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Amazon.co.uk Review
Featuring the third incarnation of the Doctor--Jon Pertwee's patriarchal renaissance man--The Green Death is a solid addition to the Doctor Who canon. Originally broadcast in May 1973, it may now have dated a little, with its vegetarian hippies and "boyo" Welshmen, but it has all the elements of classic Who, the Doctor encountering green-glowing dead bodies, a shadowy mastermind, a global conspiracy, brainwashing, a megalomaniacal supercomputer and, of course, giant maggots.
This story, the final sequence of Pertwee's penultimate season, reached the TV ratings Top 10, and fittingly, met high production standards. The environmental message, while facilitating Who's ongoing individual-freedom motif, also proved prophetic in its warnings of globalisation and pollution. The special effects, though admittedly dated now, were good for their time and budget--the stop-motion photography of the maggots and the front-axial projection used for the pulsating green skin are particularly effective. The well-crafted script manages to combine monsters, punch-ups and cliffhanger endings with cerebral concepts, human drama and erudite references to Beethoven and Oscar Wilde--the single tear of the reformed villain as he destroys his paymaster is just one of the subtle touches distinguishing this work. The Green Death's six filler-free episodes belong to the Golden Age of Doctor Who, and their denouement is one of the most poignant in the series' long history.
On the DVD: the Beeb, as always, have gone to town on the picture, with the images and colours scrubbing up nicely for their age. Sadly there are none of the usual nostalgia-inducing contemporaneous news features, but there is an amusing mockumentary starring The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss. The interviews with writer Robert Sloman and actor Stewart Bevan will also give fans some extra insights--particularly Bevan's revelation that the actors were discouraged from rehearsing the final scene so as to give it genuine emotional intensity. --Paul Eisinger
Special Features
- Commentary by Katy Manning (Jo Grant), producer Barry Letts and script-editor Terrance Dicks
- Global Conspiracy? - a spoof investigative report programme about the strange happenings in the village of Llanfairfach, written by and starring The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss
- Visual Effects - an interview with the story's visual effects designer, Colin Mapson, including a demonstration of how to build a giant maggot
- Robert Sloman - the writer of The Green Death discusses the inspirations behind the story
- Stewart Bevan - an interview with the actor who played Professor Clifford Jones
- Photo Gallery
- Production subtitles
- Digitally remastered picture and sound quality
DVD Technical Information:
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Audio: Mono
- Region Code: 2, 4
- PAL
- Disc Type: DVD-9
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Running Time: 153 minutes approx.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic earlier adventure, issues still relevant today...,
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Green Death [DVD] [1973] (DVD)
Like the previous reviewer, I grew up on Tom Baker and for me he will always be The Doctor (although I love the new stuff). I didn't know much about Jon Pertwee but something about this adventure grabbed my attention, and I'm very glad it did!
Watching "The Green Death" now comes as something of a surprise as the issues it deals with are still so current - industrial pollution, alternative energy sources, preserving the environment. There is even a reference to a "mushroom-based protein" - the writer (Robert Sloman) has predicted the invention of Quorn! This striking of a chord with a modern audience leads you to overlook shortcomings like the stereotypical Welshmen (who do actually say "boyo" and "isn't it" after most sentences)! The shoestring-budget special effects have dated reasonably well, and the acting and script are strong throughtout. There is a genuine poiganancy as the story comes to a close - The Doctor's relationship with Jo Grant is obviously a bit ambivalent, and this creates a bittersweet tone as Jo becomes closer to the character of Professor Jones ("he reminds me of a younger you!"). The final scene where a downcast Jon Pertwee makes his quiet and solitary exit from the party may actually choke you up a bit (it did me). I have to admit my almost complete ignorance of the two Doctors before Pertwee, and Tom Baker fans may find Pertwee's headmasterish version of the Doctor a bit jarring at first, but stick with it - this is one of the best of the earlier Doctor Who adventures I've ever seen, and well worthy of its five stars.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wriggling, squiggling, slimy entertainment.,
By
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Green Death [DVD] [1973] (DVD)
Story: 5/5 - Extras: 4/5
Most often and fondly remembered as "the one with the maggots", Robert Sloman's "The Green Death" is actually notable for a number of reasons, not least of which are a prescient and almost militant anti-globalisation message and, of course, the departure of long-time companion Jo Grant, as played by Katy Manning. Whatever your political leanings, "The Green Death" is also six episodes of maggot-infested fun, featuring a large number of chronically entertaining Welsh stereotypes, a sinister but whimsical computer, a healthy dose of mind control and also a scientific research station / commune that has set out to end world hunger by developing a new form of high-protein fungus. In charge of this "nuthutch" is the long-haired Professor Clifford Jones, played by Katy Manning's then off-screen partner Stewart Bevan. There is real chemistry between the two characters as a result which, as it turns out, sets events up well for the story's remarkably bittersweet ending. Back to the important stuff - the effects! As is often the case with 1970s Who, they vary from the sublime to the ridiculous, with some very well realised (and entirely repulsive) giant maggots combined with the all-to-frequent and entirely unconvincing use of CSO technology (also known as Chromakey) that so blights this particular season of the programme. There are some very nice explosions, but watch out for the giant fly in episode six. Jon Pertwee is on excellent form here, and helps to redeem the show after the slightly dismal outings that were "The Three Doctors" and "Carnival of Monsters". Pertwee's lead, an intelligent script by Sloman and excellent performances from all the key players (particularly Jerome Willis as the sinister Stevens, director of Global Chemicals) combine to deliver the classic slice of Who that season ten so badly needed. The special features on the DVD are more limited than usual, but an enjoyable commentary is led by a raucous Katy Manning along with producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks, whilst the highlight among the featurettes is "Global Conspiracy" - an investigative report into the sinister goings-on in Llanfairfach, starring "The League of Gentlemen"'s Mark Gatiss as Terry Scanlon. Stick around and you'll even learn how to build your very own giant maggot.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I GAVE PERTWEE A CHANCE, AND I'M SO GLAD I DID,
By
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Green Death [DVD] [1973] (DVD)
I've always been a staunch Tom Baker fan, he was the doctor that I grew up with and and for me no one else comes close.
I enjoyed the recent series with Eccleston and the current doctor is very good but the original series will always hold a special place in my heart. Yes the effects are dodgy by today's hi-tech standards but it's amazing to see how resourceful the good old BBC production team could be on such a limited budget and the stories are, for the most part, excellent. So recently I decided to cheat on good old Tom and try a Jon Pertwee story instead (how could I) and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. I've seen Jons doctor in clips of course but never watched one of his episodes all the way through until now. The Green Death is a fantastic and enjoyable story and on the strength of this I will be buying more Pertwee stories in the future. Jon wherever you may be - you have a new fan.
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