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Doctor Who - The Caves of Androzani [VHS]

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The Fifth Doctor and Peri's trip to the sandy Androzani Minor turns out to be a fateful and intensely eventful one in this Dune meets The Phantom of the Opera story. They explore a cave mouth and encounter a cache of arms enough to equip a small army. There, they are caught on the scene by the soldiers of General Chellak and condemned to death as gunrunners.

Here's the situation: Spectrox is a drug that can increase twice the ordinary lifespan. Demand for the drug shoots up when Sharaz Jek, a robotics expert who is lusting for revenge against Morgus, the man who'd betrayed him, seized the spectrox mines with an army of androids. The military under Chellak and his subordinate Salateen have been fighting a losing battle against androids, gunrunners led by Stotz, and a carnivorous monster that looks like something out of a Godzilla movie. Public demand has put pressure on the Androzani president to possibly capitulate to Jek's demands and negotiate an armistice. Jek's terms? "I want the head of Morgus at my feet. I want the head of that perfidious treacherous degenerate congealed in its own evil blood."

Well-picked words by Jek, because Morgus is exactly that. A cold-hearted businessman on Androzani Major whose conglomerate controls the spectrox mines as well as other holdings offworld, and speaks in a cold, low, level, emotionless tone. His profitmaking goes as far as sabotaging his own mines when an increase in production leads to lower prices and even closing down plants, leaving many unemployed workers being shipped off to labour camps in the East. As the president tells him, "the irony is while you've been busy closing planets here in the West, you've been buiilding them in the East, so if the unemployed were sent to the Eastern labour camps, a great many of them will be working for you again, only this time, without payment." When Morgus responds with a deadpan "I hadn't thought of that" the president, clearly disgusted, replies bitterly, "Of course you haven't."

But there's also Stotz, played wonderfully by Maurice Roeves, the nasty and violent leader of machine gun-touting gunrunners supplying Jek with arms in exchange for spectrox. So who's Stotz's boss on Andro. Major?

The main objective of the Doctor is not to sort out the situation but to save both his life and Peri's. They are dying of spectrox toxaemia, which they got from accidentally touching raw spectrox, and the antivenin can be found in the oxygenless depths. Unfortunately, he gets caught up in this violent morass between Jek, the military, and Stotz, while his life and Peri's are slowly ebbing away.

The high casualty rate and violence in this story makes Resurrection Of The Daleks like a summer breeze, but with great dialogue, convincing characters, and great acting, this is one of the best Doctor Who stories. And this was Peter Davison's personal favourite of his oeuvre. Christopher Gable as the masked and insanely vengeance-minded Sharaz Jek opposite Nicola Bryant's Peri work as a Phantom and Christine minus the music and opera, especially Peri's shuddering revulsion at being touched by Jek. His infatuation with Peri turns to genuine concern when she's close to death, making him more than just one-dimensional and not exactly a clearcut villain. John Normington as Jek's nemesis Morgus, retains perfect vocal control playing a man whose voice rarely rises above a certain level even when he's mad.

Despite his mere three seasons as the Doctor, Peter Davison is at least noted for having one of the best farewell stories of the Doctors. But his nobility, his urgent and selfless devotion in trying to save Peri, even at the cost of his own life, makes his Doctor the vulnerable Sir Galahad type. Indeed, his own culpable admission that "curiosity always has been my downfall" shows his guilt at dragging Peri into this mess, yet serves as a testament to his moral courage to put things right.

I'm pleased to announce that the uniformly high quality of the first three States-side "Doctor Who" DVD releases was not a fluke. The newly-offered "The Caves of Androzani" is another highly-regarded story given a glossy new, features-packed look.

It's the final story for Peter Davison, the 5th Doctor, and is notably gloomy and dark. Roger Limb's militaristic score, replete with a rattlesnake motif, and Graeme Harper's inspired direction -- full of cross-fades, matched dissolves, and Shakespearean soliloquies to the camera -- is light-years beyond the dull visual look for which so much "Who" is unfortunately remembered. The script is Robert Holmes at his darkest: a planet run by a mega-corporation is involved in a bitter war against a deformed mad scientist and his android army over supply of a life-preserving drug. Into this picture stumble the Doctor and Peri, who both contract fatal poisoning within minutes. The acting is superb, from John Normington's evil-CEO Morgus, who delivers chilling asides to the camera, to former dancer Christopher Gable as the mad Sharaz Jek, stalking the camera (and Peri) in skin-tight leather and a memorable black-and-white mask.

