REVIEW: Severin’s ‘Dr. Who & the Daleks’ with Peter Cushing
Image courtesy of Severin / Provided with permission.
The unholy trilogy of ultimate horror actors has to be Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and, of course, Vincent Price. There are literally hundreds of horror movies credited to this scary trio, and they are rightly venerated as deserving godfathers of genre cinema.
What’s always interesting, and sometimes even amazing, is when these three stepped outside the comforts of the horror realm and dabbled in less-shocking fare. For example, Cushing starred in two Dr. Who films in the 1960s, both recently released by Severin Films. (Note to readers: This writer prefers spelling out Doctor Who, for reasons that are obvious to fans, but technically these films use the abbreviation. Don’t shoot the messenger.)
In the first of these two films, Dr. Who & the Daleks, Cushing’s title character comes off as a combination of Sherlock Holmes and Rick from Rick and Morty. He’s eccentric, funny and mustachioed. He’s hanging out with his granddaughters, Susan (Roberta Tovey) and Barbara (Jennie Linden), when a visitor arrives at the front door. Barbara’s boyfriend, Ian (Roy Castle), enters the narrative and almost immediately shakes things up.
Ian is a somewhat bumbling mess, kind-hearted but nervous around Dr. Who. He is amazed by the TARDIS but can’t quite figure out how the machine works. One mishap after another, and Ian literally stumbles on the wrong mechanism and transports himself, plus Dr. Who and his granddaughters, to the planet of Skaro. Here they face a familiar enemy: the Daleks, robots that seem put together by the Lego company but are actually badass villains hellbent on destruction. On this strange planet, the Daleks are facing off against an oppressed alien species known as the Thals (essentially humans with heavy eye makeup and Star Trek-ish clothes). Obviously Dr. Who and his boarding party side with the Thals and try to outsmart the Daleks, which can be difficult and frustrating.
Dr. Who & the Daleks is a must-watch for Who fans and sci-fi aficionados, mostly for completist reasons. The film is an interesting time capsule that offers glimmers of the swinging 1960s, especially in the early scenes before they head to Skaro and also in the bombastic score. Also, it’s a hoot to watch Cushing bite into the role and make it his own. His Dr. Who is definitely unique compared to the other portrayals (this reviewer is still partial to Chris Eccleston); Cushing a bit older and wiser, and again exudes that Holmesian feeling of being the smartest person in the room yet unable to communicate effectively with others, almost as if he’s on another plane.
The story moves fast, which is very much a Who feature. It doesn’t take long for the characters to be catapulted into the cross-time / cross-space journey to Skaro, and with the limited scope of the mission, Dr. Who & the Daleks feels like an elongated episode of the historic TV show. Running a quick 83 minutes, this could easily be a Christmas special or series finale.
Severin has outfitted the single-disc set — on 4K UHD or Blu-ray — with many special features, including three commentary tracks, a 1992 audio interview with director Gordon Flemyng, an interview with writer Milton Subotsky, plus other features. Perhaps the highlight of the entire set is the 60-minute 1995 documentary Dalekmania, which dives deep into fans’ love and interpretation of the Daleks. For collectors, Severin also has a special slipcase available that holds Dr. Who & the Daleks and its sequel, Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Dr. Who & the Daleks (1965). Directed by Gordon Flemyng. Written by Milton Subotsky. Starring Peter Cushing, Roberta Tovey, Roy Castle and Jennie Linden. Running time: 83 minutes. Rating: 
Click here for more information on the Severin release.
