Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 004—Marco Polo
Doctor Who Retro Review
Serial 004: "Marco Polo"
Starring: William Hartnell
By T. Scott Edwards
John Lucarotti is one of the greatest writers of Doctor Who ever. His attention to detail is second-to-none, and his ability to create sharp, poignant and rounded characters is incredible. "Marco Polo" is his first script for the series, and for me, his finest. Over seven well-paced episodes, the serial unwinds gradually, slowly, yet is never, ever dull. It sticks strictly to the formula evidently provided by Newman et al following the inception of the show; it is educational, ticking cross-curricular boxes from History to Science. It is also a pivotal story for two other reasons:
1. It is the first serial after the initial 13-week run provisionally granted the show, and as such can be seen as the first true story following this 'pilot' season of stories, taking the crew to 100,000 BC, the planet Skaro and deep into their own subconscious whilst trapped aboard the TARDIS.
2. It is the first story in chronological order to have been wiped, utterly destroyed save for a few telesnaps held in Waris Hussein's private collection, and the audio track. Episode 4, directed by John Crockett, only exists in audio form, as no photos were taken during the filming.
And this is one of the greatest tragedies of all of Doctor Who, in my opinion—a story so well-written, so tightly directed, perfectly performed by a fabulous cast, and deemed at the time to be unworthy of keeping, and so wiped by the BBC to create room.
This, of course, brings me to my first
difficulty with my task of watching every Doctor
Who serial in order again—how do I fill in the gaps? Whilst there are
numerous recons available, colourised telesnaps and animations, as well as the
30-minute version on the "In the Beginning" box set, the only true
way to grasp the absolute magnificence of Marco
Polo is to listen to the full audio track. Of course, through listening
alone, one robs oneself of the pleasure of seeing this story—and seeing the
phenomenal sets, luscious costume and excellent set-pieces is one of the treats
of this. As this is the first missing serial I have come across, I was warned,
quite rightly, that whatever I did for this one would have to set a precedent
for all missing stories. Whilst I say 'quite rightly', this may not necessarily
be the case, and I will possibly approach other missing serials in a slightly
different way.
But Marco Polo is one of my favourite stories. The Target novelisation is one of my favourites, as Lucarotti has such flair with language, an ability to paint glorious technicolour pictures in the mind, even if he does change the ending to a more conventional one of the genre. So for this particular story, I went about it in a three-pronged attack—firstly, I watched the 30-minute version from the DVD release of The Edge of Destruction. Then, I read the entire transcript, readily available online. Whilst reading this, I also listened to the entire 7-episode audio track. Whilst this was time consuming, it was justifiably so. I revelled in Lucarotti's script, absorbed it as fully as possible. The telesnaps on the 30-minute version gave me some idea of how Waris Hussein realised this story, and the script allowed me to focus on how characterisation is such a strength of Lucarotti's writing.
But Marco Polo is one of my favourite stories. The Target novelisation is one of my favourites, as Lucarotti has such flair with language, an ability to paint glorious technicolour pictures in the mind, even if he does change the ending to a more conventional one of the genre. So for this particular story, I went about it in a three-pronged attack—firstly, I watched the 30-minute version from the DVD release of The Edge of Destruction. Then, I read the entire transcript, readily available online. Whilst reading this, I also listened to the entire 7-episode audio track. Whilst this was time consuming, it was justifiably so. I revelled in Lucarotti's script, absorbed it as fully as possible. The telesnaps on the 30-minute version gave me some idea of how Waris Hussein realised this story, and the script allowed me to focus on how characterisation is such a strength of Lucarotti's writing.
The first episode begins where the last
ended, with the discovery of the giant footprint in the snow. And we are
instantly made aware that this is educational—there is no grand monster lurking
in the mountains (not until Troughton's trek to the Tibet much later), rather it
is an effect of direct sunlight on the snow, melting the edge of the footprint
to make it appear larger than it is. What is magnificent about Lucarotti's
script is that these educational snippets do not feel shoehorned in. It is part
of the natural flow of the conversation—Barbara and Ian are first and foremost
teachers, and so they know these things. This show ticks a number of boxes—the discussion
about Cathay, without specifically patronising the audience that is modern-day
China is skilfully handled, and the explanation of condensation with Polo is
equally well-managed, as we learn something without feeling like it is forced
down our throats.
Episode 1 does a marvellous job of not
only instigating our crew's issues—the TARDIS is in need of repair, it has been
taken by Polo to be carried to Kublai Khan—but introducing the rest of the
cast, and their individual problems. The guest cast is, principally, only 3
characters—Marco Polo (Mark Eden), Derren Nesbitt's brilliant Tegana, and
Zienia Merton's Ping-Cho. Each of these characters have their own tribulations—Polo
desperately wants to return to Venice, Tegana is in a forced truce but wishes
to destroy Khan, and Ping Cho is being forced to marry, at the age of 16, an
older man of 75. In 25 minutes, we not only understand the motivations of these
characters, but we care for them—they are multifaceted, perfectly drawn without
seeming like caricatures. Even Tegana, who we know to be the villain of the
piece, is likeable in his own way—he is smart, powerful, ruthless, and his
reasons are justified. He believes himself to be the saviour of his people, and
that through the Khan's destruction all will be well again. Polo and his group
are in the way, and so they need to be gotten rid of. It is as simple as that,
and yet Nesbitt's performance challenges us to dislike him—yet we can't, not
really.
