Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Ever since I was 12, watching the Tom Baker era of "Doctor Who" for the first time, "The Stones of Blood" has been one of my favorite stories. It was the combination, I think, of the Earth locale (particularly the echoes of Stonehenge) which dominate the first two parts of the story, and the literal-minded justice machines, the Megara, which dominate the final two. I won't say that the Megara influenced my choice of career in any way, any more than the barrister's wig that Baker wears while on trial, but .....
"Stones of Blood" is indeed the only Earth-bound story in the year-long Key To Time arc. It benefits from well-developed chemistry between the three lead actors (Tom Baker, Mary Tamm's Romana, and the robotic K9), and a terrific guest spot by the 75 year-old Beatrix Lehmann, as the eccentric archaeologist Professor Amelia Rumford. For a story which is about... well, an alien immortal and erstwhile Celtic goddess who's moonlighting on Earth as a research assistant, and her private army of killer styrofoam rocks, and the for-laughs computerized prosecutors who have been tracking her down for 4,000 years (while locked in a small room which can only be opened on penalty of death) ... for all that, the script is very funny, detailed and believable. As with most 1970s era "Doctor Who", there's a mix of outright comedy and horrific violence, and it all hangs together well, even on repeated viewings. Well, that is, once you've learned to ignore the wobbly styrofoam boulders and the barely-concealed PAs who push them.
The DVD release of "Stones of Blood" is the least elaborate disc yet released for the "Doctor Who" market. Oh, it's got the same pretty animated menus and format as previous discs, but... there's very little else on it. The text commentary is terrific, revealing as it does much of behind-the-scenes info about David Fisher's script (which, unusually for DW, had three major female roles) and the material that didn't make it to screen (a cake celebrating the Doctor's 751st birthday).
The audio commentary is recorded by Tamm, and one-time-only "Who" director Darrol Blake, whose claim to fame is that he once shared an apartment with Ridley Scott. Blake's voice is distinctly grating, but he has eerily precise recall -- noticing a tall patch of grass in the midst of an open field, he spontaneously shouts, "That's where we hid the boards!". Tamm's recall is excellent as well, although most the stories they tell are also located in the (quieter) text commentary. Tamm shows herself to be more of a ham(m) than she ever was in her year on DW, affecting all sorts of English accents and calling Blake "Darling" every few scenes.
If you can bother scrolling all the way through the photo gallery, there are two really neat stills of Tom Baker clowning around with the eponymous styrofoam boulders. Good luck getting there, though!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Doctor Who: The Stones of Blood (The Tom Baker Years, 1974-1981) (2009)
The search for the third segment of the Key to Time leads the Doctor and Romana to the English countryside and an ancient stone circle called the Nine Travelers. There they meet Professor Amelia Rumford and her friend Vivien Fay, who are conducting a new survey of the stones. Curiously, the number of stones has not been consistent in the historical sources the professor has researched. The circle is also sacred ground to a cult of druids. Dismissed as harmless crackpots by Vivien, they are in fact deadly serious in their worship of the Cailleach, the Celtic goddess of war, death and magic. Some practitioners are willing to resort to human sacrifice to serve the goddesss ever increasing demand for fresh blood. Though the tracer has led the Doctor and Romana to the Nine Travelers, none of the stones actually registers as the segment. Before that mystery is solved, the Doctor will need to explain why he drove Romana over a cliff and how enormous boulders are able to move about the countryside at will.
Get 40% OFF
No comments:
Post a Comment