Post by rapscallion on Nov 24, 2022 12:35:36 GMT
So of course I watched this one yesterday for the anniversary. Episode 1 is just incredible every time I see it. It's amazing to think that this is where it all began, that none of the actors in this would be aware at the time of just how huge the show would become.
I first saw An Unearthly Child in 1981 as part of the Five Faces repeats. That whole scene in the junkyard between Ian, Barbara and the Doctor must have mesmerised me. That ending to the first episode with the TARDIS having landed at the edge of the forest, and then the caveman's shadow falling across the rocks.....Awesome.
All four regulars get off to a brilliant start with their roles and as a pupil of Coal Hill School Susan comes across as interestingly different (more of that in a bit).
I'm not gonna pretend that the latter three episodes are as engaging as that all-important opening episode, but I still love An Unearthly Child as a whole and always watch the entire story. The power struggle between Kal and Za is very watchable, and the guest actors (Derek Newark, Alethea Charlton, Eileen Way, Jeremy Young) are all great.
The one weaker element for me, despite being brilliant in episode 1, is the characterisation of Susan. For someone who has already travelled with the Doctor and is as alien as he is, she just reacts to situations in an all too human-like way. At points she's far more emotional than Barbara. Having said that, I love this TARDIS crew.
Another aspect I love is how dark the production is. All the cave and forest scenes are lit brilliantly low for three episodes, and then when the Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian burst back into the TARDIS at the end of episode 4 the change in lighting and scenery is so bright comparatively, it almost hurts the eyes. Wonderfully done.
I can rarely watch a black and white Doctor Who without thinking "We're so lucky to still have this" and "What if this story I'm watching now was missing?" If An Unearthly Child had been one of the unlucky stories and was missing from the archives, November 23rd would not be the same for a hell of a lot of fans, me included.
9 out of 10.
I first saw An Unearthly Child in 1981 as part of the Five Faces repeats. That whole scene in the junkyard between Ian, Barbara and the Doctor must have mesmerised me. That ending to the first episode with the TARDIS having landed at the edge of the forest, and then the caveman's shadow falling across the rocks.....Awesome.
All four regulars get off to a brilliant start with their roles and as a pupil of Coal Hill School Susan comes across as interestingly different (more of that in a bit).
I'm not gonna pretend that the latter three episodes are as engaging as that all-important opening episode, but I still love An Unearthly Child as a whole and always watch the entire story. The power struggle between Kal and Za is very watchable, and the guest actors (Derek Newark, Alethea Charlton, Eileen Way, Jeremy Young) are all great.
The one weaker element for me, despite being brilliant in episode 1, is the characterisation of Susan. For someone who has already travelled with the Doctor and is as alien as he is, she just reacts to situations in an all too human-like way. At points she's far more emotional than Barbara. Having said that, I love this TARDIS crew.
Another aspect I love is how dark the production is. All the cave and forest scenes are lit brilliantly low for three episodes, and then when the Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian burst back into the TARDIS at the end of episode 4 the change in lighting and scenery is so bright comparatively, it almost hurts the eyes. Wonderfully done.
I can rarely watch a black and white Doctor Who without thinking "We're so lucky to still have this" and "What if this story I'm watching now was missing?" If An Unearthly Child had been one of the unlucky stories and was missing from the archives, November 23rd would not be the same for a hell of a lot of fans, me included.
9 out of 10.