The features are a slight decline from those in the first set of DVD releases. The raw studio footage of Peter Davison's regeneration scene is tolerable only with Davison and Harper's voiceover commentary -- but the DVD doesn't inform that this track exists over the featurettes as well as over the story. Similarly, the extended scene (featuring just 20 seonds of new material) works best with this commentary. The photo gallery and TV trailer strike of tokenism.

Better is a featurette narrated by (the late) Gable, describing the creation of Sharaz Jek: possibly the best original featurette on a DW disc thus far. Also grand is a 1983 TV interview in which a female reporter tries to bully Davison into admitting that his casting as the Doctor was a mistake!

Harper and Davison's full-length commentary is an absolute riot -- celebrating the story, while poking vicious fun at its (few) plot-holes and visual goofs. Davison's description of the Part Two cliffhanger is roll-on-the-floor funny. Nicola Bryant says little, but her regret at Peri's performance in this story is a revelation (considering what awful roles Peri would be assigned when Colin Baker became the Doctor). Also fine are the pop-up production notes, which describe Holmes's original script in tantalizing detail. You might not choose to sit through 90 minutes of the music-only sound option, but I enjoyed watching key scenes (including the regeneration) in this fashion.

Overall, one of "Doctor Who"'s finest TV stories, with a couple of nifty DVD-only additions that make this 20 year-old story a 21st-century triumph.

This DVD is one of the best! There's production subtitles which give you some insight into the making of the story. There's a commentary track with Peter Daviosn, Nicola Bryant, and Director Gramm Harper which is one of the best commentary tracks they've done for a Who DVD. Davison's eye for detail and directorial abilities show through in his comments. He also MST3Ks it a tiny little bit 'How does Peri know they're bombs'. Harper has some useful information and spends a lot of time laughing at Davison's jokes. All three provide a lot of background information as to the actors involved like Robert Glenister who worked with Davison on a show called "Sink or Swim", Maurice Roƫves who went on to play several roles on American TV, and the late Christopher Gable who played Jek. A bonus feature of the DVD serves as a tribute to Gable. It includes audio footage of him describing his role with video footage of his makeup tests. They also fixed a shacky alignment problem with the backround mat in the opening scene when the TARDIS lands. You can see the original shot as an extra feature. This is a really cool DVD.

About the Episode: Perhaps the greatest regeneration story in all of Doctor Who, Caves of Androzani is Doctor Who at it's darkest and most mature. As with most regeneration stories the Doctor spends most of it with the dark specter of death over his head, this is very intense and absorbing. The villain, Sharez Jek, is a brilliant scientist whose flaw for beauty and mental instability are visible despite his great genius. With his robots he is waging a war againts the corporation who seek to mine Spectrox from Androzani minor and the Doctor and Peri are caught in the middle of the military/political struggle. Jek is a spectacular foe, plus his mask is really scary. As the story progresses you realize that, in a way, Jek isn't the real villain. This was that sort of subtlety that marked the Davison era. And the regeneration scene is the best you're going to get in Doctor Who. All the companions surround the Doctor...

About this era of Dr Who: At this point, the show really was trying to be a serious piece of science fiction, like the various Star Trek series. Plots like Earthshock, Frontios, Revelation of the Daleks, Planet of Fire, and this one combined the dark edge of serious plot and story with Peter Davison's dry wit and his very British personality. Davison was the greatest Doctor; young and energetic but with a charisma and intelligence that far surpassed his outward appearance. He was patient, thoughtful, and not afraid to at least try to make the hard decision... Through most of his era, he had multiple companions providing the show with a cast of characters as opposed to a simple Doctor/Companion ensemble.

