Original DVD Extras include:
- Audio commentary by actors Frazer Hines (Jamie)
and Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield).
[also included in Special Edition]
- "Tombwatch" 1992 BAFTA conventional panel (28 min.)
discussing the story's production,
with Hines, Watling,
Shirley Cooklin (Kaftan),
Michael Kilgarriff (Cyber Controller),
George Roubicek (Captain Hopper),
Clive Merrison (Jim Callum),
story editor Victor Pemberton,
producer Peter Bryant, and
director Morris Barry.
* [not included in Special Edition]
- Behind-the-Scenes at BBC Visual Effects (3 min.),
with department head Jack Kine.
- Unused Title Sequence and 8mm Cine Footage (3 min.)
- introduction by director Morris Barry
(from the VHS release, 3 min.)
- 2001 Restoration featurette (5 min.)
[not included in Special Edition]
- Pop-up Production Note Subtitles
- Photo Gallery (still menu)
- Easter Eggs
- "The Final End" fx sequence from "The Evil of the Daleks" episode 7,
with story soundtrack (1 min.)
- "Who's Who" text biographies
(may only be included on the Region 1 NTSC original release)
Special Edition DVD Extras:
- Additional restoration on the episodes, including the VidFire process
- Additional audio commentary by
Hines, Watling, Cooklin, Pemberton,
Reg Whitehead (Cyberman), and
Bernard Holley (Peter Haydon).
- "The Lost Giants" making-of featurette (27 min.),
with Hines, Watling, Cooklin, Pemberton,
Kilgarriff, Holley, and
visual effects designer Peter Day.
- "Curse of the Cybermen's Tomb" featurette (15 min.) on the story's influences
- Cybermen documentary - extended edition (32 min.)
- "Tomb and the Magic of VidFire" featurette (7 min.)
- Sky Ray promotional TV spot
Buyers' Guide Review
by Martin Izsak
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(A more in-depth analysis, containing "SPOILERS" and intended
for those who have already seen the program, can be accessed
here.)
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This neat little story shouts "classic" from its opening shot
all the way through to its closing visual statement, thanks to
the masterful direction of an exceptional script.
"The Tomb of the Cybermen" kicks off the infamous "Monster Season",
although technically speaking, the supreme reign of monsters
on Doctor Who might be said to begin with
"The Moonbase" (story no. 33)
and continue through to
"The Seeds of Death" (story no. 48) with little
interruption. Season Five, however, marks a set of monster
stories of consistently high quality.
It's the beginning of a new season and a classic story,
and the very first scene takes time to introduce the TARDIS,
the Doctor, and his two friends, adding a bit of new information
and humour, and whetting the audience's appetite for exploration,
discovery, and adventure. All this fits perfectly into the series
storyline, with Victoria coming on board, and mention of her
father and Maxtible linking this story with the previous one.
Every season opener should be as easily understandable to the
masses.
Unfortunately, we don't get to see much of the police box
beyond the opening shot of it sitting on Skaro - no materialization
on Telos, no time travellers going in or coming out, all of which
would have been the icing on the proverbial cake. However the
interior scene is very satisfying, and the
sound effects and explanatory dialogue are sufficient enough to
expertly hold the story together.
Exploration is the name of the game all through the early
portions of the adventure, what with the tomb holding secret after
secret in
its variety of hidden chambers, and half of the guest characters
harbouring secret motives which we can anticipate early but not
fully discover until later on. As the Doctor arrives with considerable
fore-knowledge of the principles by which the Tomb was padlocked, his
interest is more in the human characters, who prove to be as interesting
as the Cybermen themselves.
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Music plays a large role in this adventure - even when it isn't
taking center-stage, there's almost always something playing very
low-key in the background, adding to the atmospheres of wonder or
tension or surprise or power. VERY well done! There are
some incredibly well done sets as well - though I'm not
talking here about the one that usually gets most of the praise.
Check out the In-depth Analysis version
of this review to get all the details, and spoilers.
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Audio CD -
Music from the Tomb of the Cybermen
Find out more here.
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The cybermats work better in this story than in any other,
with lots of carefully-done close up and effects shots, and good
reactions from the rest of the cast.
Putting an established actor in the role of the lead
Cyberman also helps elevate all of the cyber performances.
They have more character here than in any other pre-1980's story,
and Michael Kilgariff is, of course, the definitive Cyber Controller.
George Pastel puts in a very convincing job as Eric Klieg,
and his companion Kaftan is expertly played by Shirley Cooklin.
There's much more to say about these two in the
In-depth Analysis version
of this review.
The story is not without a few technical hitches, which do
not detract from the story very much. Curiously, they all seem
to involve the character Toberman in action scenes.
Roy Stewart is better with straight acting,
providing a good lasting sense of believable menace in only a
small number of earlier shots.
George Roubicek as Captain Hopper has a large number of
well-played scenes, but unfortunately a few of his shorter odd
remarks come across a little cheesy.
What would a cyber-story be without a few cups of coffee?
Victoria has one on behalf of cyber-stories everywhere.
"Well, ya scream real good, Vic!"
Victoria is seen trying to verbally combat female stereotypes
throughout this story, particularly against Captain Hopper and his
crew, however actions (not to mention screams) speak louder than words,
and once more Victoria resorts to "damsel-in-distress" mode fairly
consistently.
She still comes off with a few strong moments,
and mixed in with some tender scenes, this story is
actually one of Victoria's better ones.
"Congratulations, Doctor. And now let's see what you can do
against this...."
There are several story-beats successively wrapping up the plot
and resolving the conflicts surrounding the characters, most of which
keep the Doctor and Jamie well occupied in problem-solving mode.
Deeper analysis of the philosophies at work here will have to
be saved for... you guessed it - the
In-depth Analysis version of this review.
In terms of dramatic and cinematic quality, the ending is quite
good and satisfying. In my view, only one other
Pat Troughton story surpasses the level of fascination and excellence
found in the "Tomb of the Cybermen." Stay tuned to the continuing
reviews on this web site to find out which it is.....
This complete story has become available on DVD and VHS video.
Original release:
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DVD NTSC Region 1
for the North American market:
in the U.S.
in Canada |
DVD PAL Region 2
for the U.K. |
VHS Video
NTSC
A
for North America
NTSC
B
for North America
PAL
for the U.K.
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New Special Edition "Revisitations Volume 3" re-release:
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DVD NTSC Region 1
Special Edition
for the North American market:
in the U.S.
in Canada
NEW for
March 13, 2012
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DVD PAL Region 2
"Revisitations 3"
Box Set
for the U.K.
NEW for
Feb. 13, 2012
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Comments on this article are welcome. You may contact
the author from this page:
Contact page
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