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An interesting adventure, carefully staged. Some over-acting by the supporting cast. A good adventure to watch as a starter if you are interested in the Classic era of Doctor Who.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Regarded as one of the best Doctor Who stories.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Absolutely fantastic story. A true classic.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Product details Actors: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson Format: PAL Language English Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.) Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1 Number of discs: 1 Classification: PG Studio: 2 Entertain Video DVD Release Date: 28 April 2003 Run Time: 150 minutes The Talons of Weng-Chiang is one of the very best Doctor Who stories, a six-part adventure set in a Gothic Victorian London inspired by The Phantom of the Opera and Sax Rohmer's tales of Fu Manchu, with nods towards Jack the Ripper, Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. The final story from the show's Golden Age (Philip Hinchcliff's three-year tenure as Producer), boasts superior production values and a bizarre storyline involving a time-travelling war criminal, giant rats in the London sewers and a malevolent ventriloquist's doll with the brain of a pig. Pitted against this flamboyant madness, largely centred on an East End music hall run by the self-important Henry Gordon Jago (a memorable performance by Christopher Benjamin) are Tom Baker's fourth Doctor, in pre-self-parody top form, and Louise Jameson's Leela at her primal best. There's strong support from Trevor Baxter as the Watson-like Professor Lightfoot, and John Bennett as the villainous Li H'sen Chang. Really helping matters is the first-rate direction from David "Genesis of the Daleks" Maloney, evoking a creepy atmosphere in a fantasy London of shadows and fog. Weng-Chiang was the pinnacle of Gothic Who and still remains highly enjoyable entertainment. On the DVD: Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang offers all six original episodes with good, if variable, 4:3 picture and crisp and clear mono sound. There is also highly informative on-screen trivia text and a lively group commentary with David Maloney, Louise Jameson, John Bennett and Christopher Benjamin. The highlight of Disc 2 is an hour-long documentary, Whose Doctor Who, shown on BBC2 the day after the final episode of "Weng-Chiang" aired. Also included is 23 minutes of extremely poor quality b/w timecoded video production footage and--much more fun--26 minutes worth of clips from Blue Peter with Lesley Judd, John Noakes and Peter Purvis showing how to build a Doctor Who music-hall theatre. There's also an interesting 11-minute 1977 interview with Philip Hinchcliffe, continuity announcements and trailers, a photo gallery, a short new animation, Tardis Cam No. 6, and optional subtitles. --Gary S DalkinRead full review
A six part adventure set in Victorian London with a distinctly Sherlock Holmes feel to it. This is one of the very best Tom Baker stories. It moves along at a cracking pace, is full of interesting characters and has Baker at the height of his performance. New viewers might criticise the special effects - but this was pre-CGI and done on a shoestring budget. To me this was pure fun entertainment, a delight to watch. Assassins in the fog, giant monsters in the sewers, hypnotism, a living murderous dummy and more... What's not to like? The nemesis of the show is a scifi version of Fu Manchu, whose henchmen include Chinese assassins. This and some of the dialogue does give a slight anti-Chinese flavour to the story and some viewers might find this offensive in our super-PC world. If you remember that the story is set in Victorian London, so reflects that era and its biases, then like me I don't think you will have any problems. The Special Edition is an "upgrade" to the version released about ten years ago. In the episodes, the picture is noticeably improved - as some of the original scenes had been very grainy. There are now 2 discs of extras plus episode commentaries, which are great fun if you are a fan and enjoy interviews about the making of the show. I didn't have the original DVD release myself, so I didn't have to buy the same story twice. If you already have the old version, then whether to buy is a question on how much you rate the improved picture and fresh extras. Miscellaneous Information: Two of the characters in the story - Jago and Lightfoot - feature in their own adventures in Big Finish Audio Stories. These are particularly good and quite funny too, as of course are many other Who stories in the Big Finish range.Read full review
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