Doctor Who - Battlefield [VHS] [1989]: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Michael Kerrigan: Amazon.co.uk: Video

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Product Description

Synopsis

The Doctor and Ace receive a mysterious distress signal and land in the Earth village of Carbury, which is near to Lake Voortigen, the mythical resting place of King Arthur's sword. Contains previously untransmitted material.

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16 Reviews

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4 star:		(5)
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Average Customer Review

3.5 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Advanced forms of magic are indistinguishable from science", 10 Jan 2006

By	Jimmy Lovesey (Cardiff, South Wales) - See all my reviews

Battlefield is without question the worst story from season 26 of Doctor Who (the final of it's original run). That, however, is like saying that "Fixing a Hole" is the worst song from Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, i.e., its such a damn good collection that the worst is still really good!

Battlefield sees the return to Doctor Who of UNIT, Bessie, and the good old Brig. It's a thrilling mythical yarn based on Arthurian legends which casts the good Doctor in the role of Merlin... literally! As the Doc learns that one of his future incarnations takes the identity of Merlin in order to command the righteous in battle agains the evil sorceress Morgaine in an alternate dimension.

The Who take on Arthurian mythology is thoroughly entertaining, and refreshingly doesn't try to explain away the apparrent use of magic using sci-fi technobabble. McCoy and Aldred are by now completely comfortable in their respective roles, while Nicholas Courtney effortlessly slides back into his role as the now much older Lethbridge-Stewart, without falling into the trap of acting like he's still the age he was during the Brig's heyday in the 70s. You can tell he relishes the oppurtinity of portraying the older, retired Brigadier having to step back into action, realising he is no longer as capable as he used to be, and fleshing out his character's background in scenes where he is off duty and acting alongside Angela Douglas as his wife, Doris. Also worthy of note is Jean Marsh as Morgaine, a talented actress who manages to add layers of depth to the somewhat cliched role of the villainess sorcerer.

And while watching remember to pay attention to the cliffhanger of episode two, Sophie Aldred's screams of help are not all acting as this particular stunt went horribly wrong and almost killed her.

To sum it up, Battlefield is an entertaining and original Who story, and started the show's final season in fine form.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good last season starter, 11 Feb 2004

By	"terrible-zodin" - See all my reviews

Battlefield is a very good story, the way they tie in the mystery of the doctor and merlin is very well thought up...
The visual effects are surprisingly good (for once the guns shoot realisticly)and the location shooting is very good.
with extended scenes this is a must for doctor who.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The final Battle, 24 April 2009

By	Barney McGrew "Charlie" (UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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. As a lifelong Doctor Who fan I can understand other fans becoming frustrated through seeing 'our show' lose its way and gain some of the pantomime aspects that plagued its later years. However, the programme has always (in its classic years anyway) had an extremely limited budget and relied instead upon wit, imagination and great characters. While Battlefield can sometimes seem to be an incoherent mess with gratuitous SFX and hammy performances, it is still good colourful escapism and contains flashes of greatness. Jean Marsh's accomplished turn as the witch queen Morgaine, Nick Courtney reprising his role as the Brigadier with style and panache, and the awesome Destroyer, are the highlights here, whilst McCoy's constant bellowing of 'Aaaaaace!' and the confusing and ill-conceived relationship between Brigadier Bambera and the knight Ancelyn, are the low-points.
All this aside, I enjoyed the video version as much as I'd enjoyed the original transmission in 1989 as a callow 16 year old; the action rarely lets up, there are some typical Doctor Who moments (the UNIT soldier being turned to dust by Morgaine) and it has a cosy and familiar feel for the nostalgists amongst us. As for 'that' maniacal laughter; since when was Doctor Who not hammy and over the top? Embrace our show for what it is, warts and all.