in which both hours are devoted to romantic plot lines.

Hour One has Indy scuffling with Ernest Hemingway over the affections of an Italian heiress. It's an unusually light-hearted turn for the series to take. The battle between Hemingway and Jones is a treat, and we're more than glad that the battlefield is Italian. Happily, too, Hemingway's appearance in the episode is plausible and welcome. Nothing very original happens in this oft-repeated tale of romantic rivalry, but it's cleverly done against gorgeous backdrops so we hardly mind the staleness of the plot. It's particularly satisfying to see Indy so romantically vulnerable, if only because he grows up to be more of a cynic in the theatrical films. The groundwork laid in this episode introduces us to the side of Harrison Ford's Indy that recklessly falls for the German archaeologist in THE LAST CRUSADE. Yet it also gives us a peek into why he might've had problems committing to Karen Allen's Marion Ravenwood character in RAIDERS.

Hour Two is one of my favorite hours because it combines an interesting mystery with Moroccan surroundings and the unrequited love of an older woman. The friendship with the very much older Edith Wharton is handled with great tact and affection. It is this relationship, more than any other in the YOUNG INDY series, which demonstrates Indy's true philosophical take on women. We see here that he is not a rogue capable of maliciously ruining Marion's life in RAIDERS-as Marion accuses-but that the end to Indy's longest-lasting relationship must have come for other, more noble reasons.

Also, there's a lot more to Hour Two than tentative romance. A mystery of interesting proportions is afoot, and Indy's tracking of it is a delight. It's a kind of Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes mystery, with Indy doing some pretty impressive sleuthing.

All in all, then, "Tales of Innocence" is a highly recommendable member of the YOUNG INDY series, and should probably be one of the first three tapes newcomers watch.

WOW!
This has to be the best out of the titles released in the UK so far ('Phantom Train of Doom', 'Treasure of the Peacock's Eye', 'Daredevils of the Desert' and this itself). I know that may not be saying all that much, but this is truly a FANTASTIC chapter of Indiana Jones.

The love story in the first half is my favourite part of it. Very comic but also moving. It's also really great to see Pernilla August (Shmi Skywalker, Anakin's mother from 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace') in another good role - she's even playing a main character's mother again!

Pretty good
Now I remember, Jay Underwood is his name! Well, I love his Hemmingway performance here and even more in Mystery of the Blues. I'd say this one is great...the first half that is, the second half has it's moments, but I didn't really like that old lady.

A lovely story of romance and growth
I love the arc of this video. Starting with a comic tale of a crush (and romantic competition with 'Ernie' Hemingway), continuing with a short, sexual fling, and ending with a adult, lovely, if doomed relationship with Edith Wharton.

Flanery does a wonderful job of letting us see Indy grow and mature thru these adventures. ... Read more

Reviews (68)

Inspirational
I have wanted to be a teacher for years now and watching movies like The Emperor's Club make me dream about teacher even more. The Emperor's Club is about a group of affluent teenagers at an elite private school with a teacher better than one can imagine. Kevin Kline is this teacher, and once again delivers with an amazing performance. Unfortunately after giving these students a year of his life, and making decisions based on favorites, he is struck with the harsh reality that some people, one student in particular, are ruthless and greedy. This reality strikes him on one more occasion as a slap in the face to him that some people never change. The Emperor's Club is not a movie just about how people cannot be trusted, but how people make mistakes, and how other people can forgive them for their mistakes. It is about learning, even teachers learning, lessons of life that everybody learns at some point. The Emperor's Club was fascinating film from pretty much every aspect. Although it reminded me of Dead Poets Society, the best film of this genre ever, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

An engrossing tale, well acted by Kevin Kline
The Emperor's Club was one of the best films about a teacher that I've seen. It was a refreshing and rewarding movie because the story kept my interest without ever slipping into Hollywood's normal excessive sentimentality or easy plot turns. Kevin Kline was perfectly cast as a history teacher at an exclusive boy's school (Mr. Hundert, not "Herdunt"), and his struggles with a difficult student (Bell) didn't always unfold the way I thought they would.

Hundert faced various moral dilemmas during the story. The situations that led to those dilemmas and the teacher's decisions were both presented in realistic ways. Who knows how any of us would have have handled similar decisions? In fact, I saw the film with a teacher friend who remarked about the movie's accuracy, that indeed sometimes teachers must decide whether to grade a student higher than merited (to inspire) or give the appropriate grade and risk de-motivation.

