Keeper of the Traken
The Keeper of Traken was the beginning of the end for Tom Baker's tenure as the venerable TV sci-fi hero Doctor Who. By the end of the next serial, Logopolis, Baker had been replaced by the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davidson (whose debut, Castrovalva, is also available on DVD, as is Logopolis; both, along with Keeper of Traken, can be found in a three-disc boxed set titled New Beginnings). But fans got one more witty and suspenseful dose of Baker's Doctor with this story, which sends the Time Lord and companion Adric to the planet Traken, a peaceful haven ruled by the all-wise Keeper for a thousand years. The Keeper feels his reign is coming to an end, and with it, the rise of evil from within Traken's governing council itself. The Doctor, however, recognizes the presence of a old and familiar foe at the heart of the mystery--one he thought had been vanquished long ago. Well-played by the cast (especially Baker, who is given a wealth of amusing lines), and an excellent launching pad for new companion Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), The Keeper of Traken is both a fine addition to the Baker canon and an enjoyable serial for new and old Who fans alike. Extras on the single disc include commentary by Sutton, actors Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) and Anthony Ainley (Consul Tremas), and writer Johnny Byrne; a 30-minute documentary on the serial, which includes interviews with most of the cast and production team; a clip of Sutton on the BBC series Swap Shop; and a featurette on the true identity of the evil plaguing Traken. The by-now-standard photo gallery, text-only commentary track, and PDF of the Doctor Who Annual (here from 1982), Radio Times listings, and BBC sales literature rounds out the crowd-pleasing supplements. --Paul Gaita Logopolis
After seven years as the Doctor on England's long-running science fiction series Doctor Who, actor Tom Baker hung up his scarf and retired from the role in this four-part serial from 1981. )(The second in a three-part story arc focused around the Doctor's longtime adversary The Master (Anthony Ainley), (The other parts of the arc, Castrovalva and The Keeper of Traken, are also available on DVD as single discs and in a three-disc set titled New Beginnings) Logopolis finds the Time Lord in a contemplative mood as he attempts to repair the TARDIS' broken chameleon circuit, which has left the shape-shifting vehicle in the form of a police box. The Doctor and Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) travel to Logopolis, a planet run by mathematical geniuses, but encounter the Master as he plots to steal the secret of the planet's massive radio telescope. His scheme accidentally releases a wave of entropy that threatens to destroy the universe, and the! Doctor and the Master must work together to prevent the end of existence itself. A sense of finality pervades Logopolis, and certainly for Baker fans, it does mark the end of the actor's run in the role, as well as a period of considerable popularity for the series. Baker's replacement, Peter Davidson, faced an uphill battle when he assumed the Doctor's mantle, and for many fans, his arrival signaled a downward turn for the program that was not reversed until its revival in 2005. The story itself is an intriguing one, and well played by its cast, which included newcomer Janet Fielding as airline stewardess Tegan Jovanka, who became one of the Doctor's companions for several seasons. Extras on the disc include commentary on all four episodes by Baker and Fielding, as well as writer Christopher Bidmead; a trio of BBC news program interviews with Baker on his departure and Davidson on his assumption of the role; a terrific 50-minute featurette titled "A New Body At Las! t," which interviews many of the principal cast and crew on the transi tion from Baker to Davidson; and the usual PDF of printed material from The Doctor Who Annual and Radio Times, as well as the excellent text-only commentary and isolated music tracks fans have come to expect from the discs. -- Paul Gaita Castrovalva
The four-episode serial Castrovalva not only kicked off the 19th season of Doctor Who, but introduced the fifth incarnation of the venerable British sci-fi hero in the younger (and blonder) form of Peter Davidson, who replaced fan favorite Tom Baker at the end of the previous season. Castrovalva picks up where the Baker finale, Logopolis (also available on DVD), left off, with the Doctor in a weakened state after his transformation, and in need of rest and recuperation. His companions set a course for the planet of Castrovalva, but all is not as it seems on the peaceful and educated world: Could the Doctor's old nemesis The Master be setting a trap for the ailing Time Lord? It's a strong debut for Davidson, who quickly sets his own path as the Doctor (while referencing his predecessor's traits and quirks in several clever bits), and the single disc DVD's extras do an excellent job of covering the transitional phase that