Doctor Who The Keys of Marinus [VHS] [1964]

 

 

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Back in its very first year, DOCTOR WHO was billed as "an adventure in time and space" and alongside the principal characters the audience really didn't know what to expect next whenever the TARDIS landed and this was part of its early charm. In these early days, the narrative used to pretty much alternate between "historical" and "futuristic" tales and for a brief time scriptwriter Terry Nation, whose second DOCTOR WHO this is, had cornered the market in the "futuristic" ones having changed forever the public profile of the show with his creation of the Daleks a mere three stories previously.

By this time, William Hartnell is mellowing beautifully into the role of the Doctor and is rather loveable despite what you might have heard, but he is noticeably absent for two whole episodes of this story (parts three and four), but luckily the supporting companion roles are strong enough to carry the story for a while without his presence. Ian Chesterton (William Russell) has always been to my eyes an all-out hero. Plucked out of his relatively dull life as a schoolteacher in 1960s London he throws himself into his adventures with a gusto and brio. Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) is equally impressive and the quiet dignity, strength and bravery her character shows over the course of her adventures is something to be admired, and as a role model Barbara would hold up today as someone to look up to and emulate. The Doctor's Grand-daughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford) has a tougher time of it generally as her character was rather inconsistently written and she seems younger and rather more "wet" in these episodes than in some of her other stories.

THE KEYS OF MARINUS is the fifth ever broadcast story of DOCTOR WHO and the series seldom played around more with the expectations of its audience than in this six part tale, which has a different setting nearly every week. In episode one, the TARDIS arrives on the strange world of Marinus, a fairly effectively realized world of glass sand and acid seas where they are coerced into a quest to find the eponymous keys by the mysterious Arbitan played by the very same George Coulouris who was once in "Citizen Kane" and introduces the rather sinister rubber-suited Voord.

Subsequent episodes transport us to other parts of Marinus and these various visits give an overview of a complete world seldom shown in the series. They are all created to variable effect, but all-in-all a real "Saturday morning adventure serial" air is created. Mind games are played in the city of Morphotron (where all is not quite what it seems) and are quite cerebral for teatime telly, and the Jungle sequence proves suitably menacing in a slightly wobbly pre-Indiana Jones kind of a way. A visit to some Ice Caves is slightly less effective, but does give Barbara a very disturbing confrontation. Then the city of Millennius, with its rather brutal legal system, provides a chance for a returning William Hartnell to shine before we are returned to the island first seen in the opening episode for the slightly bonkers climax when the evil Voord plan is finally revealed.

Yes, it's now well over forty years old and can seem a little slow or cheap or mistake-riddled to an audience used to more modern sophisticated fare, but there is a magic and charm to these old stories that is hard to quantify, and if you settle down to enjoy what is obviously an experience that is very different, you will find a great deal to like. The sets range from the almost brilliant to the most basic as do some of the props. Some of the effects are pretty simplistic but they do manage to help to tell the story. The image quality is pretty good too, considering, as there's been a pretty impressive restoration job done on these episodes.

This story follows on directly from MARCO POLO, a serial seemingly now sadly lost forever as it was one that was misguidedly wiped back in the day. You can listen to MARCO POLO as a rather fine Audio CD version however. THE KEYS OF MARINUS then leads directly on into THE AZTECS which was the first William Hartnell DVD release and if you also take into account DOCTOR WHO - THE BEGINNING DVD box set, a fairly hefty chunk of that amazing first year of the Doctor's adventures is now available to you, and given the tape wiping policy of the past, to we fans of archive television, that's something of a small miracle in itself.

Given the age of the material, there isn't much left in terms of available extras, but a fairly significant set have still been assembled for this release. A ten minute interview with designer Raymond Cusick gives a frank insight into the difficulties of early television production and stretching a wafer thin budget to create a mind-boggling number of locales in a tiny studio. The commentary bounces along and is quite fun with William Russell and Carole Ann Ford representing the actors and Director John Gorrie alongside Raymond Cusick from the Production side in a fairly upbeat vein all held in check by Clayton Hickman to keep them "on-topic". The text commentary is up to the usual standard and there are also the usual photo gallery and Radio Times billings.

