Quatermass and the Pit

Introduction

Professor Bernard Quatermass is an enduring British science fiction character with immense influence on much that has followed. Created by BBC writer Nigel Kneale, Quatermass is a highly intelligent scientist with an unwavering set of morals, working as the head of the British Experimental Rocket Group. Working alongside, but not necessarily agreeing with , the military, Quatermass unerringly finds himself investigating some kind of alien force out to destroy humanity. Kneale was never a fan of science fiction but having been given the job of creating a new 6 part serial, that he should give it a go purely because the BBC had never done a science fiction serial before. The original 50's TV series spawned two sequels in the same decade but Hammer had to wait until 1967 in order to film this third film.

Hobb's Lane, London. Work is being done at the local Tube station but the excavation unearths some mystery objects: some abnormal skeletal remains first and then a large unidentified metallic object some time later. A renowned paleontologist Dr Matthew Roney (James Donald) and his assistant Barbara (Barbara Shelley) examine the finds and Rony comes to the conclusion that they belong to humanoid creatures that lived some 5 million years ago, the oldest finds of this type so far.

Meanwhile Professor Bernard Quatermass (Andrew Keir) is just finding out that his plans to colonise the moon with the British Experimental Rocket Group are being taken over by the military to his utter dismay and is also lumbered with Colonel Breen (Julian Glover) as his military counterpart.  The unearthing of the object at Hobb's Lane attracts both an Army bomb disposal unit and Breen, with Quatermass coming along for the ride. The object defies definition, it appears to have no magnetic properties, it doesn't respond to heat and causes minor frostbite in those who touch it ungloved. Quatermass believes it is alien in origin but Breen, unable to believe in such concepts, states categorically that it must be some kind of Nazi experimental V weapon.

Quatermass and Roney join forces and find out that the area used to be called Hob's Lane (Hob being an old name for the Devil) and that the area has a history of strange unexplained phenomenon involving sightings of 'hideous dwarves'. With Barbara also lending a hand, and proving herself quite sensitive to the influence of the object, Quatermass and Roney come to the conclusion that alien beings from Mars found their home world dying and in a vain attempt to escape extinction have altered human evolution with some subtle genetic tinkering. Breen and his Ministerial superiors dismiss this hypothesis as poppycock, but despite being dormant for millions of years, the object is activated by the investigative work by the military and the terrifying force of the martians is unleashed once more...

Visual

A lot of work appears to have been put into remastering the picture. Early impressions based on the opening scene weren't too great due to what appears to be a curtain of grain, but that swiftly disappears without it would appear DNR being heavily applied. The picture just looks fantastic and this is both good as well as bad. For the good, you can almost feel the mud oozing within the pit as it looks really fresh, as does the really disgusting green stuff oozing from the aliens. The bad is on some of the quite laughable SFX, particularly the projection of the martian creatures genocide and the alien spacecraft coming alive at the end.

Extras

There's an audio commentary with writer Nigel Kneale and director Roy Ward Baker, this must be an old commentary recycled from an earlier DVD version as both men are sadly no longer with us...

World of Hammer - sci-fi episode, a compilation of Hammer film clips  supposedly with a science fiction flavour narrated by Oliver Reed. Problem is, it's not really sci-fi at all and the sound levels are such that it's often difficult to hear the narration.

The most impressive feature for this release is a new set of interviews. Played separately and broken up with cue card questions, the full list of contributors is Judith Kerr (widow of Nigel Kneale), actor Julian Glover, writer Mark Gatiss, film buff Kim Newman, director Joe Dante. Disappointingly some of the cue cards have errors on them, such as author Nigel Kneale's surname being spelt incorrectly at one point.

Overall

In a bit of an ironic coincidence with the main plot line in this film, Quatermass is one of those buried and suppressed memories within the British psyche that emerges now and again. Speak to anyone of a certain age about this film or the 70's version of Dr Who that had us hiding behind our settee's and the guaranteed response is along the lines of "you haven't seen Quatermass, have you? THAT was scary." And it was…

It has to be said that in the early days of TV and even film, Nigel Kneale was a bit of a genius at exposition and giving his works an air of intelligence, the idea being the focus rather than action. It helped I guess that the special effects of the age couldn't really match the imagination, with the pendulum swinging too far in the opposite direction these days with modern viewers supposedly eschewing exposition for action and dramatic sfx.

Quatermass and the Pit is a superb example of a film being carried by an idea with very little happening dramatically until the final third when the influence of the martian insects is felt. The overarching concept that the aggression of man is not really his own but an example of genetic tampering by an ancient race is clever one, albeit one that provides a convenient excuse for some quite abysmal behaviour over the centuries.  Kneale also manages to squeeze in some social commentary on racism and the Notting Hill race riots as well as genocide, but because it was wrapped up in a sci-fi bubble, this was overlooked at a time when science fiction wasn't really taken seriously.

Ignoring the limitations of the special effects (some of this is clearly budgetary), Quatermass and the Pit is a genuinely scary film and you can still feel the tension mounting despite looking at it with modern eyes. It's a sign of the confidence in the main character that he actually isn't the one who proves immune to the alien effects and isn't the one who saves the day. In fact, he isn't even the one who provides the most evidence, just the one who can connect the dots and is the overall conscience of the piece.

The acting is superb, from Keir and Donald through Glover and Shelley to even some of the minor players. The visuals are superb, apart from the obvious, and it's clear that this release has been a real labour of love. This is probably the most popular of the three Hammer films, a real British film rather than one with American influence, and it's got the kind of blu-ray release it really deserves.

Hopefully this classic will pick up new viewers who are curious to explore some early science fiction. Recommended.