The Quatermass Collection - The Quatermass Experiment / Quatermass 2 / Quatermass And The Pit
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A message to the unconvinced.
  • A wonderful slice of 50s science fiction drama!
  • Quatermass Extravaganza
  • Pure delight
  • This isn't the Pits
The Quatermass Collection - The Quatermass Experiment / Quatermass 2 / Quatermass And The Pit
Starring: Reginald Tate , Duncan Lamont , John Robinson , Hugh Griffith , and Andre Morell
Director: Rudolph Cartier
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:
  1. Quatermass And The Pit [1967] Quatermass And The Pit [1967]
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ASIN: B000772838
Release Date: 2005-04-04
The Quatermass Collection - The Quatermass Experiment / Quatermass 2 / Quatermass And The Pit

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A message to the unconvinced........2007-10-05

How can an early television production of this era still deserve the sort of critical acclaim and all the time and money spent on it's restoration? Younger people will probably see this as a nostalgia-fest for the elderly and so I felt that it was worth adding some comments from someone who was only a few months old when the last of these was first shown on British television. I grew up with my parents repeating (ad nauseaum) glowing reminiscences of returning home from work to see each episode in a sociable buzz of anticipation as the entire viewing population made for the nearest available TV. The (fascinating) booklet included here tells how one north London telephone exchange did not connect a single call during the broadcast of the last episode of Quatermass and the Pit. The estimated viewing figures (between 11 and 13 million for that last episode) are astounding when you think of how many households actually had a television set at this time. So what makes them so special and are they still worth seeing?
The first two productions are primitive but ingenious. The acting is sometimes awkward but never poor and the main characters are often outstanding. I was very frustrated that the last four episodes of the first series have been lost because it is clear that Reggie Tate was a superb Quatermass and the storyline is strong.
I find Quatermass II fine but weakened by the primitive production and a rather stiff and unsympathetic Quatermass from John Robinson. (I know many other reviewers disagree with me here).
However, I feel that absolutely no apologies need be made for the "...Pit". Here everything comes together in a way that I found completely absorbing. By this stage, the production was about the best that TV could offer and there were none of those "cardboard" moments to undermine the atmosphere for me (as happened in the last episode of "II"). The script is superb and the acting from a large cast (that seemed to include every British character actor available) was brilliant. I found the hair standing up on the back of my neck. The story is plausible and chilling and the pacing from episode to episode wonderfully well judged. I watched the first four episodes on successive nights but lost the discipline and just had to watch the last two back to back. How the British public coped with the suspense, I will never know.
Instead of the ludicrous gore-fests that pass for horror these days, try these thought-provoking and very creepy chillers. Absolutely brilliant and congratulations to the superb job done by the restoration team.

5 out of 5 stars A wonderful slice of 50s science fiction drama!.......2005-09-26

This marvellous box set brings together all of the existing episodes of the BBCs deservedly lauded 50s phenomenon. The two existing parts of "The Quatermass Experiment" (1953) allow us a rare glimpse of how a BBC drama of the period of British TV's first explosion in ownership was staged. This serial gripped the viewers and it's easy to see why as it's totally unlike anything else aired up to this point. Reginald Tate makes a comelling Quatermass and it's a shame that the rest was never recorded for posterity. All three serials were broadcast live, with filmed inserts used where necessary.

Quatermass II (1955) takes advantage of a further two years of technological development in TV and is a more accomplished production than the first, with ambitious and effective location filming and pioneering visual effects work from Jack Kine and Bernard Wilkie. Quatermass himself is less memorable, played this time by John Robinson, who was drafted in at short notice after the sad death of Reginald Tate during the serial's pre-production. There are strong turns from Hugh Griffith and future Master, Roger Delgado. The story is an exceptionally strong one, with Quatermass dealing with aliens who have already landed and begun to infiltrate humanity - a clasic 50s scenario.

The last of the three serials is also the best. "Quatermass and the Pit" certainly does not disappoint both in terms of story and production, which for the time was lavish and extremely imaginative. Quatermass is this time played by Andre Morell, who could have been made for the part, and he is given excellent support by Cec Linder, Anthony Bushell, John Stratton and Christine Finn.

