Quatermass and the Pit

The Hammer version of this BBC teleplay used to scare the sh*t out of me as a child . The BBC broadcast episode 3 as part of a 50th celebration for the corporation in November 1986 and I was very impressed but also rather sad that the rest of the series wasn't shown . Jump forward to May 1988 and I was flicking through The Radio Times ( the BBC's TV guide ) and there was a page advertising the latest video releases from the BBC with the teleplay of QUATERMASS AND THE PIT being one of them . This astounded me because I thought the beeb would have released it in a blaze of publicity , we are talking about a television legend that used to empty the streets when broadcast in the 1950s so what was it doing being released along with a bunch of anonymous series on video ? I sent off for the video and bit my fingernails waiting for it to arrive . You know when you're a child you look forward to Xmas ? Well that was me as a 21 year old adult in the spring of 1988 ( The most bitter sweet year of my life but that's another story ) I only hoped I wasn't going to be disappointed with this television masterpiece

After seeing it I wasn't disappointed at all , it was every bit as good as I possibly expected and more . Nigel Kneale has written the most thought provoking science fiction drama in the history of television . Unlike his previous teleplay QUATERMASS 2 there's no episodic quality to the serial , there's no over ambitious set pieces . He has written a beautifully paced script with a mind blowing subtext on human nature . Look at the scene in the middle of the first episode where a radio broadcast tells of violence around the world and this is forgotten about until it ties in with the final scene where Quatermass addresses the nation on the original sin of humanity . It's amazing that Kneale included this because no one watching QUATERMASS AND THE PIT at home in 1958 could have remembered this apparently throwaway line but it's important to the subtext of the story . Mr Kneale you are a genius

I said this was a science fiction drama but maybe I should state that it's a drama first and foremost . Like all of the Quatermass serials there's little in the way of pitched battles between soldiers and bulletproof aliens all so common in 1950 sci-fi movies . There's little action but watching the character interaction between Quatermass and Roney on one side and Col Breen and the war office on the other is a joy to watch . Nigel Kneale has a reputation for writing good dialogue in all of his teleplays and he exceeds himself here . Some classic lines include:

" And then , and then you can't see this world anymore "

" A blind man with a dog "

And my own personal favourite line: " Mister Fullalove , a day or two ago you were enquiring into the activities of ghosts and demons . Did you get their opinion too ? "

That last line was spoken by Col Breen my all time favourite character from the QUATERMASS serials and his character interaction with Quatermass seems to have been resurrected in an inverted manner in early 70s DOCTOR WHO . It should be remembered that because of the war and national service much of the audience would have been able to relate to the character far more than today's audience ever could

Some people watching this for the first time might possibly be disappointed by it especially if they've seen the Hammer version . Yes I do concede that the original is less spectacular but once again it's not intended as a Hollywood blockbuster and the film version is inferior over all . The acting and characterisation is superior here with Captain Potter being a major figure unlike in the film with James Fullalove being absent in the cinema version and Col Breen is certainly more memorable here . I did notice that Anthony Bushell ( Who always forever cast as army officers - Check out his resume ) goes OTT in one scene namely when he reads the newspaper headline but he is superb as a narrow minded Breen . It can be argued that Cec Linder might have been taking too much coffee when playing Doctor Roney but perhaps his character is supposed to be slightly hyperactive and for me Andre Morrell is the definitive Bernard Quatermass . The only performance in the movie that surpasses that of their TV counter part character is probably Barbara Shelley as Miss Judd

This is a masterwork from both Rudolph Cartier and Nigel Kneale . As soon as Quatermass finishes his television broadcast he walks off camera , the stirring music ends and so ends the greatest drama under the banner of telefantasy . Other sci-fi dramas have tried to emulate the dramatic realism of this , the very best of the QUATERMASS saga but only a few like DOOMWATCH and the very best stories of DOCTOR WHO have come close . None have surpassed it

The line above, uttered by Professor Bernard Quatermass in the abandoned and derelict building in Hob's Lane, Knightsbridge, remains one of the most chilling moments of dialog ever uttered on either the television or theatrical screen. I was twelve at the time and came as close to wetting my pants that night as I have since. (with the possible exception of the day I received a letter postmarked R.A.A.C. telling me I had been conscripted into the Australian Army in 1967 - THINK about it!)

So far ahead of its time QUATERMASS AND THE PIT, Nigel Kneale's third installment in the Quatermass series, was a brilliant pot-pourri of horror, sci-fi, mysticism, the occult and just plain scripted genius. It was estimated that more than 3/4 of Britain were tuned-in to the 6th and final episode - the rest we presume, didn't have television!

Distinguised British actor Andre Morell WAS the perfect Quatermass, Senior Government scientist and head of Rocket Research, assigned to an investigation of the presumed 'unexploded bomb' unearthed during a routine archaeological 'dig' at Knightsbridge, subsequent upon the discovery of a human skull during building excavation there. Following the unearthing of the object virtually unmarked, yet located BELOW the skull, since carbon-dated as being at least five million years old, extreme paranormal occurrences are recorded which in 1958 were simply terrifying. Their power can still be seen even in the creaky and grainy old B & W video re-edit that was released some years ago and which I regularly watch, probably as much to re-capture my youth as to be thrilled once again.

This was a cerebral trip, Neve Campbell really wouldn't have slotted in here! It was a DIFFERENT fear back then...cabalistic markings, disturbing sounds, ghosts and demons you couldn't see, but KNEW were there (that awesome utterance in the summary!) and the biggest fright of all - the dead martian as it rustled and slipped through that web of decaying strands that had held it in place all those centuries! The big-screen color re-make FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH was OK but lost all the POWER of the TV original and remains a pale imitation.

