Title: The Leisure Hive - Dvd Out 3rd July
ken1701e - July 4, 2004 06:27 PM (GMT)
Review taken from the official BBC board:
Why is this Tom Baker disc so marvellous?
Three words: Lalla. Ward. Commentary.
Ignore the story (fabulous as it is), and sit back and enjoy an hour and a half in the company of The Most Intelligent Woman On Earth.
The Romana commentary track on this DVD is sublime. Who else but Lalla Ward could get away with discussing Italian cinema during the deckchair panning shot?
Who else could tell her fellow commentators (Christopher "Real Science" Bidmead and Lovett "Real Direction" Bickford) "Hush now, you're both being pains"?
She's charming, she's witty, she's dismissive ("Tachyonics? Of course I knew what I was talking about!"), potty-mouthed ("Phallus!" she roars, every time the Helmet of Theron appears), and she's clearly having a good time ("Good lord, Lovett, is that depth of field?").
On the subject of Tom Baker, she's devastatingly tactful ("You think that was hammy? Hmmn. Hmmmn. I can't say..."), and provides a jaw-dropping guide to the bits filmed while they were having a row.
Oh, and she's showbiz pals with Samantha from Sex and the City. Who is, frankly, Romana with a charge card.
As well as the commentary, and a superbly restored version of four episodes of polished, glossed and lacquered Doctor Who, the DVD also includes fascinating special features.
Synthesizing Starfields, in particular, explains how the 80s title sequence was created, and blends footage of composer Peter Howell now (The Cigarette Smoking Man), with then (he's SINGING the title music!).
Hovering through the special features like a bitchy Banquo's Ghost is John Nathan-Turner, who pops up to admit that he didn't like K9, felt Tom Baker's costume was shabby, and that the main reason for the new title sequence was that his star had really, really aged.
Sometimes, Doctor Who is blissfully beyond criticism.
PS: Please can Lalla Ward and Peter Davison do all commentary tracks from now on?
Unfortuantely Cannot find a pic of the DVD so here is the Video cover instead:
Why is this Tom Baker disc so marvellous?
Three words: Lalla. Ward. Commentary.
Ignore the story (fabulous as it is), and sit back and enjoy an hour and a half in the company of The Most Intelligent Woman On Earth.
The Romana commentary track on this DVD is sublime. Who else but Lalla Ward could get away with discussing Italian cinema during the deckchair panning shot?
Who else could tell her fellow commentators (Christopher "Real Science" Bidmead and Lovett "Real Direction" Bickford) "Hush now, you're both being pains"?
She's charming, she's witty, she's dismissive ("Tachyonics? Of course I knew what I was talking about!"), potty-mouthed ("Phallus!" she roars, every time the Helmet of Theron appears), and she's clearly having a good time ("Good lord, Lovett, is that depth of field?").
On the subject of Tom Baker, she's devastatingly tactful ("You think that was hammy? Hmmn. Hmmmn. I can't say..."), and provides a jaw-dropping guide to the bits filmed while they were having a row.
Oh, and she's showbiz pals with Samantha from Sex and the City. Who is, frankly, Romana with a charge card.
As well as the commentary, and a superbly restored version of four episodes of polished, glossed and lacquered Doctor Who, the DVD also includes fascinating special features.
Synthesizing Starfields, in particular, explains how the 80s title sequence was created, and blends footage of composer Peter Howell now (The Cigarette Smoking Man), with then (he's SINGING the title music!).
Hovering through the special features like a bitchy Banquo's Ghost is John Nathan-Turner, who pops up to admit that he didn't like K9, felt Tom Baker's costume was shabby, and that the main reason for the new title sequence was that his star had really, really aged.
Sometimes, Doctor Who is blissfully beyond criticism.
PS: Please can Lalla Ward and Peter Davison do all commentary tracks from now on?
Unfortuantely Cannot find a pic of the DVD so here is the Video cover instead:
Phillip Culley - July 5, 2004 12:18 AM (GMT)
Well, officially it's not out till the 5th :)
There's a DVD cover here though:
There's a DVD cover here though:
ken1701e - July 5, 2004 12:43 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE (Phillip Culley @ Jul 5 2004, 02:18 AM) |
| Well, officially it's not out till the 5th :) There's a DVD cover here though: |
Great cover - almost certainly will buy it.