Dr. Who and the Daleks (theatrical film)


 * This article concerns the film. For other uses, see Doctor Who and the Daleks.

Released in 1965, Dr. Who and the Daleks was the first feature film based on the Doctor Who television series. Adapted from the television serial DW: The Daleks, the colour film stars Peter Cushing as a human scientist named Dr. Who who invents the TARDIS and takes his companions on a journey to the planet Skaro, where they help the peace-loving Thals battle the evil Daleks.

Synopsis
Accidentally thrown together, Dr. Who (Peter Cushing), his granddaughters, and their friend Ian cross the universe in Who's new invention, the space and time machine known as "TARDIS". When they land on the planet Skaro, the travelers meet the kind and placid Thals, who live in fear of the dreaded Daleks. Somehow, Who and his party must find a way to help the Thals overcome the deadly mutants who live inside impenetrable metal casings.

Plot
Dr. Who and his granddaughters,Susan and Barbara, show Barbara's boyfriend Ian the Doctor's latest invention, a time machine called Tardis. When Ian accidentally activates the machine, it takes them to a petrified jungle on a world devastated by an ancient nuclear war fought between the Daleks and the Thals. (Although the planet is not named in the film, in its sequel it is retroactively revealed to be called Skaro, matching the name given in the television series.) At the conclusion of the war, the Daleks, heavily mutated by radiation, encased themselves in protective machines and retreated into their city, while the humanoid Thals survived the fallout through the use of an anti-radiation drug and became a peaceful race of farmers. The Thals' crops have recently failed, however, and they have journeyed to the petrified jungle to seek help from their former enemies. The Daleks, meanwhile, although determined to become the dominant race on Skaro, are unable to leave the city due to their vulnerability to radiation and their reliance on static electricity to power their travel machines.

Ian and Barbara are unnerved by the jungle and demand to return to London but the Doctor, eager to investigate the city, fakes a leak in one of the vital Tardis fluid links to keep them on Skaro. The group decide to search the city for the mercury needed to refill the link but stumble across a case of Thal drug vials as they leave. In the city the Doctor, on reading a Geiger counter, realises that the planet is radioactive and in view of the fact that they are feeling unwell, deduces that they are developing radiation sickness. Suddenly, the Daleks appear and capture the travellers, confining them to a cell and seizing the Doctor's fluid link for inspection.

The Daleks know of the Thal drug and want to reproduce it in large quantities so that they can leave the city and exterminate the Thals. They offer to let the humans use some of the drug to cure their sickness if the vials left outside Tardis are brought to the city. Whilst carrying out the task Susan encounters Alydon, the Thal leader who left the vials. Alydon gives Susan a secondary drug supply to use in case the Daleks deviate from their promise and also lends her his plastic cape.

The Daleks discover Susan's secret drug supply but allow the humans to treat themselves with it. They then summon Susan to write a letter to the Thals, informing them that they wish to end post-war hostilities and will leave food in their control room as an act of friendship. The adventurers discover that when the Thals arrive, however, they will be ambushed and exterminated.

When a Dalek comes to the cell to deliver food and water, the Doctor and his companions immobilise it by forcing it onto Susan's cape, thus insulating it from the charged metal floor. Ian takes the place of the creature inside the casing and notifies another Dalek that he is taking the Doctor, Barbara and Susan to the control room for questioning. Now free, the travellers shout a warning to the Thals who are entering the city and escape with them into the jungle, but not before an elderly man, Temmosus, is killed by the Daleks.

Later the Daleks test the Thal drug on a number of themselves but find that it causes disastrous side effects. With no way of leaving the city, they decide to detonate a neutron bomb to increase the radiation on Skaro to a point at which not even the Thals can survive.

At the Thal camp the Doctor urges Alydon to fight the Daleks to secure a safe future for his species. Alydon insists that the Thals are pacifist, but the Doctor tests this claim by ordering Ian to take Dyoni, Alydon's love, to the Daleks in exchange for the confiscated fluid link. Alydon punches Ian to the ground, proving that Thals will fight for some things. Alydon, Susan and the Doctor lead the tribe to the front entrance of the city, where they attempt to confuse the enemy's scanners by reflecting light off small mirrors to give the impression of greater numbers. The plan fails when the Daleks appear and the Thals scatter, however, and Susan and the Doctor are captured.

Meanwhile, Ian and Barbara, guided by the Thals Ganatus, Antodus and Elyon, set out to infiltrate the city from the rear. While navigating a swamp Elyon is killed by a marsh-dwelling mutation and the party is eventually forced to jump a chasm to proceed any further. Antodus falls short and plunges into the void, but manages to cling to the uneven rock face and is pulled up by the others.

In the city control room the Daleks ignore the Doctor's appeals as they start the bomb countdown. Ian, Barbara, Ganatus and Antodus penetrate the city and join Alydon and the rest of the Thals, who have returned determined to rescue Susan and the Doctor. The Thals and humans enter the control room and struggle with the Daleks while the Doctor yells for someone to stop the bomb detonation. Ian calls out his presence and dives for cover as the Daleks fire towards him in unison. The aliens inadvertently destroy their own control panel, disabling themselves as well as freezing the countdown. The Doctor then retrieves the Tardis fluid link.

In the jungle, the Thals bid farewell to the Doctor and his companions and express their gratitude with special gifts. When the travellers depart in Tardis they materialise not in London, however, but on an ancient battlefield in front of an advancing Roman army.