All of these stories, particularly the last, benefit greatly from a superb restoration job undertaken as a labour of love by the BBC's Dr. Who Restoration Team. The films have been lovingly cleaned, sound significantly sharpened and the film prints of "The Pit" have also been put through the VidFIRE process, which restores their original appearance as live video transmissions. The film sequences are of particular note, with many being sourced from the original 35mm prints.

This DVD set is a must for fans of the science fiction genre and of classic tv drama in general and if you have any interest in eother of these you won't be disappointed. Last, but not least, the discs are accompanied by an exhaustively researched booklet courtesy of walking TV encylopedia Andrew Pixley. This covers anything you'd want to know about the three serials.

3 out of 5 stars Quatermass Extravaganza.......2005-09-08

It's nice going back to my childhood when things like Quatermass and Dr.Who were quite wonderful and frightening to a young child.At that time everything on TV was in glorious black and white. Seeing them now on DVD such nostalgia is a double-edged sword. Firstly everthing was so studio bound with dodgy sets and lo-fi Special effects which are quite laughable now. The acting was old-fashioned yet quaint, and done mostly in received pronounciation.Maybe this part of the appeal of the set
You also have to be tolerant with the low quality picture but remember TV was very basic then and with the best clean-up procedures available wouldn't make them any better. Apart from that the two TV serials are quite entertaining and the "Pit" film is probably the best of the three on this trip down to clasic SCi-Fi drama.

5 out of 5 stars Pure delight.......2005-05-02

These are the television series that gripped a generation - or would have if we'd all had a telly. Millions watched, tormented by the need to know what happened next. There were no other TV stations to distract or compete. There was only the BBC and they only had one station and were, themselves still learning how to make good programmes for the small screen. Then Nigel Kneal (writer) and Rudolph Cartier (producer) came along and showed how it could be done: how to get a lot of image onto the small television screens of the 1950s, how to get an audience hooked and eager to tune in again for the next episode, how to tap into an audience's imagination and set it a-going.

These DVDs were delivered only a couple of days ago and I've watched them all twice so far. It's very rare that I will watch a modern film through twice within a few days. What makes this old Quatermass series so compelling? It's not just nostalgia (though that plays a part). I believe it's the way they force you to use your imagination. Fans of the modern films that employ all sorts of computer generated tricks and have access to enormous budgets may not appreciate this. After all, it's all in black and white and the special effects, although ingenious, might seem crude by today's standards. The acting, at least from the main characters is pretty good - if a bit melodramatic. The picture and sound quality of 'Quatermass II' and 'Quatermass and the Pit' are fairly good, but only two episodes of the first series, 'The Quatermass Experiment' still exist and some of the images are showing their age (and you may find that you're glad of the subtitle facility when watching those two episodes first time). It was a good idea to include the scripts of the missing episodes, but they are photocopied from old type-written documents, about 40 pages each missing episode - you'd need to be a very determined fan to attempt to decipher them.

Despite the disadvantages, these three Quatermass series still make a wonderful viewing experience. The limitations of the technology actually help by requiring the audience to use their imagination. The human imagination is exponentially more powerful than any CGI special effects. In the time before brilliant special effects, the filmmakers colluded with the viewers to ratchet up the fear and tension using the viewers' imagination as the seed bed to grow suspense, excitement, awe. I enjoy modern films and the special effects impress me, but once the film maker has shown me everything, leaving my imagination more or less redundant, there's no reason to watch the film again very soon. But shows like these, that don't reveal everything, make it possible for you to form your own image of the monster/scene/action, and thereby engaged you at a deeper level, so the programmes can grip you again and again as your imagination reawakens the old monster and adds to it. That's how the Quatermass series works for me. They feed the parts of my mind that the clever, modern films don't reach.

I recommend these series to all whose imagination is in good working order.

