EYE OF HORUS - The independent DOCTOR WHO resource - link to front page
Link to EYE OF HORUS HOME Link to DOCTOR WHO NEW SERIES 7 Link to DOCTOR WHO CLASSIC SERIES Link to DOCTOR WHO NEWS Link to EXCLUSIVE COMPETITIONS + EDITORIAL FEATURES Link to REVIEWS - DVD + AUDIO + PRINT Link to AMAZON.CO.UK - DOCTOR WHO official store Link to SEARCH within eyeofhorus.org.uk
 
DOCTOR WHO CLASSIC SERIES 63-89
Classic Series related sections
BIG FINISH audioplays
EOH GIVEAWAYS
FROM HARTNELL TO MCGANN
Reviews based upon DVD, VHS and CD releases
   
EPISODE GUIDE
Choose a Doctor
PETER DAVISON 1982-84
(including spin-off K9 AND COMPANY)
Choose an Episode

FIFTH DOCTOR | SNAKEDANCE

 
"...This is. Here and now. The dance goes on.
It is all the dance. Everywhere and always. So.
Find the still point. Only then can the Mara be defeated..."


STORY PLOTLINE

Tegan falls once more under the influence of the Mara and directs the TARDIS to the planet Manussa. There the Federator's son Lon and his mother Tanha are preparing for a ceremony to celebrate the banishment of the Mara five hundred years earlier.

The Mara takes control of Lon and uses him and Tegan to obtain from Ambril, the Director of Historical Research, the 'great crystal' - the large blue stone that originally brought it into being by focusing energy from the minds of the planet's one-time inhabitants. The Mara now plans to use the crystal during the ceremony to bring about its return to corporeal existence.

DVD EXTRAS

  • STUDIO COMMENTARY - Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton and Janet Fielding
  • SNAKE CHARMER - The making of SNAKEDANCE
  • DELETED SCENES
  • IN STUDIO - Behind the scenes videotape coverage
  • SATURDAY SUPERSTORE - Peter Davison appears on the children's show
  • PHOTO GALLERY + INFORMATION NOTES + RADIO TIMES LISTINGS scans
  • COMIGN SOON - DOCTOR WHO REVISITATIONS VOLUME 2 boxset

The DVD “value added material” for Bailey’s SNAKEDANCE is as thorough as the most recent of CLASSIC SERIES releases, with a welcome focus on the videotaped scenes that were deleted from the original broadcast.

Most interesting is the DELETED SCENES package that extends upon Fiona Cumming’s original direction of episode four that will delight fans. In a combination of studio videotape material and a “time-coded” copy (held by producer, John Nathan-Turner), the abrupt ending of SNAKEDANCE is finally elucidated as the Doctor and his companions are lauded for their “intervention” in bringing the Mara back to Manussa and, subsequently, ultimately destroying it.

The script echoes the literary ambiguous statement of the Doctor from WARRIORS OF THE DEEP (“There should have been another way”) though in a far more positive tone:

The Doctor: The choice is yours, don’t you think?

Similar to DELETE SCENES, viewers are treated to a over six minutes of “behind the scenes” videotape including exploding faux glass globe (in the Fortune Teller’s stall), glowing snake tattoo effects (as Tegan tempts Lon to be “we”), visions of a skeletal Mara within the “fun-house” mirrors and, finally, an unexpurgated filming of the snake’s death-throws (the hilarity of the special effects team is as infectious as the Mara itself).

Wonderful stuff. Vintage.

An appearance of any of the DOCTOR WHO team on Saturday morning television was essential viewing for fans, more so if it was “the” Doctor. Appearing on the BBC’s SATURDAY SUPERSTORE, Peter Davison was devoid of his usual (at the time) shyness, entertaining the show’s host (Ex-RADIO ONE’s Mike Read) with his cricketing skills and offering not one but three rolls of DOCTOR WHO wallpaper. I wonder if the “callers to the show, Philip Halpin, Mark Potter, Mark Craigie, Ian Storey, Tara Kates and Gary Holland will be ordering this DVD release to re-live their “fifteen seconds of fame”?

“The making of…” documentary, SNAKE CHARMER, is slightly muted (compared to the similar KINDA featurette) but nonetheless enlightening and entertaining (Janet Fielding is in great form as ever). Most interesting is to hear that NEW SERIES writer, Robert Shearman, outing himself as SNAKEDANCE’s number one fan; from the CLASSIC SERIES, it is his all-time favourite story, inspiring him to be come a writer. Fascinating.

Writer, Christopher Bailey admits that once he and Eric Saward (the series’ Script Editor) has thrashed out the basic outline the writing only took ten days, describing the process as “a breeze”. Revealing its origins, Bailey discussed the inspiration of snake handlers of the Pentecostal Church of God based in the USA.

Rounded and insightful contributions from its director (Fiona Cumming) and designer (Jan – that’s a man, Janet! – Sponczynski) add welcome thoughts and “if only we had more time…” hindsight.