The best thing about The Emperor's Club was the gracefulness and subtlety in how the story was told, epitomized by its untidy yet still satisfying conclusion. It's a movie that will lead to active discussions between moviegoers after leaving the theater.

Reaches for greatness--and misses
Finally, someone makes a movie like Dead Poet's Society! Well, no, not exactly. I'm a sucker for Kevin Kline, and it's hard to argue with his performance--or Emile Hirsch's--in this film. But the script screws the actors. This isn't a terrible movie--it's a pleasant enough way to pass a few hours--but the promise of the obvious comparisons to the Robin Williams hit makes it a disappointment. And just wait for the whammy that hits ten minutes from the end--a total repeat of the plot from the first half of the movie. The lesson, apparently, is that some folks never learn from their mistakes. Including Hollywood folk who tag good actors with a bad script...

Kevin Kline is a teacher
An excellent plot "with a twist", plus illuminated acting of Kevin Kline and a well chosen cast makes this movie a rewarding entertainement.

A DIFFERENT SHADE ON THE TEACHER-STUDENT THEME
For the first 15 minutes, I felt that the movie would walk that oft-tread road of teacher-student movies such as Holland's Opus, Finding Forrester, Dead Poets Society etc.

But in the end, it takes on a different contour than what I would have imagined through its course, so that was a welcome denouement.

The finishing twist is delivered with a flourish, and although I felt that the writer didn't quite have the guts to follow his story to its natural, cynical conclusion, the end was surely a bit unpredictable.

The story line, admittedly, is on a diet. But the script is taut. What really shimmers though is the acting. Kevin Kline is, as always, in top form, he neither underplays nor overplays his professor role getting everything just right, from his quiet, guilt-ridden introspection to the light comedy that results from a frivolous baseball game. And as the counterpart protagonist Emile Hirsch displays the arrogant bravado one expects from a bad seed student rather well.

All in all, I probably wouldn't see this movie more than once, but it's a worthwhile rental. Especially to watch with kids for some decent messages about morals, discipline, friendship, respect. ... Read more

Reviews (216)

Go girl! Hitch's feminist fable.
Although Hitchcock listed this as one of his 2 favorite films, I had once viewed it as "closet drama" because of the limited set, conventional bad guy, passive good guy. The voyeuristic angle was interesting, even provocative to a point, but insufficient to save the movie from its sense of claustrophobic one-dimensionality.

That was before I viewed the film through the eyes of Grace Kelly. In one respect, the critical, pivotal moment in the movie is not when Kelly puts herself at risk in Raymond Burr's apartment, nor is it the film's climax with James Stewart fending off the murderer with his camera's flash bulbs. Rather, it's the moment when Hitchcock's camera (not Stewart's) shows Kelly's eyes suddenly open wide and come alive when she, too, becomes interested in the scenes being played out on the other side of the court yard.

At this point, within the first half of the film, Kelley drops her high society, fashion-model airs and her constant mothering of Stewart. She now spectates with greater curiosity and imagination than Stewart, and even though she questions these "rear window ethics" and characterizes her behavior as "ghoulish," it's clear she has become a major player, fully participating in the game of voyeurism, scopophilia, and fetishism that is normally assigned only to men who fail to emerge from an obsessively narcissistic and hedonistic childhood.

For the past 20 years feminist academics have been applying "male gaze theory" to just about every film in sight, and invariably to the discredit of the male. He is the subject; she's the object; he's the one who sees; she's the one who is seen; he owns the gaze in all of his power, pleasure, and guilt; she can only helplessly follow the gaze, experiencing a kind of masochistic pleasure at best.

In "Rear Window" Hitchcock, frequently depicted by feminist critics as a mother-obsessed misogynist, turns gaze theory on its head. Grace Kelly demonstrates that a woman can get as much pleasure from looking as do men--an irony of collossal proportions when we consider that as a high fashion model her role, if not job, is to be looked at and photographed.

But Hitchcock's film manages to liberate its central heroine's vision while preserving the "institutions" of marriage, motherhood, and femininity. What is the object of Kelly's pursuit while playing the game at its most intense moment? A wedding ring, which she flashes before the probing telescopic lens of Stewart. And at the end of the film, the camera makes clear that, pending his recovery from double castration (both legs are now broken), he will no longer go off on adventures without Kelly at his side. But then, of course, Hitch has his final little joke when, once Stewart goes to sleep, Kelly (now wearing pants) puts away her mountain-climbing magazine and replaces it with a high fashion title. Still, a radical film for Hitchcock and, for that matter, most other filmmakers.