5 out of 5 stars This isn't the Pits.......2005-04-26

As pure and as entertaining as sci-fi gets. Black and white, with rather primitive special effects, this BBC series from the sixties nevertheless hits so many nails on the head that it's close to being a masterpiece. The atmosphere and the undercurrents gave me the shivvers for days....this is a delightful example of when telly was exciting without being drowned by big budgets. It's the thinking man's Dr.Who.
The Quatermass Experiment
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Useful But Not Essential.
  • Quatermass Returns
  • Oh Dear!
  • A CLEVER LIVE ADAPTION OF THE 1950'S CLASSIC
  • Maturing nicely
The Quatermass Experiment
Starring: Jason Flemyng , Adrian Dunbar , Sam Miller , Indira Varma , and Gordon Jackson
Director: Sam Miller
Manufacturer: Simply Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000BH2TY2
Release Date: 2005-10-31
The Quatermass Experiment

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Useful But Not Essential........2007-07-17

I am not a lover of classic television programmes being remade for the modern audience, they are never as good as the originals and more often than not the original drama's reputation suffers. Take for instance the remake of A For Andromeda, it isn't a patch on the single episode and the extracts that exist from the 1962 version starring Peter Halliday and Julie Christie. This remake of The Quatermass Experiment on the other hand is generally OK, the reason is probably because this edition allows us to see a fully complete version based on what Nigel Kneale originally wanted at last, the TV original of course sees only the first two episodes survive and the less said about the Brian Donlevy film version the better. The fact that this allows us to see that full version does not automatically mean that it is any good however as per the previously mentioned remake of A For Andromeda, it all comes down to the actors ability to reenact old material in a convincing way and to present that material as new and fresh, this is almost impossible as no matter how good a remake is or how brilliant the acting the spectre of the original production always rears it's head. I challenge anyone to come up with a remake of a film or a TV series that is as good or better than first one, I honestly cannot think of any.

This Quatermass Experiment is a polished production that is well acted and well directed and will allow fans to achive a sense of what the story was all about, but if the truth be told even though I like the production I would rather watch the two episodes that starred the great Reginald Tate and read the script of episodes 3-6. This version will only really be used by myself when I feel lazy and don't want to read scripts. At the end of the day this remake is an inferior cousin to a lost classic and will be used as a substitute for the fans that are secretly wishing that, nice though it is they would rather a remake wasn't needed. It is useful but by no means essential even to huge Quatermass fans like myself.

5 out of 5 stars Quatermass Returns.......2007-01-05

Hmm, not sure about Mr Wombey's review. How on earth are we supposed to not bother with this version, and watch the original when only 2 episodes are in exsistence? Me I will settle for this very well put together update. So there is no monster at the end, big deal, what it loses in the 'Rubber Glove' department it makes up for in spades with performance and atmospherics. This is pre- 'Doctor Who' David Tennant at his best (The 'Doctor' playing a Doctor?). I adore the original 'Quatermass' serials and films, but like one reviewer has already said, this is a worthy addition to those stories.

1 out of 5 stars Oh Dear!.......2006-12-21

*Contains Spoilers*

A pointless remake of a classic TV series, with none of the dramatic impact of the original. Coming over like a listless episode of Dr Who, it was difficult to believe in the main characters (with the honorable exception of Andrew Tiernan as Carroon) - Jason Flemyng at no point gave the impression of a driven, talented scientist.

The fact that it went out live was no excuse for the lack of tension and poor realisation of the script - after all, the 50's original was also a live broadcast and used comparatively primitive resources to produce a show that kept the viewing public glued to their sets for weeks. Little hope of that reaction with this version. The laughable resolution was just the dog dirt on top of the cake - I can only assume that the "let's all hold hands and make the nasty monster go away" ending was chosen because it was easier than having a proper special effect. Nigel Kneale's wiggly rubber glove may have been cheap but at least it was effective.

Bluntly, if you've seen the original don't bother with this.

4 out of 5 stars A CLEVER LIVE ADAPTION OF THE 1950'S CLASSIC .......2006-11-28

This is a very well made and groundbreaking live adaption of the now classic Quatermass Experiment. Movie actor Jason flemyng stars as a very youthful professor Quatermass previously played by middle aged actors. Due to the production being made live there are some limitations with the locations and filming. And some of the action and diologue is on occasion miss-timed and limited in scope which also limits the special effects. This relies more on what you don't see and the tension of the unseen monster stalking London. There are some overtones of the 50's with fashion and hair styles which looks very odd indeed as it's set in the present day. New Doctor Who David Tennant puts in a good performance as a scientist but doesn't get many lines. Of the Dvd there are some extras with interviews from the cast and writers that's a nice touch.

