Doctor Who - The Dalek Films Blu-ray Review

dalek-films-bluray We€™re all too aware that this year is the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, but 2013 is also the centenary of actor Peter Cushing. Most famous for his regular appearances in the Hammer Horror Films he also dabbled in Science Fiction with both appearances in Star Wars as the chiseled cheekboned €˜Grand Moff Tarkin€™ and rather than just simply appearing in Doctor Who he went one better, portraying the Doctor, or rather €˜Dr. Who€™ in a pair of big screen adaptations of €˜The Daleks€™ and €˜The Dalek Invasion of Earth€™. To celebrate both of these landmark birthdays Studio Canal is releasing the two movies €˜Dr. Who and the Daleks€™ and €˜Dalek Invasion Earth 2150 AD€™ in glorious, newly restored high definition, with cinema releases to follow later in the year. The Blu Rays will feature higher picture and sound quality than ever before as well as new and exclusive special features. These will be available to buy on 27th May, but I am able to give you a sneak peak at the releases before they hit the shelves. So what does the world of Dr. Who have to offer? Firstly a little background on the films as a whole, for those of you that have never seen or heard of them before. The mid 1960s saw the rise of a fad known as Dalekmania. From the Dalek€™s first appearance in Doctor Who, the children and some adults of the nation were hooked. Contracts and scripts were written up after the airing of each of the first two Dalek stories for producers AARU to make 90 minute big screen adaptations. The different format and the fact that the movies were going to be produced while the TV series was in production (which at the time was most of the year) meant AARU had to use some creative license when it came to making the movies. Firstly, all the lead characters had to be recast, hence Peter Cushing as Dr.Who, known both in the UK and stateside to make the films more marketable, Roberta Tovey as his Grandaughter Susan who here is still very much a child and the companions changed between the two films. Huge portions of the scripts were cut or edited down to make them a bit faster paced. The first two Dalek stories were 7 and 6 weekly episodes respectively, clocking in between two and a half and 3 hours each in total, the only person who could carry that off on the big screen would probably be Peter Jackson. Given how he would have been aged 3 or 4 at the time, this was not possible. A further change that may catch you by surprise is the fact that both the Doctor, here named Dr. Who and Susan are completely human. Dr. Who being a bumbling scientist who has built a TARDIS in his back yard. The big selling point of these movies that largely overshadow the films star, was of course the Daleks, with the addition that you could see them on the big screen, for the first time ever and incidentally the only time since and also, €˜IN COLOUR!€™ as the original poster so proudly boasts. So these movies are quite a significant document of the culture at the time and just how popular both Doctor Who and the Daleks were and in addition, a notable change of direction for one of Britain€™s most beloved film legends. So get behind the cinema chairs as we journey to the world of Skaro in Dr. Who and the Daleks.
Contributor
Contributor

My name is Jon, recently graduated media production student. Always on the look out for chances to do what I enjoy and make it count. Writing, filming, animating, editing, radio. My speciality seems to be Doctor Who, years of accumulated knowledge and passion appear to be paying off creatively this being one outlet channel. So thanks for sharing in that with me and offering your support by reading my articles.