The DVD makes it all the more possible to read the visual dynamics of the film, permitting razor sharp stills of the principals' faces and eyes, disclosing the act of seeing to a degree never before possible.

Checking Out a Murder with Hitchcock
A daredevil confined to a wheelchair is the concept of Alfred Hitchcock's comedy-mystery "Rear Window", a man of action so bored with his confinement that he begins spying on the neighbors he can see across his Greenwich Village courtyard: the frustrated composer,the "interpretative dancer", the newlyweds, the desperately lonely spinster ... and the bickering couple. The wife suddenly disappears. Has she been murdered? L.B. Jeffries thinks so, and he convinces his fiancée Lisa (Grace Kelly) and the insurance company nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) who visits him every day. (Jeffries, a professional photographer, has been temporarily disabled in an accident.) This set-up is perfect for Hitchcock, who loved tense situations in close quarters ("Life Boat", "Rope"), and who was in top form when he directed this masterpiece of entertainment in 1954. (There was a made-for-TV remake a few years back; according to... reviewers, it's pretty awful.) James Stewart was one of Hollywood's most popular personalities, but he was often mis-cast. He was pushing fifty when he played the 25-year old Lindbergh in"The Spirit of St Louis". Similarly, in "Rear Window" he's too mature for the lead. The part just weeps for William Holden. Stewart even takes his shirt off in a couple of scenes, revealing a pale, thin physique. The idea that Grace Kelly would travel all the way down from the East Sixties to Greenwich Village to spend the evening with him is a little ... well,unbelievable. Miss Kelly is almost as seductive here as she was in her next Hitchcock "To Catch a Thief".The Master was obviously infatuated -- but, then, who wasn't? She also had a droll sense of humor: the way she pronounces "weird" is priceless. Thelma Ritter and Wendell Corey give witty support. Raymond Burr, just a couple of years away from playing the most famous of fictional lawyers, is quite creepy as the killer Thorwald. The sound track is a mixed marvel of car traffic, distant voices, and snatches of music; it sounds great with stereophonic ear phones. About the only real complaint in John Michael Hayes' screenplay that the pragmatic might bring up: Doesn't Jeffries ever LOCK his door?

Trapped in a Sound Stage
I don't think this is Hitch's best film. It is highly ranked by film rating services, sometimes higher than Vertigo, but I can't agree. There's something claustrophobic about what is essentially a movie set. We are stuck in that lofty room with the big glass windows. Jimmy Stewart peers across a courtyard and observes New Yorkers in their habitat. When I was in elementary school we used to have projects called diorama's where we would take a shoebox and decorate it like a stage. Each apartment in Hitch's diorama showcases a mostly silent vignette, the gorgeous dancer and her boyfriends, the lonely-heart middle-age lady, the sex crazed newlyweds, and the guy who kills his wife. Stewart can watch all the fun, but with a broken leg, he can't leave the apartment to do anything about it. Hence, the suspense centers on Stewarts inability to maneuver when his girlfriend, fashion gal, Grace Kelly breaks into the killers apartment to find clues. We see the killer coming down the hall and Jimmy can't warn her from his perch. Stewart and Kelly are interesting as a couple with opposite interests. She's high fashion-society chick and he's a rough-it, world-traveling photographer. These differences never really resolve and Stewart appears maybe 15-20 years older than young marriage-scheming Grace. This is really a stage play with stage play lighting and a who-dun-it plot. Great suspense, yes, but not as good as Vertigo by a mile.

The Perfect Alfred Hitchcock Movie
North By Northwest and Vertigo are spectacular cinematic achievements but, for me, Rear Window is the one Hitchcock movie everyone must see. It is as perfect as a Hitchcock movie can be. One of the greatest American movies ever made. Not one false note. It is the movie I would show to someone who hasn't seen a Hitchcock movie but wonders what they're all about and why he's so revered. The tremendous psychological drama and cat and mouse suspense are perfectly tuned. Stewart turns in a brillantly nuanced performance as a morally dubious peeping tom. The film is about him, of course. Not about an unseen murder or a pieced together amateur murder investigation. Listen to the dialogue and observe the interactions between Stewart and his guests. Subtext and more subtext. Just perfect.