the cast and crew underwent during the serial's production. Davidson is front and center on the commentary tracks for all four episodes, and he's joined by castmate Janet Fielding (Tegan), director Fiona Cumming, and writer Christopher H. Bidmead. And he's the focus of two featurettes: "Being Doctor Who," which covers his tenure as the Doctor, and "The Crowded TARDIS," in which he joins Baker, Fielding, and Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) to discuss the Doctor's multiple companions in the Davidson years. Cumming is also profiled in a short feature on directing the episode, and the BBC vaults yield interviews with Davidson from the period on the children's shows Blue Peter and Swap Shop. A pair of deleted scenes, continuity announcements, a photo gallery, the usual above-par text commentary, a PDF of printed material on the show, and a music video for a remix of Peter Howell's theme music round out the supplements. -- Paul Gaita |
|
 A Turning Point |
| Review Date: February 27, 2007 |
| Reviewer: August F. Hutchins, Mt. View, Ca USA |
By the time John Nathan-Turner became producer of Doctor Who, it had been running for the better part of 20 years! He felt that the show was starting to become dull and dated. Thus making significant changes, and lending a brand new lease of life into the series.
This boxset consists of the last of the alterations made to the show; adding familiar characters from the show's past (i.e. the Master) and the transition from Tom Baker to Peter Davison.
The stories included are: The Keeper Of Traken, by Johnny Bryne; Logopolis, by Christopher Bidmead; and Castrovalva, also by Christopher Bidmead.
The DVD includes Tom Baker discussing his retiring from the part and has Peter Davison remembering his
time as the Doctor.
Also includes a unique commentary session featuring the late Anthony Ainley. |
A whole new beginning
|
| Review Date: June 12, 2007 |
| Reviewer: JKO, New York, NY USA |
Three stories from a very turbulent era of the classic BBC series Doctor Who have hit the shelves, either in a box set or as three individual discs - a much more expensive option! Grouped together under the title "New Beginnings" or alternatively "The Return of The Master", these three stories very much make up the `end of an era' and a fresh start for the errant Time Lord.
Tom Baker had been playing the part of the Doctor since 1974 and although it was by now very accepted for different actors to play the part, he had become so entrenched in the role that the public very much saw him as "The" Doctor and for a whole generation of younger viewers, he was the "Only" Doctor. Behind the scenes, Baker had become more and more difficult to work with and changes in the production team at the start of season 18 had irritated him even further. His annual threat to leave the show was presented in due course and this time - it was accepted! New producer John Nathan-Turner was eager to stamp his own identity on the show and recasting the central role was one that certainly excited him. Although he briefly considered Richard Griffiths for the part, his one and only choice was the much younger actor Peter Davison, who was already very well known to TV viewers from his work on All Creatures Great and Small.
By the time The Keeper of Traken, the penultimate story of season 18, was in production, Baker's departure had been announced and plans were well under way to ease the transition to the new Doctor, to be played by 29-years-old Peter Davison, the youngest actor yet to take on the part. In order to make the change over smooth and take the opportunity to halt the declining ratings and re-launch the almost eighteen-years-old show, Nathan-Turner made many sweeping changes to the look of the programme as well as many cast changes in addition to the role of the Doctor. At the start of the season, new music, opening titles, costuming and design elements had given the show a very much needed lift although in retrospect, they may not all have been particularly successful. Despite the departing lead actor, he also made many other cast changes, including dropping the Doctor's companion Romana (played by Baker's wife Lalla Ward) and his robot dog K9. Three new companions were introduced throughout the season, with Adric, a teenage boy played by Matthew Waterhouse arriving in story three and Nyssa, a teenage girl played by Sarah Sutton, appearing first in The Keeper of Traken. Tegan Jovanka, an Australian air hostess played by Janet Fielding came on board in the last story of the season, the middle segment of this set, Logopolis, the last of Baker's tenure. As if all these changes weren't enough, The Master, the Doctor's fellow Time Lord and bitterest enemy, was resurrected after a few years out of the show, played by both Geoffrey Beevers and Anthony Ainley. Finally, with another needed revamp of the graphics and a move to a new day and time slot, plus the scheduling two episodes per week, Peter Davison takes on the role in the third of the set, Castrovalva. So many changes...
