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Made to re-launch television's most famous time traveler, Doctor Who: The Movie is an expensive feature-length episode which attempts to continue the classic series and work as a stand-alone film. Transporting the remains of the Master, Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor is diverted to San Francisco in 1999. Regenerating in the form of Paul McGann, the Doctor gains a new companion in heart surgeon Dr. Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) and must stop the Master from destroying the world. All of which might have been fine, had not the most eccentrically British of programs been almost entirely assimilated by the requirements of American network broadcasting. Matthew Jacobs' screenplay is literally nonsense, dependent on arbitrary, unexplained events while introducing numerous elements that contradict established Doctor Who mythology. The Tardis is re-imagined as a bizarre pre-Raphaelite/Gothic folly, while the Doctor, now half-human, becomes romantically involved with his lady companion. From the West Coast setting to metallic CGI morphing, from the look of Eric Roberts as the Master to a motorcycle/truck freeway chase, director Geoffrey Sax borrows freely from James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Doctor Who fans should feel relieved this travesty was not successful enough to lead to a series, though McGann himself does have the potential to make a fine Doctor. --Gary S Dalkin
Product Description
This highly requested TV movie aired on Fox on May 14, 1995, and is available on North American video for the first time. 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 from destroying all life on Earth?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
119 of 124 people found the following review helpful
By DJ PHILLY B?
Format:DVD
Well, as Amazon does not give us the info on what we need to know about this wonderful Doctor Who DVD. I have posted the info here from the know all, and see all on Doctor Who DVD's. Here is Steve Manfred's info on Doctor Who - The Movie - Special Edition.
LINK: [...]
Over 14 years after its production and broadcast, the Doctor Who TV Movie starring Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor will finally see release in North America!!!
This 2-disc release will be on Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 for the suggested retail price of $34.98, under the title: Doctor Who - The Movie - Special Edition. 2entertain's Commissioning Editor Dan Hall revealed this surprise news on the "Hoo on Who" podcast (available on iTunes) on August 25. He was successful in negotiating release rights for this production outside of the UK that had previously been held by the co-producers of the TV Movie, Universal Television. This clears the way for a release in North America by BBC Worldwide Americas.
The version that will see release is a new edition that was made available in the UK in October as part of what they're calling the Revisitations Box Set, where three previously available titles were re-released together with boosted extra features. The McGann TV Movie is one of them. The others will see release in North America later in 2011.
For those of you who don't know, "the TV Movie" as it is called was a one-off attempt to revive Doctor Who in 1996 as a "back door pilot" for the Fox Network in the U.S. It was a co-production by Universal Television, BBC Worldwide Americas, and Fox.
In it, we see the Seventh Doctor regenerate into the Eighth, and embark on an adventure to save the Earth from being destroyed by the TARDIS after the Master opens its power source, on the eve of the new millennium. Ratings on Fox were not strong enough to warrant a series, and nothing else happened with the TV rights until 2005, although the McGann Eighth Doctor continued on in the spinoff fiction of original novels, audio dramas, and comic strips, all of which will be highlighted in the extra features on the upcoming DVD:
Disc 1
· 86 minute movie with stereo audio.
· Commentary 1 (2001) - original DVD release solo commentary by director Geoffrey Sax.
· Commentary 2 (2009) - new commentary with actors Paul McGann and Sylvester McCoy, moderated by Nicholas Briggs.
· The Seven Year Hitch (dur. 53' 53") - This documentary looks at executive producer Philip Segal's seven-year quest to return Doctor Who to the screen, from his initial contact with the BBC shortly before its cancellation in 1989, through to the production and transmission of the movie in 1996. Featuring Philip Segal, BBC executive producer Jo Wright, BBC Head of Series Peter Cregeen, BBC1 controller Alan Yentob, writer Matthew Jacobs and Graeme Harper, the director of BBC Enterprises' abandoned Doctor Who movie. Narrated by Amanda Drew.
· The Doctor's Strange Love (dur. 17' 10") - writers Joe Lidster and Simon Guerrier discuss how they stopped worrying and learned to love the TV Movie with comedian Josie Long.
· Photo Gallery (dur.3' 46") - a selection of design and production photographs from the story.
· Isolated Music - option to view the movie with isolated music score.
· Music Tracks - four music tracks from the production presented in full: `In a Dream', `All Dressed Up', `Ride into the Moonlight' and `Auld Lang Syne'.
· Coming Soon (dur. approx 1' 00") - a trail for a forthcoming DVD release.