Cast
Uncredited
 * Dr. Who - Peter Cushing
 * Ian Chesterton - Roy Castle
 * Barbara - Jennie Linden
 * Susan - Roberta Tovey
 * Alydon - Barrie Ingham
 * Ganatus - Michael Coles
 * Temmosus - Geoffrey Toone
 * Elyon - Mark Petersen
 * Antodus - John Bown
 * Dyoni - Yvonne Antrobus
 * Dalek Operators - Bruno Castagnoli, Michael Dillon, Brian Hands, Robert Jewel, Kevin Manser, Eric McKay, Len Saunders, Gerald Taylor
 * Thals - Ken Garady, Martin Grace, Nicholas Head, Mike Lennox, Jane Lumb, Michelle Scott, Virgina Tyler, Jack Waters, Bruce Wells, Gary Wyler, Sharon Young
 * Dalek Voices - David Graham, Peter Hawkins

Crew

 * Music - Barry Gray, Malcolm Lockyer
 * Cinematography - John Wilcox
 * Editing - Oswald Hafenrichter

Story Notes

 * Several of the Dalek props were purchased by the BBC and appear in DW: The Chase, as it was broadcast before the cinematic release of this film, the Dalek movie props were seen on TV before they were seen in the cinemas.
 * The Daleks were proposed to have flame throwers, however this was vetoed, the reason for the need to have anything is that the negative effect of the Dalek's weapons could not be achieved on film.
 * According to Gordon Flemyng "We used that (the fire extinguisher) because we couldn't afford to add a ray to the film and it wouldn't have been good enough to just have people fall down. We wanted something that could be seen."
 * Another reason was given by Milton Subotsky "We were going to have them shooting out flames, by John Trevelyn, the censor, thought children would be frightened of flames. So we went to the other extreme and armed them with fire extinguishers."


 * In the film, TARDIS is referenced as such without the definite article "the", unlike the TV series which always used the phrase "the TARDIS" when referring to the ship.
 * The interior of TARDIS is completely different from the TV version, with the outside windows of the ship visible, and it appears there is only a single room, the console room. The 2005 revival's version of the TARDIS interior actually borrows a few of these elements: the exterior police box door (with windows) is visible from inside, and usually only a single room is visible (though others are mentioned).
 * The unlicensed book I Am the Doctor: The Unauthorised Diaries of a Timelord suggests that the movie was based upon a memoir written by Barbara Wright of the TV series. As this book is not licenced it cannot be considered canonical.
 * In Spain this movie was entitled; Dr. Who Y Los Daleks.
 * The alien-esque look of the jungles was achieved by filming all those scenes without the anamorphic lens (wide-screen lens) on the camera, giving them a strange unearthly quality.

Crew notes

 * Barry Gray, best known as Gerry Anderson's staff composer for his numerous Supermarionation and SF TV series, composed the musical score for the film. As a result, this film - and its sequel - are to date the only officially authorized productions based upon Doctor Who to use theme music other than the original Ron Grainer/Delia Derbyshire theme. Several reference books, including The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Program 1947-1979, erroneously credit Gray with composing the music for the TV series, too.

Myths

 * After The First Doctor regenerated people believed that Dr. Who was just a future or past incarnation of the Doctor. Not impossible to imagine, but that doesn't explain the alternate versions of Susan, Barbara and Ian featured in the film.

Filming Locations

 * Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Plot Holes, Errors and Mistakes

 * What need would the Daleks have of a staircase next to their water supply pipe, as they can't use stairs? Perhaps they have humanoid slaves/helpers not seen on screen.
 * The Daleks' lights flash indiscriminately and do not match the voice. And their lights flash when they are not speaking as well. Since this is an "alternate reality" to the other Dalek stories, its possible the Dalek design works differently. Or the lights are flashing in time with the Dalek language, rather than TARDIS/Doctor-translated English.
 * Why do the Daleks have lava lamps in the control room? They may look like lava lamps but they may not be
 * Why is TARDIS disguised as a police box? The disguise wouldn't work on an alien planet and it would look out of place in Dr Who's garden. Since Dr. Who built the craft, maybe he bought/borrowed/stole a police box so that he had a convenient shell within which to construct TARDIS.

Continuity

 * The film ends with a visual gag of the ship appearing in front of a group of Roman soldiers. ST: The House on Oldark Moor picks up on this point and reveals that Ian had become a gladiator.

Timeline

 * This story occurs before ST: The House on Oldark Moor

Super 8 Releases

 * Released in UK on Super 8 film (8 reels colour/sound) by Walton Sound and Film Services in 1977.
 * Released on UK on Super 8 film Part 1: (one reel colour/sound and one reel black and white/silent) by Walton Sound and Film Services in 1977.
 * Released on UK on Super 8 film Part 2: (one reel colour/sound and one reel black and white/silent) by Walton Sound and Film Services in 1977.

Video Releases

 * Released in the UK on VHS and Beta in 1982 by Thorn EMI.
 * Released in the US on VHS in 1985 by Thorn EMI.
 * Re-released in UK on VHS in 1988 by Warner Home Video.
 * Re-released in US on VHS in 1989 by GoodTimes Home Video.
 * Released in Australia in 1990 by Universal.
 * Re-released in US in 1994 by Lumiere.
 * Re-released in UK in 1996 by Warner Home Video.

DVD Releases

 * Released in Australia in 2001 by Universal / Studio Canal as a double release with Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD.
 * Released in US in 2001 by Anchor Bay.
 * Released in UK in 2002 by Studio Canal as a double release with Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD.

Novelisations
No novelisation based upon the film script was ever published, however the original teleplay, The Daleks, was adapted as Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks by David Whitaker, published by Frederick Muller in late 1964. Later, when the book was republished by Target Books, it was retitled Doctor Who and the Daleks.

Comic book adaptation
Dr. Who and the Daleks was adapted as an American comic book by Dell Publishing in 1966 (the year the film was released in the US). The comic book featured artwork by Dick Giordano and was the first US comic book appearance of anything connected to the Doctor Who franchise.