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Dr Who: The Dalek Collection (Dr Who And The Daleks & Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150AD + Dalekmania documentary) [1965]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £4.47 (subject to change)

Entertaining Who
Review date: 2008-10-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

I recall seeing these two films many years ago during their initial release, and being a Doctor Who fan, welcomed them in this 2 disc box set.

They are rather dated now, with cheap looking sets, exaggerated colour, and camp acting. But they are also a fond look back at the early years of Doctor Who, which by the time these films had been released the series had been broadcast by BBC Television since November 1963.

The first story based on the original transmission which was shown between December 1963 and February 1964 remains to this day one of the all time classic Doctor Who. The film version however, seems a rather rushed affair covering the basic storyline when the Doctor lands on the planet Skaro and finds an abandoned city. It isn't very long when the Doctor and his party come across the Daleks who are planning to destroy the only other race known as the Thals who have managed to survive a nuclear holocaust. Of course, the Doctor and his party allied themselves with the Thals and destroy the Daleks. Good fun all round.

Of the two films, the second one is the slightly better with a stronger storyline reminescent of Orwell's vision of a nightmarish world in which freedom no longer exists and humans are ruled by machines. The Doctor and his grandaughter and friends help to turn it all round of course, destroying the Daleks stronghold and allowing the human race to develop a new world amidst the ruins of the old.

Those fans lucky enough to have the original transmissions of these series will admit that they are the better versions with better production values and stronger characterisations. Still, these versions are quite enjoyable and I am sure they will appeal to a new generation of viewers who may not have heard of the Daleks until recent times with the modern versions of Doctor Who having being shown on BBC Television during the past two years.

A good box set though supplemented by a 57 minute documentary 'Dalekmania' which is quite interesting.

Picture quality is very good on both films, showing fine detail, although sound is mono.

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Reviews


A Dalek Double Feature DVD - '' We'll have to bypass Watford, the place is full of Daleks''
Review date: 2008-10-14 Rating: 10 out of 10

Dr Who: The Dalek Collection (Dr Who And The Daleks & Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150AD [1965 'The Dalek Collection' is a 2 Disc DVD set of both Dalek films. In the first film 'Dr.Who And The Daleks' Doctor Who (Peter Cushing) and his Grandaughters (Roberta Tovey and Jennie Linden) land in the TARDIS on a planet which they soon discover has a dark, petrified forest and a huge city made entirely of metal. They enter the city and soon realise there is radiation on the planet and equally worse they are captured by the Daleks who live there. The planet is also home to the peace loving Thals. Doctor Who discovers the Daleks have a weakness, they have a reliance on static electricity and they get this from the metal floor of the city (not unlike the dodgem cars at a fairground). Doctor Who and his companions manage to kill a Dalek by getting it onto a plastic Thal cape (cutting the Dalek off from it's vital static electricity supply). There are some great scenes in this film one being Doctor Who getting Ian (Roy Castle) to help him get the mutant out of the Dalek and then persuading Ian to climb into the Dalek telling him ''pretend your a Dalek''. This way they hope to make their escape from the Dalek city and help the Thals destroy the huge army of Daleks. The second film 'Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.' the TARDIS lands in London. Doctor Who (Peter Cushing), P.C.Tom Campbell (Bernard Cribbins) and Doctor Who's Grandaughter and Niece (Roberta Tovey and Jill Curzon) soon discover London has been invaded by the Daleks, there are some survivors, but most of the them have been Exterminated, or turned into Robomen that are slaves to the Daleks. Doctor Who soon realises that the Daleks are mining the core of the earth in Bedfordshire '' We'll have to bypass Watford, the place is full of Daleks''. There are some great scenes in this film one being the few survivors throwing bombs at an advancing army of Daleks, they soon realise the bombs are useless and the nine or so Daleks keep on advancing firing clouds of white steam from their guns screeching ''Exterminate''. The tranfere of both these films to Disc is superb with a lovely restoration and bright colours on both the films. These films are a must for anyone who loves the Daleks as much as i do (and there are plenty of Daleks in both films). Just One fault about this release i think the DVD artwork could be alot more colourful, perhaps a picture of Peter Cushing and pictures of the Daleks from both films on the DVD cover. I really think this DVD cover needs much better art work.

dr.who and the daleks rule!
Review date: 2008-08-28 Rating: 10 out of 10

the dr. who and the daleks is the best one amazon i like it because i love the blue daleks i have i one i got at the doctor who museum in earlys court i like daleks invasion earth 2!

