In 10 Words or Less
All-porn star rock band mockumentary

Reviewer’s Bias*
Loves: Good mockumentaries
Likes: Adult movies
Dislikes: Poor acting
Hates: Reality TV

The Show
Mockumentaries are much harder to get right than they seem. After all, you’ve got to have a really good team to make fiction seem like reality, especially when it comes to the acting. Of course, you could just say “Fudge it,” and shoot a feature-length episode of reality television instead, full of all the manufactured scenarios, drama and women yelling that make me avoid that genre like the plague. That certainly seems to be the tactic chosen by the makers of Tight, the story of the first all-female, all-porn star rock band and their ill-fated first tour.

I’m fully willing to admit that I came away from this film a bit confused, mainly about the band itself. Made up of a quartet of lesser-known porn starlets (Monica Mayhem, Layla Labelle, Tuesday Cross and Alicia Andrews), the group might be a real construction, a Spice Girls for the adult film world, a possibility mainly because of porn’s love of gimmicks and publicity, and the fact that, playing under their real porn names, they are authentically bad, playing small, miserable gigs. However, the film’s authenticity is just terrible, thanks mainly to one of the largest collections of bad acting ever seen in one film.

Now, a movie about a suffering, sub-par band’s awful tour experience can be a terrific thing, as we saw in This is Spinal Tap (a film name-checked on the cover in the inexplicable NY Post quote “the best mockumentary since Spinal Tap.”) That’s not the case here though, as the story is treated as more like reality-TV fodder, with the girls in the band (and manager Bree Olsen) constantly fighting, getting caught-up in forced situations and dealing with wacky side characters like Olsen’s cousin Joel, who co-manages the group in an obnoxiously awful manner that befits a lame sitcom than a mockumentary. Trying to care about the story as anything realistic is an unhealthy task, as the film changes course without motivation or logic several times before eventually finding its interest in the girls petering out far later than that of the viewers.

I certainly didn’t sit and keep track (staying focused on the movie itself was enough of a task) but if I had to estimate, the breakdown of the film is 50 percent screaming fights involving the band, 25 percent unenjoyable music (featuring some of the most repetitive lyrics ever recorded) and five percent gratuitous nudity and/or sex (all mostly softcover in nature) with the rest made up of seemingly random moments of pointlessness. If there are any plot points that don’t involve fighting or bad band performances, they are apparently easily forgotten within minutes of finishing the film’s excruciating 111 minutes. Perhaps if you are a fan of Bravo’s line-up of attitude-heavy, entitled women you might enjoy this stuff, but the terrible acting from pretty much everyone involved is probably too big an obstacle to overcome.

The DVD
The film arrives on a single DVD, which is packed in a standard keepcase with a four-page insert featuring an article about the film written by the co-author of Monica Mayhem’s autobiography. The disc features a static, anamorphic widescreen menu with options to play the film, select scenes and check out the extras. There are no audio options and no subtitles.

The Quality
The one thing the film got right are the visuals, as the anamorphic widescreen transfer offers the look of a shot-on-video reality show well and looks consistently solid, even during darker night and club scenes. The level of fine detail is moderately high and color is appropriate, along with the black levels.

Delivered via a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, the audio in this film is all over the place. It’s not even a matter of authenticity, as scenes in similar settings sound entirely different, which often makes it difficult to understand what’s been said. It’s too bad this isn’t the case during the musical performances, which are unfortunately pretty strong. The mix is simple and straight down the middle, and is free of any distortion.

The Extras
If this was an enjoyable film, the extras would be pretty exciting, because there’s a lotof them, starting with three bits of concert footage, as the band performs three songs in three different cities (running a total of 8:08.) If the movie didn’t prove how bad a band Tight is, these clips should make it as clear as a stripper’s lucite heels. If you didn’t get enough of Tight’s way-out sound, two music videos (6:18 in all) are also available. Surprisingly, they don’t sound as bad here in these low-budget greenscreen videos.

