Revisitations 3 - The Money For Old Rope Box Set

[Martin Penny]

I take your point, but if someone just happened to not have any of them it'd be worth it rather than tracking down the individual DVDs?
For example... ahem.

I'm doing the same.
I only really started making an effort to buy the DVD's in the past month, so I've been enjoying getting these new editions rather than the early, special-featureless stuff.

[Si Hunt]

They're at it again... hinting at a "meeting about a possible Twin Dilemma Special Edition... but might not happen". It's like casting a line out into the pool of gullible idiots and waiting for them to all bleat "Let me buy it again!". Do you think they had a bet that fans would pay twice for even the stinkiest story? Someone with a grain of optimism in human common sense bet they wouldn't be so stupid.

Si.

[Anthony Williams]

They're at it again... hinting at a "meeting about a possible Twin Dilemma Special Edition... but might not happen".

I assumed it was a joke, given the known disdain for The Twin Dilemma?

Ant x

[Si Hunt]

It could have been... but it wasn't presented as such, and you could see daft people begging for it... before you know where you are, it'll be in the shops!

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

Disdain for Twin Dilemma? Surely not.

[Larry]

Disdain for Twin Dilemma? Surely not.

no disdain for me apart from Womulus and Wemas I quite like it..

[SiHart]

new covers- really like the Three Docs!

[Nyder]

Good to see the robots have red eyes!

[Andrew Curnow]

Red eyes, red eyes, red eyes are best!

Those do look v-e-r-y good don't they!

[J.R. Southall]

Except, as ever, the images are being reproduced far too small in the frame, meaning once again a lot of detail is lost and they really won't stand out on the shelf the way they ought to. I don't know why they do that! That picture on Robots could have been zoomed in at least 25%! It's Clayton Hickman; he can't stand to see a fraction of his image missing from the front cover, so reproduces it as small as he possibly can ... the fool!

Otherwise, yes, very nice.

[Anthony Williams]

This set is now available to pre-order on amazon.co.uk! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Revis...2915351&sr=1-1

[Larry]

well i've just pre-ordered the 3rd revisitations set - not to bothered about the Three Doctors but the other 2 stories swung it for me.

[SiHart]

Set 3 is out on Feb 14th.

[Andrew Curnow]

I've got none of these on DVD, and in the case of Robots haven't seen the story in, gosh, about fifteen years - so I'm very much looking forward to this set.

[SiHart]

Number 3 has been dispatched from HMV!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Oh hurrah! That means mine should be on its way too!

[Rob McCow]

And we were so close to finishing Season 3 of Mad Men...

[SiHart]

These can wait!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

One day soon I will start watching Mad Men properly. I've seen the opening couple of episodes several times but never any further!

[SiHart]

Oh do Richard- it's a bit slow to start with but you'll soon be hooked- we've done 3 series since September, which is fast work for us!

[SiHart]

Was the set worth buying?

Yes. The new extras are generally very good. The new making ofs are all pretty fine, though the tone of Happy Birthday Doctor seemed a little uncertain to me- maybe it was just the script Toby Hadoke had to work from perhaps.. The Robots one was rather fantastic.
My favourite extra was the Girls, Girls, Girls the 70s. Caroline, Katy and Louise were fabulous together, very intelligent, witty and they knew their stuff. It was so lovely to see them all together, having a laugh and looking back affectionately on their time on the show. I was really impressed by this, and especially their views on the rise (and fall) of feminism- interesting stuff.

Tomb looks wonderful vidfired too. But we haven't heard the new commentaries yet.

The Three Doctors is probably the weakest in terms of new stuff and the set as a whole isn't as good as the first revisitations set, but I think this was well worth buying.

[Si Hunt]

We've finished "Tomb" from "Revisitations 3".

You know why this story was largely seen as a dissapointment when it finally booked its one-way ticket back from Hong Kong? Morris Barry. Direction is the one thing you can't get from telesnaps or a soundtrack and "Tomb" is a stinker.

It's just one of those stories where he seems to have struggled to get it done, let alone had the time to imbue it with many directorial flourishes. Little things like: the Tomb door being held shut, Tomberman's "conversion" being unveiled in the corner of a shot by accident, the music is just random bursts of stock, Shirley Cooklin's death is awful and she's still getting herself comfy on the floor after the camera has cut away, the infamous Kirby wires/dummy incident, the shuffling Cybermen, the duck noises. All these things help lift what is a lot of very good ideas into something which seems hurried.

