the Kaleds, and they soon come into conflict with the creator of the Daleks himself, the brilliant but twisted Kaled scientist Davros (a remarkable per- formance by Michael Wisher, conveyed almost entirely by voice alone).
“Genesis...” is highly regarded in fandom and the adjective “classic” is freely bandied about in the special features on this 2-disc edition, but it has several flaws. The choreography is often awk- ward and unconvincing (a single punch to the stomach can knock a guard unconscious), and confrontations with less-than-imposing mutated creatures are not far removed from Bela Lugosi’s battle with the octopus in ED WOOD. The script by Nation (who created the Daleks for the series in 1963) is overly earnest at times, and there are lapses in logic and characterization. For example, Sarah is separated from the Doctor and Harry for a prolonged period, and though her companions have every reason to believe her to be either dead or at imminent risk of death, they don’t find it worthy of mention. Period sets are easier for the BBC’s under-budgeted art department to pull off than the alien world this story requires, and, worthy of the most juvenile comic book, there’s an easily accessible control room button clearly labeled “TOTAL DESTRUCT.”
But these are the kinds of things that fans of the
original DOCTOR WHO have learned to overlook or forgive over the years, and the serial does have much to recommend it. Continuing the show’s ongoing fascination with fascism, the all-male Kaled elite is clearly based on the SS, so much so that the Nazi imagery had to be toned done part-way through the serial. What is still more interesting, however, is the depiction of both sides being at fault in the war, and equally willing to resort to any atrocity necessary to win, including genocide. Moral dilemmas are the key to this story, most obviously illustrated by eu- genics debates and the question of whether or not murder can ever be justified.
Unfortunately, the commentary track for this important release has limited value despite a good line-up. The participants are Baker, director David Maloney (a veteran TV director as well as producer of the BBC’s 1981 miniseries of THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS), cast member Peter Miles, and long-serv- ing series regular Elisabeth Sladen, who at times assumes the role of moderator to keep things going. Baker and Maloney are sometimes hard to hear, and there is generally too much play-by-play and gushing praise, followed by stretches of si- lence as the participants watch the show. Ms. Sladen’s guest appearance in the second season of the new series, “reuniting” Sarah Jane with the
Michael Wisher as the Kaled scientist Davros in “Genesis of the Daleks.”
(Tenth) Doctor for the first time, receives scant mention.
The second disc features the 62m 4s docu-
mentary GENESIS OF A CLASSIC, which breaks down the making of this serial and features a good- natured Tom Baker being interviewed on camera. It’s exceedingly odd to see the Fourth Doctor as an elderly man (and unnerving to realize that all of his predecessors are now deceased) but he’s still young at heart, as shown when he humorously takes a phone call from his first wife during the interview. Even better is THE DALEK TAPES (53m 17s), an enjoyable history of the Daleks in which VW’s own Kim Newman appears, looking very much like a potential Doctor himself [see VW 100:51 for Kim’s review of DOCTOR WHO’s “The Dalek Invasion of Earth”]. The Daleks are called “one of the most enduring concepts of science fiction” and, judging by their continued popularity in the current series, it would be hard to disagree. How many other monsters have appeared regu- larly on television over the last 45 years and con- tinue to do so? Both these long documentaries are letterboxed.
Other special features include some BBC con- tinuity announcements (6m 14s), a photo gallery
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