It’s not clear exactly what “Bonus Videos” means, but it includes “On the Road with Ron Samuels” (6:57), a series of appropriately cheesy “entertainment reports” from Tight’s tour. It feels like these were supposed to be part of the film, and they would have helped any mockumentary feel the film attempted to capture, but here they are. You also get Alicia’s audition (1:20), showing her playing the drums to a track. It’s not clear though whether this is supposed to be the real Alicia’s audition for the film or the film Alicia’s audition for the band. Either way, it’s a bit over a minute of mediocre drumming.

Despite the film being nearly two hours long, there’s a pile of 22 deleted scenes (31:19) here, from all over the film, featuring some subplots that didn’t make it into the film, but most of it repeats stuff seen in the film. The clips range from 15 seconds to 2:56, though most are around a minute to a minute and a half.

Also on the disc is a relatively robust photo gallery of tour pictures and promo shots (including one topless photo of Olsen) and a trio of trailers about Tight (the band and the movie) along with 10 other Wild Eye trailers. More annoying than anything in the film or the extras is the lack of any play-all options, which forces you to return to the menu over and over again.

The Bottom Line
It’s never a good sign when you’re watching a movie and think “Well this has to be just about done,” only to discover there’s still over 40 minutes to go. That’s just the case with Tight, a confusing attempt at making a mockumentary about the fringes of the porn universe (a topic that Christopher Guest should be developing right now.) There’s nothing worth suggesting about this entire endeavor, as even the pile of extras offers no reason to spend an additional minute with these girls. There’s got to be something better to do with your time than watch this movie.

Francis Rizzo III is a native Long Islander, where he works in academia. In his spare time, he enjoys watching hockey, writing and spending time with his wife, daughter and puppy.Check out 1106 – A Moment in Fictional Time or his convention blog called Conning Fellow

*The Reviewer’s Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer’s biases lie on the film’s subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.

Sometimes it takes a while for a TV series to warm up to its full potential, or for an already successful series to click with viewers initially unimpressed. I didn’t much care for New Tricks – Season Five when I reviewed it a while back, but stuck with it anyway and, very gradually, I warmed up to its four major characters, three retired police detectives recruited by their middle-aged (and female) detective superintendent boss to solve cold cases.

The BBC-produced program, now distributed all over the world, was humming along quite nicely, with seven-to-ten one-hour episodes per season since its 2003 debut, but it’s now in the midst of a major overhaul. One of its stars, James Bolam, left at the beginning of Season Nine, with two more (Amanda Redman and Alun Armstrong) scheduled to depart during season ten, airing in the U.K. this summer.

Reportedly, Bolam felt New Tricks had “become stale.” Yet, ironically, it was during the show’s eighth season that New Tricks enjoyed its highest ratings ever and, even more surprising, in terms of the writing New Tricks – Season Nine is a marked improvement over the past several years. Season nine’s teleplays are much more character-driven, and even the cold cases themselves, usually New Tricks‘ least interesting component, are more timely and ambitious.

What’s more, Acorn Media’s release of New Tricks – Season Nine is a vast improvement over the previous season’s DVDs. Season nine was clearly shot in high-def (and there’s a Blu-ray release in the U.K.) and that would account for the excellent image on these discs, but then why did past seasons look so murky and unattractive A 12-minute behind-the-scenes featurette is also included.

Scottish actor Denis Lawson (second from left) joins the cast

For those unfamiliar, New Tricks revolves around UCOS, the Metropolitan Police Service’s special branch dealing in cold cases. Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman) leads the (fictional) Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad, which is staffed with much older, retired officers: Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong, age 66 during season nine), Jack Halford (James Bolam, 77), and Gerry Standing (Dennis Waterman, 64).

Jack Halford announces his retirement at the beginning of the season premiere (“A Death in the Family”), an announcement so sudden his friends and colleagues suspect something is seriously wrong with the cynical widower. The episode taps into one of New Tricks‘ strengths, the relationships among the various characters, and by the end is unexpectedly touching and sorrowful. Indeed, the emotional legacy of Halford’s abrupt departure cleverly seeps into subsequent episodes, with Brian Lane, the most psychologically vulnerable member of UCOS, particularly suffering from this personal loss.

