Post by Cyggy on Mar 19, 2023 15:44:56 GMT
From a 2021 rewatch of the Missing Episodes only....
Episode 1:
(Using the official BBC animation)
First things first, I remember the scene of the TARDIS crew being hurled around the console room as it was described in the novelisation by Gerry Davis, but had no idea what had precipitated it - or indeed what the previous story was that it had clifhangered from. This novelisation was the first time I met Ben, Polly and Jamie, although any resemblance to the actors was purely coincidental.....
And the completely incorrect Cyber-design mattered not a jot, even though the internal illustrations of them said otherwise.
Then it was a case of finding out that many Troughton episodes were missing from the archives, including half of this story. Amazing that I now have a choice of either an animation or a reconstruction and that THE MOONBASE is finally on my shelves.
I still rate the animation of this as the best animation yet, as it tries not to reinvent the wheel, with widescreen, colour and shoehorned in posters of the Whittaker era Master, but rather tries to give us what was on screen as best as it can.
I love that musical effect, the eerie signature tune of the Moon's surface, like a wailing musical cry. Just so fitting, although I imagine it was cobbled up from the music library. Am not certain if it was used in other stories.... ?
Harking back to the novelisation, the three companions were distinctly drawn - with their own function to perform. Compared to the current "fam" who all hail from modern day and seem bland in comparison. Proof that three companions can work, but only at the hands of a competent and talented writer/production team.
There is no getting around the canonical fact that the Doctor, Jamie and Ben are in fact on a 21 year old, relatively freshly laid Space-Dragon's egg, with KILL THE MOON being set in 2049 and this story being set in 2070. Perhaps space-dragon eggs have ancient craters on them when laid. Also we have to accept that people on the Earth looked up and said: "The old moon's hatched and there is a new one up there now. Let's put a weather-controlling Egg-base on it! Quick!" Hobson also says to the Doctor "Where have you been for the last 20 years?" when the Doctor asks about the Gravitron, suggesting that the base has been on the egg since 2050. They didn't waste time getting it up there. Also the Doctor, who should be clued up on these historical things, seems as oblivious to it being a nice new egg as his companions, thinking they have landed in 2050, only one year after the new moon's "birth". Silly Second Doctor! And the Egg-base personnel make no reference to it being a relatively freshly ovulated moon either. Odd. :?
All the kirby-wire malarkey on the moon's surface is lost to the ages, but nice to see it recreated here. It sound like the actor's went through great discomfort during filming of these scenes, according to the making of on the dvd.
Sticking with the Making of doco, this is the story where, according to Anneke Wills, Patrick Troughton finally met his match in the form of director Morris Barry, who quietly took Patrick aside and asked him to tone down the characterisation, less clowning, less silly faces etc. Added to which Patrick was now opposite an actor he respected in the form of Patrick Barr as Hobson.
I like the new design of these Cybermen - heck, I like all the Classic series designs of Cybermen - but, at a push, have to say that the original Mondasian ones are the eeriest imo. Having said that, it just about scrapes through as believable that Polly will go on to recognise them as Cybermen - just about - as I guess they still have the chest units and the jug handle heads. Just about...
Poor Jamie. Classic companions sometimes had very bad reactions to a bump or a scrape. Witness Tegan knocked for six and confined to a stretcher in RESURRECTION when a bit of polystyrene hit her head. Ditto here from Jamie after a rough kirby wire landing.
I love the Classic Cybermen in that they could creep around in the darkness and kill people, unlike the clunk clunk clunk New Who Cybermen.
The "Phantom Piper" reveal is a good one. They knew how to make cliffhangers in those days.
Episode 1:
(Using the official BBC animation)
First things first, I remember the scene of the TARDIS crew being hurled around the console room as it was described in the novelisation by Gerry Davis, but had no idea what had precipitated it - or indeed what the previous story was that it had clifhangered from. This novelisation was the first time I met Ben, Polly and Jamie, although any resemblance to the actors was purely coincidental.....
And the completely incorrect Cyber-design mattered not a jot, even though the internal illustrations of them said otherwise.
Then it was a case of finding out that many Troughton episodes were missing from the archives, including half of this story. Amazing that I now have a choice of either an animation or a reconstruction and that THE MOONBASE is finally on my shelves.
I still rate the animation of this as the best animation yet, as it tries not to reinvent the wheel, with widescreen, colour and shoehorned in posters of the Whittaker era Master, but rather tries to give us what was on screen as best as it can.
I love that musical effect, the eerie signature tune of the Moon's surface, like a wailing musical cry. Just so fitting, although I imagine it was cobbled up from the music library. Am not certain if it was used in other stories.... ?
Harking back to the novelisation, the three companions were distinctly drawn - with their own function to perform. Compared to the current "fam" who all hail from modern day and seem bland in comparison. Proof that three companions can work, but only at the hands of a competent and talented writer/production team.
There is no getting around the canonical fact that the Doctor, Jamie and Ben are in fact on a 21 year old, relatively freshly laid Space-Dragon's egg, with KILL THE MOON being set in 2049 and this story being set in 2070. Perhaps space-dragon eggs have ancient craters on them when laid. Also we have to accept that people on the Earth looked up and said: "The old moon's hatched and there is a new one up there now. Let's put a weather-controlling Egg-base on it! Quick!" Hobson also says to the Doctor "Where have you been for the last 20 years?" when the Doctor asks about the Gravitron, suggesting that the base has been on the egg since 2050. They didn't waste time getting it up there. Also the Doctor, who should be clued up on these historical things, seems as oblivious to it being a nice new egg as his companions, thinking they have landed in 2050, only one year after the new moon's "birth". Silly Second Doctor! And the Egg-base personnel make no reference to it being a relatively freshly ovulated moon either. Odd. :?
All the kirby-wire malarkey on the moon's surface is lost to the ages, but nice to see it recreated here. It sound like the actor's went through great discomfort during filming of these scenes, according to the making of on the dvd.
Sticking with the Making of doco, this is the story where, according to Anneke Wills, Patrick Troughton finally met his match in the form of director Morris Barry, who quietly took Patrick aside and asked him to tone down the characterisation, less clowning, less silly faces etc. Added to which Patrick was now opposite an actor he respected in the form of Patrick Barr as Hobson.
I like the new design of these Cybermen - heck, I like all the Classic series designs of Cybermen - but, at a push, have to say that the original Mondasian ones are the eeriest imo. Having said that, it just about scrapes through as believable that Polly will go on to recognise them as Cybermen - just about - as I guess they still have the chest units and the jug handle heads. Just about...
Poor Jamie. Classic companions sometimes had very bad reactions to a bump or a scrape. Witness Tegan knocked for six and confined to a stretcher in RESURRECTION when a bit of polystyrene hit her head. Ditto here from Jamie after a rough kirby wire landing.
I love the Classic Cybermen in that they could creep around in the darkness and kill people, unlike the clunk clunk clunk New Who Cybermen.
The "Phantom Piper" reveal is a good one. They knew how to make cliffhangers in those days.