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Like many fans of Amicus Productions’ frenetic 1960’s ‘Dr Who’ cinematic romps (well Dalek romps really) I was both delighted and dejected by Studio Canal’s intention to rerelease both films, this time in glorious 4K.
Delighted for obvious reasons but the latter specifically because of the wallet-emptying RRP of £50 for the ‘Collectors’ Edition’ and a still speculative £30 for a more modestly-featured steel book version. This contentious pricing policy has understandably aroused the ire of fans, as many of the disgruntled reviews here attest.
Nevertheless if any film could benefit from the wonders of 4K it would surely be 1965’s vividly colourful ‘Dr Who & The Daleks’. Previously restored and upgraded to HD for Blu Ray the overall result was somewhat underwhelming, even lacklustre. This was not due to inferior remastering efforts however but, as the accompanying restoration featurette informed us, the result of technical limitations imposed by Amicus’ cost saving policy of filming in the 35mm Techniscope format.
Sadly Techniscope is not particularly conducive to modern restoration/remastering techniques thus it seemed that a film so gloriously drenched in luscious colour and fantastical imagery was destined to remain washed out and soft featured forever…
The Package:
Whilst the aforementioned pricing controversy continued unabated I decided to take the proverbial plunge and so now, with wallet duly emptied, the question remains: was it worth it? Before answering I should first clarify that this ‘Collectors’ set is housed in a thick, premium card box with shiny foil-like accents festooning the newly commissioned artwork and comprises of:
A nicely designed but hardly ‘highly collectible’ collectors’ coin
A set of B/W postcards depicting scenes from the film
A colour booklet showcasing promotional images as well as collectibles associated with ‘Dalekmania’
A second colour booklet detailing the making of the film
x2 Medium sized posters: the first depicting the new artwork and a second replicating the classic 1965 film poster art.
Back to my question then, well the set is certainly excellent…. but £50 is undeniably excessive. £30 - the RRP price of the lesser, steel book edition (at time of writing), seems a more reasonable price point and would’ve made this an essential purchase. Ultimately then it comes down to personal tastes and means…
Nevertheless the physical extras are generally excellent and of high quality with only the seemingly ubiquitous postcards not being particularly worthy of note. By contrast the two full colour booklets are definite highlights and whilst each contains few images and morsels of trivia that weren’t previously known to me each ‘mini book’ is nonetheless presentationally excellent and informative.
The 4K Transfer:
If any film needed the wonders of modern technology lavished upon it then ‘Dr Who & The Daleks’ would be an obvious candidate. Encumbered by the previously mentioned limitations imposed by Techniscope this 4K transfer, whilst by no means perfect, deftly succeeds where HD has previously failed. Indeed, the upgraded picture now positively oozes the film’s memorably vibrant colour palette so frustratingly muted before.
Augmented by Dolby Vision (of which Studio Canal always neglects to mention on their packaging for some reason) newly defined sharpness abounds throughout improving upon the previous, frustratingly soft image with deceptive ease. A reasonably thin layer of organic film grain remains present yet this is never feels intrusive or detrimental and any DNR (digital noise reduction) that’s been applied here merely accentuates the source material.
Predictably disk extras largely comprise of carry overs from the film’s previous DVD and Blu Ray releases though Studio Canal has seen fit to commission a few new additions. First and foremost is a brand new documentary as well as a new featurette of which briefly outlines the restoration/upgrading process, this time in 4K of course. Lastly I believe a second commentary track by respected film historian Kim Newman and others is also new for 2022.
CONCLUSION
If you have a particular affection for Amicus’ two Dalek films and currently own them on Blu Ray then upgrading to 4K is a must. Studio Canal has undeniably performed wonders enhancing the picture quality - no easy task thanks to Techniscope.
Highly Recommended then in spite of the price tag… although the cheaper, less penury-inducing steel book edition will probably better suit most fans - and elicit fewer (justified) grumbles too!
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Customer reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Makara
An undeniably steep asking price but arguably just about worth it!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2022Verified Purchase
k Hunter
It's never looked so good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 June 2022Verified Purchase
forzie
Bright and sharp
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2022Verified Purchase
Bright and sharp
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2022
I have the steelbook edition, I want the film only.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2022
Firstly steelbook case, it's OK. Someone mentioned it being childlike. Doctor who is meant for kids, I was a kid when I first saw it.
Someone mentioned dolby vision, there is none.
The film is sharp, its clean.
With all old films, you will find grain, it's apart of the times.
Some reviewers where putting me off buying this.
Well I purchased in the end.
This is the best the picture will ever be, at this time.
My original blu ray steelbook of this film is extra grainy, compared to the 4k.
Up too you now, you decide.
Images in this review
SH
4k Transfer
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 June 2022Verified Purchase
C S.
Great Film, but putting profit before product enjoyment experience
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 June 2022Verified Purchase