Brian also feels some early resentment toward the man hired to replace Halford, Glaswegian Steve McAndrew (Denis Lawson, then 64), a retired detective inspector initially brought in as an consultant on an unsolved missing persons case he’s worked on tirelessly since 2003. Low-key yet loquacious, at first he drives the other team members crazy but his obvious expertise, enthusiasm, and basic decency soon win over Sandra and Gerry, and, eventually, Brian.

Steve’s appearance is also the source of endless amusing banter contrasting London and Scottish living. When Steve complains about London’s fast-food restaurants Gerry counters, “All Scottish cuisine is based on a dare.”

Lawson is well known to British audiences for television series like Holby City and Bleak House, though Americans will know him as the publican in Local Hero (1983) and for his small but memorable role as fighter pilot Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy.

Besides a brighter, less obviously theatrical UCOS set, New Tricks‘ cold cases are much timelier and more interesting, with many story ideas “ripped from the headlines,” as the saying goes. “Body of Evidence,” for instance, about the discovery of a long-missing computer expert at a university hospital morgue, evolves into an intriguing tale of computer hacking obviously based on the revelations of Anonymous. And the season-opener, “A Death in the Family,” about an unsolved murder 160 years ago, once solved may have repercussions with a secret, sensitive agreement between Britain and China. Another show, involving a man who tricks naïve girlfriends into believing he’s a government agent in order to steal their money and control their every move, may be fictional but has an air of originality and authenticity New Tricks has needed for a long time.

Video & Audio

Shot for 1.78:1 high-def exhibition, New Tricks – Season Nine looks great, up to contemporary television standards. The Dolby Digital stereo audio is good and supported by optional English SDH subtitles. Ten episodes are spread across three single-sided, dual-layered discs with a total running time of just under 10 hours.

Extra Features

The lone extra is a pretty good one: a 12-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with members of the cast and crew.

Parting Thoughts

A big improvement over past seasons, New Tricks – Season Nine is heartily Recommended.

Stuart Galbraith IV is a Kyoto-based film historian whose work includes film history books, DVD and Blu-ray audio commentaries and special features. Visit Stuart’s Cine Blogarama here.

The TV Series:

The dated, enjoyable yet frustratingly one-note ’80s British sitcom Chance in a Million deals with your typical “boy meets girl, girl falls for boy’s quirkiness, they shack up and marry” setup. Although there’s a lot of absurd, tough-to-believe humor at play in each episode, the cozy rapport of the couple (appealingly played by Simon Callow and Brenda Blethyn) was the key to what made this show a modest hit in its home country.

For those used to the intricacies of modern TV, the premise of Chance in a Million‘s 18 episodes is simple to the point of being almost childish. Year one: the main couple meet-cute and her parents/coworkers adjust to him; year two: they get engaged; year three: we meet his family and they conclude the final episode in wedded bliss. Oh, and there are a lot of comic misunderstandings (sometimes involving scantily clad women) along the way. The whole shebang – an odd mishmash of lowbrow slapstick and adult romantic comedy – has been recently packaged for curious American audiences by Acorn Media in a nifty 3-DVD set.

Chance in a Million stars Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral) as Tom Chance, a dim yet affable fellow who seems to inadvertently cause disaster every where he goes. In the first episode, he meets shy librarian Allison Little, played by Brenda Blethyn (My Left Foot). Although he was looking for his computer dating service match (also named Allison) and she was seeking an unseen-since-childhood cousin (also named Tom), the two hit it off so splendidly that they wind up planning a date for that very night. Their first dinner at a ritzy restaurant runs afoul, however, when yet another absurd comic misunderstanding results in the couple getting covered in food. At episode’s end, Tom offers to help out the temporarily homeless Allison by (platonically) putting her up at his place, but he runs into trouble when the police find him maneuvering a panty-clad Allison through his apartment window.