4 out of 5 stars Maturing nicely.......2006-11-23

It was hard to watch this live in 2005 without anxiety for the horrors of a live production. Looking at it again in November 2006 it is remarkably impressive. The acting is first rate and the direction is very much more subtle and sophisticated than any old 50s 0r 60s live shows. The cutting, angles, close ups are very well timed and must have added even more pressure on the cast.

Seeing it again I wasn't worried by the absence of a creature at the end - which had been a very succesful feature in 1953 but would be hard to get right now.

The look of the production is deliberately kharki green and it al lhas a very distinctive feel given a smooth pacing by the live production. The oddest side of it is the retro look. It is, after all, an adaptation (often word for word) of the 1953 script and it can't be brought completely up to date. It's not clear in this alternative reality if there has been other space exploration. The point of this trip is that it has gone far further than people have ever travelled- no one has gone further than the moon even now.

Full credit for producing something so unusual, seriously made and with its own strange beauty.
The Quatermass Experiment [1955]
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A Successful Xperiment
  • Classic Sci Fi
  • AN AMERICAN QUATERMASS IN QUEEN ELIZABETH'S ENGLAND
  • The Quatermass Experiment - a touch of real tragedy
  • No as good as it could have been
The Quatermass Experiment [1955]
Starring: Brian Donlevy , Jack Warner , Margia Dean , Thora Hird , and Gordon Jackson
Director: Val Guest
Manufacturer: Dd Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:
  1. Quatermass 2 [1957] Quatermass 2 [1957]
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ASIN: B00008IAUZ
Release Date: 2003-03-31
The Quatermass Experiment [1955]

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A Successful Xperiment.......2006-08-30

Although generally regarded as Hammer's first foray into the realm of science-fiction, two previous films THE FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE and SPACEWAYS had suggested with their overall ineptitude that genre films were perhaps something Hammer should steer clear of. But in re-making a BBC TV serial for the big screen Hammer had an ace up their sleeve and an audience ready made for the big screen adventures of Prof. Bernard Quatermass. Despite the terrible miscasting of Brian Donlevy as Quatermass, the film succeeds admirably. It still feels odd to watch a Hammer film in Black and White, but this adds to the documentary like quality that veteran director Val Guest was seeking (to aid this attempt at verisimilitude, we also have newspaper headlines and on a few occasions some hand-held camera work - very rare for 1955). With its dedication to actual scientific concepts and well written and researched source material by Nigel Kneale (a writer who is criminally under-rated) THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT retains a topical feel. In Quatermass' constant clashes with authority, Kneale threads in a number of critiques about modern society and its absurd predilection for red tape and bureaucracy. Despite these and other things, when reduced to its basic narrative, this film is an exploration of possession and feeds into the same paranoid fears that Don Siegel exposed so well with INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Gothic elements abound also, with the eerie isolated location that opens the film and the idea of double or multiple identities. Sadly Kneale over-emphasises Britain's importance in the world and the idea of the United Kingdom being the first country to send manned rockets into space is rather quaint and somewhat amusing. Donlevy's boorish and arrogant Quatermass is balanced well with the genuinely moving and upsetting performance by Richard Wordsworth as the invaded astronaut Caroon. For pure atmosphere and tension this remains a high watermark for Hammer, only bettered perhaps by the sequel QUATERMASS 2

5 out of 5 stars Classic Sci Fi.......2006-06-07

The Quatermass Xperiment as it was titled for its cinema release, is very simply one of the British Film Industry's classic films. It was a trail blazer for the then fledgling Hammer Films, and because of its success, Hammer were able to go forward and make the incredible catalogue of films that they would eventually end up with.
Director Val Guest condenses the much longer TV series down into a 80 minute film. The result is a gem of a film that has stood the test of time, and is still a compelling watch.

Basically the plot sees the headstrong Professor Quatermass send a rocket into space without official clearance. The rocket subsequently returns to Earth but of the three crew, there is only one astronaut remaining on board.
This sole survivor is played by Richard Wordsworth (a descendant of the poet - William Wordsworth). He gives a compelling and unsettling performance as Victor Kerroon, a man who undergoing metamorphasis into something monstrous. His scene with the small girl on the London Docks is a powerful example of this, and the viewer can see many similarities with the famous scene from the original Frankenstein, where Boris Karloff's monster has a similar, almost surreal encounter with a small child.
Helping Quatermass is Jack Warner's Police inspector, a typically solid performance from Warner in a role which plays to his strengths.
Quatermass and the Police and Army face a race against time to track down this ever changing monstrousity before it is too late.
SFX are good for the time and can still stand muster with some of today's.
The atmosphere and sets are truly unique, and the viewer is treated to a chase amidst smoggy and still bomb damaged 1950s London. A particular setting which is both atmospheric and unsettling in its own right.

