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Doctor Who - Battlefield [DVD] [1989]

Sylvester McCoy , Sophie Aldred    Parental Guidance   DVD
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
Price: £7.66 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Doctor Who - Battlefield [DVD] [1989] + Doctor Who : Ghost Light [DVD] [1989] + Doctor Who - The Curse of Fenric [1989] [DVD] [1963]
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Product details

  • Actors: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Courtney, Angela Bruce, Jean Marsh
  • Format: PAL
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: 2 Entertain
  • DVD Release Date: 26 Dec 2008
  • Run Time: 200 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B001FJ5D5M
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,475 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk

The Sylvester McCoy era of Doctor Who tends to get a rough ride from some, but Battlefield is proof that even in some of the darker days for the show, and with the budget seemingly vanishing into thin air, it could deliver a very good story.

Penned by Ben Aaronovitch, who also scribed the underrated adventure Remembrance of the Daleks from the same era, Battlefield instantly wins favour by bringing back Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, played with his usual dignity and class by Nicholas Courtney. Along with companion Ace, they then find themselves caught up in an Arthurian adventure, with nods to Merlin, Excalibur, and the Lady in the Lake. It’s a good yarn, with an impressive monster waiting near the end. And while it does stretch the story a little thin, it’s one of the better adventures of the McCoy era.

As usual, the DVD release is really very impressive. Battlefield benefits from a packed commentary track, and a host of behind the scenes extras (that recall, among other things, the moment when a water tank shattered with Sophie Aldred still inside it). Spread across two discs, it’s a genuinely packed DVD set with many hours of extras to sort through.

But it’s the underrated main feature that remains the star attraction, and while Battlefield isn’t vintage Doctor Who, it is a whole lot better than the assorted naysayers would have you believe. Well worth picking up. --Simon Brew

Product Description

The first story from the final season of Sylvester McCoy's tenure as the Doctor. The Doctor and Ace arrive on Earth in the late 1990s where they become involved in a battle between King Arthur and Morgaine. However, these are not the heroes of Britain's past but warriors from another dimension - and they recognise the Doctor as the wizard Merlin. As usual it is down to the Doctor and Ace to save the planet, but this time they find some help in the guise of the Doctor's old UNIT ally, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my faves! 10 Feb 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase
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!!
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Hector Lerbioz VINE™ VOICE
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.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! 1 Jan 2009
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).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Battlefield down
Battlefield, Battlefield, Battlefield for some reason was good, but it wasn't brilliant. But do get it, but I'm telling you now it isn't everything you want it to be.
Published 14 days ago by obi won kenobi
1.0 out of 5 stars Pathetic
Sylvester McCoy was the worst Doctor Who in the whole history of Who.. I can't sand the new Doctor Who, Eccleston,Tennant,Smith etc.. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr SJ Needley
1.0 out of 5 stars Dr Who - Nicholas Courtney's Glorious Performance during the 1970s...
Once upon a time, there was a film and TV actor called Nicholas Courtney who performed great talents in both 1960s and 1970s Doctor Who from the classic 1965-1966 epic `The Daleks... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr G Turner
4.0 out of 5 stars Arthurian Gothic
The plotting and special effects in Battlefield are OK; my main gripe concerns the politics. It's an exercise in equal opportunities, some would say political correctness, which... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Guy Blythman
2.0 out of 5 stars AWFUL WHO
As you can tell from the title of this review one word can sum up battlefield, awful. This is doctor who at its worst with awful sets, awful incidental music, awful acting and more... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Matthew
2.0 out of 5 stars Battlefield? Rubbishfield more like!
Where a once great show had become an English 'Power Rangers'...

In trying to restore the programme to its former glories, following the nadir that was the Colin Baker... Read more
Published 17 months ago by The Master
4.0 out of 5 stars The Last Battle
It's interesting to read the differing opinions here but I have to say that a lot of reviewers seem to be missing the point. Read more
Published on 18 April 2011 by Scaroth, Last of the Jagaroth
2.0 out of 5 stars For fans of the Brig
I think this was the most excruciatingly awful story of Doctor Who I've ever seen. Bad writing, acting and music all throughout. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2011 by Philippa Leah
5.0 out of 5 stars Merlin Unbound
!!!WARNING. MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!

Excavations near Lake Vortigen in England have uncovered a scabbard that hangs innocently from the wall of the Gore Crow Hotel. Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2011 by Mr. Jonathon T. Beckett
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best
I love this story. It's one of my all time favourites of Dr Who, and not just of the McCoy era.
With a good story, based on an excellent premise and some fine characters, it's... Read more
Published on 21 April 2010 by M. Bennett
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