From the first notes of the opening credits theme (a perky rendition of “Taking a Chance on Love,” arranged by British E-Z Listening maestro Ronnie Aldrich), Chance in a Million establishes itself as relaxed fluff. Tom and Allison’s world is a finite place with only a few ancillary figures (like Allison’s flummoxed parents, hilariously played by Hugh Walters and Deddie Davies). Events happen slowly and there isn’t a lot of character growth, which in Tom’s case is frustrating. Although Callow gives it a game, enthusiastic try, the character is merely a pile of quirks – which include an odd, pronoun-free method of speaking and his way of finishing off pints of lager in a few gulps. Blethyn’s Allison is a more satisfyingly full-bodied (physically and otherwise) character. Indeed, one of this show’s few pleasures is Blethyn’s surprisingly adeptness at sitcom acting; she pulls off Allison’s growing assertiveness over the three seasons well. It helps make the show more bearable, especially considering that each episode plays out exactly the same – far-out coincidence, humorous misunderstanding, lather, rinse, repeat. It may have made for familiar mirth on a week-to-week basis, but shows like this aren’t too conducive to modern-age binge watching.

Produced by Thames (dig their logo, preserved on most of the DVDs’ episodes) and airing on the U.K.’s Channel 4 in 1984-86, Chance in a Million stands as a good example of how different UK sitcoms were from their American counterparts. Hollywood product of the day was generally sanitized, professionally made, and full of jokes while making room for the occasional schmaltzy, so-called “moment of shit” just before the end credits. British sitcoms like Chance in a Million were less interested in moralizing, however, with more of an accent on physical/visual gags (surprisingly, there’s a lot of influence from The Benny Hill Show going on here). Another hallmark of U.K. sitcoms is the lesser production quality – the dowdy clothes, modest set decor and harsh, retina-burning lighting on Chance in a Million make it as much of a product of British TV as the actors’ accents. One style is not necessarily better or worse than the other – it’s just different. Unfortunately, for every Fawlty Towers or Black Adder that holds up well to repeated viewings, there are dozens of Chance in a Million-type entertainments which may as well be forgotten as soon as they’ve been watched.

Long story short: if you enjoy the lead actors or quirky, absurd humor, check it out. If you don’t, avoid.

The DVD:

Video

Shot on videotape with that ever-present bright lighting, the 4:3 image on Chance in a Million is as decent as can be expected for vintage ’80s television (at least the packaging warns of occasional flaws). Except for a strobing video effect that sometimes popped up in the corner of the final episode, the show looks good – and the mastering, with one 6-episode season on a disc, is fine.

Audio

Chance in a Million‘s sole audio track is a nicely mixed yet underwhelming track with clear dialogue, very little distortion, and no obvious flaws. Optional English subtitles are also provided on all episodes.

Extras

Acorn has thankfully ported over some interesting bonus content from Chance In A Million‘s U.K. release, most notably an Alternate Pilot Episode which reveals what worked about the pilot as it aired (Callow and Blethyn’s chemistry) and what didn’t (the restaurant scene and final police confrontation, completely re-cast and re-shot). There are also Audio Commentaries on four episodes from Simon Callow, joined by series writers Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegan. The tracks mostly consist of the three men jovially making observations on the onscreen action, but their fun and have a few good tidbits. An admiring, text-only Note from Simon Callow rounds out the extras.

Final Thoughts:

A cutesy-poo sitcom from Thatcher-era England, Chance in a Million mines much of its wild humor from unbelievable coincidences and the quirky appeal of leads Simon Callow and Brenda Blethyn. Sounds like a hoot, but the show gets bogged down in its own repetitiveness – which makes it a curiosity, at best. Acorn’s nicely packaged DVD set collects the entire series on three discs. Rent It.

Matt Hinrichs is a designer, artist and sometime writer who lives in sunny (and usually too hot) Phoenix, Arizona. Among his loves are oranges, going barefoot and blonde 1930s movie comedienne Joyce Compton. Since 2000, he has been scribbling away at Pop Culture weblog Scrubbles.net. One can also follow him on Twitter @4colorcowboy.

THE MOVIE:

“Let me entertain you, let me make you smile…”

Originally aired on PBS, the documentary Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy explores the storied connection of the two halves of its title, asking the question, “Why were so many famous American composers in musical theatre also Jews” The Gershwins, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim–just about everyone but Cole Porter was Jewish. Even performers, including Barbra Streisand and Zero Mostel.