· PDF material - Radio Times listings in PDF format.
· Programme Subtitles
· Subtitle Production Notes
Disc 2 (DVD9)
· Pre-Production:
· Paul McGann Audition (dur. 7' 38") - Paul McGann's audition for the role.
· VFX Tests June 1994 (dur. 0' 50") - early video effects tests by Amblin Imaging in 1994, featuring the `Spider Dalek' design.
· VFX March 1996 (dur. 2' 32") - video effects build-ups presented as mute timecoded `work in progress' shots from the CGI effects department.
· Production:
· EPK (dur. 15' 36") - the Electronic Press Kit put out by Fox in 1996 included a short documentary and interview segments to allow other broadcasters to put together their own packages about the movie.
· Behind the Scenes (dur. 4' 47") - on set and on location during the filming of the movie.
· Philip Segal's Tour of the TARDIS Set (dur. 2'33") - executive producer Philip Segal shows us around the TARDIS control room set.
· Alternate Takes (dur. 1' 02") - two alternate versions of scenes from the movie.
· BBC Trails (dur. 1' 00") - BBC television trails for the movie.
· Who Peter 1989-2009 (dur. 26' 42") - since the birth of Doctor Who in the sixties, it has shared an almost symbiotic relationship with the long-running BBC children's magazine show `Blue Peter'. In the second part of this special documentary series, some of those involved look back over the history of that relationship in the `new series years'. With new series executive producer Russell T. Davies, Blue Peter editor Richard Marson, brand executive Edward Russell, writers Robert Shearman and Clayton Hickman and competition winners William Grantham and John Bell. Presented by Gethin Jones.
· The Wilderness Years (dur. 23' 29") - in the seven years between the end of the classic series and the broadcast of the TVM, Doctor Who survived in print, video and audio, kept alive by fans within those industries who were determined not to let it die. With BBC head of serials Peter Cregeen, former Doctor Who Magazine editor John Freeman and current editor Tom Spilsbury., Virgin Books editor Peter Darvill-Evans, BBC Books consultant Justin Richards, script editor Andrew Cartmel, video producers Keith Barnfather and Bill Baggs, director Kevin Davies and Big Finish producer Jason Haigh-Ellery. Narrated by Glen Allen.
· Stripped for Action - The Eighth Doctor (dur. 19' 45") - the final part of the series looking at the Doctor's adventures in comic-strip form. With writers Scott Gray, former Doctor Who Magazine editors Gary Russell, Alan Barnes and Clayton Hickman, artists Lee Sullivan, Martin Geraghty and Roger Langridge, author Paul Scoones, historian Jeremy Bentham.
· Tomorrow's Times - The Eighth Doctor (dur. 10' 47") another in the series looking at Doctor Who's contemporary coverage in daily newspapers and other publications. Presented by Nicholas Courtney.
LINK: [...]
Over 14 years after its production and broadcast, the Doctor Who TV Movie starring Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor will finally see release in North America!!!
This 2-disc release will be on Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 for the suggested retail price of $34.98, under the title: Doctor Who - The Movie - Special Edition. 2entertain's Commissioning Editor Dan Hall revealed this surprise news on the "Hoo on Who" podcast (available on iTunes) on August 25. He was successful in negotiating release rights for this production outside of the UK that had previously been held by the co-producers of the TV Movie, Universal Television. This clears the way for a release in North America by BBC Worldwide Americas.
The version that will see release is a new edition that was made available in the UK in October as part of what they're calling the Revisitations Box Set, where three previously available titles were re-released together with boosted extra features. The McGann TV Movie is one of them. The others will see release in North America later in 2011.
For those of you who don't know, "the TV Movie" as it is called was a one-off attempt to revive Doctor Who in 1996 as a "back door pilot" for the Fox Network in the U.S. It was a co-production by Universal Television, BBC Worldwide Americas, and Fox.
In it, we see the Seventh Doctor regenerate into the Eighth, and embark on an adventure to save the Earth from being destroyed by the TARDIS after the Master opens its power source, on the eve of the new millennium. Ratings on Fox were not strong enough to warrant a series, and nothing else happened with the TV rights until 2005, although the McGann Eighth Doctor continued on in the spinoff fiction of original novels, audio dramas, and comic strips, all of which will be highlighted in the extra features on the upcoming DVD:
Disc 1
· 86 minute movie with stereo audio.
· Commentary 1 (2001) - original DVD release solo commentary by director Geoffrey Sax.
