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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
Opposing eras showcase The Doctor
BBC Video has released two further adventures from their long running TV series Doctor Who on DVD. The two stories come from the very early days of the programme, and one of its much later seasons, twenty two years later. Comparing the two stories now, 1964's The Aztecs and 1985's Vengeance on Varos, it's very hard to accept that they are even part of the same...
Published on March 15, 2003
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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
as good as some; better than most
I enjoyed Dr. Who #1's quirky qualities, displayed to the fullest in this video. Ian and Barbara do an excellent job here, too. Interesting viewpoint of the Aztec society!
Published on November 3, 1999
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
Opposing eras showcase The Doctor, March 15, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Aztecs (DVD)
BBC Video has released two further adventures from their long running TV series Doctor Who on DVD. The two stories come from the very early days of the programme, and one of its much later seasons, twenty two years later. Comparing the two stories now, 1964's The Aztecs and 1985's Vengeance on Varos, it's very hard to accept that they are even part of the same series.When William Hartnell first stepped before the cameras as the original Doctor in 1963, so little was known to the viewers about this enigmatic character, and indeed much of what we know about the Doctor now was invented years after the series began. The initial brief for the producers was to inform as well as to entertain, and as such the Doctor and his travelling companions often found themselves going way back into Earth's history to encounter real events. The Aztecs is the second of these purely historial stories to be broadcast. I for one was never very fond of these stories as a child. Ironically, the things that bored me then are what really makes this story stand up so well nearly forty years later. As with all early TV drama in the UK, the show had a tiny budget, miniscule TV studios, a limited cast and was recorded "as live" with no room for editing. Despite these handicaps, the story is still remarkably enthralling to watch. The DVD is packed with extras, many of which go a long way to perhaps explaining why this four part story has aged so well. Producer Verity Lambert, and the two surviving members of the original Tardis crew, Carole-Ann Ford (Susan) and William Russell (Ian) provide a genuinely interesting commentary, where they recall many of the production issues they faced at the time, with on-screen captions filling in the gaps from their memories. Also here, other members of the cast have been interviewed for a separate 25 minute extra "Remembering the Aztecs" and set designer Barry Newbery appears in another 25 minute special "Designing the Aztecs." You'll also find an animated feature describing how to make Cocoa (in a very "South Park" style) and a clip from another BBC classic show "Blue Peter" telling the story of Cortez and Montezuma. And that's not all! There's an Arabic dub of episode 4, subtitles, a look at the restoration process, an easter egg and some standard photo galleries and character backgrounds. The story is very reliant on characterisation and performance, and played dead straight by all the actors involved. Sadly, this cannot be said of the tongue in cheek camp playing of the sister release, Vengeance on Varos. The quality of the images are astounding. The original master tapes were destroyed back in 1967, and only a washed out film print exists in the BBC archives. However, it has been painstakingly restored, cleaned and improved, and finally the restored print being "Vid-Fired" to recreate almost exactly the original quality of the video tapes. It's an amazing technical feat, and the results are very, very impressive. I just wish they had applied the technology to the earlier released "Tomb of the Cybermen." It's a terrific piece of TV drama, but I admit it may not be to the liking of fans of the sci-fi based Doctor Who. If you like Vengeance on Varos, you almost certainly won't like The Aztecs. I however give it the full five stars!