The script doesn't help, as it has a few issues. Like why on Earth the Cybermen wouldn't be able to use the controls inside the Tomb to open its door, or just what the Doctor is playing at. Some editing would have explained his motivation, but Troughton doesn't seem to be sure whether the Doctor wants the Tombs explored or not. He helps the humans do it, in the same breath looking flustered that they are doing so. "Here's how you do it... but I really wouldn't!!". Don't bloody tell him how to then. Barry should have told Troughton to play it darkly, not panicked, as if he is trying to help them in order to destroy the Cybermen. And why re-electrocute the doors, so some poor explorer can get killed before he even knows what they are? Why not put a big sign "Beware! Cybermen!" outside? And why doesn't Tomberman drain all the electricity again? And why let the Controller recharge. "Where would you rather him be, in there, or out here?" he explains. Out here dead, not in there recharging, thanks!

It's still Tomb though. It's still got Cybermats and Cybermen and some lovely Tomb sequences. And so much on film! Was there an accounting error? Half of this is lovely Ealing footage. The premise - Doctor uncovers Cyber Tomb trap - is so gorgeous it almost makes up for everything. And, the action at least never lets up so it keeps us entertained. I love Eric and Betty too - I imagine him to be the thick kid at school, and her the clever one manipulating him to get what she wants in a man's world. Is it not, Erik?

Gotta just be thankful it exists, even if the directing horrors of Morris Barry are the real secrets that we have unwittingly unearthed after years of hibernation.

Si.

[Jason Thompson]

It's just one of those stories where he seems to have struggled to get it done, let alone had the time to imbue it with many directorial flourishes.

Weirdly, while this is certainly true in the studio (the shots of everyone trying to open the doors should have been tighter to avoid seeing their feet, Toberman's arm should have been hidden under that cloak until he raised it to strike Klieg, which even then was ruined because he raised it out of shot!), the film work is actually pretty impressive. OK, the kirby wires are too obvious when the Cyberman lifts Toberman, but the low angle shot of the Cyberman holding him up is good. The tracking shot following Toberman's feet to the edge of the ravine, followed by the tight low angle on Parry and viner with Toberman up in the distance is great. And of course the Cybermen emerging from their tombs is just plain iconic.

the music is just random bursts of stock,

Mostly I find the music put to good use in this one, especially the bits of 'Space Adventure' being played over the merging Cybermen.

the duck noises.

Yes, that's just plain weird...

Like why on Earth the Cybermen wouldn't be able to use the controls inside the Tomb to open its door,

My biggest issue with that script! Even Klieg points out how logical it is to have an interior door control. Now if they'd just put in a line about Captain Hopper rigging the controls so it can only be opened from outside when they take the console apart to figure out how to open the hatch the problem would be solved.

Why not put a big sign "Beware! Cybermen!" outside?

Well, to be fair their are two bloody great Cybermen images outside the doors...

And why let the Controller recharge. "Where would you rather him be, in there, or out here?" he explains.

Yes indeed. It would make more sense if they'd just shut the door and left him in there without turning on the revitaliser: something that has already happened once.

Of course, to be fair, they had reckoned without the Cybermen's use of polystyrene and tinfoil in the construction of the door...

It's still Tomb though.

Dead right. It's silly and nonsensical, and has many many flaws, but dammit I just love it! Doctor Who's biggest case of style over substance?

[Rob McCow]

Tomb was iconic - nothing else seemed to matter.

The commentary for Robots of Death was one of the absolute best, as Tom, Louise, Pamela and Michael reminisce about life, love and robots. Tom even comes up with an interesting and unusual true fact about the production at one point, explaining in detail about Karel Capek!!! Has someone been handing him notes?

Robophobia was great too.

[Si Hunt]

Well done to Jason for reminding me of another major issue with the story that I'd forgotten - someone seems to have forgotten to put the sound effects on! The doors crash down like the wooden props they are, footsteps ring out from the studio floor and the Cyber Controller's cardboard revitaliser is all the more obvious for the sounds of paper shamefully coming from it when he punches his way out. There's a painful ten seconds where the Cybermen hammer on the inside of the Tomb and 100% of the viewers attention is on the inappropriate "banging" of hand on flimsy wood.

Come to think of it, the Tombs themselves should be sinister, echoey affairs suggesting height and depth. There would have been a case for the RT to provide an enhanced soundtrack here, obviously carefully choosing sounds that reflect those that might have been used back in the day, but bolstering the atmosphere of the story - on a so-called "Revisitation" this has got to go down as a bit of a missed trick.

Si.