Using archival performances, new interviews, and, at least early in the show, specially recorded songs by current Broadway performers like Matthew Broderick and David Hyde Pierce, director Michael Kantor looks at the origins of contemporary Broadway in Yiddish theatre, the connection of the art form to the early 20th-Century version of the American Dream, and how the pervasiveness of successful songs influenced pop culture and vice versa. Traditions were assimilated as outsiders found a new voice in a new world.

Critics and contemporary composers decode the hidden messages in the lyrics, while historians and narrator Joel Grey share details of the immigrant experience and the cultural backdrop, including the racially and ethnically mixed melting pot of New York, that gave rise to a truly American art form. Descendents of well-known writers also share biographical details. Amidst all the talk, of course, are plenty of clips from the songs. “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Swanee,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” “September Song,” “Somewhere”–there are plenty of earworms here, and it’s fascinating to hear how many of them transformed a specific experience into a universal feeling. Most of the stories in these plays aren’t Jewish (Fiddler on the Roof being an important exception), and yet all of them are. There is also a surprising patriotic streak running through many of the standards. (Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America,” after all.)

Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy makes both for a great narrative and also an education. In much the same way cinema is still indebted to the early pioneers, so too is 21st-Century Broadway still in thrall to its formative successes. Kantor carries the thread through history, from the early Jazz Age to WWII, social change and civil rights, and finally a more open society that allowed for stories that were more explicitly Jewish, such as Cabaret or even The Producers. Now Spamalot can even include a whole song about needing Jews if you want to have a hit play. The outsiders became the insiders, the product of an alternate history running parallel to life as we know it, reflecting on our existence and, at its best, making the world a better place through entertainment. Which is how Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy functions, as well: informative, but with pizzazz.

THE DVD

Video:
The widescreen presentation of Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy is a little disappointing. Colors are fine, and the archival material is nicely cleaned up, but the overall resolution is soft. There is a grainy haze over much of the new footage, as well as lots of jagged edges and blurs.

Sound:
The 5.1 audio mix on the documentary has good volume and clarity, though it’s mostly centered in the front speakers and does not have much of an immersive quality.

Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired are available. That includes the bonus disc.

Extras:
Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy is a two-disc set, with the documentary on the main DVD and a bunch of bonus material on the second. The DVDs come in a standard case with two separate trays, a slipcover, and a sixteen-page booklet containing information on many of the contributors to the program as well as added liner notes.

The video bonus materials, which together total three hours, are split between two categories: extended interviews and bonus performances. There are twenty-five interview subjects, each of which you can choose from individually, including lyricist Hal David, Eric Idle, Steven Sondheim, Marc Shaiman, and Mel Brooks. In terms of songs, there are three: composer Adolph Green’s daughter Amanda Green singing “If You Hadn’t But You Did” (Two on the Aisle), Stephen Schwartz performing Sondheim’s “Magic to Do” (Pippin), and Shaiman doing his own “A Doctor, A Doctor,” which he wrote for his sister’s wedding. These are not necessarily full performances, but off-the-cuff renditions for Kantor’s camera.

There is also a text biography of Joel Grey.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
The melodic documentary Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy is as entertaining as it is instructive, detailing the history of a truly American art form and exploring why its major practitioners have mostly been Jewish. The show is full of great archival performances, displaying how hummable most of these tunes really were, and coupling them with fascinating stories that speak to the history of a nation. Recommended.

Jamie S. Rich is a novelist and comic book writer. He is best known for his collaborations with Jo�lle Jones, including the hardboiled crime comic book You Have Killed Me, the challenging romance 12 Reasons Why I Love Her, and the 2007 prose novel Have You Seen the Horizon Lately, for which Jones did the cover. All three were published by Oni Press. His most recent project is the comedy series Spell Checkers, again with Jones and artist Nicolas Hitori de. Follow Rich’s blog at Confessions123.com.

The Series:

The second full serial to feature Tom Baker in the lead, the four part storyline Doctor Who: The Ark In Space was originally aired in late January through mid-February in 1975. Directed by Rodney Bennett and written by Robert Holmes, the story begins when the TARDIS materializes inside a large space station. When the doors open, out walk the Doctor (Baker) and his companions, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Sullivan). They explore the facility and before you know it, against the Doctor’s orders Harry has pushed a button, a door closes locking Sarah in a room, and she’s soon without oxygen. This is fixed quickly enough but they soon realize that the auto-guard programmed to protect the place has a pretty itchy trigger finger.