If you prefer souffle over meat or casserolle
5 stars as a piece of cinematic craft. 1 star as substance. another hitchcock exercise of excellent pacing, subtle humor and
droll commentary on the folly of human behavior, heavy on dramatic artifice, as are most of hitchcok's films. ... Read more

Description

In one of the most popular episodes, the Doctor and Romana must abandon plans for a peaceful holiday in Paris when curious cracks appear in the fabric of time itself. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Most accessible to new Whovians
CITY OF DEATH remains one of the few Doctor Who episodes to not be novelized, despite the fact that it is probably one of the most imaginative, funny and even most accessible to new viewers of the series. It is cheifly written by Douglas Adams, known for his multi-media work THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. (In fact, the plot for Adams' third HITCHHIKER book was orginally proposed as DOCTOR WHO AND THE KRIKKETMEN, which was turned down for being too silly.) Genre fans may also recognize character actor Julian Glover from INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE or very briefly in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Monty Python's John Cleese and Eleanor Bron also have cameos. Incidentally, CITY OF DEATH is probably the strongest example of the on-screen chemistry between Tom Baker and Lalla Ward. (They were married a little over a year later.) All in all, this is probably the best post-KEY TO TIME Tom Baker story.

One of Doctor Who's most overrated stories
A lot of fans are quick to state that "City of Death" is one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever made. I couldn't disagree more.

Placed firmly in what is argueably one of the worst Dr. Who seasons of all time, "City of Death" comes out smelling like roses. But does that make it a good story?

The short answer is, quite frankly, no. Don't get me wrong--Douglas Adams creates some unique one-liners and the cast appears to be having a good time on location in Paris. But what the story lacks is the sophistication, intelligence and pure enjoyment that made up the early Tom Baker stories. Tom Baker's unrestrained performance needs to be roped in a bit and Lalla Ward is a bit too understated in only her second appearance as Romana II. Throw in a storyline that is far too predictable and never really gains any momentum and you've got a mess disguising itself as a classic story.

If you're a Who fan, take the this story and watch it alongside such truly classic stories as Caves of Androzani or Genesis of the Daleks. You'll find that it truly pales by comparison.

more tom baker crap
Shall we take the lift or fly? (...) Really! Other than that moment, this is witty. Then again, most of this season is more or less witty, even Destiny of the Daleks and Craeture from the Pit are witty from time to time. But they're dismissed as rubbish, which they are, but for some reason this is praised to the hilt, probably because this actually looks fairly good with slick production, location filming in Paris and stylish human baddies, one of whom is revealed as an alien. But it's really not much better than the rest of the silly season. If Dr.Who was a light weight comedy show, this would be a giant. But since its a Science Fiction drama, adventure and suspense series, this tale of a masked alien whose head is too big to fit in his mask is overrated beyond belief. It's just another case of, if you're nuts about Tom Baker and assume he's always a genius, you'll love it. If you find him a right bore who lacks the depth of Pertwee, Davison and Troughton, you'll see this pap for what it is! Amusing and nice to look at...but way short of great Who!

"That could have been the most important punch in history!"
The Doctor and Romana visit Paris to see some great art. When time begins to repeat itself, the Doctor suspects something is wrong. This adventure has possibly the best witty lines, as in:

"That Would look silly. We'll thake the lift"
"My dear, no one can be stupid as he seems"

and a lot more lines!

Gets my vote for most overrated story ever
THE GOOD

There's alot going for this story. The location filming is excellent, some pretty funny dialogue(my favourite is the Doctor's "What a wonderful butler. He's so violent") and some intersting indeas and if you like detective stories it is a bit of a throwback to old gumshoe stories of years ago. But........

THE BAD

Cut away all that and you get a pretty routine story who's overall plot is just rehash of The Daemons and Image of the Fendhal(two stories I highly recommend). This story is the Doctor Who equivalent of a boy-band cd. You get all these bells and whistles in the story but very little substance and nothing really you haven't gotten before. Also Scaroth has to be the most unoriginal and generic villain in the shows history(even more unoriginal than the Mandril from Nightmare of Eden). I think this is a case where people have confused popularity with greatness. Sure the story is popular, but so what? Hey the Spice Girls outsold the Beatles does that mean the Spice Girls were the better band? Of course not. Just remember just because its popular doesen't mean its one of the best.