To have been able to watch this epic piece of film-making AT THE TIME was a great privilege, I don't think today's audience are going to feel quite the same about Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees in 2046. (although I HAVE to say, I rather LIKE these guys...they're almost family now!)

I've only found this site today, and it's tremendous to know that so many commentators felt about the BBC 1958 original in exactly the same way that I did. (I was far too young to watch it - only ten! - and spent most of the episodes peering out from behind the armchair...) I read recently that the classic scary moment when one of the disinterred Martians suddenly falls through its supports was actually a repeat of an accident that took place in rehearsal, and which the special effects people kept in the final version. I would personally highlight the title and incidental music, by Trevor Duncan (who was also the composer of the "Dr Finlay" theme music), which seems to me to be the final vital ingredient in creating the chilling atmosphere we all experienced. It's marvellous news that BBC Worldwide are going to release a DVD set of all the surviving episodes of all three BBC Quatermass serials in April 2005. If I can only dare to watch them!

Long before watching this, I had seen the Hammer film version and had enjoyed it a great deal as I found it to be quite thoughtful and intelligent while also being creepy and a bit unnerving. Sitting to complete the DVD box-set by watching the third series over a few nights, I was surprised to find just how strong it was and how very well it has stood up to the effects of time. The main reason for this is the plotting and the delivery thereof. The story sees the gradual discovery of something in the earth below London – at first the missing link, then an unexploded bomb and then something much odder indeed. Within a few hours this story has taken us from a group of builders unearthing a skull, through to the brink of man's destruction – a journey that manages to be convincing, engaging and thrilling, even though it is a 1950's BBC TV drama driven mostly by people talking in front of a big plastic pipe sticking out of the ground. I don't mean to sound like a heretic in front of sci-fi fans, but this is sort of what this series is. But yet it works incredibly well.

The story builds excellently. The dialogue isn't clunky and actually draws you in with its precision and thoughtful discussions of what is going on – an approach that makes the dramatic moments all the more dramatic by virtue of contrast. What really drives it though are the ideas and it is here that I almost wish I had the ability to see it as someone watching on television when it was first broadcast. Thanks to the mainstream success of sci-fi horror films down the years and shows like X-files, the idea of an alien presence being on Earth before humans and shaping and guiding life is not shockingly new – nor does any religious group get particularly offended when a sci-fi suggests a plot of that nature, however this Quatermass and the Pit was made in the late 50's and it was a very different world then.

I particularly wonder how the effects went down because watching with my cynical "seen it all" eye from the comfort of 2012, I was still genuinely unnerved by the excellent sense of foreboding creeping across the film and a little scared by the images and events of the final few episodes (the wild hunt sticking in my mind the most). When older fans speak about their memories of hiding behind the sofa, I can believe it because this is pretty strong stuff in regards the ideas. OK, we don't see a lot of what we "know" is happening, but because the story, place and characters have all been build so well by dialogue and atmosphere, the viewer is bought into it and it is a small ask to do the work that the cameras cannot. That said I was still impressed by the effects – indeed so impressed that I yet again had to turn to Google just to confirm that this show was mostly broadcast live. The standard of acting and seamless transitions between scenes is impressive enough in this regard but the more dramatic action towards the end is all the more impressive for being done once in front of cameras.

The cast are very good throughout. It took me a minute to get used to yet another actor playing Quatermass (and playing him as a different type of character again) but within one episode I was loving Morell. He doesn't cling too much to the scientific professor and he allows his love of the unknown to show, thus allowing other emotions to come later on. Linder is not quite as good but still works – I think him having an American accent put me off a little but otherwise he was OK. Bushell is good with his one-note character but Finn impressed me the most. In Quatermass II we had a supporting actress who looked like she was in a finishing school parade, but here Finn really lets herself go and her terror and her reactions later are unnerving for just how real she makes they seem. Some very small roles are a bit wooden here, but otherwise everyone is very good – and again, remember this was all done live for the camera.

Quatermass and the Pit was hyped to me, fellow reviewer Theo Robertson would frequently comment on any sci-fi I said was good with "ah yes but you've not seen Quatermass and the Pit", so I did have it in my mind that I should expect something good. Although this preconception normally hurts the reality, here it did no such thing as even though I expected it to be good, I was still surprised by how good it was. A strong script delivers a story brimming with influential ideas and commentary in a technically impressive live delivery. I said I had planned to watch this series over a couple of nights? Never made it – too compulsive to stop, it was gone in one evening.

Quatermass and the Pit is a truly remarkable piece of television. An excellent script, brilliant atmospheric direction and great performances from the cast. Anthony Bushell's Colonel Breen is an utterly unlikable character without being a clichéd hissable villain figure. The guy is so uptight you can almost feel his buttocks clenching! Cec Linder is a very likable character and his friendship with Quatermass is totally believable. As for Quatermass himself... whilst Brian Donlevy played a totally different character (let's be honest the character in the first two Hammer movies is Quatermass in name only, or should that be'Quittermuss'?) John Robinon was really good in the role, Reginald Tate, Andrew Keir and John Mills were all excellent but Andre Morell makes the role his own and completely outshines all the other very fine actors who played this part. He's a charismatic figure full of charm, authority and compassion (if I was a scientist I'd like to be this guy!). Morell is totally convincing in all aspects of the role, whether arguing with pompous ministers or fighting the Martian influence he carries the whole thing along with considerable style. Rudolph Cartier creates a truly chilling atmosphere, complimented by the sinister incidental music. The design is also magnificent. The Martians were an inspired design and Hammer's version of the creatures ten years later are very poor in comparison. A brilliant piece of television science fiction, rarely (if at all) equalled in nearly fifty years!