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful historical - 1960s Dr Who at its best, February 9, 2001
When Doctor Who began in 1963 the intention was that the childrens programme would have two elements as a mix in the stories. Having a machine that could travel through time and space, the TARDIS, meant that two types of story could be used: science fiction and history. The basis of the show could be seen in the original cast. Of the Doctor's original companions two are school teachers, Ian Chesterton - a science teacher; Barbara Wright - a history teacher. The interests and strrengths of each were used in these early stories.In the early days of Doctor Who historical alternated with science fiction; but from late December 1963 with the popular and critical success of the first appearance of the Daleks it was apparent that the series was to focus more on science fiction than history. In some ways that is unfortunate. Science fiction tends to reflect the time in which it is produced, and years later ideas that seemed futuristic at the time of original production later seem laughable. This is the case with much of the early sc-fi in 1960s Doctor Who. In the surviving stories (or parts of stories) from this era it is apparent that the historical stories have worn better. The king of the historicals was scriptwriter John Lucarotti. During William Hartnell's reign as the Doctor Lucarotti produced three excellent scripts, Marco Polo (soon to be available in an audio only CD version); The MAssacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (available in the UK in an audio version as all original episdoes have been destroyed); and the story under review, The Aztecs. The Aztecs is one of the best early stories. The TARDIS arrives in the tomb of an Aztec high priest some years before the arrival of Cortes. While exploring Barbara is mistaken for the reincarnation of the high priest and is acclaimed a goddess. The Doctor, Ian, and Susan are viewed as her servants. Barbara fascinated by the strengths of Aztec culture takes it upon herself to use her position as goddess to change the Aztec culture of human sacrifice. The Doctor is askance concerned that time travellers cannot change history. While Barbara enjoys some success with persuasion of one of the high priests, her position upsets the high priest of sacrifice who determines that he must show she is a false goddess, and must deal with her companions. The four parter is just the right length and - for what was at the time still children's television - the characterisation is subtle and revealing of aspects of Aztec culture. Particularly impressive is Lucarotti's drawing of the two high priests - the head and the heart of Aztec society. Both have clear beliefs, both have their beliefs challenged by the time travellers intervention. There are fight scenes, a putative love interest for Hartnell's Doctor (the scenes played by Hartnell with his ageing female companion are a delight), and consideration of big cultural and moral questions. When in another culture simply because you, with western liberal values, disapprove of the characteristics of that culture, do you have a right to demand that it change? In one stark conflict barbara is presented with a sacrifice she attempts to prevent, where the victim wishes to die for the honour that will be brought upon him and his family. This is highly recommended for Doctor Who fans. While in black and white, the picture quality has held up reasonably well, and the regular cast are well settled in their parts. This coupled with the superior script, and the neat characterisation make this a must have for Time Lord fans. if you enjoy this try to get hold of The Crusade, two episodes of which are available on video (together with CD for the missing episodes) coupled with Glyn Jones' The Space Museum.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Superb DVD of one of the best 1960s Doctor Who stories, April 8, 2003
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Aztecs (DVD)
The Aztecs was one Doctor Who story where it all came together - cast, director, set design, writer, and musicians all worked well to make an interesting, educational story about one of our most fascinating ancient civilisations. Forget science-fiction for a minute, this is a story about people and how they behave to one another. Barbara's disgust at the Aztecs' sacrifice and the Doctor's acceptance of different cultural values will no doubt reflect our own feelings. The way the TARDIS crew behaves towards the indigenous people tells us something about how early colonisers behaved, and also how explorers and documentary makers now treat isolated tribes and peoples. There is a strong dramatic story here, and John Ringham's Tlotoxl makes an excellent villain, while all of the regular cast are good in their own way. There are a few shortcomings which can be put down to the television production values of the day, such as the rather choreographed look of the fight sequences and the painted look of some of the backcloths, but the accompanying documentaries explain these. It is remarkable to consider that the story was made in Studio D at Lime Grove which in its later years the BBC considered only suitable for current affairs programmes and far too small for drama.The DVD is one of the best I have seen. The BBC seems to be taking a pride in their picture and sound quality now, as well as giving a decent number of well-made extras. The picture has been extensively restored from a filmed copy of a video recording, with much