The release of “The Mind of
Evil” is an important one, because with it the Jon Pertwee era of Doctor
Who is finally complete on DVD – and as a total viewing experience, his
era is more complete than it has been since his run first aired back in the
early seventies. For ages, several dozen Pertwee episodes existed only as subpar,
16mm black and white recordings. Over the years, the Doctor Who Restoration Team has worked diligently, using a variety
of techniques, to get each of these half-hours as close as possible to their
original vision. The work that’s been done to “The Mind of Evil” (parts of
which were considered to be in the worst shape of the lot) represents the final
pieces of the Pertwee puzzle, and it’s been a long time coming, given that the
first such work the RT did on afflicted Pertwee episodes was in 1992. Fast
forward to today - over 20 years later - and Steve Roberts and company have
every reason to climb up on the roof and crow, for they have accomplished what
at one time seemed impossible.
And what a story to finish
up on! While not emblematic of the Pertwee era as a whole, season eight’s “The
Mind of Evil” is more representative of the Doctor Who that almost
was. It’s the unintentional addendum to season seven, which featured a trilogy
of successive seven-part serials (“Doctor Who and the Silurians,” “The
Ambassadors of Death,” and “Inferno”) that saw the show veering into harder
adult sci-fi territory than it had in the six seasons prior. “The Mind of Evil”,
which has “only” six episodes, turns that trilogy into a quadrilogy warranting
serious discussion and admiration; they stand tall, and very much apart from
nearly everything else produced for TV under the name Doctor Who. “Mind” is, in
fact, the only other Who story from Don Houghton, the man
who wrote the crown jewel of the four, “Inferno,” which, rather sweetly, gets
its special edition upgrade on the same day this is released. Likewise, “Mind”
is directed by Timothy Combe, whose only other Who directing credit is
the aforementioned “Silurians” tale. Between the previous credentials of its
writer and director alone, for the initiated, “The Mind of Evil” has all the
right stuff.
A skeptical Doctor (Pertwee)
and his assistant Jo Grant (Katy Manning) head for Stangmoor prison to see a
demonstration of the allegedly revolutionary Keller Machine, which its
proponents claim is capable of cleansing the minds of violent criminals,
rendering them harmless. The prison already appears to be an unsafe place, with
the inmates constantly on the verge of rioting, and soon enough the machine proves dangerous as well, when it is revealed to be adept at exploiting
fears to the point of death. Soon the curtain is pulled back, and the Master (Roger
Delgado) is behind the seemingly alien machine, but his plans are bigger than
mind control. With the World Peace Conference on the horizon, and a Thunderbolt
missile armed with nerve gas transported smack through the middle of the
action, the Doctor will need the help of his friends at UNIT to avert this
round of the Master’s sinister plans.
Before “The Ambassadors of
Death” was released last year, my excitement was off the charts (and the DVD was a ridiculously enjoyable experience),
but when it came down to writing about it, I found it an impossible task; sat down
and tried at least a half a dozen times with no success. And as I sit here
trying to think of deeper observations to make about “The Mind of Evil,” I feel
similarly blocked. These serials are so different from the rest of the series
that they almost can’t be talked about within the context of everything else. “The
Mind of Evil” has been called a “James Bond style political thriller.” You know
what else was called - by Steven Moffat, no less - a “proper James Bond
thriller”? “The Bells of Saint John
A few stray observations, notes and trivia...
“The Mind of Evil” must take place at least six months after “Terror of the Autons” (something about a year is even mentioned at one point). It must have taken the Master at least that long, if not longer, to put all of this together. Further, Jo Grant has grown by leaps and bounds since the previous story. It actually feels as though she’s been through numerous adventures with the Doctor and UNIT. She and the Doctor now have a great deal of respect for each other, and she’s shown to be quite capable of taking care of herself, including getting physical on a couple occasions.
“The Mind of Evil” must take place at least six months after “Terror of the Autons” (something about a year is even mentioned at one point). It must have taken the Master at least that long, if not longer, to put all of this together. Further, Jo Grant has grown by leaps and bounds since the previous story. It actually feels as though she’s been through numerous adventures with the Doctor and UNIT. She and the Doctor now have a great deal of respect for each other, and she’s shown to be quite capable of taking care of herself, including getting physical on a couple occasions.
Manning declares “The Mind
of Evil” her favorite serial, and claims Pertwee felt the same. Perhaps this
should come as no surprise, given that it’s unencumbered by many of the usual
bells and whistles (i.e. monsters and technobabble) that normally fuel Doctor
Who, and is a relatively straightforward piece that often keeps the
actors front and center.
With the serial being from
1971, as well as its initial emphasis on mind-cleansing, at first glance you
want to say it’s the Doctor Who reaction to A
Clockwork Orange. Maybe…maybe not. This serial and the movie were actually
in production concurrently, so Kubrick’s film couldn’t have been an
influence, however, it is possible
Houghton was a fan of the Anthony Burgess novel. The production notes, I
believe, also suggest that the classic Star Trek episode “Dagger of the
Mind” may have been an influence, though they also acknowledge that the themes
of mind control were quite common at the time.
UNIT is at their very best
in this unofficial quadriology. Their role is taken quite seriously, and never
is the Brigadier or his staff the butt of a joke or a gag. In later seasons,
UNIT wasn’t portrayed with nearly as much respect as in these early outings,
and here it’s all serious hardcore espionage and adventure. “The Mind of
Evil” has quite a bit of action, and it’s a classy-looking production. Director
Combe even went over budget, and was never invited back to the series as a
result. Pity.
No doubt some readers would
like to know how the video quality stands up, and the answer is “Much better
than I expected.” Episode one was, I believe, colored frame by frame with great
success, however, the picture quality is probably the softest of the half
dozen. The remaining five had the color recovery process applied to them, and are sharper, but of variable image quality ranging
from pretty nice to most definitely acceptable. Certainly one must take into
account the poor shape these episodes were in to begin with to appreciate how
amazing this set really is.
Producer Barry Letts
ultimately guided the series back to its more imaginative, family-friendly
roots, which was probably for the best in the long run…but there’s no question
that “The Mind of Evil” is a pretty special slice of Doctor Who, and it’s no
doubt one of the most exciting classic Who releases of the year.
DVD Extras: Imbibing in some of these bonus features feels
similar to what it must be like to receive a letter in the mail from someone
who has recently died. The commentary track features the late Barry Letts,
which is quite the treat. Additionally, the revolving roster of participants features
Manning, Pik-Sen Lim (Houghton’s widow, who also plays Chin Lee in the serial),
Fernanda Marlowe (Corporal Bell), Combe, Terrance Dicks, and stunt arranger
Derek Ware – all moderated by the reliably enthusiastic Toby Hadoke.