Likewise, Eden's portrayal of Polo as a
man without a home, tied to his service of Khan despite his excellent efforts,
who has the sudden realisation that he has "perhaps served him too well".
The arrival of this mysterious "flying caravan" gives him his final
hope—as a gift to Kublai Khan, it could well make him a free man. He doesn't
understand that to get himself home will mean stranding the Doctor and his crew
forever. He is unable to comprehend the power of the TARDIS, and how unique it
is. He is not selfish, as such—he just can't comprehend why the group could not
make themselves another. As relations break down amongst the group, and Ian
tries to explain the TARDIS, Polo simply cannot believe it; not because it is
impossible—one gets the impression that he could believe it if he wanted to—but
because Ian tried to escape and lied about it, proving himself unworthy of
trust. This shift in power is troubling, as we realise that the time travellers
do not have the moral high ground. They are the deceitful ones, no better than
Tegana, as they are just as willing to leave Polo stranded, to betray him,
essentially leading him to his untimely death.
Hartnell's performance is a powerhouse,
as he shifts from playful and witty to scathing and acerbic in seconds. Whilst
it became commonplace for actors to take time off for holidays during the
filming of stories, Hartnell's absence for the majority of episode 2 is
wonderfully handled. Rather than being unconscious, or imprisoned, as would so
frequently happen later, here it is explained that he is "sulking" in
his tent. We can perfectly imagine this of Hartnell's capricious Doctor, and it
sits well with the story, allowing Ian to take to the fore. William Russell's
performance here is excellent, as he balances well with Eden's Polo, and their
chess games and discussions are poetically written. The friendship and bond
that grows, and decays, between the two is superb. Carole Ann Ford gets the
chance to do something other than scream for once, and her sisterly
relationship with the naive and innocent Ping Cho is lovely—like two girls,
sitting around discussing boys at a sleepover, except that here there is no
choice in the relationship, and Ping Cho is tied to this decision regardless. Jacqueline
Hill's performance, particularly in episode 3, is incredibly affecting, as she
shows just the right balance of terror and loathing for the bandits playing
dice to see who gets to kill her. In this scene in the cave of Five Hundred
Eyes, there is a strong undertone of the threat of sexual violence too—as they
mime their horrific acts around her, phallic representations in the daggers as
they lick their lips—and Barbara will suffer this fate innumerable times—most
predominantly in the next serial.
Tristram Cary's wonderful soundscapes
once again create a sense of majesty and magnificence, never more so than in
episode 2, where the "Singing Sands" are realised with superb
alienness. Again, the mystery of the unknown, and the dangers therein, are
utterly palpable. These pieces of incidental music are balanced off against the
sumptuous costume designs of Daphne Dare, and Barry Newbury's set designs are
glorious to behold—the three elements create a sense of grandeur never fully
realised before this story, and which very few have been able to match since. The
telesnaps are amazing, and one can only imagine how brilliant this must have
looked in a moving version, camera gliding across palaces, through the Gobi
desert, and around filthy market squares.
After five episodes of build up, as they
march through these perilous lands towards the end goal, it is inevitable that
they will have to confront the mighty Kublai Khan—and when they do, it does not
disappoint. Rather than a tyrannical monster, ruling with an iron fist, he is
instead portrayed by Czechoslovakian Martin Miller as a doddery old man,
crotchety and in agony with his gout, miserable and with no one to gripe with. He
is the perfect foil for the Doctor, whose refusal to bow down looks like it
will cause a huge rumpus, but instead leads the Khan to confide in the Doctor
about his own state of health. That our heroes' fate rest in this man,
unpredictable as he is, makes us ever more concerned for their safety. The
TARDIS has been stolen again, and all that they can do is wait to see what the
Khan has in store for them. Which is, of course, backgammon.
As the Doctor and the Khan while away
the first half of the last episode playing the game, Tegana shows his true
colours, and the ends to which he is willing to go. Throughout, he has been
cunning and pensive—here, he finally marches in, sword drawn, to get what he
wants. The swordfight sounds absolutely terrific, and, much like Ping Cho's
balletic routine telling the tale of Al-Addin, further highlights what a
travesty it is that this serial does not exist in any form. It is a tense
battle, solely because not only do we want Polo to win, but because if he doesn't
win, who knows what will happen to the Doctor and his companions? Of course,
Polo does win, and Tegana does the noble thing and sacrifices himself, falling
on his own sword rather than be imprisoned. There is a strange brutality to
this final episode—numerous characters die in rather nasty ways—even Tutte
Lemkow's comedic villain Kuiji is murdered, but this brutality also rings true
to the period. Lucarotti doesn't shy away from the nastiness of the time, the
brutality around, and the inherent danger therein.
I can only reiterate what any number of
people have said before me—it is a travesty, a crying shame, that the BBC
allowed the routine wiping of so many serials. That this one in particular is
missing is one of the greatest crimes.
Scott Edwards is a teacher of English and Theatre Studies at Barnard Castle School in the North East of England, with a BAHons in English Literature and Film Studies. He is also a self-professed ‘ming-mong,' and in addition to http://timelordapprentice.blogspot.co.uk/ he also runs http://www.facebook.com/Classic.Doctor.Who. You can also follow him on Twitter: @TimelordTSE.
Labels: Doctor Who, review, T. Scott Edwards, William Hartnell
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