The TV Movie looks better than ever in a new 4K remastering
It’s time to party like it’s 1999 because the Doctor Who TV Movie is back, and it’s looking better than ever. It’s undoubtedly one of the most re-released stories in the history of the series. Yet, this new version certainly justifies any double, triple, or even quadruple, dipping it asks of fans. Produced as a co-production with Universal Studios the movie was always a sumptuous affair by Doctor Who standards. It was shot entirely on 35mm film, with none of the sudden switches to video tape any time characters moved indoors that typified the BBC made episodes. Now, however, that original 35mm footage has been rediscovered in a Universal storage facility. Thanks to that, the painstakingly remastered Blu-ray edition looks incredible, even in 4K.
In a way it simply emphasises how stylish it’s always been. For years, there was a lingering reverse snobbery about it among some corners of fandom. A belief, perhaps, that Doctor Who actually should be wobbly sets, dodgy rubber monsters, and fuzzy videotape. However, more than twenty years since the show’s revival, the sort of fun transitions and smooth blocking that punctuate Geoffrey Sax’s direction seem much more familiar. That said, these 90 minutes are still more packed with gorgeous lighting and beautiful direction than your everyday Who. Cameras rotate as they travel down empty hospital corridors, the torture device intended for the Doctor is first glimpsed in a mirror, and the Doctor’s rebirth swaps back and forth with footage from Universal’s own Frankenstein.
There’s only disadvantage this new upgrade, in fact. The lace front of Paul McGann’s wig is rather more obvious to eagle eyed viewers than before.
The new set reuses pre-existing commentaries and info text, however 2010’s The Seven Year Hitch is as compelling as ever
Having been around the block a few times now, the Doctor Who TV Movie already comes with a healthy package of existing extras. Inevitably, these are a bit of mixed bag. 2010’s The Seven Year Hitch continues to be one of the most compelling Making Of documentaries in the Whoniverse. It’s a frank recollection of the difficulties involved in the dramatic, and sometimes frustrating, battle to get the beloved Time Lord back on our screens. On one side of the Atlantic, Philip Segal battles against the BBC’s disinterest in the show. It’s a lack of faith which sometimes tips over into outright hostility towards the project. On the other, he struggles to infect luminaries like Steven Spielberg with his love of the show.
There are also two commentaries, one by Sax, and the other by erstwhile Doctors McGann and Sylvester McCoy, both hail from the early days of DVD commentaries. It was a time when contributors weren’t entirely comfortable with the format yet. As a result, they’re both rather tentative in their own way. The two Doctors provide a rather low key round of anecdotes. Meanwhile, Sax’s is very dry, with some rather redundant observations like noting every time the Master-snake appears that it was CGI.
Most disappointing perhaps, is the decision not to update the original Info Text, leading to oddities like it claiming Paul McGann never played the Doctor on screen again.
The set also has new interviews with almost all the major players with one notable exception
Sax is much more enthusiastic form 25 years later when In Conversation with Matthew Sweet. It’s one of the highlights of the set, revealing the director as a deeply imaginative creator responsible for many of the best things about the TV Movie. He’s also almost pathologically humble, to the point that even Sweet scoffs. McCoy is similarly revitalised compared to his commentary performance, this time in an interview with Doctor Who’s own Janet Fielding. Unexpectedly though, the main takeaway is a new appreciation for the genius and generosity of their mutual friend and collaborator Ken Campbell.
Paul McGann has always drawn special praise for how quickly he nails his version of the Doctor. But rare behind the scenes footage here will deepen your appreciation of just how fragile and magical that is. During his audition a single two word note (“More excited,”) suddenly brings the Eighth Doctor we’ve known and loved for a quarter century since to instant life. It’s a testament to McGann’s skill that he infers so much about the character’s entire personality from that simple note.
In between all this, there are gems like the TARDIS model footage from the opening credits, and an isolated soundtrack. The latter in particular is really elevated by not being in competition with the bombastic dialogue and sound effects.
It’s just a shame there isn’t more of Paul McGann himself here. But then again, any plans for a new McGann commentary and In Conversation can be held as selling points to justify quintuple dipping for the inevitable Collection Wilderness Years set…
Doctor Who: The TV Movie
The Doctor is returning home to Gallifrey with the remains of his arch-nemesis, the Master. Forced off course, the TARDIS arrives in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve 1999, where the Doctor is critically wounded in a gangland gun battle. At the local hospital, Dr Grace Holloway fights – and fails – to save his life.
Later, in the morgue, the Doctor wakes up a new man. But he is not the only one – the Master has also found himself a new body. As the clock counts down to the start of the new millennium, can the Doctor stop his oldest enemy destroying all life on Earth?