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By far the best Peter Davison, and the best Doctor Who story of the 1980s. Everything about it, from the acting to the plot agrees with the viewer very soundly. Every character, from Morgus to the President to Sharez Jek especially is very well characterized and acted. Nicola Bryant is excellent as Peri, there's hardly a hint of the unlikable character she would later become in Colin Baker's era. Peter Davison - what can I say? He ranged from engaging to bland to totally unmemorable throughout his tenure as the Doctor, but he is simply superb in "The Caves of Androzani". Here he gives his best performance ever as the Doctor. The final part is perfectly shot, and the Doctor's 5th regeneration is by far the best realised and most emotionally effective and memorable one ever portrayed on Doctor Who. Kudos to Robert Holmes the writer and Graeme Harper the director as well for a marvellous tale, one which should have been typical of the Davison era, not an exception.

The Caves of Androzani brings the Peter Davison era to a close. I wished that Davison could have stayed with the show another season or two, as it was just in his third season as Doctor Number Five (the classic series' 21st season overall) in which he finally seemed to have settled into the role and become more comfortable. "Caves" was written by veteran DW writer/former script editor Robert Holmes (Terror of the Autons/The Ark in Space/The Talons of Weng-Chiang, etc.) who turns out a Doctor Who adventure which is not only the best of Peter Davison's tenure as the Doctor, but also one of the show's greatest stories ever. The late Christopher Gable turns in a great performance as the tragic antihero Sharaz Jek. And John Normington is also great as the true central villain Morgus. "Caves" is well-directed by Graeme Harper, who manages to get a lot performance-wise from his cast, including Davison, Gable, and Normington, as well as Nicola Bryant (Peri) and Maurice Roeves (Stotz). And at the end we get to see, although briefly, Anthony Ainley as the Master, along with all of the companions from the Davison era during the regeneration scene. The Caves of Androzani is Peter Davison's last and best Doctor Who outing, and possibly the best DW story of the 80's, and also possibly the last great story of the classic DW series.

This was the first Doctor Who thing I ever saw, and it was kind of strange to see Peter Davison doing sci-fi. But I thought he did a really nice job. Nicola Bryant does a very nice job too, as the Doctor's companion, Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown. She was very appealing and is quite good at screaming (but repeatedly lets her accent slip).
In this story, the Doctor and Peri land on the planet of Androzani Minor, and, while investigating a cave, they wind up inadvertantly handling a substance called Spectrox, which is, in its raw form, the deadliest substance in the universe. Eventually the Doctor and Peri wind up in the clutches of a crazed scientist named Sharaz Jek, plus they realise they're dying of Spectrox poisoning. I won't give away any more than that.

In conclusion, this DVD is very enjoyable, even if you don't go for sci-fi and just like watching Peter Davison. The audio commentary is really interesting, too, especially where Peter Davison comments (during the last episode) about regenerating into Colin Baker.

The Doctor and Peri arrive on Androzani Minor where troopers from the planet's sister world Androzani Major are fighting a losing battle against a mysterious masked figure and his androids in their attempts to mine a substance which has beneficial qualities. Very soon, however, the Doctor and Peri are under sentence of death - in more than one way.

This is the best Peter Davison story, a faultless tale which must rank among the greatest of the entire series. The Magma creature is, admittedly, rubbery, but it's also only seen briefly. Every human character is believeable and memorable - the hard-nosed drug-runners, the excellently cold Morgus, and of course Sharez Jek, who is a genuine character rather than the kind of one-sided villain who all too often meets the Doctor. Somebody or something which is monstrous and displays psychotic and violent behaviour but then is revealed to have a love of beauty is a powerful image which formed the basis for King Kong, the Phantom of the Opera and even Grant Mitchell in EastEnders. Jek is Dr Who's most memorable humanoid villain and the tear-jerking scenes in episode four have to be seen to be believed - if you're not totally gripped and feeling a real sense of loss by the end of them then check your pulse-rate, as you may be clinically dead.

If you know someone who thinks that good Dr Who stories stopped being made after Tom Baker left then show them this and prove how wrong they are. A masterpiece which makes me glad to be a fan of sci-fi.