I originally did not like Brian Donlevy in the role but have softened towards his performance on repeat viewings. Director Val Guest also makes it quite clear that he chose Donlevy because he was readly identifiable as a man of the people, instead of someone aloof, and that rings true. There was also the consideration of at that time, to get a US distributor, you needed an American actor in the role, therefore, Guest makes it quite clear in the commentary, that he was doubly glad to land Donlevy.
Additionally, in all fairness to the actor, Donlevy's final words also are chilling in this film, and it is hard to imagine a more refined Quatermass saying them with the same chilling intensity and conviction.

The film is available on Region 2 DVD and it is a brilliant transfer. Picture is superb and is one of the best black and white pictures that I have seen on DVD. Sound is obviously Mono but is still nonetheless impressive.
The Quatermass Xperiment can be obtained as a single DVD or as part of a double disc box set, along with Quatermass 2.
The latter is my preferred option, the box set is high quality and each film has its own booklet full of background details such as interviews with the Director and cast, original reviews, pictures etc.
This is a Region 2 DVD, so anyone living in the USA will need a Multi Region player to play it back on. However, another example of a film well worth upgrading to Multi Region play for.

4 out of 5 stars AN AMERICAN QUATERMASS IN QUEEN ELIZABETH'S ENGLAND.......2005-06-21

Yes, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this, despite the casting of the name role, which even Nigel Neale disapproved of. The story is all there, the tension is kept wound up, and there is a terrific climax in Westminster Abbey with a classic monster. I think it was more convincing to electrocute it than talk it to death as in the original! Interesting to see a young Jane Asher in a minor role. I think this production works better than the recent BBC live version which copped out of the finale. What a pity the BBC lost most of the original TV Series.

4 out of 5 stars The Quatermass Experiment - a touch of real tragedy.......2004-04-22

The plot of 'The Quatermass Experiment' is straightforward enough: Britain sends 3 men into space: 2 mysteriously disappear, and no. 3 (Victor Carroon) returns, very seriously ill. During the course of the film we watch helplessly as Carroon slowly transmutes into an alien monster.

Unlike so many sci-fi B movies including recent ones, this story generates an extraordinary amount of sympathy for the 'alien' predator. So often it's cardboard courageous humans against cardboard evil aliens (or, occasionally, over-sentimentalised ones). This film is on a different planet! The reason I say 'tragedy' is that we see at every stage how Carroon's humanity is struggling with the alien infestation and yet is ultimately doomed to fail. It is a tour-de-force performance by Richard Wordsworth (direct line descendent of the poet by the way). He is given just 2 or 3 words in the whole film with all the rest being achieved by body movements, gestures and, above all, an extraordinarily expressive face. Sometimes he's the pitiless alien, but sometimes also he's tragically human. Even where he kills there is evidence of some compunction or reluctance (especially a chemist whose shop the Carroon/Alien raids for drugs). He actually resists the urge to kill (and absorb on the alien's behalf) his wife and a little girl who chances on him whilst playing amongst the London docks.

Other nice touches are Mrs Carroon who shows up Quatermass's egoism very effectively, the solid senior policeman Lomax (Jack Warner), some amusing eccentrics like the bag lady played by Thora Hird, and the general air of English understatement and lack of panic. Little touches (Lomax the solid 'Bible man', Mrs Lomax with her teapot, the chemist's shop...) create a familiar, everyday English ambience which so effectively offsets the alien horror. I like too the contrast of rather trite remarks like 'He knows we're trying to help him...' with the true nature of Carroon's 'illness'. Finally let us not forget the special effects which show what can be achieved using real materials rather than fancy computer graphics.

