43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brother, can you spare a Quatermass?, April 15, 2004
This review is from: Quatermass & The Pit (DVD)
Quatermass and the Pit (1968) is the third in the Quatermass series, beginning with The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), and followed by Quatermass 2 (1957), all written by Nigel Kneale, and is certainly one of the better Hammer Studios releases. (That's a whole lot of Quatermass...)
The film starts out with an interesting find during the renovation of an underground subway station in the English town of Hobb's End. Seems the workers found some ancient skeletal remains, early primate man it appears, prompting the work to stop, allowing for Dr. Mathew Roney (James Donald), his assistant Barbara Judd (Barbara Shelley, yowsa, yowsa) and a group of anthropologists to catalogue this remarkable discovery. The situation soon turns from fantastic to frightening, as part of a large, metal object is uncovered, leading some to believe it may be an unexploded German bomb from the last world war. Professor Bernard Quatermass (Andrew Kier), a physicist and rocket scientist, along with Colonel Breen (Julian Glover, who later appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and the military soon arrive to deal with the situation, but further digging reveals the large object not to be a remnant of a past war. Turns out, it's not even an object of this Earth, as various attempts to penetrate the hull prove fruitless, as the object is of a material not recognizable to anyone. Not only that, but a secret compartment reveals child-sized inhabitants of a bug-like nature. As the scientists, the military, and the government grapple with this incredible find and all its' possible implications, the dissention amongst the parties involved begins, as not only of the origin of the object, and how best to disseminate information to the questioning public.
After Barbara, with the flaming red hair and beckoning green eyes (sorry...I got a little carried away) uncovers information about past odd happenings in the Hobb's End area, Professor Quatermass develops some interesting theories about the possibility of alien intervention in human development and reasons why. This opens a whole new can of worms, and to say Colonel Breen and various high-ranking government officials were less than receptive to these theories is putting it lightly. There position, akin to an ostrich putting its' head in the sand, is that the object and anything within was all a part of some German propaganda during the past war, designed to sow confusion and fear. This turns out not to be true, as everyone learns later. More scientific investigation reveals some truly interesting, and somewhat terrifying details. In the end, the terror becomes a reality, and the stuff really hits the fan as the object turns out to be much more than anyone had expected or could have conceived.
To me, this is an excellent example of a true science fiction film. The story is thick with rich, creamy flavor as elements are revealed, tying in not only with the present, but also the past. The conclusion to the story is satisfying, but one is left with any number of questions that may never be answered, due to the plot intricacies developed through the film. I really liked the portrayal of the powers that be in that they weren't trying to cover up some big secret, but just unwilling to face certain facts for fear that this information would have repercussions beyond the imagination, and most would probably not be able to even begin to wrap their minds around the possibilities presented with the alien object. There is a real depth to this movie, one that keeps drawing you deeper and deeper, heaping implications on top of implications, giving this viewer the sense that his mind was actually being blown. The whole affair was very intelligent and well put together, leading up to a very exciting climax. I would recommend this to any fan of true science fiction, as it exemplifies what can be achieved when all the pieces come together. This would certainly be the career highlight of capable director Roy Ward Baker, who also directed such films as Scars of Dracula (1970), Asylum (1972), And Now the Screaming Starts (1973), and The Monster Club (1980). James Donald (Dr. Mathew Roney) also appeared prominently the classic WWII film The Great Escape (1963). Andrew Kier (Prof. Quatermass) appeared in other Hammer films like Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), along with costar Barbara Shelley, and also the less than stellar The Viking Queen (1967).
The wide screen print on the disc looks very good, with only very minor signs of wear in a couple of places, and special features, which are on the flipside of the disc, include US and UK theatrical trailers, TV spots, a feature length commentary track by director Roy Ward Baker and writer Nigel Kneale, and a World of Hammer episode entitled `Sci-Fi'. If you're in the mood for an intelligent and highly entertaining science fiction film, you won't be disappointed in Quatermass and the Pit.
Cookieman108
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I wanted to kill you... because you were different", February 2, 2000
This review is from: Quatermass & The Pit (DVD)
Quatermass & The Pit is one of the finest sci-fi movies ever made, period. Set in 1960s London, a tube station is being extended when bones and what might be an unexploded World War II bomb are found. This is the cue for some intense weirdness to start happening.
The screenplay does not suffer for the changes for the movie from the original tv series some 12 years earlier, as it was done by writer Nigel Kneale himself. Roy Ward Baker's direction is spot on as well, giving Julian Glover, Barbara Shelley, James Donald and particularly Andrew Keir as Quatermass room to perform.
The DVD itself has a delightful second soundtrack taking the form of a discussion between Kneale and Baker which sheds light on many aspects of the filming, as well as theatre and tv trailers and the World Of Hammer episode on science fiction.
This is an example of a fine film which has been given a valuable extra for DVD. Buy it.
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely Not the Pits!, March 27, 2001
This review is from: Quatermass & The Pit (DVD)
This 1967 final entry in the Quatermass trilogy is a solid piece of work, with a fine cast, tight direction, and an imaginative story: a Martian spaceship that has lain buried for five million years is discovered under the streets of London by subway workers, the alien lifeforce within it is awakened and unleashed, and wreaks an ancient havoc on modern man.
The late Brian Donlevy portrayed Prof. Quatermass in the first two movies (The Quatermass Experiment and Quatermass 2) but Andrew Keir plays the role here, and is quite effective. James Donald is understated and competent, as always. And the lovely Barbara Shelley, a veteran of Hammer horror films, is compelling in a non-romantic role as Donald's assistant.
This DVD has for Extras two trailers (one British, one American) and a short documentary featuring film clips of Hammer Sci-fi films sparsely narrated by the late Oliver Reed, which has no information at all about Hammer Studios, its rise and fall, which would have added interest. There's a rather mundane commentary by screenwriter Nigel Kneale and director Roy Ward Baker, two TV spot commercials, a chapter index, and that's about it. The movie is in widescreen format and the image quality is good. If you've never seen this excellent example of British science-fiction, I recommend it highly. If you want a DVD version for your collection, you probably won't be disappointed, either.
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