THE UGLY

While Scaroth maybe unoriginal he sure is ugly. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A first-rate Dalek story. The peak of an under-rated era.
The Doctor and Peri arrive on Necros, the 'planet of the dead', where there is a whole complex filled with people in suspended animation whilst the Great Healer works on cures for whatever diseases they are suffering from.

But before long the 'Great Healer' is revealed to be none other than Davros, sinister genetic engineer and creator of the Daleks. Having been abandoned by the original Daleks, he is engineering replacements.

This is not only the best Colin Baker story, but also one of the finest Dalek adventures ever made. There is a very grown-up feel about it with genuine suspence, sexual undercurrents and horror which is suggestive rather than tasteless. The whole thing is filled with strong characters such as bounty hunters (a space-age knight and his squire), a superbly cold-hearted female villain and a futuristically-weird DJ. Davros and the Daleks (with impressive new white casings) are at their dramatic best and the music and scenery are first-rate. Watch for one partically memorable scene involving a glass Dalek.

Highly recommended. Even if you dislike Colin Baker (though personally I think he was an under-rated Doctor who should have been given more time in the series), this adventure is still unmissable.

Saward is God!
I loved Resurrection of the Daleks and Earthshock is my all time favourite story, but this is still a very good example of the brilliance of Eric Saward and is as radically different to everything he wrote before as The Visitation was to what he did after it! Amazing man and an amazing time in Who history! This is the pinnacle of Colin Baker's era, where the mix of comedy and horror which his era attempted right from the start finally fulfills it's promise completely. If you liked psycho Peri-choking post reneration Baker, grisly TV violence on Varos, hand crushing Cybermen and bad puns from the Doctor on Telos, and the canabalistic butchery of Vegetarians with a little help from Pat Troughton, then this trip to the biggest funeral parlour in the galaxy where people eat their own dead and your dead's head is inside a see though Dalek with brains popping out will make your day! Left unchecked, Colin Baker's era may have evolved into a work of art unsurpassed in TV history, if this story is any indication of the direction it was taking. Dark satire with slick style and wicked humour, this is the blackest, smoothest dose of Dr.Who ever. It is not for everyone and that's for sure, but what a shame we never got to see what came next. Instead, BBC head honcho Grade stepped in (he hated the show!) and the Trial of a Time Lord followed instead. Ah, well.

Welcome to Tranquil Repose...and to ivory and gold Daleks
The final story of the 22nd season of Doctor Who has the Time Lord dealing with his worst enemies, those Dalek pepperpots, only this time they have a really nice ivory and gold colour scheme.

The Doctor and Peri are paying their respects to Arthur Stengos, one of the galaxy's finest agronomists. His body is lying in the Tranquil Repose on the planet Nekros (perfect place for a funeral planet!). TR is a cryogenics repository where people with incurable diseases are suspended and later restored to life when a cure for their condition has been found. At the same time, TR's vain and arrogant supervisor, Jobel is ready to make funerary history, as he has just finished the president's wife and is ready, with his staff to receive the president. Jobel is played by Clive Swift, best known as Richard, Hyacinth's husband in Keeping Up Appearances. He has a great line at the Doctor's expense. After being insulted by the Doctor, who has survived a phony statue falling on him, Jobel retorts, "If the statue had been made of stone I doubt if would've killed you. ... It would take a mountain to crush an ego like yours."

Then there's Grigori and Natasha, the latter Stengos's daughter, who break into the catacombs, where the vaults are. She suspects her father's body has been stolen, and indeed it has. But where's the head? She and her partner find it, and it's being put to grotesque use.

However, that's not all the work going on at Tranquil Repose. The turbaned Kara (Eleanor Bron) is in charge of a factory manufacturing a high protein concentrate ready to sell to developing planets at such a low price, their accountants are embarrassed. Whatever profit she gains is being squeezed by the Great Healer, an alias used by Davros, creator of the Daleks and now master of a new breed of Daleks subservient to him rather than the Supreme Dalek. However, not to worry-she has hired Orcini, a professional assassin and excommunicated member of the Grand Order of the Knights of Oberon to get rid of Davros, and he is dedicated. He has an artificial leg with a faulty hydraulic valve, and rather than getting it replaced, he prefers the inconvenience as a reminder of his mortality and to keep his mind alert. He's also conscientious, as he gives any fees he gets to charity. Assassinating Davros is an honourary job he is willing to undertake.