The reason I give it 4 stars not 5 is, I'm afraid, Mr Donlevy as Quatermass himself whom I find rather irritating. In particular I find his very brash manner rather forced and artificial: it jars with the rest of the film. One of the best moments is watching Mrs Carroon put the bumptious Prof so firmly in his place, and feel more could have been made of the contrast between Quatermass's shallow 'science is wonderful gee-whiz' rhetoric and the horrifying reality. A looking-forward to the Alien series in this respect, perhaps. Also some of it is a little implausible - would it really have been possible to connect up and concentrate all that electrical output in so short a time? However these quibbles don't stop me from returning to the film again and again.

Those of a certain age (I'm pushing 50) will appreciate the portrayal of the working London docks before they turned into chi-chi riverside apartments, of the NCO type (we're only 10 years after the end of WW2) who dons other uniforms (zoo-keeper, reception clerk) in Civvy Street, and even the Rootes garage glimpsed near the end.

Buy it before it goes out of print again!

3 out of 5 stars No as good as it could have been.......2003-09-20

Nigel Kneale's character Professor Bernard Quatermass was a beautifully written very English character, but unfortunately back in the 50s, film makers saw fit to cast all lead roles as American stereotypes. Here we have a fantastic film that was the catalyst to all the Hammer films over the next 25 or so years that is simply spoiled by the actor Brian Donlevy who shouts and agressively pushes people around as if he's in some 30s Chicago gangster film. Mr. Kneale has even washed his hands of this film. Shame really as it is likely to be only chance to see this story, the first in the 4 Quatermass tales, as the BBC who did the first dramatised version back in 1953 saw fit to scrub all the episodes except the first 2. Alas, never mind. If you can see through Brian Donlevy's crass acting and misplaced American accent (he makes Quatermass rhyme with Christmas when he gives his name!)then you'll love this. Especially the end. Totally brill bit of writing!
The Quatermass Experiment/Quatermass 2 [1955]
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Not a review just a question.
  • Hammer hits
  • Invaders from outer space threaten the very existence of man
  • I thought I was dreaming...but here it is!
  • Quatermass is Back!!
The Quatermass Experiment/Quatermass 2 [1955]
Starring: Brian Donlevy , Jack Warner , Margia Dean , Thora Hird , and Gordon Jackson
Director: Val Guest
Manufacturer: Dd Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Classics All Classics | Classics | Categories | DVD | Video
Science Fiction & Fantasy Science Fiction & Fantasy | Classics | Categories | DVD | Video
All Science Fiction & Fantasy All Science Fiction & Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Categories | DVD | Video
Science Fiction Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Categories | DVD | Video
DVD DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. The Quatermass Experiment [1955] The Quatermass Experiment [1955]
  2. Quatermass And The Pit [1967] Quatermass And The Pit [1967]
  3. X The Unknown [1956] X The Unknown [1956]
  4. The Quatermass Experiment [1953] The Quatermass Experiment [1953]
  5. The Quatermass Collection - The Quatermass Experiment / Quatermass 2 / Quatermass And The Pit The Quatermass Collection - The Quatermass Experiment / Quatermass 2 / Quatermass And The Pit

ASIN: B0001DI57Q
Release Date: 2004-03-08
The Quatermass Experiment/Quatermass 2 [1955]

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Not a review just a question........2006-02-19

I'm really confused. Does this disc contain the original 1953 version or the 1955 version? I'm an American viewer (love a lot of the british scifi and horror series from the BBC) and would like to see all the versions if I can get ahold of them. However, I'm really confused by the reviews I see, not only here, but, on www.imdb.com as well. Can anybody point me in the right direction and tell me which Sets or single discs I should buy?

4 out of 5 stars Hammer hits.......2005-06-23

Hammer turned out a mixed bag of films, ranging from the frightful to the fantastic. The Quatermass films were among the best - and they got better. "The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955) was very good, "Quatermass 2" (1957) was even better and "Quatermass and the Pit" (1967) was better still. They all involve very different kinds of invasions of Earth by completely unrelated aliens and in each case, it's the brilliant and resourceful Quatermass whose involvement is crucial in the fight against the invader.

