AWSUM MOVIES: Daleks-Invasion Earth 2150ad

AWSUM MOVIES: 

Daleks-Invasion Earth 2150ad

This film, (in terms of 60’s Dalek mania), was the crème de la crème of  Dr Who. It took the best bits of the Tv episode (The Dalek Invasion of Earth) and made it into a solid war time action movie for the big screen and more importantly: it was in colour. This was the ultimate Dalek Movie: Coupled with its prequel (Dr Who and the Daleks), these two Dalek films took Ray Cusicks brilliant Dalek design to a whole new level and turned mono chromed ping pong ball eared Tv Daleks (with vertically challenged fenders) into lavishly colourful movie stars with glamorous beaker cup ears and fender equivalents of glam rock platform boots. These were bad ass mothers. Shit they even gave them claws. It so impressed me as a child, that I felt compelled to even write a novel about it!

STIRLING DALEK PERFORMANCES 

And who can forget such sterling performances from Robert Jewel as the saucer commander (the Red Dalek) battling for screen time with the Gold Dalek? Sod Peter Cushing and Bernard Cribbins,  they were simply there for background. When it came to Daleks, this was gripping drama: Certainly the Gold Dalek seemed in charge of the whole shebang but anyone with one eye could see that the Red Dalek was the real star of the show. If anything, he was cold as they come and ambitious: just awaiting for his opportunities to climb the Kaled career ladder – who knows what might have happened if he had successfully pulled off piloting Earth like a giant space ship: Saucer Commander today, Dalek Supreme tomorrow. Throughout the film The Red Dalek proves his metal. Literally.

Point 1: Show ‘em whos boss. When a wannabe escapee is finally cornered (after running around the saucer landing area a few times) the Red Dalek pulls no punches and exterminates him personally. 

Point 2: Set your enemy’s traps: Just when Dr Who thinks he as the upper hand and escapes from his prison cell on the Dalek saucer, the Red Dalek is waiting for him and promptly marches him off for robotising: the equivalent of being a compliant zombie. 

Point 3: Hold your ground. During the rebel attack on the Dalek Saucer, his nervous subordinate wants to bail, (during all important robotising duties) but fuck no, the Red Dalek hung in there, determined to give Dr Who the full Vidal Sassoon robotising treatment and when the robotising room was overrun with pesky rebels, he took a tactical retreat, more concerned with directing the drones to crush the rebellion. And where was the Gold Dalek this whole time? Upstairs somewhere, probably watching Tv. 

Finally Point 4: Take no shit from anyone. Even when the Gold Dalek finally emerges (half way through the movie) and starts ordering the Red Dalek about, he is unperturbed. Reddy is as cool as a kaled Kucumber, even when Goldy gets het up about exterminating Dr Who in the Mine control centre (via execution squad) Reddy totally blanks Goldy. Whatever. And as for the black Dalek? (Blacky). No contest, he can hold his own with the best of them. He has more gold bling than Mr T. (No racism intended).

TRICKY STUNTS 

In reality Ozzy Dalek operator Robert Jewell, most likely played all the parts of Daleks doing any ‘acting’. Consider the shot of the gold Dalek manoeuvring down the corkscrew ramp that runs around the Mine Operations room. A tricky stunt, that required him to say ‘Prepare to position capsule’ while rolling down a curvy ramp without any safety railings. 

Then Goldy is seen ranting at the red Dalek about killing Dr Who (these prisoners are to be exterminated) which was also probably performed  by Jewell, as it’s the only time we’re given any hint at Dalek conflict between Goldy and Reddy.  Much like the Green Cross Code man/Darth Vader actor Dave Prowse suffered, Robert Jewells thick Australian accent kinda got in the way of his Dalek performances, so its understandable that his voice was replaced with something a bit more ...Dalek’y.

And who can forget the awsum performance by the submarine Dalek rising from London's famous River Thames? The first Dalek we get to see and it’s a fantastic moment because A: it’s the coolest Dalek intro ever and B: Dr Who is completely mind boggled. You can see the cogs going round in the old codgers face. WTF? Not only are Daleks actually here on Earth but they can swim as well.

AWSUM FLYING SAUCER MODEL 

Then there’s the awsum Dalek technology that they bring with them to invade Earth with: Check out that amazing Dalek saucer with its rotating decks, that lands in Slone square. Where the hell is that model now? There simply isn’t anything else like it. 

AWSUM FILM SETS 
And then there’s of course the accompanying full size Dalek saucer film set, (filmed at Shepperton Studios), complete with a huge exit ramp, flood lights and massive girder like landing legs. It’s an enormous set, probably fifty feet across that dominated the entire area of studio H. Lets also not forget the impressive Dalek Mine Operations centre: with its fantastic metallic green ramps and control panels and two tier layout, complete with a glowing bomb shaft (that leads of course, to the Earths metallic core)  and one big red bomb. Nothing short of brilliant.

