Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius (1975)

awsome

what can I say, the more Doctor Who that is released the better the world is. September 10, 2008

Oh What Fun!

Always loved this episode. Always will. Pure Doctor Who, this one will have your kids hiding under their beds, and rightfully so. Sacred Fire....Sacred Flame!!!! I can still hear that in my sleep. This one is well acted, well conceived and well received by the fans despite being a hodgepodge of many a story and a set. Baker, brilliant as always engages in a very curious battle of the minds with the villain. Is this Doctir really the 4th? Have there been more? The darkness in this episode works to great effect, but Baker's charm and wit never lets it get too scary. Pure fun!!!! September 3, 2008

Finally!! I have been waiting for this one!

I really wish BBC would get on the ball releasing more of the Hinchcliffe/Holmes "gothic horror" period of Doctor Who. They are some of my very favorites. Inspired by the excellent Hammer horror films, they drip with ambiance and mood, and were very creepy when I was young (remember Image of Fendahl or Seeds of Doom?). Brain of Morbius is a great version of Frankenstein, fish-bowl-headed monster and all.

Here's a bit of trivia for you: When The 4th Doctor is battling the monster, for a short time he is losing the battle. The screen flashes several faces as the Doctor lashes about in agony. The writer has said that the faces shown are incarnations of the Doctor prior to William Hartnell's version. This is often cited as a huge bit of discontinuity, as it throws a wrench in the claim that David Tennant is currently portraying the 10th Doctor. August 20, 2008

The Planet of the Modern Prometheus. (With a bit of, "She")

Season Thirteen.
Much to the Doctors chagrin the Time Lords have taken control of the TARDIS, sending the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith into very dangerous ground upon the stormlashed graveyard planet of Karn.
Sheltering from the rain in a castle atop a mountain, the Doctor encounters the surgeon Mehendri Solon, and his simple minded slave/assistant Condo conducting gruesome experiments on living flesh, but for what reason?
And now as a storm approaches, great evil from the depths of Time Lord history plots its return to the land of the living.
But can even the Doctor's mind, be a match for The Brain of Morbius.
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Four episodes of sumptuous gothic filled suspense, suspense that will suspend your everyday worries and cares, well at least for ninety minutes anyway. Mr Baker and Ms Sladen are on sparkling form, as is Philip Madoc, marvellously getting his teeth into a role he can go gloriously over the top with. Welsh born Madoc was a; "Who" semi regular, featuring in stories like The War Games as The War Lord, The Krotons as Eelek, and The Power of Kroll as Fenner. As well as the second Peter Cushing Dalek film. And with the passing of time, even writer Terrance Dicks no longer feels so bland towards this story anymore. For people like myself who finds the extras a nice touch, I did feel the extras were a bit on the weak side compared to some other releases.
Warning to the parents of little ones, the scene where Solon shoots Condo reveals a bit of blood, so a bit of parental discretion may be called for there.
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DVD Extras
Commentary by Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Philip Madoc, Philip Hinchcliffe and Christopher Barry .
Getting a Head:~ A new documentary about the making of the programme featuring Christopher Barry, Philip Hinchcliffe,writer Terrance Dicks, designer Barry Newbery, composer Dudley Simpson, and actors Philip Madoc, Cynthia Grenville, Colin Fay and Gillian Brown, with narration by Paul McGann
Designs on Karn: How the planet Karn was created, with designer Barry Newbery
Set Tour Take a walk around the studio sets with this 3D CGI reconstruction
Radio Times Billings: Listings from Radio Times on Pdf DVD Rom
Photo Gallery
Sketch Gallery
Coming Soon Trailer
Production Information Subtitles
Digitally remastered picture and sound quality.
Originally broadcast:~ 3rd January 1976 - 24th January 1976.
(Region 2 version now on sale at amazon.uk)
July 11, 2008

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