Great Films - Great Fun!
Review date: 2008-05-08 Rating: 10 out of 10

I'm one of those fortunate people who remember the Daleks from the very beginning (December '63 to be precise). I also remember being very excited about these films when they were originally released, watching the first one in a cinema in Slough with my parents and a friend and the second one with my Dad in Aylesbury.

The feel of these films is very different from the BBC TV originals, but it was great to see the Daleks in colour on the big screen and then go home to read the weekly "TV (Century)21" comic, which featured stills from the film and an excellent, now legendary, Dalek strip on the back cover.

The first film stays quite true to the TV story in my opinion, with only the excessively stilted Dalek dialogue (their lights flashed almost continually in this film) and the clouds of steam emanating from their blasters being detracting to an anorak like me. The size of the film stage(s) helped enormously to give a sense of scale to this film, the petrified forest especially looking superb even now. The control room, although a bit dated now, is a fine size, allowing plenty of room for the action to take place. I soon got used to the different actors and rather liked the great Peter Cushing's bumbly Doctor.

The second film was even more impressive in many ways. The Daleks were painted more like the "real thing" and much of the grittiness of the original story transferred over. However, although supposedly 2150, the scenes and sets are all early nineteen-sixties London, with no advanced technology on view except from the Daleks themselves... The Dalek space-ship flying through the sky was very well done, despite the DVD showing the strings holding it up occasionally...

I bought the first DVD issue of these discs for my young son (and I!) to watch a few years ago and they've been played many, many times now and given very much enjoyment over the last few years. We still watch these films when they come on the TV from time to time and they're a pleasure to watch.

If you've a young budding Dalek fan in the family, please buy them these films, as despite the forty years plus since their original cinema release, they're as much fun to kids now (and their Dads[and Mums?]), as they were to me back then. The current "New Series" Daleks on TV are even based on these film versions with large lights and bases...........

Go on, BUY IT. You know you want to................


Get Dalek overload with this little lot
Review date: 2008-03-22 Rating: 8 out of 10

Great package for a superb price, this is an absolute must for any Dr.Who fan, young or old. These films have a superior atmosphere than most stages of the TV series did. I'm not a massive fan myself, certainly of the post Tom Baker versions, but I did remember these films to be especially compelling, so I had to buy them (for a snip at this price), and I was quite impressed all over again, especially with the second film. The first movie did remind a lot of HG Wells' Time Machine, with those pasty looking passifists living underground and under the yoke of the cruel Daleks. It is quite Wellsian in its pseudo scientificness as well, and has a real feel of sc-fi about, unlike the increasingly fantasy based TV series of the 70s and beyond.

The second film shows a lot of development from the first and is a much more entertaining adventure. This is more War of the Worlds Wells in style and has a fair bit of Orwell about it too. It's beautifully British (and cheap) looking, and very sci-fi. Both movies have good visually based scenes with an atmosphere worthy of Hammer films, and some great music adding to the flavour. Cushing was also a great choice as a slighty doddering old eccentric with a passion for complex astro physics and of course, time travel. Great hokey stuff.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Jennie Linden
Roy Castle
Peter Cushing
Roberta Tovey
Bernard Cribbins

Creators:
Peter Cushing (Primary Contributor)
Bernard Cribbins (Primary Contributor)
Joe Vegoda (Producer)
Max Rosenberg (Producer)
Milton Subotsky (Producer)
Milton Subotsky (Writer)
David Whitaker (Writer)
Sydney Newman (Writer)
Terry Nation (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Optimum Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060034576440
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-09-25
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 222 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1965-08-23
Language: English (Original Language)

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