Once the Doctor and Harry neutralize the defenses they’re able to further explore the place and soon realize that they’ve essentially wandered into an ‘ark’ chock full of people in suspended animation chambers. Before you know it, Sarah’s been put into one of the pods but soon a ‘med-tech’ named Vira (Wendy Williams) wakes up and explains things to Harry and the Doctor. Also revived early on is the stations leader, Noah (Kenton Moore), who is understandably suspicious as to the space stations newly arrived guests. Unfortunately for all involved, humans are not the only creatures onboard. At some point during its journey the station’s integrity was compromised by the presence of some wasp like aliens called the Wirrn. Having had ample time to use the humans’ onboard as hosts, there are larvae crawling around the ship causing trouble. When Noah heads into the thick of it to check things out, he becomes a host and soon starts mutating into one of the Wirrn – at which point his personality changes and he starts to use the space station’s technology to let the Wirrn take over and eliminate what is left of the human race.

Picking up where the last serial, Robot, left off, The Ark In Space wastes no time getting to the good stuff. There’s quite a bit of action here and some solid moments of suspense as well and we can’t help but notice how Baker is quickly beginning to make the role his own. Having really only had one proper story prior to flesh out the character to suit his style, it’s impressive that even this early on in the fourth Doctor’s run his take is distinct and unique and not at all like the three who came before him. There’s a slightly unhinged aspect to Baker’s work on the series that his predecessors lacked and it’s easy to see how and why he’d become, in the eyes of many fans who grew up on his incarnation, the definitive Doctor, or at the very least the actor most instantly recognized for his work on the series. Supporting efforts from the charming Elisabeth Sladen and the amusing Ian Sullivan make for some fun moments, particularly the back and forth that occurs between them and the Doctor which is often the source of this particular storyline’s only real humor. Wendy Williams is great as the slightly pretentious medical technician while Kenton Moore does a pretty solid job as the space station leader, Noah (subtle, right Let’s name the guy in charge of the ‘ark’ Noah!).

As far as the production values go, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The set design is great, with clever use of mirrors used to coyly make the interior of the space station look far bigger than it really is. There’s a very clean, sort of 2001 inspired look to the inside of the space station that works well in the serial’s favor and the few exterior shots that there are work fine given the age and technology used in the show. The monster effects are a different story, the main problem being that once Kenton Moore’s Noah starts turning into the Wirrn, they’ve obviously just wrapped parts of him in green bubble wrap. Now, the extras explain that bubble wrap was fairly new at the time and not as common as it is now, so maybe this was more effective back then, but by modern standards, yeah, that guy is obviously wrapped in green bubble wrap and that’s a little hard to look past. Fans of the series won’t likely take issue with this, however, as the show was, at the time at least, always made with a pretty modest effects budget. As to the fully formed Wirrn, they fare a little better, but are still obviously men wobbling around in costume, which explains why we never see them shot from the ankles down.

Overall, however, despite some questionable effects and production values, Ark In Space is a lot of fun. Baker has started to come into his own, the set design is impressive and the storyline is both exciting and enjoyable, even occasionally offering up some minor food for thought. Fans will eat this one up, and it’s easy to see all these years later why it remains a very popular entry in the Baker years run.

The DVD:

Video:

Doctor Who: The Ark In Space arrives on DVD in its original fullframe aspect ratio. There are moments where the picture is muddy looking and fairly murky and detail is generally below average throughout playback as the transfer is sourced from the master tape – but this is probably as good as it’s ever going to get and those accustomed to other releases of Who material from the same era will more or less know what to expect. It’s all watchable enough and scenes shot inside tend to look cleaner and clearer than those shot outdoors (probably due to better lighting and the fact that in this particular series a lot of the outdoor shots use miniatures and effects work), but this isn’t really a great transfer even if it’s obvious that the powers that be have done their best with the material that they had available. The disc is well authored in that there are no problems with compression artifacts and as soft as it all is, at least it’s clean in that there aren’t any nasty issues with print damage. Again, for what it is, this looks fine and those accustomed to earlier DVD releases from this era of the show will know what to expect and have no problems – but those expecting pristine quality will be disappointed.

