Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars (Episode 82)
by Paddy Russell
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DVD details
Actor: Elisabeth Sladen, Gabriel Woolf, Tom BakerDirector: Paddy Russell
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 97 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Video / Warner Bros.
DVD Reviews of Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars (Episode 82)
DVD Review: great episode!
Summary: 5 Stars
Another great episode from the Tom Baker era. The usual good job by the BBC mastering it as a dvd. Now what do I have to do to get them to issue Revenge of the Cybermen so I can complete season one of Tom Baker?DVD Review: Abase yourself you groveling ant!
Summary: 5 Stars
I wouldn't describe myself as a diehard Whovian, but I do enjoy the show. Pyramids of Mars has to be my favorite. In fact, I think it's just about every Doctor Who fan's favorite. Enjoy!DVD Review: Outstanding "Whodom"!
Summary: 5 Stars
The title of this entry is somewhat deceiving because ninety percent of the action transpires on a picturesque English estate and, inside the appurtenant Manor House. Just a little footage is shot in a replicated Egyptian tomb and the remainder in a very coolly fabricated Martian cave, the latter being near the end (was I being redundant there???). In any event, there IS plenty of action (a frequent failing of Doctor Who episodes).
Basically, the story is that Sutekh (Satan to us) has been entombed by the Egyptian God Horace for thousands of years but the intervention of an English archaeologist led to The Evil One's chance to escape captivity. So, Sutekh takes over the archaeologist's body and travels back to his huge estate to set up camp where he needs to transport his "being" to Mars to destroy the Eye of Horace which holds him in captivity.
Just as Sutekh gets rolling on this endeavor, Doctor Who and his sidekick, Sarah, swoop in with the TARDIS and the two proceed to complicate matters for old Sutekh, who is neither amused nor the first bit pleased with the Time Lord's interference with his plans. And don't let the hefty "mummies" fool you when you first see them -- they're actually evil, but groovy, robots, the sinister minions of Sutekh the Terrible.
This entry is well-done with plenty of great cinematography and is supported by a solid and coherent story. Elisabeth Sladen stars as Sarah and the great Tom Baker as Doctor Who. This BBC production is 97 minutes in length, with an aspect ratio of 4:3, and is listed as "Story No. 82," airing originally from 10/25/75 through 11/15/75. It was written by Stephen Harris and directed by Paddy Russell.
I've watched a ton of Doctor Who and this is certainly one of the better ones that I've ever seen. A good selection for either Doctor Who fans or casual sci-fi enthusiasts.
DVD Review: Great DVD - No Sound!
Summary: 1 Stars
I have purchased this DVD twice in the past few years. Neither DVD plays any sound. It would be nice if BBC checked the quality of the things it sells. I don't recommend buying this DVD. Amazon needs to remove this product from its catalog.DVD Review: Pyramids of Greatness
Summary: 5 Stars
Many consider Pyramids of Mars to be all that is good about classic Doctor Who. And many would be very accurate in their evaluation! Pyramids certainly deserves to be ranked at or near the top of the entire Doctor Who run, let alone the Tom Baker era. It features perhaps the most evil villain ever to wreak havoc across the Universe, Sutekh, a representation of a Satan figure. Sutekh is the greatest vocal villain in the history of the program. For a villain who simply sits in a chair, unable to move through most of the program, he ably gets around using his calm but menacing, condescending vocal qualities, as well as a cadavor called "the body formerly known as professor Marcus Scarman". The first exposure to Sutekh voice, the cliffhanger to episode one as he chillingly states that he brings the gift of death to all humanity, brings a tingle down one's spine.
Pyramids is also the story in which the Doctor finally sets aside the UNIT era, telling Sarah that he doesn't consider Earth his home and that he has to find something better to do than to go chasing around after the Brigadier. This qualifies as a vast departure from the Third Doctor, who called Earth his home away from home, and, apart from his first season, willingly acted as UNIT's scientific advisor. For better or for worse, depending on perspective, the Doctor becomes a free agent again at this point.
More subtly, the writers touch upon a controversial topic, capital punishment. When Sarah asks the Doctor if Sutekh was so evil why didn't Horus and the rest of the Osirans simply kill him, the Doctor responds that it was against their code of honor. Killing him would mean they are no better than he was. Again this is a matter perspective, but in this case one perspective is incurably flawed. You can wrongly believe that since the Osirans were an honorable race, killing Sutekh indeed would make them no better that he was, flawed logic considering that Sutekh left a trail of death and destruction across the Universe, and executing him would ensure the survival of millions of souls across the Universe. They would simply be getting rid of a vicious killer. Or you can correctly believe that the Doctor condemned the Osirans for simply imprisoning Sutekh because this left open the possibility of escape to terrorize the Universe once more. In the end, the Doctor corrected the Osiran's mistake, "executing" Sutekh by sending him through the time tunnel far in the future so he aged to death.
All that said, you just gotta love a story in which the villain in episode one is an Egyptian named Ibrahim Namin, portrayed so eloquently by an Englishman named Peter Mayock. I can't see anyone getting away with that in today's politically correct society. Good thing we have stories like Pyramids of Mars to serve as reminders of a once not-so-sensitive world.
Description of Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars (Episode 82)
As the Doctor and Sarah attempt to return to UNIT HQ, the TARDIS is thrown off course and materializes in 1911 at an old priory owned by Egyptologist Marcus Scarman. While excavating a tomb, the archaeologist became possessed by the spirit of Sutekh, the last survivor of the godlike Osirans. The Doctor and Sarah witness strange and deadly events as Sutekh, who has lain imprisoned in a pyramid for thousands of years, employs Scarman and a legion of robotic mummies in an elaborate scheme that may bring about the destruction of the world.DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Documentary
Featurette
Photo gallery
Production Notes
The popularity of this Tom Baker-era Doctor Who serial among fans led directly to its release on DVD (it ranked first in a Doctor Who magazine poll about stories to be released on disc), and once again, the WB/BBC DVD doesn't disappoint with a sparkling presentation and a wealth of supplemental features. The third serial in the thirteenth season (1975-1976) finds the Doctor and Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen) on Earth in 1911, where an Egyptologist has come under the power of Sutekh, a powerful alien bent on unleashing worldwide destruction. The much-discussed "Gothic" sensibilities that producer Phillip Hinchcliffe and writer Robert Holmes brought to the series during this season are largely in effect here--mummies and sinister henchmen mix freely with robots and alien invaders--as are the quality of writing and acting that helped Doctor Who spike some of its highest ratings to date during this season. One of the series' strongest and most entertaining stories, Pyramids of Mars is undoubtedly a must-have for Baker and Who fans. --Paul Gaita
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