The three stories themselves stand up quite well, although all are rather indicative of the Nathan-Turner approach to the show - hugely complicated story lines that often don't make much sense before repeated viewing. Perhaps script editor Christopher H. Bidmead, who also penned the scripts for both Logopolis and Castrovalva, is more at fault here, but scripting and story telling is often cited as the key weakness in Nathan-Turner's ability. Indeed, the wonderful extras included on these three discs feature many interviews with the cast and writers, most notably Tom Baker and Peter Davison, who are nearly all somewhat critical of Nathan-Turner and his approach to the show. Costuming seems to be something that irritates both the lead actors, but the ever changing cast list and the expansion of the companions is something that clearly neither was happy with, as the writers and Directors involved echo. The "in-jokes" that were beginning to pepper the scripts is also clearly an irritant to all but the producer.
The disc's extras are really phenomenal and even if these stories aren't your favorite, the extras will make it all worthwhile. Apart from many, many new and extremely frank interviews, there are all sorts of news and archive shows to enjoy, including many features on Davison's winning of the role. Each disc has its own commentary, The Keeper of Traken featuring the late Anthony Ainley, who thus marks his one and only commentary contribution. For me, Ainley is one of the problems that overshadows these three stories. He starts off in the role of Tremas; a character that is taken over by The Master at the end of the Traken adventure, going on to appear as The Master in the next two stories and throughout the subsequent nine years of the original show. A hammier actor is unimaginable. His pantomime-like performance did a lot to destroy the integrity of the character. Geoffrey Beevers, who plays The Master in the majority of the Traken story would have made a much, much more sinister and believable character and it's such a shame he wasn't offered (or at least didn't accept) the role full time. One extremely annoying feature of the Traken commentary is that Ainley and Matthew Waterhouse keep repeating lines from the show, which actually makes it sound like there's a time delay echo on the disc. It takes some getting used to. Sarah Sutton and writer Johnny Byrne add their thoughts to the Traken commentary. Tom Baker and Janet Fielding (together with Christopher H. Bidmead) provide the Logopolis commentary and alas, Baker is almost silent throughout the recording. He contributes very little indeed. Peter Davison joins Fielding and director Fiona Cumming for Castrovalva.
The new dawn for the show really did arrive with Davison. Although I'm no fan of his portrayal of The Doctor, the revamp came at the right time and salvaged an otherwise dying show, giving it a complete new lease of life. The move away from Saturday tea-time to a later weeknight slot proved a hit and the ratings improved dramatically. What Baker, Davison, Bidmead, director John Black and others in the accompanying documentaries have to say about the new (and passing) era of the show is fascinating. The honesty from Baker is extremely revealing and almost makes this set an invaluable addition to the Doctor Who library on its own. |
Every new begining comes from some other begining's end
|
| Review Date: September 28, 2007 |
| Reviewer: C. R. Swanson, Phoenix |
Ah, regeneration. The word means many things depending on the context, but in "Doctor Who" it really only means one thing: one actor quits and another starts.
There's been ten cannonical Doctors (not counting Peter Cushing from The Doctor Who Collection, the Valyard, the Shakala Doctor or the various Doctors present in Doctor Who - The Curse of Fatal Death). They've all had their various strengths. Some we saw for far fewer stories than we would've liked (Colin Baker, Paul McGann and Christopher Eccleston leap to mind), while some might feel that certain other ones overstayed their welcome.
Like many people, particularly those of us in America, my introduction to the series came with Tom Baker. There's no doubt that in many ways he was the most charasmatic and accessible of the "classic" Doctors. He is also, to date, the longest lasting of the Doctors, having a seven year run in the TARDIS.