· Commentary 2 (2009) - new commentary with actors Paul McGann and Sylvester McCoy, moderated by Nicholas Briggs.
· The Seven Year Hitch (dur. 53' 53") - This documentary looks at executive producer Philip Segal's seven-year quest to return Doctor Who to the screen, from his initial contact with the BBC shortly before its cancellation in 1989, through to the production and transmission of the movie in 1996. Featuring Philip Segal, BBC executive producer Jo Wright, BBC Head of Series Peter Cregeen, BBC1 controller Alan Yentob, writer Matthew Jacobs and Graeme Harper, the director of BBC Enterprises' abandoned Doctor Who movie. Narrated by Amanda Drew.
· The Doctor's Strange Love (dur. 17' 10") - writers Joe Lidster and Simon Guerrier discuss how they stopped worrying and learned to love the TV Movie with comedian Josie Long.
· Photo Gallery (dur.3' 46") - a selection of design and production photographs from the story.
· Isolated Music - option to view the movie with isolated music score.
· Music Tracks - four music tracks from the production presented in full: `In a Dream', `All Dressed Up', `Ride into the Moonlight' and `Auld Lang Syne'.
· Coming Soon (dur. approx 1' 00") - a trail for a forthcoming DVD release.
· PDF material - Radio Times listings in PDF format.
· Programme Subtitles
· Subtitle Production Notes
Disc 2 (DVD9)
· Pre-Production:
· Paul McGann Audition (dur. 7' 38") - Paul McGann's audition for the role.
· VFX Tests June 1994 (dur. 0' 50") - early video effects tests by Amblin Imaging in 1994, featuring the `Spider Dalek' design.
· VFX March 1996 (dur. 2' 32") - video effects build-ups presented as mute timecoded `work in progress' shots from the CGI effects department.
· Production:
· EPK (dur. 15' 36") - the Electronic Press Kit put out by Fox in 1996 included a short documentary and interview segments to allow other broadcasters to put together their own packages about the movie.
· Behind the Scenes (dur. 4' 47") - on set and on location during the filming of the movie.
· Philip Segal's Tour of the TARDIS Set (dur. 2'33") - executive producer Philip Segal shows us around the TARDIS control room set.
· Alternate Takes (dur. 1' 02") - two alternate versions of scenes from the movie.
· BBC Trails (dur. 1' 00") - BBC television trails for the movie.
· Who Peter 1989-2009 (dur. 26' 42") - since the birth of Doctor Who in the sixties, it has shared an almost symbiotic relationship with the long-running BBC children's magazine show `Blue Peter'. In the second part of this special documentary series, some of those involved look back over the history of that relationship in the `new series years'. With new series executive producer Russell T. Davies, Blue Peter editor Richard Marson, brand executive Edward Russell, writers Robert Shearman and Clayton Hickman and competition winners William Grantham and John Bell. Presented by Gethin Jones.
· The Wilderness Years (dur. 23' 29") - in the seven years between the end of the classic series and the broadcast of the TVM, Doctor Who survived in print, video and audio, kept alive by fans within those industries who were determined not to let it die. With BBC head of serials Peter Cregeen, former Doctor Who Magazine editor John Freeman and current editor Tom Spilsbury., Virgin Books editor Peter Darvill-Evans, BBC Books consultant Justin Richards, script editor Andrew Cartmel, video producers Keith Barnfather and Bill Baggs, director Kevin Davies and Big Finish producer Jason Haigh-Ellery. Narrated by Glen Allen.
· Stripped for Action - The Eighth Doctor (dur. 19' 45") - the final part of the series looking at the Doctor's adventures in comic-strip form. With writers Scott Gray, former Doctor Who Magazine editors Gary Russell, Alan Barnes and Clayton Hickman, artists Lee Sullivan, Martin Geraghty and Roger Langridge, author Paul Scoones, historian Jeremy Bentham.
· Tomorrow's Times - The Eighth Doctor (dur. 10' 47") another in the series looking at Doctor Who's contemporary coverage in daily newspapers and other publications. Presented by Nicholas Courtney.
81 of 86 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As "Dark Angel" and "Firefly" fans well know, the talking heads at the FOX network have an uncanny knack for truly sticking it to the science fiction community and this mismash of eleventh-hour script rewrites is no exception. It's a glorious "What-Could-Have-Been" storyline that is brilliant in its first half, falls into incomprehensible mush for the second half, then rushes to an admittedly-satisfying ending. Visually it borrows heavily from elements of "X-Files" and "E.R.," up to and including the hospital-oriented dramatics, with a recurring theme of advancing clock hands/digital clock displays. The storyline might best be described as a fusion of Pertwee's "Spearhead From Space" and Tom Baker's "The Deadly Assassin" set in present-day San Fransisco.
