Quatermass and the Pit - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Quatermass and the Pit



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Most people thought the Quatermass saga was done after the 1957 films, as Val Guest had said in some ancient interviews that he was done with the character. Well, Hammer Productions had something to say about that, as they brought the old character out of mothballs 10 years after the 2nd film came to be and dusted it off and gave it a new lead actor and a new director in the form of Roy Ward Baker. The film is the most different of the three films, and part of that stems from the time lapse between movies. Sci-fi films of the 1950s were much different beasts than what came later, both in acting quality AND in production scope. At this point 20th Century Fox wanted a more “modern” sci-fi tale, and were using much better special effects and makeup to get the job done. Instead of a black and white cheese fest from the 1950s, we got a fully colorized, high class spectacle (for the time) that was just as cheesy and deliciously fun as what came before it. Albeit with a few slight changes due to Brian Donlevy no longer reprising his role as the grumpy old professor.

This time around there’s less of an action oriented tilt to the latest Quatermass film, as Roy Ward Baker gives it a more intellectual bent. Professor Quatermass (now played by Andrew Keir) is called in when an excavation team underneath London unearths something more mysterious than a few human remains. They find a mysterious capsule that is originally thought of as a bomb from the 2nd world war. However, nothing can cut through the material, no matter what force they use on it. After tinkering around with the machine for a while they discover a hidden cavity on the inside. A hidden cavity that houses several dead insect like creatures who bear a resemblance to ancient drawings of evil entities.

As the investigation continues, strange things start happening in the excavation. Men start seeing things that vanish, a man is killed during his time in the pod, and Quatermass himself begins to suspect that the pod and its passengers are not from this earth. After guessing the home planet of Mars as their home, Quatermass begs the politicians and military in charge of the operation to heed his warnings of extraterrestrial life and their powers, but nobody listens, and an evil that nobody is prepared to fight may soon be unleashed on London.

Back in the 1960s Hammer productions was amping up the hamminess of their films. Instead of the terrifying and horror based films of the past, Quatermass and the Pit is more big budget sci-fi with super serious characters bellowing into the camera about aliens from mars. It’s a fun little production and probably the most accessible film of the trilogy to most casual audience members. While I do miss Brian Donlevy’s grump old man persona from the previous films, Adrew Keir almost does the role a bit better due to being more “British” than his predecessor. Even though both men hail from England, Quatermass and the Pit feels decidedly more stereo typically British than the other films, mainly due to Keir’s posh old man professor attitude. He does a fantastic job with the role, and truly makes it his own. A feat which some might have thought impossible due to how entrenched Brian was in the role previous.

If I had any complaints about the film, it would be that it takes a bit too long to get to the action. It’s not until the hour mark of the film that Quatermass and the Pit moves from a stuffy investigation to full on alien invasion. It’s at this point that the film loses it’s G-rated nature and moves to a more gruesome and bloody fate as the death toll starts to rise. I’m not sure whether the film could have benefited from a bit more action, but the first hour is a lot more laid back than the final 30 minutes, and some viewers may see the slow burn as a negative compared to the more action packed 1950s version of Quatermass.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

The 1.66:1 framed AVC encode for Quatermass and the Pit doesn’t appear to be from as new of a scan than Quatermass II (Scream Factory makes no mention of a new scan and if they do have a new scan they shout it from the rooftops, so I’m guessing an older studio master was used). Detail levels are acceptable all about, with nice warm colors (with a bit of an orange push I noticed), and this is actually the first of the films that have been colorized at that. Shadows can be a bit murky and fine detail pushed back a bit due to some softness of the image and a few moments of print damage, otherwise this is a perfectly fine transfer for a 1960s genre film.









Audio:

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA track is pretty standard fare for a Mono track, and is a slight step up over Quatermass II. Dialog is crisp and clean, and the sound effects precise and sharp when needed. It’s not nearly so chaotic and harsh as the other as well. Most likely from being shot 10 years later with better recording technology and due to the fact that the elements were supposedly in better shape than the previous film.

The 5.1 mix is a bit better, but most of the time it's really a 3.0 track. Dialog is the main focus of the film up until the hour mark, and even then it still takes the brunt of the work in the third act. That third act (right around the hour mark) is when the more boisterous activity starts, and it's then that the surrounds and the score really start kicking in the back of the room. Rumbling and roaring of telekinetic energy seeps through pretty well, and there's even a very small amount of LFE going to the sub channel (there's some mid bass in the speakers, but most things below the 50hz range aren't really that active). it's a decent track, and does well considering the 1967 source material for a Hammer productions.










Extras:

• NEW audio commentary with film historian Bruce G. Hallenbeck
• NEW audio commentary with filmmaker Constantine Nasr and author/film historian Steve Haberman
• NEW interview with actor Hugh Futcher
• NEW interview with Academy Award®-winning special effects artist Brian Johnson (Alien)
• NEW interview with clapper loader Trevor Coop
• NEW interview with focus puller Bob Jordan
• Interview with author Judith Kerr
• Interview with actor Julian Glover
• Interview with actor/writer Mark Gatiss
• Interview with filmmaker Joe Dante
• Interview with author/film historian Kim Newman
• Interview with author/Hammer Film historian Marcus Hearn
• Audio Commentary with director Roy Ward Baker and writer Nigel Kneale
• World of Hammer – Sci-Fi
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• Alternate U.S. Credits
• Still Gallery

Final Score: ​

Quatermass and the Pit is a bit more of a talky film than either of the two predecessors, and arguably the weakest of the trilogy (although not by a whole lot I might add). It’s also the only one to be colorized, the only one to not star Brian Donlevy in the titular role, AND the only one to not by directed by Val Guest. It’s a different feel than any in the series, and rightfully so as it was filmed a good 12 years after the original and 10 after the sequel. It’s still a fun sci-fi romp thought and a fun addition to any classic sci-fi collection. Scream Factory has knocked this one out of the park with a MASSIVE array of extras (mind boggling how copious they are) and some solid technical specs for the 52 year old film. Fun sci-fi romp is my personal recommendation.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: James Donald, Andrew Keir, Barbara Shelley, Julian Glover, Duncan Lamont, Bryan Marshall, Peter Copley
Directed by: Roy Ward Baker
Written by: Nigel Kneale
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Scream Factory
Rated: NR
Runtime: 98 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: July 30th, 2019

Recommendation: Fun Classic

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will have to check it out.