The DVD studio commentary was predictable. However, in this case, predictable is fantastic as it is delivered by (authoritarian) Peter Davison, (insightful) Janet Fielding and (placating) Sarah Sutton, and is the highlight of the release.

Peter Davison: …and we’ve had two arguments before we started!

On Nyssa’s outfit, Peter Davison: Doesn’t that make Colin Baker’s outfit look good!
Sarah Sutton: It makes me look really fat. Huge.
Peter Davison: It looks like as if you’ve got a piny on!

On seeing Tegan resting on her bed, Janet Fielding: There’s a lovely scene shot up my nose!
(Everyone giggles…)

Sarcastically, on the special effects, Janet Fielding: And we say “special” we mean “special”
(Everyone laughs…)
That’s the 1980s for you.

On Tegan’s low-cut outfit, Peter Davison: Did it have more cleavage later on?

On seeing the Doctor inventing an audio-related device, Peter Davison: I invented the iPod.
Janet Fielding: No, it looks like a Walkman.

Which comment from Janet Fielding does Peter Davison say: I think that will be censored and removed from the audio commentary!

On SNAKEDANCE, Janet Fielding: KINDA was a better script as the Kinda planet was better “rounded”. A lot of this story was exposition but the world of the Kinda told itself.

Janet Fielding was confused by the sex of the story’s set design, Peter Davison: Jan is, in fact, a man!

On actor Jonathan Morris, Peter Davison: He came with some attitude.

On character acting, Janet Fielding: The Australian accent is classless.

On Sarah Sutton’s acting career to date (1982), Janet Fielding: You were a hardened lag.

At the end of episode two, Peter Davison: We’re speechless. Go any gossip to talk about?
Janet Fielding: Have I ever!

On the most remarkable event in the universe’s history, Peter Davison: I hate to say I agree with Janet.

On the annoying punctuation of the electronic music of 1982, Janet Fielding: Boys have too many toys.

On the Mara-Tegan “red” make-up, Sarah Sutton: This is when Janet has been on the sun-bed too long.
Janet Fielding: It looks like a rash.

On the visor-restrictive helmets of the Manussan guards, Janet Fielding: If you think that the Burka is restricting!

With some relish and glee, Janet Fielding: I’m allowed to introduce an episode.

On seeing Lon’s “Becoming” costume, Peter Davison: Here’s a clip that has haunted Martin Clune’s career.

The DVD commentary included a professional discussion on the merits of high quality but minimal “reach” (i.e. number of viewers) television drama productions and how the American channel, HBO should/could have been duplicated by the BBC for a domestic market.

Janet Fielding nearly revealed the secret behind Douglas Adams’ “42” but refrained from doing so “in case its wrong”.

On Lon’s wonderful acting in the cave, Janet Fielding: That’s the acting gene. Jeans that he probably wished he was wearing.

Originally broadcast, DOCTOR WHO – SNAKEDANCE diametrically splits CLASSIC SERIES fans – you either love it or loathe it – however with this BBC DVD release the production will have an opportunity to be analysed and assessed once again under a fresh light.

Yes, some of the CGI and visual effects could have been re-imagineered for the 21st. century in the same way that KINDA had been updated. The transfer of the Mara snake between Tegan & Lon could have been updated, as could episode one’s exploding crystal globe and the landscape within which Dojjen contemplates. A missed opportunity that could be addressed in DOCTOR WHO – REVISITATIONS VOLUME 27 (release date 2024).

The clean up of the original print is exquisite (without losing the “grainy” quality of the film sequences) and with the enhanced “value added material”, DOCTOR WHO – SNAKEDANCE (along with DOCTOR WHO – KINDA as part of the MARA TALES boxset) is an indispensable purchase.

And don’t, as you normally do, wait for it to be reduced in price in a year’s time. It is worth it.

 

EOH CONTRIBUTOR
MATTHEW WALTER
EOH RATING

eyeofhorus.org.uk rating: 9/10

INFORMATION

DOCTOR WHO - PETER DAVISON is the Doctor

DOCTOR WHO MARA TALES KINDA
ENLARGE IMAGE

 


DVD Release 07.03.2011


PREVIOUS EPISODE
NEXT EPISODE
 

Online visitor hits since 13 April 2003

© www.eyeofhorus.org.uk 2015
(Extra © information visit here)

"DOCTOR WHO commentary since 1983"

Email us EDITORIAL EMAIL - We do not reply to emails

Follow us on TWITTER - eyeofhorus.org.uk on Twitter


Contact us - EDITORIAL EMAIL
Link back to HOME - EYE OF HORUS Link to DOCTOR WHO NEW SERIES 2 Link to CLASSIC SERIES 1963-96 Link to CURRENT NEWS Link to BIG FINISH AUDIO Link to EYE OF HORUS - EDITORIAL + GIVEAWAYS Link to DOCTOR WHO MERCHANDISE EMAIL - EOH cannot reply to all emails due to time restrictions