Davros himself is aware of the Doctor's presence, but he has eyes and ears around TR. He rants against Jobel, who refused his offer of immortality, and uses Tasambeker, played by Jenny Tomasin (Ruby from Upstairs Downstairs) a fawning and not too good looking female employee infatuated with him, as a loyal servant, and later, orders her to kill Jobel, who conspires with employees Takis and Lilt against him. And he thinks the DJ, a prattling disc jockey, played funnily by Alexi Sayle, who pipes in announcements and 50's/60's music to the bodies in state, knows too much.

There is all sorts of violence here. A leg is blown off one person, a hand off another, but Script Editor Eric Saward defended the violence as being realistic instead of the phony violence one sees in US action movies. If you shoot someone's hand at close range, it gets blown off, plain and simple.

Saward had read Evelyn's Waugh's The Loved One, which takes place in a funeral parlour, where Aimee Thanatogenos, a crematorium cosmetician becomes infatuated with artiste embalmer Mr. Joyboy. Here, Joyboy becomes Jobel, and Thanatogenos becomes Tasambeker. Indeed, a line from Jobel on the president's wife also mentions the title: "she's a loved one who's passed on to pastures finer and lusher than those she knew in life."

There are actually places like Tranquil Repose on Earth, but would they be economically feasible? With overpopulation, future generations have no incentive to cure the sick from generations back, as they would be technologically and culturally out-of-date. What could they do if cured?

A worthwhile story, given that most of the story dealt with the non-Dalek shenanigans going on in TR, but afterwards, it was clear that Doctor Who was living on borrowed time.

Flashy Tedium
Even when I was 12 I knew there was something "off" about the Colin Baker years. In the beginning I just wanted to watch "Doctor Who", so I never turned a critical eye to stories like "The Twin Dilemma" or "Vengeance on Varos". I was only bothered by the nonsensical formatting of the episodes screened in the US: I didn't know that Doctor Who had been converted to 45-minute episodes, because they were still screened here in 25-minute blocks. Each story from Season 22 had arbitrary cliffhangers ("Can you show us to this hacienda?" "Of course, it is this way") mixed in with the "real" ones. And that made no sense.

Through the years my individual opinions on the Season 22 stories have fluctuated. I have "Vengeance on Varos" on my "ugh" list even though I loved it once, and "Revelation of the Daleks" was usually on the "good" list. You had Daleks, and Graeme Harper directing, and a layered script with lots of action going on... what wasn't to like?

But tonight, I'm just wondering what the fuss is about.

Well, the direction is still superb, obviously. Graeme Harper brings back welcome tricks from his previous story, "The Caves of Androzani" -- there's someone walking behind a hologram again -- but there's now expanded use of computer graphics, and a wonderful sight gag with the vertical hold in which the screen appears to start flipping. The opening frames of the story show the TARDIS crash-landing on Necros, and the exteriors (a snowbound landscape with steam escaping from the water) are gorgeous.

Only towards the end does it start to look silly: suddenly, Davros's chair can levitate, and he can blast forks of blue fire from his fingertips. The scene after that is totally incomprehensible, as a Dalek begins flying, exterminates two people, and then explodes into pixels for no good reason.

So this is, I think, a case of great direction crushing an empty script. To be exceedingly reductionist, the supporting cast of "Revelation of the Daleks" is just a bunch of people with annoying voices, shouting at one another. Every time Tasambeker the love-struck medical student raised her voice ("Meanwhile... find the intruders!"), I cringed. It's neat that Kara, the greedy industrialist, has such great chemistry with Vogel, her administrative assistant from the John Waters school of acting, but it's all spoiled when another character has to peer into the camera and tell us they're "like a double act".

"Revelation" is often compared to "Androzani", probably because they were both directed by Graeme Harper. But consider this: one lacks the themes of the other. There is no grand opera in "Revelation", pitting Morgus against Sharaz Jek. There is no higher morality, of the Doctor trying to save Peri's life by finding the antidote. There is no grand political bantering between Morgus and the President. In "Androzani", the Doctor's presence served as a catalyst to change the motivations of the guest characters (Morgus, Jek); here, the entire story happens without the Doctor's involvement. In "Revelation", Kara would still have been killed by Orcini, and the Skaro Daleks would still have arrested Davros, and Orcini would still have destroyed Davros's laboratory, even if the Doctor never walked into Tranquil Repose.

