On the 25th June 1965, the day before the final episode of The Chase (The Planet of Decision), the full-colour spectacular Dr. Who and the Daleks was released in cinemas. Starring Peter Cushing as Doctor Who, Jennie Linden as Barbara, Roy Castle as Ian Chesterton and Roberta Tovey as Susan, it told a slightly different version of the Doctor’s first encounter with the Daleks.
So, it’s time for Film Club!
The story is available on DVD and BluRay and was recently released in a deluxe edition:
I have a deep nostalgia for this film. It’s the Doctor Who that got shown on a different channel. It is and isn’t Doctor Who, sometimes in the same scene. Cushing is wonderful, Castle’s Chesterton is genuinely funny (I’ve always loved that silly scene where he’s trying to trigger the door opening) and for my money, Roberta Tovey’s Susan is far less annoying than Carole Ann Ford’s could sometimes be.
The Daleks in glorious technicolour look amazing and even the fire extinguishers sort of work.
This may never fit into the ‘canon’ but I’m always grateful it exists (and keep being tempted to buy the limited edition BluRay which I think might still be available but had a hefty price tag for something I already have on VHS and DVD).
I rather enjoy this film to a point. It is a more streamlined version of the original serial. IMO much better than The Daleks in Colour. The acting is solid, and the larger sets really give some umpf compared to the relatively low budget TV version.
Sadly, my estimation falls a lot because of the “”“comedy”“” sections. It just doesn’t do anything for me, and they go on way too long.
I much prefer the sequel but this is still a pretty good film and, in some respects, might even be better than the original TV story.
The TV version is probably an episode or two too long in my opinion and I’m impressed with how the filmmakers manage to cram everything into 90 minutes or so without losing any of the major story points.
It’s also very impressive visually. The Daleks and their city look amazing (especially the Dalek control room) and I always loved the Dalek fire-extinguisher guns.
Oh, and I love the fact that the films did have some small impact on the TV series with the police box doors being visible inside the TARDIS since 2005. They’re even the same colour as they were in the films.
I watched both Crushing films for the first time last year, and I find them pretty cool alternate versions of the first two Dalek stories. The colours and production values make them better, while the characterisation of the central characters (aside from Susan) makes them worse.
Anyway, here are some thoughts on Dr. Who and the Daleks!
7/10 = Enjoyable
The plot largely follows Nation’s original scripts, but it streamlines the narrative and gives us a 90-minute version of a 175-minute story. All main plot points are maintained while the filler fluff has been left out, so the natural flow of the story is better.
It’s still a bit slow in the middle, and there’s little to no action until the climax.
The cave climbing sequence is vastly improved from the original (it’s the dullest sequence of the seven-parter), thanks to the improved sets and the dramatic score.
Peter Cushing embodies the William Hartnell incarnation of the Doctor in his light-hearted, absent-minded, and curious lead performance.
Roberta Tovey is a genuinely charming, intelligent, and likeable Susan.
Meanwhile, Roy Castle provides comic relief as Barbara’s bumbling boyfriend Ian, a far cry from the dashing and heroic William Russell version that I admire greatly, which bothers me somewhat.
Seeing this colourful reimagining of the Daleks—with all the big sets and wonderful pastel colours—is amazing. The new Dalek designs look better than anything ever seen during Classic Who; in contrast, the TARDIS set looks much less interesting.
I’m going to buck the trend here. Whilst I like this and its sequel, they both fail (by quite a wide margin) to elicit the same sense of wonder in me that the TV originals do. I’m fond of these movies for nostalgic reasons and have no particular beef with the performances but not a one of them is in any way recognisable to me as the Doctor or his companions that we know and love. Don’t get me wrong; Cushing turns in a great performance as an eccentric inventor. However he is… a Doctor, never THE Doctor. I dislike the whole human inventor angle. It’s jarring and immediately takes me out of things. Given that it’s right at the start, it rather leaves me floundering. I know many will deem this to be sacrelige but, not only do I prefer the televised original, I also vastly prefer The Daleks in COLOUR! to this movie.
Unpopular opinion, but I actually prefer both movies to their respective serials in the main show!
Were there aspects done worse? Absolutely. I loved watching both movies with my dad, and they instilled a sense of wonder in me as a child. I also loved to go to toy museums during school and occasionally see some dalek toys from the movies.
It’s good! Very good!
I think all the Cast Members do a good job. Cushings Dr.Who is quite charming, but he never hits the perfect balance of the harshness and sometimes angry Hartnell, still he is quite enjoyable. The Daleks are easily the Highlight of it, same with the Story. I already liked the first Dalek Serial quite a lot. But this one feels like a more defined Version of that Story.
I think while this one is just very solid, in my eyes this is literally the definitive Version of the first Dalek Story in Colors (Sorry Daleks in Colors).
Part of me wishes this was a more alternative take rather than a remake of the first Dalek Serial
Just finished watching this movie the way it was suppossed to be watched (firstly fifth episode of ‘The Chase’, then this film, and then sixth episode of ‘The Chase’)
Anyway, spent two and a half hours watching silly Daleks. Also realised that by the force of sheer coincidence I also witnessed three Dr. Whos in such a short period of time! Like literally, William Hartnell, Edmund Warwick and Peter Cushing are all credited like that, I think it is fun. Even if one of them is a Dalek-made android. I would still count it
Anyway, good film! 8/10, great adaptation of already quite nice story in gorgeous Technicolor
This movie is fun, but for me there is something a bit unsettling about the tone. Peter Cushing is pretty good as the doctor, the take on Susan works and Ian is super silly which does work with this setting. But the whole thing is a much lighter tone than the original story while following the story line very closely which just doesn’t work for these characters. I’d have much preferred an original storyline for them. Visually it is very good though