effort spent to eliminate scratches, missing frames, distortion and sound problems. This release also benefits from the new Vidfire system which converts the sometimes jerky look of filmed television into a smooth looking video picture. This looks so good, you would think it was recorded yesterday if it had not been black and white. The commentary is interesting, featuring the two surviving lead actors, Carole Ann Ford (Susan) and William Russell (Ian) plus the series' producer Verity Lambert. There is an element of memory loss which is unsurprising after nearly forty years, and this means that it is probably about right to have three people doing the commentary. The information subtitles are similarly useful but more thorough, however I think these should be written after the commentary to avoid duplication and to correct any mistakes the cast may make in remembering things. There is a comic section on how to make coffee Aztec style with John Ringham and Walter Randall supplying voice-overs to a South Park style cartoon of their Doctor Who characters Tlotoxl and Tonila. This has to be seen to believed. Unfortunately Randall seems to have forgotten how to act, but full marks to him for taking part. The same two actors are featured in a short documentary 'Remembering The Aztecs', alongside an impossibly young looking Ian Cullen. All three have interesting things to say about the story, its production, and its stars. The actors also each contribute two spoken introductions to the story, selected at random when the story is played. Set designer Barry Newbery contributes another short documentary about his work on the serial, well illustrated with his own superb photographs (some in colour). Another short piece shows the viewer what efforts have been made to restore the picture and sound, a textbook example of video restoration. I usually find DVD photo galleries rather boring, but the gallery on this disc is presented more imaginatively - the pictures fade swiftly from one to the next with a nice frame and sound effect. There is the now standard TARDIS Cam - all very well done, but what is the point of them? Except to show what the BBC Special effects department could do these days if only the BBC commissioned another series of Doctor Who! Another odd inclusion (Useful for completists) is the option to select an Arabic soundtrack for episode 4. I think I might try this one day for fun! The disc is rounded off with a small except from Blue Peter with Val Singleton sitting on the steps of a Ziggurat telling the story of Cortez and Montezuma. I recommend this disc for anyone who is interested in 1960s television production, Aztec history, or who just wants to watch a cracking Doctor Who story.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Great Doctor Who DVD, a "Must Have", July 6, 2003
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Aztecs (DVD)
"The Aztecs" is considered by many to be the First Doctor's finest episode. Having seen it many years ago on public TV, at the time I thought it a bit dull. But I have I to report that this DVD is one of the best Who discs to date.
First off, using some fancy new restoration program, the Aztecs now looks as it was originally transmitted all those years ago. Suddenly, the whole thing comes to life. Now I love the story. You can appreciate the actor's performances so much better. The story of the restoration is one of the documentaries on the DVD.
There are also a ton of extras including interviews with the actors who portrayed the Aztecs and the set designer.
This is a "Must Have" for any Who enthusiast. I hope they give the same treatment to "An Unearthly Child" some day.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
"How shall a man know his gods?", February 3, 2007
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Aztecs (DVD)
The early episodes of "Doctor Who" are just plain excellent, and "The Aztecs" (one of the earliest, and beautifully restored for this DVD) is a perfect case in point. This is one of the more down to earth adventures, as the Doctor and his companions find themselves separated from the TARDIS (their ever undependable space/time vehicle) and trapped in Mexico during the flourishing years of the Aztec Empire. No robots or aliens here, no lasers or sonic screwdrivers, just cultural incompatibility and the contradictions of human nature. In fact, this may be one of the most philosophically disturbing "Doctor Who" storylines I've ever watched; every time the four protagonists' cultural values grate against or collide with those of the Aztec people around them, they get more entangled in a complex chain of events leading them inexorably towards disaster--and any idealistic attempts on their part to encourage what they (and we) approve of in Aztec culture while abolishing what strikes them (and us) as savage inevitably backfires and accelerates this downward spiral. In the end they don't make a dent in the course of history, and are rather lucky even to escape with their lives (I hope this isn't a spoiler, since anyone reading this can see that the same characters show up for "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" later). The narrative is for the most part uncomfortably agnostic, too, inviting us to see how counterintuitive and inscrutable their attitudes and behavior are to the Aztec people they're interacting with. In the end, who's to say? Somehow this whole theme is summed up nicely in a dialogue between Barbara and Tlotoxl (the high priest of sacrifice), who asks her:
"How shall a man know his gods?"
