If, in the '60's, one had been asked which Doctor Who story was most likely to survive, Marco Polo would probably have seemed a fair bet. It was the first season's largest production, with a rather large cast of characters and extras. It was the most promoted of the first season's stories, and the most widely distributed worldwide. By all rights, once the BBC started actively seeking the programs it had junked in the '70's, it should have been a near-certainty that at least one or two episodes of this would be recovered.
Not a single episode - indeed, not a single second, not counting the cliffhanger from The Edge of Destruction - survives, but there are still several options for experiencing the story.
The Loose Cannon Recon. The review above was completed after a viewing of the Loose Cannon color reconstruction.
Telesnaps were recovered only within the last decade, meaning that this - the best available full-length reconstruction - had to make do with publicity photos and on-set photos. Remarkable, then, that the reconstruction works so very well. The wealth of photographs taken during the production is a boon, and I confess to enjoying the color. Purists may object, but presenting this story in color really helps the viewer to appreciate the detail that went into sets and costuming. The story is always clear and easy to follow, and even the action-heavy climax is reasonably well-rendered.
Recon Rating: 9/10. I would love to see an update using the telesnaps at some point, but it remains an excellent recon, and one of Loose Cannon's earliest "great" achievements.
The BBC Audio
On this run through, I used the Loose Cannon recon. However, I did listen to the BBC Audio release of this a year earlier, to keep me company on an all-day drive. The audio is variable in places but quite clear, and William Russell's narration is sparingly used and used to good effect.
Where the audio release falls down, when compared to the recon, is in the highly visual nature of this particular story. One simply cannot get the effect of the set design on audio, particularly in the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes or the Khan's summer palace. Various visuals from the recon are as strong as anything from an existing story: Tegana, pouring water into the sand at the oasis while calling for Marco to "come and get it." Tegana, lounging like a lazy lion in the background as he watches and comments on Marco and Ian's chess game. The bandit, holding his knife to the throat of the bound and gagged Barbara. Without these very effective visual moments, the story does lose something. The CD version is splendidly done... but while many of the missing Who stories lose nothing on audio (a couple even gain), this is one that really does require the visual element for its full effect.
CD rating: 7/10.
The Beginning Box Set "Abridged" Recon
There is also a severely condensed reconstruction of this story on The Beginning box set. Of the various ways to experience this story... This is not the one to use.
The condensed BBC recon has two advantages: It uses the actual telesnaps, and it has far stronger sound quality than the Loose Cannon version. Unfortunately, this wonderful 7-parter has been reduced to 30 minutes. Given the rather loose narrative of the full story, the story itself just about remains coherent. However, with so many character beats and memorable dialogue exchanges removed, the story loses its soul. Anyone otherwise unfamiliar with Marco Polo approaching it strictly from this 30-minute version would wonder what possible appeal this rather thin, dull story could possibly have had... because with most of its best moments removed, and most of the character scenes struck, the 30 minute version is rather dull, and does feel quite thin.
Watch the Loose Cannon version, or listen to the BBC audio - both are extremely effective recreations of this missing masterpiece. But only watch this DVD extra as a curiosity, and only if you're already familiar with the story. It's like comparing a corpse to a live person - the form is roughly all there, but the spirit is gone.
BBC Condensed Recon Rating: 3/10.
Review Index
No comments:
Post a Comment