Doctor Who - Battlefield [DVD] [1989]

Battlefield kicks off my favourite season of Doctor Who (26). I know it may not be everyone's cup of tea but it is mine. Stories set on contempory Earth were always my favourites and this one is no different. Jean Marsh steals the story with her performance as Morgaine and the episode 3 cliffhanger when the Destroyer is summoned is amazing. In fact all the supporting cast shine in this story which is unique in such a large cast (although there is a point where half the cast is 'evacuated' and you don't see them again!!) The Doctor and Ace's relationship continues to build in this story and it sets up the rest of the season. All in all an amazing story, buy it!!

Watching BATTLEFIELD is a frustrating experience, even if like me, you're a die-hard fan of the Sylvester McCoy stories. Despite the excellent idea of having a sci-fi spin on the Arthurian legend; despite great performances from Angela Bruce, Nicholas Courtney and especially Jean Marsh; despite some good lines, the occasional good joke and some impressive visuals (considering the show's budgetary restrictions), the story has to be considered an interesting failure.

From the disc's extras one can see that there was a far better, (possibly extraordinarily good) story buried under what was actually transmitted. The original ending which involved the Brigadier's death would have ensured that viewers would not have forgotten BATTLEFIELD for a long time. Writer Ben Aaronovitch claims he was forced to introduce an extra episode to his original 3-part story and perhaps this is why the final episode seems not to have a satisfying climax - it's always seemed to me to be a very poorly thought out denouement to have UNIT "lock up" Morgaine and Mordred. Is a conventional prison really going to pose any problem at all to an extra-dimensional sorceress who can blast down helicopters and drain people's memories? Examine the plot in detail and it falls apart.

For this viewer though, BATTLEFIELD's biggest flaw is one of tone. The script can't quite decide whether it wants to be comic, heroic or tragic. What are we to make of the relationship between Ancelyn and Bambera for instance? It's difficult to be either touched or amused by a relationship that seems to be based on them beating the living daylights out of one another(and other people). The script also seems to have difficulty deciding whether to pitch itself at an adult or a child audience. In light of the fact that there are some good lines here, I wince at some of the things some of the characters are given. For instance, would Bambera, a tough, professional soldier, really say something as absurdly camp as "I'm putting you under arrest - you and your freaky friends!"?

The problem of tone also rears its head in the performances. Sylvester McCoy occasionally veers towards overacting. We learn from the extras that the idea worked out between McCoy and director Michael Kerrigan in this story was that during this story the Doctor is internally battling with human violence which is "infecting" him somehow. While it's an interesting notion it simply doesn't work on screen because there's not enough in the script to support it. What we see is McCoy gurning rather absurdly for what seems like no particularly good reason. On the occasions when McCoy is quiet and subdued, the Doctor is far more the powerful, enigmatic figure he should be. Christopher Bowen could also have benefitted from underplaying his role...

Keff McCulloch's not terribly attractive incidental score also reinforces the idea that we're watching a children's programme and that adults shouldn't bother. And this is a real shame because there are a few scattered moments where BATTLEFIELD is genuinely magical. These are mainly the quieter, more understated scenes such as the Doctor's examining the scabbard for the first time in episode 1, but Jean Marsh is nothing short of magnificent (she's helped by having strikingly piercing eyes) and holds the viewers' attention by allowing the character to be multi-layered and not just a generic villain. She's the star of the story by light years.

The SPECIAL EDITION of BATTLEFIELD on the 2nd disc with extra scenes and added CGI effects is slicker and edited a little better than the transmitted version, but the differences are cosmetic and does little to dispel my misgivings.

The extras are of the usual high standard with the Aaronovitch/Cartmel interview especially interesting and illuminating a lot of the aspects of the tale that might have remained obscure to the casual viewer. The Jean Marsh interview is also worth a look and gives an extra insight into why her performance in BATTLEFIELD is so good.

What is with the unenthusiastic reviews? This is one of my favourite Doctor Who stories ever. The standards of production and acting are very high and so the whole thing holds up very well today. This is Sylvester McCoy at his best.

As to the DVD itself: You get the original televised version and a feature-length film style special edition with lots of added snippets and new effects. The effects don't add much, but like with 'Curse of Fenric', after watching the extended VHS I can't go back to watching the originals which now seem incomplete. Therefore it is a bit annoying with the special editions that you can't turn off the added effects or watch them as single episodes as well.

The bonus features are very enjoyable, especially the one on the water tank fiasco. (If only to hear Sylvester swear like Tom Baker, though for better reason.)

I'm looking forward to the E-space trilogy (pre-ordered with amazon).