The
Masque of Mandragora
takes us to 15th Century Italy, where part of the Mandragora Helix
(unbeknownst to The Doctor) has hitched a lift aboard the TARDIS and
poses a threat to human civilisation. It's a great story that takes the
deadly cult plot device to a new level, whilst incorporating history and
a simple, yet, terrifying alien menace.
The
features included on the disc, are quite varied, and even though not all
are specific to the story, they fit right in and offer excellent value
to the release.
The
'Commentary' features
Tom Baker (The 4th Doctor),
Chris D'Oyly-John (Production
Unit Manager), Philip Hinchcliffe
(Producer) and Gareth Armstrong
(Giuliano). Unusually, Tom seems to take a bit of a back seat, allowing
for Philip to take the role of moderator for the commentary. There's a
great juxtaposition between Philip and John's informative take on the
story, with Tom's hilarious observations and side stories.
'The
Secret of the Labyrinth' is an informative and vibrant
behind-the-scenes look at the making of
The Masque of Mandragora.
Set in the Welsh village of Portmeirion, which doubled for the filming
of the story, it starts off with
Philip Hinchcliffe (Producer) explaining his reasons for the filming
at the location.
All
aspects of the production are covered, from casting and costumes to set
design, giving a well-rounded understanding for the serial. It's backed
up with interviews from Gareth
Armstrong (Giuliano), Rodney
Bennett (Director), Antony
Carrick (Captain Rossini),
Chris D'Oyly-John (Production Unit Manager),
Jon Laurimore (Count Federico),
Barry Newbery (Production Designer),
Tim Piggott-Smith (Marco),
Steve O'Brien (Writer, SFX Magazine) and
Jim Sangster (Film and TV
Historian). Kudos to Rob Semenoff
for the fantastic CGI introduction to the feature.
'Bigger
on the inside' is totally unconnected to
The Masque of Mandragora, but provides a thoroughly detailed,
yet concise history of the TARDIS. Featuring interviews with
Tom Baker (The 4th Doctor),
Robert Shearman (New Series
Writer), Francesca Gavin (Art
Writer & Editor), Matthew Savage
(New Series Designer), Barry
Newbury (Classic Series Designer) and
Christopher H Bidmead (Writer
& Script Editor 1980-81).
'Now
and Then' looks at the locations of
The Masque of Mandragora,
showing original shots to the modern day comparisons. It feels a little
different to previous Now and Then documentaries, as this time, we
follow the locations through a map of Portmeirion. As a result of the
style and nature of the location, there are very few actual changes that
can be noticed, but it's interesting to see where all the action
happened in context.
'Beneath
the Masque' offers Clayton
Hickman (Ex Doctor Who Magazine Editor) and
Gareth Roberts' (New Series
Writer), rather amusing take of the events surrounding and including the
production of
The Masque of Mandragora. The pair are clearly a double-act to
be reckoned with. Even Hickman's Cathy come home impersonation which
also resembled a 1980's Dot Branning, can't fail to resound a palpable
hit amongst the hugely entertaining feature. It's pretty much utter
nonsense, but who cares? It's produced with such sheer brilliance, and
will have you chuckling away at the subtle and not-so-subtle digs at the
show. Oh, and Gareth Roberts as a Blue Peter presenter was...priceless.
Here's to future offerings from the pair!
The
'Coming Soon' trailer is for
The Space Museum / The Chase
DVD release, and is a clever twist on the usual trailers by
incorporating a viewscreen from one of the episodes to promote the
box-set. Definitely one of the most original trailers to date.
As
with previous DVD releases, there are the usual 'Trails and Continuity', 'PDF
Material', 'Photo Gallery'
and 'Production Subtitles'
included.
Overall, it's another tidy and well-thought-out package from 2|Entertain, and although there could have been room for one or two
more extras, you can't help but feel totally satisfied with the finished
package.