First off: Paul McGann is brilliant. He adheres to the cardinal rule of "reinvent the Doctor the way YOU think he should be played" that has worked so well for every actor before him, and we get a charming, easily-distracted romantic with a hypnotic gaze. Eric Roberts likewise brings a great combination of sadism and quirky humour to the Master. Sylvester McCoy is back on form as the Doctor's seventh incarnation as if he never left, and Daphne Ashbrook manages to steal scenes even when the script has relegated her to the familiar "stand to the side and ask 'What's it all about, Doctor?'" routine. Mention should also be made of Yee Jee Tso's very good performance as the wayward teenager who becomes an unwitting pawn in the Master's plan to regain his physical Time Lord existence.
The TARDIS interior is unbelievable. You get the impression that this is what the series's original designers would have aimed for all along had they the budget. This TARDIS is truly a living entity, with its own personality traits and an architecture that combines Victorian decor with a Gothic cathedral and then dresses it all up in a Jules Verne wrapping. Many fundamental premises from the original series are preserved, including the TARDIS key, the contents of the TARDIS's tool kit and even the familiar materialization and "cloister bell" sound effects. Other passing cues include jelly babies, a weirdly long scarf, squawking Daleks in the background, and a "500 Year Diary."
What the fans haven't been able to accept are the out-of-nowhere plot changes that conflict with many established premises, of the type that seem to have been added to the script for the benefit of new audiences. Why would the Time Lords construct a time machine who's power source can only be opened by the retinal scan of an alien (human)? A motorcycle/ambulance chase scene does nothing to advance the plot, although the Doctor's interactions with secondary characters are at times touching, at times hilarious. There is also an over-reliance on CGI visual effects that, while dazzling to look at, don't really add to the story and end up looking pretty out-of-place (hey, this IS the series famous for its wobbly sets and lurching green bubble-wrap monsters). I need to also work in some praise here for John Debney and Louis Febre's beautifully composed orchestral soundtrack: there are a number of moments where the music carries the story --certainly a long way from Dudley Simpson's dull clarinet fanfares or Keff McCulloch's over-synthesized chase scenes.
Like it or hate it, this episode IS the only visual representation of the Doctor in his eighth incarnation (McGann would go on to broaden the role in audio adventures), and while it has been accepted as canon by the fan community, the acceptance is a bit grudging. Nevertheless there are enough definitive "that IS the Doctor" moments to offset the weak second-half script, good DOES triumph over evil at the last instant, and of course we all know... the Master WILL be back.
First off: Paul McGann is brilliant. He adheres to the cardinal rule of "reinvent the Doctor the way YOU think he should be played" that has worked so well for every actor before him, and we get a charming, easily-distracted romantic with a hypnotic gaze. Eric Roberts likewise brings a great combination of sadism and quirky humour to the Master. Sylvester McCoy is back on form as the Doctor's seventh incarnation as if he never left, and Daphne Ashbrook manages to steal scenes even when the script has relegated her to the familiar "stand to the side and ask 'What's it all about, Doctor?'" routine. Mention should also be made of Yee Jee Tso's very good performance as the wayward teenager who becomes an unwitting pawn in the Master's plan to regain his physical Time Lord existence.
The TARDIS interior is unbelievable. You get the impression that this is what the series's original designers would have aimed for all along had they the budget. This TARDIS is truly a living entity, with its own personality traits and an architecture that combines Victorian decor with a Gothic cathedral and then dresses it all up in a Jules Verne wrapping. Many fundamental premises from the original series are preserved, including the TARDIS key, the contents of the TARDIS's tool kit and even the familiar materialization and "cloister bell" sound effects. Other passing cues include jelly babies, a weirdly long scarf, squawking Daleks in the background, and a "500 Year Diary."
What the fans haven't been able to accept are the out-of-nowhere plot changes that conflict with many established premises, of the type that seem to have been added to the script for the benefit of new audiences. Why would the Time Lords construct a time machine who's power source can only be opened by the retinal scan of an alien (human)? A motorcycle/ambulance chase scene does nothing to advance the plot, although the Doctor's interactions with secondary characters are at times touching, at times hilarious. There is also an over-reliance on CGI visual effects that, while dazzling to look at, don't really add to the story and end up looking pretty out-of-place (hey, this IS the series famous for its wobbly sets and lurching green bubble-wrap monsters). I need to also work in some praise here for John Debney and Louis Febre's beautifully composed orchestral soundtrack: there are a number of moments where the music carries the story --certainly a long way from Dudley Simpson's dull clarinet fanfares or Keff McCulloch's over-synthesized chase scenes.
