Post by Cyggy on Mar 13, 2023 14:54:35 GMT
Episode 4: "The Warlords"
(Using Loose Cannon Recon on Dailymotion)
Starting with a missing clip via the reprise, with nasty El Akir.
"I'm not afraid of you!"
I love Barbara.
And she's already escaped. That was a lovely moment at 1:20 in retrospect. El Akir was taunting her by holding the coins in front of her face, saying how the coins were about to change her destiny and she takes hold of her own destiny again by knocking the coins flying, leading to El Akir's men scrambling on the floor for them rather than chase her. Lovely how she flipped that around.
El Akir is flaunting his wealth again barely a minute later, promising a ruby ring to the first harem girl who can report seeing Barbara. Of course he is mistaken in thinking that he can solve every problem by throwing money at it. Such is the hatred of the girls for him that they have already sheltered Barbara and have no intention of snitching.
And now we see Ian, at 3:05, staked out in the desert and awaiting his fate. I know that this is leading to the ants scene which William Russell refused to do in certain shots, so Viktors Ritelis had to take his place. It's a feeble "Blake's 7" connection, but in the episode of that show which Viktors directed there's a scene where the Federation guards are staking Avon out in the sands (pointlessly) and it's called, of course, "Warlord". Pointless observation, but there we go. :?
I think Ibrahim's overplaying it to put it mildly and the daft singing isn't helping matters.
Back at the palace and somebody with half a brain cell has somehow rumbled that Vicki is in fact a girl.
This leads into a fairly lengthy chat scene in which Richard has stopped bellowing and actually has an intelligent conversation with the Doctor and Vicki, laying his cards on the table about his strategies and the forthcoming battle.
And part of his strategy is that they should both exit the story now, which suits them just fine, of course.
7:55 and the heart of this scene as Richard wants to see the city of Jerusalem, leading to the Doctor telling him that he will - and then telling Vicki out of earshot that it will only be from afar. Vicki wants to tell Richard but the fickle Doctor is in one of his "history cannot be altered" moods today and there's literally no telling.
Goodbye Richard. I
Glover has played the entire role with absolute conviction throughout and his final scene is no exception.
Filler scene of Ian staked out, Ibrahim taunting him, and the ants on their way.
9:55 and Barbara has located the daughter of the father she met in that last episode, working in the harem. There continues to be strong themes, after El Akir's sadism we now have Maimuna talking about how she has believed her father and sister dead and how she wanted to commit suicide rather than dishonour him via the harem - but believing him dead she "did not even have the will to die". "The Feast of Steven" this ain't! :?
Oh dear, looks like there is a snitcher in the harem watching all this good acting. I don't know who "Fatima" is from her telesnap, but I have a feeling that she can't be trusted?
11:05 and some idiot in charge at the palace can't just let the Doctor and Vicki leave quietly. He orders one of his guards to take men and follow the pair - and to kill the Doctor with a "well-placed sword".
The ant-scene still going on. Ian turns the whole situation around via the old "the gold is in my boot" trick. That's the second time in one episode where a companion has turned people's greed to their advantage. Must be deliberate on the part of the writer - and a nice message to subtly weave into the narrative.
Barbara plans her escape, asking questions about the layout of the palace. No prison can hold her.
14:30 - and it's the "Fatima snitching" scene.
Fatima played by Vivianne Sorrel - and this is her first ever TV credit.
Vivianne Sorrel
Only one credit after this in something called "Theatre 625" and an episode of that show called "Enter Solly Gold" - and that was it for her entire acting career. I have an awful feeling that her entire career was wiped. :?
A quick search of TV brain reveals the following....
TVBrain
So there is hope, but the prognosis is not good.
Anyway, back at "The Crusade" and Ian has arrived where Barbara is held. Ibrahim goes to get some horses for the inevitable getaway.
Inside and Fatima's betrayal has been realised just as El Akir bursts into the harem.
Maimuna's father kills El Akir at just the right moment, followed by a happy reunion.
I thought we had seen the last of Fatima, but she returns to the Harem at 16:50 - followed by Ian who mops up any trouble-making guards. Our heroes etc. are now free to leave.
Fatima's fate is uncertain, but we end on a shot of the other girls closing in on her.
18:15 and the Doctor and Vicki have found their way back to the ship, but realise that they have been followed.
19:40 and it's a scene of Hartnell struggling with a guard. "Take your hands off me, sir! What are you doing? Unhand me! How dare you!" full of all that great Billy bluster and outrage.
Great scene follows to wind up the episode as first Ian charms his way into them allowing him to "dispatch" the Doctor and then the Doctor plays his part in the getaway too, with all that "Let me look upon Jaffa one last time" malarkey.
I love the moment - after all this deceit - that Hartnell crows "What about that performance?!?" to his travelling companions, rather than attend to the more immediate and pressing problem of getting the TARDIS door open.
And a happy "Star Trek" type ending scene of laughter on board the TARDIS, including a "good knight's sleep" joke thrown in.
Hartnell seems to pause as he suggests going to have a cup of tea - perhaps he was going to say "coffee" and corrected himself?
But never mind what beverage it was. The episode ends on a serious note as "The Space Museum" arrives.
But we don't care about the Space Museum. Our concern is with the past again.
Two more historicals to go in this reverse story order rewatch.
Next up is "The Reign of Terror".
I think this final episode of "The Crusade" is the one that needs returning most, if only for it making a nice bookend to the recovered first episode and give us a better sense of the story as a whole. Plus it's got a couple of nice Billy moments in it.