"By the signs of their divinity."
"And what if thieves walk among the gods?"
"Then, indeed, how shall a man know?"
On top of this superb storytelling we get gorgeous and convincingly accurate sets and costumes--the BBC has always cornered the market when it comes to historical dramas, though this is a more unorthodox application of their skills and talents in this area. What's more, the Doctor finds a little romance, Ian does what looks like a Vulcan nerve-pinch on an Aztec warrior, Barbara takes center stage with her knowledge of history and decks herself out like a divine high-priestess, and Susan manages not to give out one of her shrill, window-breaking screams for the whole duration of the show--which must be an all-time record.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Highly Reccomended, February 5, 2006
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Aztecs (DVD)
I've been re-acquainting myself with DOCTOR WHO through the continuing DVD releases, and I found this one to be a revelation. Amazon already has the plot synopsis on this page, so I won't repeat the story details, but I will say that this one is far, far more exciting than I was expecting. It's like a mini-Shakespeare play inserted into the fantastical world of DOCTOR WHO, but it works surprisingly well. The BBC has a reputation for classy drama productions, and I'm guessing they instinctively know how to pull something like this off much easier than one of DOCTOR WHO's more usual way-out alien environments.
Unlike most DOCTOR WHO stories, the science-fiction elements are minimal; aside from the Doctor's time machine that gets them to the past, there's next to none at all. The story begins when the travellers are seperated from their time-machine; from there, it's about the local intrigue they get involved in out of necessity, to stay alive long enough to get back to it and escape. Like all DOCTOR WHO stories, it's broken into multiple episodes, with cliff-hanger endings that defy you not to watch the next installment.
Of course, this is a very old set of episodes, from an entirely different country with its own style of TV and in black & white. I imagine it's quite different to anything American viewers are used to, even ones who like old-school TV shows. In fact, it's *very* like a stage-play written for television - but what a great play it is! It reminds me of a great episode of "Masterpiece Theatre", full of double-crosses, court intrigue, and all the staples of classic drama. If that sounds appealing to you, by all means get this. It's actually a shame that this is filed under sci-fi in a way, because it's a much richer production than a lot of what gets dumped in that genre.
The bonus features are impressive for something 40+ years old. There's a making of documentary with the guest stars; a commentary by the surviving regulars; optional on-screen captions; and a feature on restoring the picture quality - all of which describe how productions like this were made. I found them all entertaining and informative. There's also a mini-documentary on the Aztec civilization, from a vintage British kids' show (which shows how little really smart kids' fare there is these days), and a silly feature about making cocoa, animated "South Park" style and using the voices of the original guest cast. It's all very impressive stuff that really adds to the DVD's entertainment and re-watching value.
Incidentally, the previous one-star review states that DOCTOR WHo didn't actually look like this on first broadcast, but he's mistaken. This is precisely the presentation and style of how it looked on, and the picture quality is stunning.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Oldest Doctor Who DVD story released so far. Excellent., January 25, 2004
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Aztecs (DVD)
The Aztecs was the 6th storyline of the first doctor, William Hartnell. This was one of the Historical Doctor Who episodes, and a fascinating one at that. Watching this story, you can see the appeal of the doctor. He goes everywhere in and out of time and space. He has knowledge that only a time traveller of his caliber could possess. He wants to learn as much as he can about the places and people he visits. In this particular show the Doctor and his companions travel back into earth's time to when the Aztec culture was flourishing. It is a great story, and makes me wish that the oldest historical Dr. Who storyline: "Marco Polo" had survived. The DVD quality is excellent, and if someone wants to watch it with the quality it was originally aired, then they would need a Tardis in order to do that. But the rest of us who regret the fragility of the first two doctors' stories (over 1/3 are presumably lost forever), a disc like this is most welcome. "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" and "Tomb of the Cybermen" are also fantastic. Here is hoping that more of the first two Dr.s are released on DVD in such a respectful way!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
More than a little history lesson., April 23, 2002