Sound:

The sole audio option on this release is an English language Dolby Digital Mono track that comes with optional subtitles available in English only. The quality of the track is fine in that it’s always easy to understand and there are no problems to report in terms of hiss or distortion. There isn’t a whole lot of range – this is an older mono mix after all – but the levels are well balanced and the feature sounds just fine.

Extras:

Extras start off with a commentary track that comes courtesy of producer Phillip Hinchcliffe and actors Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen. It’s a lively look back at the making of this storyline, an early one in Baker’s run and one in which the actor has much to discuss. This is an older track, recorded for the original release ten years ago, so Baker isn’t exactly at his warmest here, he’s a bit persnickety at times, but his memory is pretty sharp. They talk about the effects, the character development and the sets as well as some of the challenges that arose during the production and some of the changes that the story went through. It’s a fine talk that covers what you would expect are all the major bases here.

Up next is a thirty minute minute retrospective featurette entitled A New Frontier which lets Hincliffe discuss how when he came onboard as producer how he intended to take the show in more interesting directions than it had been in the past. They also discuss the bubble wrap monsters with input from director Rodney Bennett, designer Roger Murray-Leach and actor Kenton Moore, also noting what was done to make the sets look bigger than they were. Actress Wendy Williams also pops up here to talk about her character and how in retrospect she played it very holier than though style. A very interesting and well put together look back at the making of this particular four part series and quit an enjoyable watch.

Roger Murray-Leach flies solo for a ten minute look back at his work on this storyline and a few others. He starts off by stating outright that he does not want to talk about Blake’s 7 before going on to share some fun stories about what he did to create various bit and pieces of the Doctor Who universe. Much of the focus is on dealing with the budgetary restraints that were always an issue on the show but he also shares some interesting memories of befriending Tom Baker and a few other fun anecdotes. This is complimented nicely by a quick Model And CGI Effects Footage which is nine minutes or so.

Doctor Forever! Love & War is the first of five mini documentaries that examine the Doctor Who universe outside of the TV shows. Here we spend twenty-seven minutes or so strolling through the novelizations that Virgin Publishing was pumping out during the nineties, the time when the series was off the air. It’s an interesting piece that sheds some light on an aspect of the series that doesn’t really get talked about or discussed as much as the TV series does but which still manages to do some interesting things with the characters. Scene Around Six is some footage that was shot of Baker on a trip to Ireland where he’s basically mobbed by fans as he makes the rounds and does different media appearances. It’s fun to see him pop up at a school to see some obviously very amused kids and serves as a reminder of just how popular the series was in the UK when Baker was in the role. Also worth checking out is some 8mm Location Footage that Baker shot on the set of Robot. It’s short and shot without sound but presented in color and interesting enough to see even if it’s only a quick minute in length.

This set also includes the seventy minute TV Movie Version that was shown in 1975. It tights up the pacing a little bit here and there but mostly tells the same story – interesting for completists but you’ll probably want to opt for the full version when you watch the story. Rounding out the extras is another one of the really interesting text based Production Notes subtitle stream, a one minute clip of 3D Technical Schematics, a seven minute long still gallery of production and promotional photographs, a one minute trailer for The Ark In Space, an Alternate Title Sequence, a one minute Tardis Cam quickie, PDF materials made up of various radio listings and promotional materials, animated menus and chapter selection.

Final Thoughts:

Doctor Who: The Ark In Space is pretty great stuff. The story is interesting and well told and it moves at a fast pace, making it easy to overlook the fact that the effects budget was obviously on the low side. There’s a lot of creativity on display here and Baker does some great things with the character, always a plus. The BBC’s presentation looks about as good as it realistically can given the format that it was shot on and the two disc set is loaded with extra features. Highly recommended.

Ian lives in NYC with his wife where he writes for DVD Talk, runs Rock! Shock! Pop!. He likes NYC a lot, even if it is expensive and loud.