Sadly, all good things must end, and the 4th Doctor's run comes to an end in this DVD series. "Keeper of Traken" sets up the events of "Logopolis" which end with us getting a brand-new Doctor, Peter Davidson. His adventures begin in earnest with "Castrovalva".
Also of note is the fact that the Master, the Doctor's "best enemy", and gone from the scene for quite a while, makes a major return in these episodes, which also introduce Teagan and Nyssa while firming up the character of Adric (speaking of firm... is it just me, or in the scenes where the Master has him in his little web, does Adric seem to be enjoying himself just a little too much? Like as in, "Is that sonic-screwdriver in your pocket or...?" Probably just my imagination. Still, I can dream). Adric was one of the first male TV characters I developed a major crush on in my teen years, along with Wesley Crusher. Still, the less said about both, the better.
The DVDs are well done as always, featuring a great deal of commentary on every episode (tragicaly, we can hear that Anthony Ainley was clearly on his last legs when he did his commentary. He sounds not like he's at Death's door but has, to steal from Pratchett, stepped into the foyer and is admiring the carpet and hat stand). The amount of extras on these DVDs are the sort of thing I wish more TV series would incorporate (I'm looking at YOU, Star Trek DVDs!).
All in all, this is a must-own if you're a fan of the series. Even if you've never watched "Doctor Who" before, but want a good place to start, this will serve your needs. |
a GREAT, GREAT regeneration set...you get the Return of the Master and the Return of the Doctor in the same set!
|
| Review Date: March 6, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Kevin J. Loria, New Orleans, LA USA |
For 3 story-arcs of classic Dr. Who, this is a really good price for a set, especially one including Logopolis and Castrovalva (both of which I've been tempted to by on VHS just to see them again). These are part of the iconic Tom Baker's run as the 4th Doctor and the end of his final season in the role. K9 is gone, as is Romana. He wears his plum digs that suit the somber mood of his last 2 stories: The Keeper Of Traken, Logopolis, and Castrovalva.
Disc ONE: The set opens with the Keeper of Traken which reintroduces the Master (absent since a showdown with the Doctor in Deadly Assassin). At the end of his 13th incarnation (12th regeneration) he stays in the shadows (so to speak) for much of the 1st half of this one, but by the end he is literally a new man.
This one introduces Nyssa, eventually to become the new Zoë, brainy-girl on board the TARDIS, while Adric, equally brainy but not really sensible is also on board for all 3 of these (when will they learn that the super-genius kid is an annoying archetype). The plot of this one is shaky but necessary for the reoccurring role the Master is to have in the 5th Doctors run.
Disc TWO: Next is Logopolis. If Keeper of Traken is somber, then Logopolis is literally the wake before the funeral. The Doctor is more visable distressed over leaving Romana in E-space (still waiting for the DVD E-space 3 set). His plans to fix the long broken TARDIS chameleon circuit on Logopolis. Before doing so, he must find a real police call-box to measure, but in doing so inadvertently lands around the "new Master's" TARDIS, which ultimately leads to the death of the Doctor (well mortal wounding anyway). Loads of moody shots, in and out of the TARDIS, lots of quirky labyrinthine scenes with future companion Tegan lost onboard. The new Master is terrifically, theatrically hammy and plays nicely off Baker's manic energy (although substantially drained by his standards, in character the Doctor seems to have stoically accepted his impending death as Baker has stoically accepts his retirement.) He leaves at the top of his game here, a great, great story.
Disc Three: Castrovalva introduces the 5th, and youngest Doctor (at the time I'm not sure about Tennant's age). Peter Davidson, brings the character away from the 4th Doctor's style and borrows heavily from the older Doctors ( in spite of his youth, he plays it more like the stogy old original incarnation played by William Hartnell.) When filming, the shooting order was altered so that, although this is the first of the new Doctor's episodes, it was shot after Four to Doomsday (story 2 of the season). So Davidson knew where his regeneration addled transformation would end up, because he had already filmed as the wholly recuperated Doctor. But the process is a hard one, Castrovalva opens immediately after the Doctor's regeneration, as his companions try to get him to safety, narrowly escaping the Master, or so it seems.