The Director, Val Guest, was given the job of editing Nigel Kneal's original, wonderful scripts, in order to condense each 3 hour series into films of less than one and a half hours. He had to make some radical chops and changes and Nigel Kneal was not entirely pleased about some of them. He was particularly unhappy about Hammer's choice of actor to play Quatermass, that meant changing his quiet, kindly English professor to a charmless, overbearing American. If you also happen to love the original series (as I do), you'll sympathise with Kneal. Brian Donlevy is nothing like Kneal's creation. But it's also easy to see the problem from Guest's point of view. He had to reduce the running time of each series by more than half and Donlevy is a brisk Quatermass, striding from scene to scene without pausing to ponder, debate or doubt the efficacy of his actions. Not only was there no time for the thoughtful deliberation of a careful, scholarly English prof. but it was decided that the films must have a well known American actor in the lead role if they were to sell in America. No wonder Guest was so pleased to have bagged Donlevy to play Quatermass.

So the films differ considerably from the BBC series they're based upon. Even so, these films are still very good and a remarkable achievement in light of the challenges: the time allowed for the films, the limited budget and technology. They include some fine actors. Look out for Richard Wordsworth, Thora Hird, Gordon Jackson, Lionel Jeffries, Jack Warner and even a very young Jane Asher in "The Quatermass Xperiment". In "Quatermass 2" you'll spot Syd James, Bryan Forbes, William Franklyn and Michael Ripper. There are no subtitles unfortunately. The sound on both films is fairly clear most of the time but there are a couple of occasion when subtitles would have been helpful. There are two booklets of viewing notes included with the package, one for each film and both worth a read.

I recommend these films and also Hammer's "Quatermass and the Pit" (my personal favourite) that isn't included in this package. And if you want the full glory of the full story, I would recommend that you search Amazon for "The Quatermass Collection" which includes all three BBC series.

4 out of 5 stars Invaders from outer space threaten the very existence of man.......2003-10-05

The other reviews say it all really so I will just add the following to explain my 4/5 rating. This is a very nice DVD but the print quality in my opinion does not quite match the ROAN Group’s issue of this Hammer classic on laserdisc. I recently sold my LD to buy this and “yes” it lovely to see it on a more convenient & durable format with a few extra features. You may be interested to know that the laserdisc version contained both an audio commentary and a very nice reproduction press kit produced for the films cinematic release. (ENJOY!)

5 out of 5 stars I thought I was dreaming...but here it is!.......2003-04-24

As a young teen here in the States, I saw "Quatermass 2" in a local theater and thought it to be superior film-making. This example of UK Sci-fi has been most professionally done and is far superior to the "War of the Worlds" or even "Forbidden Planet" special effects-based American attempts. I have been looking for it ever since the advent of VHS tape. There was a time when I woundered if it was a figment of my imagination since so few people in the US had ever heard of it and it has never appeared on American television. "Quatermass 2" is a serious attempt at quality filmaking in the Robert Wise "Day the Earth Stood Still" genre. While escapist in theme, the filmakers obviously did a most thorough job in presenting the piece with an almost "film noir" look to it. It was always a dream of mine to see it once again. See this film! You will not be dissapointed.

5 out of 5 stars Quatermass is Back!!.......2003-04-18

As far as I know, this Quatermass classic has never been released on video. Now, it makes a welcome return to DVD to satisfy Quatermass fans like myself everywhere. Filmed on a low budget, and curiously enough, in the same plant as where the original television series (first shown during the autumn of 1955) locations were filmed. Fast moving, exciting, and thought provoking (the secrecy which surrounds Whitehall for instance, sounds familiar?) Brian Donlevy who was brought from the states to portray the lead in order to sell the film to the American market, does play the part with agression, style and with much thought, to the original writer Nigel Kneale's profound annoyance! A really good all round entertaining film, aided by a wonderful music score; listen to the music at the opening credits for instance; it will make your spine tingle.
Quatermass Trilogy (original) ( Quatermass and the Pit / Quaretmass II /  Quatermass Experiment )
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Quatermass Trilogy (original) ( Quatermass and the Pit / Quaretmass II / Quatermass Experiment )
    Starring: Rudolph Cartier , André Morell , and Cec Linder
    Manufacturer: Roadshow
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    Categories Categories | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | Children's DVD | Classics | Comedy | Crime, Thrillers & Mystery | Documentary | Drama | Fitness | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Interactive DVDs | Music DVDs | Musicals & Classical | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Sports | Television | World Cinema
    DVD DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
    ASIN: B000VWUIXQ
    Release Date: 2005-07-07
    Quatermass Trilogy (original) ( Quatermass and the Pit / Quaretmass II /  Quatermass Experiment )

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