Maybe comparison to "Androzani" is unfair, but I'm still not convinced of the merit of what's left standing alone. The tragic figure of "Revelation", Orcini, a disgraced space knight, prattles on and on about honor and noble self-sacrifice until he blows up an empty room (with a thousand unseen Daleks allegedly off camera). So? And the other incidental characters have been overpraised: Vogel's death scene is ludricous -- if the Daleks were truly scary, their death-rays wouldn't have left him time to scowl comically before falling. Jobel's dialogue is some of the worst Doctor Who ever saw -- the TV series wasn't really about a mann who'd comb his toupee, or talk about nose picking, or lips meant for kissing. Grigory (the definition of "cipher") is the most inebriated character in "Doctor Who" history -- he's even tortured with a whiskey hip flask, for goodness sakes! This may have worked on "Red Dwarf", but not for the man in the blue box.

The best part of "Revelation of the Daleks" -- again, I'm going against popular opinion -- is the DJ. Yes, he falls into the annoying-voice syndrome with everyone else in Part One. But once he's introduced to Peri in Part Two, we see this DJ really is a decent guy. Alexei Sayle even affects the best "American" accent we ever got in the show. When he destroys a few Daleks with a "highly directional, ultrasonic beam of rock and roll!", it's a stand up and cheer moment, finally -- we're getting the self-aware humor that Jobel and Orcini so conspicuously lacked. But when the DJ is exterminated, so is the story's moral centerpiece. The only guest characters who survive are ones we really don't care about.

The Doctor's final lesson, that you can build an economy on flowers rather than corpses, allows "Revelation of the Daleks" to breathe again, to stand proudly with the lessons of, say, "The Savages" and "Enlightenment". But by then, it's too late.

I mean it when I say this is the *best* of the whole series.
My title really means something, considering that Doctor Who lasted 26 years and featured 160 different stories. But indeed, "Revelation of the Daleks" is in my opinion the very best of not only Colin Baker's all-too-brief reign as the Doctor, but of the entire series. It really has it all, starting with a great Doctor/Companion partnership... the Sixth Doctor and Peri interact marvellously, and have been together long enough for anyone to see that they have become good friends (even if the Doctor can still be snappy and childishly passive-aggressive... Peri's used to it by now, and doesn't take it personally). Each have a number of fantastic scenes, from scrambling over the wall after being unable to find a door ('watch it, Porky!'), to individual moments with the Doctor ('ah! There you are! They went that way.') But the heart of this story isn't the Doctor and Peri... it's Davros, and the colourful cast of characters that share the world on Necros with him.

But first let me comment on Necros... I love that planet! From the first shot of the frozen lake the TARDIS materializes beside, to the exterior shots of the Tranquil Repose Mortuary, where the story is for the most part set, it really feels REAL. Necros feels like a world that really extends beyond the little we see of it in the story, unlike the majority of the planets we see on Doctor Who, and I appreciate it. All the grim stuff that happens there aside, it's really a place I'd like to visit. Plus, the sets of the interiors to Tranquil Repose are vast and intricately detailed... a real treat after so much sterility in so many of the stories that came before this one. I mean really... is there one location in this story that can be described as boring? From the hallways to the catacombs to even the waiting room where the Doctor and Peri arrive to unravel the mystery of the place?

Now, the characters. There seems to be no end of them, and each one is bizarre and interesting. From Mr. Jobel to the DeeJay to Orsini... all are brilliantly thought out and performed. Though many don't like the DeeJay, as played by "The Young Ones"' Alexei Sayle, I actually find him to be the best guest character in the story. I mean, his obnoxious radio voice is after all, just a part of his character's performance... the man behind the voice is revealed to be a very kind and warm-hearted man, and his scenes with Peri are absolutely wonderful.

Davros is the centrepiece of the story, though. I sometimes feel that his name should have been in the story title rather than his creations'. I hate to give away too much of the plot, but his scheme, though a complicated one, is by far his most villainous (touches of the revelation of "Soylent Green" aside, it's his method of "healing" the sick people under his care that really send chills down my spine). Terry Molloy deserves more credit... true, he isn't Michael Wisher, but he still did a fabulous job with the character.

Let me just close by saying that "Revelation of the Daleks" is the one Doctor Who story to watch if you want to be entertained by something truly atmospheric and different. There's so much going for it that you'll never get tired of seeing it, and will probably appreciate it more with each repeated viewing. If you're one of those Doctor Who fans who can't stand the Colin Baker era, at least give this one a try. Even if it doesn't change your mind about him (though it should!), I have a feeling you'll still enjoy this story.

Carry on Carry on,

MN ... Read more