While the Doctor struggles to retain/ regain his wits (see brilliant scenes with the Doctor struggling not to lose his way by unraveling the 4th Doctor's iconic scarf).
The crew falls deeper into the Master's web of traps as the arrive on Castrovalva, appropriately named after the M.C. Escher work. A great start for the new Doctor.
New Beginnings: Drinking Games
Drink whenever you hear the "Cloister Bell" (the ringing of which means emanate danger or drunkenness)
Drink when the MASTER watches / rebukes the Doctor from the gloomy safety of his TARDIS console room.
Drink whenever one actor or character replaces another via regeneration / body snatching / disguise or miscasting.
Drink whenever someone misplaces the Doctor (including himself).
Drink whenever anyone declares: "But, the Doctor's in there!"
Drink when any of the TARDIS crew complains. This is the one that pays off!
|
"A new body... at last!"
|
| Review Date: June 10, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Crazy Fox, Chicago, IL USA |
It will be hard for Doctor Who fans not to heed the call of this excellent DVD set, for the Time Lords, they are a-changin'. Indeed, the three storylines included here work as a whole to mark a pivotal shift in the show's development in the early 1980's. True, each story is to some degree self-contained and episodic in terms of location, plot, and concept, and yet all three flow together into a loosely-structured trilogy of sorts thematically unified by regeneration and renewal--first, ominously enough, of evil, as the Doctor's fellow Time Lord and arch-nemesis the Master cheats death and decay by using an innocent man's life force to rejuvenate himself (henceforth he'll become a regular villain in the series for years). But then even more significantly, the Doctor himself is fatally injured in the Master's schemes and must regenerate, thus marking the end of Tom Baker's long, much-loved, and virtually iconic tenure in the role and the beginning of Peter Davison's time at the Tardis console--for some, a key moment in the show's downfall, for others the start of a younger, fresher and more serious interpretation of the Doctor; opinions tend to divide sharply, which means this DVD set gets the added spice of a touch of controversy. And as if the Doctor and the Master weren't enough, there are other new beginnings here, too. Romana and K9 are gone. A new group of traveling companions gradually join the Doctor throughout this loose trilogy--as many as three in fact, which actually replaces the general formula (since 1970) of a single female companion with a demographic batch closer to the companion crews typical of the 1960's. Perhaps a bit crowded, but characters we'll see regularly for quite a while are introduced right here.
All of this shuffling about would be pointless though if these weren't fine stories in their own right, and they are, each a well-written gem in its own way. "The Keeper of Traken" is a classic tale of deceitful serpents in paradisiacal gardens, complete with an imaginative vision of an alien society and a compelling blend of fantasy and sci-fi elements (plus some of the most fabulous costumes and sets you'll ever see on "Doctor Who"). "Logopolis" successfully incorporates sophisticated mathematical and astrophysical concepts into a suspenseful tale of life and death; a riveting adventure full of foreboding, and yet this may well be "Doctor Who" at its most cerebral and conceptual in terms of science-fiction. And "Castrovalva" perhaps gets a little too abstract and brainy for its own good, but the surreal premise and M.C. Escher imagery is quite intriguing altogether and the attempt to realistically suggest the physiological shock of regeneration an interesting and risky plot device. In short, these are three fine "Doctor Who" storylines in their own right, and as a trilogy they represent a momentous shift in this long-running program. And they're all here, complete with insightful extras and nicely packaged in one spiffy box. There's a lot of uncertainty in the universe but no guesswork when it comes to this very excellent and enjoyable DVD set.
P.S. The three storylines in this DVD set all make up one loosely-linked trilogy, as mentioned, and they're probably best watched in that manner. For that reason, and in terms of economics and convenience, this box set is really the way to go, especially if you're a fervent Doctor Who fan. However, if you are exclusively interested only in a single DVD from this set, they are sold individually as well:
1. Doctor Who - Keeper of Traken (Episode 115)
2. Doctor Who - Logopolis (Episode 116)
3. Doctor Who - Castrovalva (Episode 117) |
|
No details are available for this product
No video reviews found for this product.