"Caves of Androzani" is widely regarded as the best story of the fifth Doctor's era, one of the best of the 80's and quite possibly one of the greatest Dr. Who stories of all time. The late, great Robert Holmes returns to the show after a five year writing absense and delivers possibly his best script in the entire series run (high praise considering that he wrote such classics of Ark in Space, Spearhead from Space and the Deadly Assassin). The TARDIS materializes on Androzani Minor, where a minor war has broken out over control of Spectrox, one of the galaxy's rarest and most valuable substances. Sharez-Jek, a reclusive meglomaniac controls the supply and isn't willing to give it up easily. He's also got an axe to grind with Morgus, the private businessman who has seen the shortage of Spectrox fill his pockets and how is financing both the legitimate armies efforts to stop Jek and his robot army and a small band of mercenaries. Enter the Doctor and Peri, who get embroiled in a series of events beyond their control and in which there is no easy way out. Holmes takes some standard Who cliches--the lurking monster, the quick accusations of murder--and turned them into one of the most nuanced scripts in the entire Dr. Who canon. Add to this superb performances by Peter Davison, Christopher Gabel as the deranged Jek and Nicola Bryant's best work as Peri along with Graham Harper's stylish direction and it's easy to see why this story is so well regarded.

But what is to encourage the average fan to pick up this DVD. The story has been out for years on video. It's all in the extras. "Caves of Androzani" may be the best of the Who stories released on DVD so far. The supplemental features include a small featurette on Gabel and how he portryaed Jek and the regenaration sequence. There's also some short clips from various news programs about Davison's departure from the show. But the real treat is an audio commnentary by Davison, Harper and Bryant. All three are having a ball with the commentary and they all offer a unique insight into story behind the Caves of Androzani. (If anyone over at Parmount is reading, it's these kind of extras we Trek fans want on our DVDs, thank you!).

So, you've got a superb story remastered--it's never looked or soudned better and a wealth of extras. This DVD is definitely worth the price of admission.

One of my favorite Doctor Who stories ever and Peter Davison's final outing as the Gallifreyan timelord ends on a high note (eclipsing Tom Baker's regeneration sequence in Logopolis). The plot centers around the Doctor and Peri (played by the lovely Nicola Bryant) who land on Androzani Major, only to find themselves in the midst of a political war between a tyrannical corporation and underground gunrunners led by the sinister masked figure Sharez Jek for control of a precious substance known as Spectrox. Of particular note is the well scripted story by Who alumnus Robert Holmes who injects dramatic suspense into this four-part regeneration serial and creates one of Doctor Who's most memorable and diabolical villains of the Who canon. This DVD is a real treat for fans of the series, featuring behind the scenes documentaries on the Creation of Sharez Jek, The Regeneration Transformation, BBC1 announcing the departure of Peter Davison from the role, an isolated incidental music-only track by composer Roger Limb, extended scene featuring Stotz and his cronies, original opening scene, and a wonderfully recorded commentary track with Peter Davison, Nicola Bryant and Graeme Harper. The chemistry between Davison and Bryant reuniting for the commentary is superb as they muse about the dated special effects and production anecdotes. It is a shame that the two of them had only worked together for this serial and the previous episode entitled "Planet of Fire" but their brief tenure is regarded so fondly by both and is demonstrated not only by their respective commentaries but also in their performances as well. The video quality of this DVD transfer is rather limited due to the integrity of the original analog PAL masters with lots of graininess and RF noise throughout, especially during machine gun fire sequences. The audio is unfortunately mono and a new 5.1 Dolby Digital mix (like the one on The Five Doctors) would have been a plus but is more than made up for by the Special Features provided on the disc. An essential disc to have in any Dr. Who collection.

Okay, first of all, I'd better start off by saying that no die-hard science fiction fan is going to mark this review "helpful". In fact, I suggest those of you who fall under that category stop reading this right now.

I am not and have never been a big sci-fi fan, but I have always been an almost ridiculously devoted fan of Peter Davison (ever since first seeing him in All Creatures Great & Small when I was six years old). As a result, I have no idea what was actually going on in this story, I just know that I loved watching him in it. I enjoyed watching Nicola Bryant (Peri) as well, though she didn't have a very good hold on her American accent!

To sum up: this would be an excellent buy for any sci-fi or Dr. Who fan - or those of you who are like me, and would gladly watch a DVD of Peter Davison staring at a blank wall. (With audio commentary, perhaps?) :-)