(Using Loose Cannon Recon on Dailymotion)
Starting with a missing clip via the reprise, with nasty El Akir.
"I'm not afraid of you!"
I love Barbara.
And she's already escaped. That was a lovely moment at 1:20 in retrospect. El Akir was taunting her by holding the coins in front of her face, saying how the coins were about to change her destiny and she takes hold of her own destiny again by knocking the coins flying, leading to El Akir's men scrambling on the floor for them rather than chase her. Lovely how she flipped that around.
El Akir is flaunting his wealth again barely a minute later, promising a ruby ring to the first harem girl who can report seeing Barbara. Of course he is mistaken in thinking that he can solve every problem by throwing money at it. Such is the hatred of the girls for him that they have already sheltered Barbara and have no intention of snitching.
And now we see Ian, at 3:05, staked out in the desert and awaiting his fate. I know that this is leading to the ants scene which William Russell refused to do in certain shots, so Viktors Ritelis had to take his place. It's a feeble "Blake's 7" connection, but in the episode of that show which Viktors directed there's a scene where the Federation guards are staking Avon out in the sands (pointlessly) and it's called, of course, "Warlord". Pointless observation, but there we go. :?
I think Ibrahim's overplaying it to put it mildly and the daft singing isn't helping matters.
Back at the palace and somebody with half a brain cell has somehow rumbled that Vicki is in fact a girl.
This leads into a fairly lengthy chat scene in which Richard has stopped bellowing and actually has an intelligent conversation with the Doctor and Vicki, laying his cards on the table about his strategies and the forthcoming battle.
And part of his strategy is that they should both exit the story now, which suits them just fine, of course.
7:55 and the heart of this scene as Richard wants to see the city of Jerusalem, leading to the Doctor telling him that he will - and then telling Vicki out of earshot that it will only be from afar. Vicki wants to tell Richard but the fickle Doctor is in one of his "history cannot be altered" moods today and there's literally no telling.
Goodbye Richard. I
Glover has played the entire role with absolute conviction throughout and his final scene is no exception.
Filler scene of Ian staked out, Ibrahim taunting him, and the ants on their way.
9:55 and Barbara has located the daughter of the father she met in that last episode, working in the harem. There continues to be strong themes, after El Akir's sadism we now have Maimuna talking about how she has believed her father and sister dead and how she wanted to commit suicide rather than dishonour him via the harem - but believing him dead she "did not even have the will to die". "The Feast of Steven" this ain't! :?
Oh dear, looks like there is a snitcher in the harem watching all this good acting. I don't know who "Fatima" is from her telesnap, but I have a feeling that she can't be trusted?
11:05 and some idiot in charge at the palace can't just let the Doctor and Vicki leave quietly. He orders one of his guards to take men and follow the pair - and to kill the Doctor with a "well-placed sword".
The ant-scene still going on. Ian turns the whole situation around via the old "the gold is in my boot" trick. That's the second time in one episode where a companion has turned people's greed to their advantage. Must be deliberate on the part of the writer - and a nice message to subtly weave into the narrative.
Barbara plans her escape, asking questions about the layout of the palace. No prison can hold her.
14:30 - and it's the "Fatima snitching" scene.
Fatima played by Vivianne Sorrel - and this is her first ever TV credit.
Vivianne Sorrel
Only one credit after this in something called "Theatre 625" and an episode of that show called "Enter Solly Gold" - and that was it for her entire acting career. I have an awful feeling that her entire career was wiped. :?
A quick search of TV brain reveals the following....
TVBrain
17.10.1965 Enter Solly Gold
One or more sequences exist, but the complete programme is lost.
One or more sequences exist, but the complete programme is lost.
So there is hope, but the prognosis is not good.
Anyway, back at "The Crusade" and Ian has arrived where Barbara is held. Ibrahim goes to get some horses for the inevitable getaway.
Inside and Fatima's betrayal has been realised just as El Akir bursts into the harem.
Maimuna's father kills El Akir at just the right moment, followed by a happy reunion.
I thought we had seen the last of Fatima, but she returns to the Harem at 16:50 - followed by Ian who mops up any trouble-making guards. Our heroes etc. are now free to leave.
Fatima's fate is uncertain, but we end on a shot of the other girls closing in on her.
18:15 and the Doctor and Vicki have found their way back to the ship, but realise that they have been followed.
19:40 and it's a scene of Hartnell struggling with a guard. "Take your hands off me, sir! What are you doing? Unhand me! How dare you!" full of all that great Billy bluster and outrage.
Great scene follows to wind up the episode as first Ian charms his way into them allowing him to "dispatch" the Doctor and then the Doctor plays his part in the getaway too, with all that "Let me look upon Jaffa one last time" malarkey.
I love the moment - after all this deceit - that Hartnell crows "What about that performance?!?" to his travelling companions, rather than attend to the more immediate and pressing problem of getting the TARDIS door open.
And a happy "Star Trek" type ending scene of laughter on board the TARDIS, including a "good knight's sleep" joke thrown in.
Hartnell seems to pause as he suggests going to have a cup of tea - perhaps he was going to say "coffee" and corrected himself?
But never mind what beverage it was. The episode ends on a serious note as "The Space Museum" arrives.
But we don't care about the Space Museum. Our concern is with the past again.
Two more historicals to go in this reverse story order rewatch.
Next up is "The Reign of Terror".
I think this final episode of "The Crusade" is the one that needs returning most, if only for it making a nice bookend to the recovered first episode and give us a better sense of the story as a whole. Plus it's got a couple of nice Billy moments in it.