Documentation however on these brilliant sets and props, is thin on the ground: as typical of films of this era, credits were only given to department heads, rather than to everyone involved. Thus nobody seems to know who designed and who made the original 5ft Dalek saucer (altho a fella named Dave Brian made a pretty impressive replica) or wether that original prop still exists. There’s also very little info on the Dalek saucer film set or the mine operations set. These impressive film sets would have put James Bond set designer Ken Adams to shame. Who designed these Dalek sets? Who built them? I guess we’ll never know. But somebody does…


AWSUM FILM SCORE 

The music to Invasion Earth is of a typical 60's orchestral arrangement, with swing flavours, all of which is notably lead by the piano genius of Bill Mcguffie, London's leading pianist, which explains some of the Bach pieces that occasionally creep into the mix. Mainly this and Fague for thought .
Mcguffie made great use of this orchestra, to emulate some great soundscapes throughout the film. Notably the desolation of London in the future as well as the raid on the Dalek saucer and  memorable Roboman theme tune, which one really misses when you see the Tv version.


NOT EVERYONES CUP OF TEA 

Of course there’s plenty wrong with the movie: I still cringe at the comedy Roboman scene (and how the ending of the film didn’t cause a total fucking paradox, is beyond me) plus a whole bunch of other bloopers in the movie that could have been avoided. So yeah, I can see why such gaping plot holes as these, compelled critics to pan it so ferociously but this was not about pleasing film critics, it was about pleasing kids and in that respect it was like the Dalek equivalent of watching Star Wars. 




GRANDE FINALE 

Never the less, Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 ad had a great story, interesting characters (Daleks) and a pretty good plot: Why? (Asks Doctor Who) are they invading the Earth for anyway? And what is there major weakness? Rest assured the good Doctor soon finds out and hatches a rather ingenious plan that exploits the Daleks weakness for the tremendous dangers that the Earths magnetic core poses towards them. 

Much like the ending of  War of the Worlds,  the Daleks ultimately are defeated in one foul swoop (by Earths magnetic forces) and all Robomen are instantly restored back to normality. Friken Awsum!

As a fan of all things Daleks, this one film put me in Dalek heaven, although, that really sounds so wrong. But what is it about this movie? I must have seen it, like a hundred times. When people say they’ve seen a movie like a hundred times, they are exaggerating. I mean, as a kid, I had seen this film literally over a hundred times, until I actually wore out my VHS cassette tape. But for all fans of dodgy sci-fi, it is a must see. I even forced several ex girlfriends to watch it. And they actually enjoyed it.

The movie is packed full of action: Marvel as a Dalek sentry is slung fifty feet down the exit ramp of the Dalek saucer and explodes. Behold as they crush the rebellion with their vicious fly spray guns. Wow yourself as wheelchair bound Dortman champions the infirm, as he grenades and flattens Daleks (and himself) with falling masonry. 





Cheer as rebels plough through a Dalek blockade with a pie van, smashing Daleks left and right. 

Wow at Daleks crumpling like empty beer cans under the Earths magnetic force, crash through walls and get sucked down mine shafts. 

Then brace yourself for the Grande finale as the Dalek Saucer itself threatens to crash through the fourth wall and take you with it. 

It’s the ultimate Dalek trip. Oh. If only they made this movie in 3D!  

DALEKS VS MEKONS 

My little doodle of what the poster for the third Dalek Movie might have looked like. 

Then again, if only they had made the third one! Dam! Daleks vs Mekons! Ray Cusicks other popular design was the spherical robots called Mechanoids or Mekons. They only ever appeared in one Dr Who episode but kids went wild at the sight of them battling Daleks and talks were underway to perhaps make the third Dalek movie based on this episode.  But it didn't seem to pan out that way, when critics panned the second Dalek movie. 

It is a shame no more Dalek movies were ever made. Imagine! There could have been a whole series, much like had been done with Fu Man Chu films (at least five Hammer movies came out of that idea). I mean, just look at all those Godzilla movies: Tons of em! The film producers could have made a least one more Dalek movie but alas, they got cold feet, after returns weren’t so great and Dalek Mania was on the wane. Still, when the chips are down, and all is said and done: girl friends come and go but Daleks-Invasion Earth 2150ad,  is forever. Amen.

THE LEGACY OF THE DALEK MOVIES  
Wether you love or hate them, both Dalek films, for better or worse, achieved at least one thing: and that was to show what the Tv series could potentially look like, with some actual money thrown at it. Beard rubbing purists would probably argue that the end all be all, is the script and everything else is merely incidental but ultimately bad presentation was always the downfall of Dr Who, which lead to its cancellation in the 1980s. But then came along Russell T Davis and the rest is history.

And that history is now yours and mine. The return of Dr Who in the 21st Century,  has seen it awarded with no less than 8 BAFTAs  for its contributions to television, whilst heralded as the flagship show of the BBC. This is undoubtably due, (in no small part) to the contributions of them Dalek movies, way back in the 1960s. A small nod to which is signified, by the movie look of the new series, such as its various props: including the Tv version Daleks and even the Tardis. Notably, Peter Capaldi's costumes have a very similar look at times, to that of Peter Cushing's and the Tardis interiors, (though not directly copied), have been inspired because of the diverse tangent that the Dalek films went from the Tv series.  

All in all, we have a lot to be grateful for because of this film and its prequel. Without them, I doubt the new series would have re-surfaced with any longevity and Dr Who without Daleks, is like eating chips without salt, or tea without milk or Starsky without Hutch, or...well you get the idea. 

PS: If you too liked this movie, (or even this article), you can check out my novel of the film here.