As a number of Amazon reviewers have recognised the Doctor Who series as other BBC productions always had a strong educational aspect.It would be a mistake however to characterise Doctor Who as a show which alternated the science fiction side with the historical dramas. While it may be convenient to present the show in that way I do not think that the portrayal is an accurate one. To begin with, each of the shows contained some form of educational aspect whether it be a historical point or about how people behave towards one another or whether some way out scientific theory was a possibility or not. The BBC Charter requires the corporation to educate as well as entertain and this is did. There are particular aspects of the Aztecs which highlight the available knowledge of the Aztec civilisation which are contained within this four part show. What your readers may not know is that around the same time as this story was made, the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton starred in another central American ancient civilisation drama which ran over several weeks which was also true to the then knowledge of those civilisation. What is more important to me than the concern with the historical nature of the story is the fact that several issues are addressed for the first time which turn up throughout the lifetime(s) of the show. For example the morality of interfering in a civilisation to achieve a different outcome than that which originally occurred. This is particularly important when the Doctor is returned to the point of the creation of the Daleks in the Fourth Doctor series. Another concern here is the position of women's lib which Susan adopts in the show. Given that the filming occurred in 1963 as the fledgling women's movement was taking off it can hardly be a coincidence. Finally we find the Doctor becoming involved in a relationship with an Aztec noblewomen which he is forced to end in order to escape with his companions. Unless my memory escapes me this is the only time that this happens and the Doctor is left unencumbered by this emotional side for the rest of his lives only showing affection for his companions henceforth. These are the more serious themes which warrant exploration and debate from the Aztecs adventure and to a considerable extent the historical drama is more of a sub-plot for a broader examination of the then contemporary Western society in the guise of this adventure. Well worth watching.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Get behind the scenes with the commentary, October 13, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Aztecs (DVD)
This is really a wonderful disk. I particularly enjoy watching it with the second subtitles on. The subtitles tell you a lot about the production of the episode, the research they did for the episode, and what other episodes characters appeared in. It gives you all of the insight you want without interfering with the story the way voice over commentaries can.It is rare we get anything this early in the Dr Who cycle on our PBS station, so it is great to be able to watch this any time I want.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
With stories like this, who needs aliens?, February 3, 2008
This review is from: Doctor Who - The Aztecs (DVD)
You'd hardly think that this was a science fiction series if this was your first Doctor Who story- and yet, the Aztecs culture are so alien to people, that it's really like looking at another world- in an Earthbound serial!
And people talk about four people in the TARDIS being too many- here it actually works. Each member ends up going their different way- and with each person you learn a different part of the Aztec culture, so much so, that by the end of the four episodes, it's like watching a blockbuster. All done in the studio- which had me totally surprised when I found out, the "outdoor" scenes in the garden are extremely convincing (Are you reading this, those who prefer style over substance? Doctor Who can do both at the same time!). John Ringham as Tltoxol is easily as fierce a villain as any alien.
But the real star is Barbara, who's mistaken for the god known as Yetaxa, and is forced not to reveal her true identity to the public. Barbara could easily stand up next to Rose and Martha as one of the best companions, and in many ways even eclipses them. She is the central character here, and Jacqui Hill grabs the opportunity. There are several moments, when Ian's about to be killed, and Tltoxol challenges, "if you are Yetaxa, save him!" Barbara holds a knife to his throat, and forces them to let Ian go! Another when Tltoxol tries to prove she is a mortal by having her drink some poison, with Ian signalling in the background, she turns it around on them and reveals their treason! All this while trying to get rid of the evil in the Aztecs, with their blood sacrifices and such, so that only the good survive when Cortes lands and the Aztecs will survive. A good idea in theory, but as the Doctor so eloquently states, "You can't rewrite history. Not one line!"
Still, The Aztecs is probably the best William Hartnell story around, and really shows that you don't need to always have futuristic aliens in sci-fi.
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