Like it or hate it, this episode IS the only visual representation of the Doctor in his eighth incarnation (McGann would go on to broaden the role in audio adventures), and while it has been accepted as canon by the fan community, the acceptance is a bit grudging. Nevertheless there are enough definitive "that IS the Doctor" moments to offset the weak second-half script, good DOES triumph over evil at the last instant, and of course we all know... the Master WILL be back.
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By Matt MN
Format:DVD
Like everyone else, I'm ecstatic that this title is finally getting an official North American DVD release. One word of caution, however - the Doctor Who Restoration Team has confirmed that the main feature on the DVD was taken from the PAL master, not the NTSC master.
What does that mean for US/Canada audiences? As the TV movie was originally shot and broadcast in North American using the NTSC standard, that means that this conversion is NTSC -> PAL -> and back to NTSC. The feature presentation will suffer from PAL-speed up, running about 4% faster than originally broadcast on Fox back in 1996. Perceptive viewers (who may have recorded this on VHS when it originally aired) will notice that everyone's voice is pitched slightly higher and that the movie runs faster (looking similar to how "time-compressed" airings of shows look on basic cable syndication).
Most American viewers probably won't even notice the changes but they are there nonetheless and the more perceptive (or pedantic) fans will notice. Still, with that said, the extras package looks great and I can forgive the PAL speed up (I'm used to it by now, having imported the Region 2 DVD release years ago).
What does that mean for US/Canada audiences? As the TV movie was originally shot and broadcast in North American using the NTSC standard, that means that this conversion is NTSC -> PAL -> and back to NTSC. The feature presentation will suffer from PAL-speed up, running about 4% faster than originally broadcast on Fox back in 1996. Perceptive viewers (who may have recorded this on VHS when it originally aired) will notice that everyone's voice is pitched slightly higher and that the movie runs faster (looking similar to how "time-compressed" airings of shows look on basic cable syndication).
Most American viewers probably won't even notice the changes but they are there nonetheless and the more perceptive (or pedantic) fans will notice. Still, with that said, the extras package looks great and I can forgive the PAL speed up (I'm used to it by now, having imported the Region 2 DVD release years ago).
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Paul McGann, the music & special effects are good. Everything else...
Poor Paul McGann. He could have been such a good Doctor, but he got saddled with a poor script. It could have been good, with a lot of rewrites, but sadly no. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Patrick Correa
4.0 out of 5 stars
Campy, Goofy, Wonderful!
I am a long-time fan of the BBC series "Doctor Who," so I was expecting a certain level of fantasy fiction, a certain level of "camp," a certain level of nostalgia. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Terry Durst
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!
If you like Doctor Who and haven't seen the 8th Doctor, I highly recommend this. I had heard different things about it and did not have very high expectations, but I really... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Kathy Cook
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved the movie!
I am a huge fan of the Doctor and I really enjoyed this movie. It is very dated of course, but very enjoyable. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Brian Doyle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Transition from old to new.
I like this film because it gave some interesting insight into Dr. Who before the newer series. Although I do like the newer series much better than the older one, this film kinda... Read more
Published 24 days ago by Angelique Ewers
4.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Necessary if Collecting!
I can see why many Doctor Who fans are always in a debabte over this film. As the only film in which the Eigth Doctor appears, it is absolutely required if you are collecting... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cynthia P. Vance
4.0 out of 5 stars
Doc who
This is the movie that was almost never made and also the reason Doctor who came back on tv. It was a good movie, the doctor was good in the film. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Everett
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally available
This is the American TV movie intended to regenerate the series. It was made on a bigger budget that most TV shows and really has the look of a feature film of the period. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Paul Urbahns
5.0 out of 5 stars
A New Doctor for the 20th Century??
Paul McGann didn't get the recognition he deserved for this Fox/ BBC production as he should have; I enjoyed his playful and serious-at-times portrayal of the eighth Doctor. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Robert A. Smith. Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a fun movie!
I loved this Dr who Tv movie. Well made. Well acted. Loads of fun. Great extras! I didn't encounter any picture issues. Looked and sounded great. Watch it on a big TV. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Matthew Burroughs
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