As someone who has watched the series since the very beginning I am happy to say that this is my favourite story of them all. I like the idea that it is set in different locations and instead of one long story it is composed of a number of smaller ones. I remember when I first saw it that I found the Voord an interesting adversary for the Doctor and I was surprised that they only featured in the first and last episodes. Sadly William Hartnell is absent for two episodes but as usual he makes his presence felt whenever he appears. William Russell, Jacqueline Hill and Carole Ann Ford are as excellent as ever and all appear throughout the episodes. I missed episodes 2 and 3 when they were first transmitted and I was delighted when years later I got to see the complete story. Back in the 1960s it wasn't always possible to be at a TV set when you got your one and only chance to see the episodes. While I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a full documentay on this DVD what extras there are, are very good. The commentary is interesting and I like the complete set of sweet cigarette cards. I only managed to get a few of these when they were originally released. The text commentary is good too and of course the episodes look better than they have ever looked. It was great to see this story again and I can watch it again and again being fully involved in what is going on ever time. I find it difficult to understand Doctor Who fans who don't enjoy this story or The Web Planet - another of my all time favourites. Perhaps it makes a difference if you were there when it was originally transmitted. Doctor Who for me in its first three seasons was at its most magical and wonderful. I am fortunate in that I can watch these stories today and still enjoy them - just as much as I did back in the 1960s.

I must confess buying this I was very dubious.. I had only seen the War Machines and the tenth planet before this and hadn't liked either of them but I thought I should see at least one with the original team(Dr 1, Susan, Barbara and Ian) The acting is very funny and many sets wobble but that only makes the story better!! The story is excellent and the music is first class. I have now seen most of the Dr 1 stories which wern't junked and must admit that this is one(If not the)best of the early Dr Who era!! Recommended!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Terry Nation's lesser known creation
Writer Terry Nation had become a household name by the mid 1960's through the creation of the Daleks, however, his two non-Dalek tales are less known. Read more

Published 3 months ago by M.B.E. Of Tooting

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Watching
The Keys of Marinus has it's ups and downs, the ups being Episode 1, Episode 2, The Jungle Parts and Episode 6, the downs being The Snows of Terror and the special features. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Mr. Nicholas P. Greenwood

3.0 out of 5 stars Vrood - underused
The villians of this 6 part piece from 1964 are the Vrood. They have an iconic menacing look about them quite similar to that of the later Cybermen. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Champs

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as bad as its reputation suggests...
If you've never seen this story before you should forget everything you've heard about it and just watch it. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Mr. A. Dodds

5.0 out of 5 stars Can beat classic Dr Who
What can you say, its just pure nostalgia for those Dr Who fans who grew up with it.

Published 21 months ago by Mr. G. Simpson

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than you've been led to believe
Many Doctor Who fans seem to disparage this story. I had first read about it in Doctor Who magazine in the late 1970s, and wanted to see it ever since. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Jeff Groom

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all time favourites!
The Keys of Marinus is an amazing episode! Pure brilliance! I truly loved watching this! The storyline is genius, doctor who or not! Read more

Published 22 months ago by John Crowley

5.0 out of 5 stars Shoot me, but I love it
The Keys of Marinus isn't exactly regarded as one of Doctor Who's finest serials. In fact, some would say it's a load of rubbish. Read more

Published 22 months ago by A. C. Mccormick

5.0 out of 5 stars Doctor Who The Keys Of Marinus
The Tardis crew end up on an island named Marinus with a sea of acid surrounding it. they venture into the land and end up in the temple of the Peace-Keeper. Read more

Published on 8 Dec 2009 by Julia Trott

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
What can I say. I am a complete fan of Dr Who and these early ones are just great.

Published on 4 Dec 2009 by Debra J. Nicolson

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