Quatermass and the Pit (Blu-ray + DVD) [1967]

First off can I just point out that Amazon appear to have linked the Hammer movie versions bluray reviews with this new bluray of the original 1958 Teleplay. Or six part serial starring Andre Morell as Bernard Quatermass. Ignore the hammer reviews it's just confusing the issue.First off I won't be reviewing the episodes or giving you a breakdown of what happens. I shall instead compare and contrast between my VHS and DVD originals and this Bluray.If the new Bluray is glittering Diamond then the DVD picture quality is the uncut Diamond on its first discovery and that makes the VHS version the dog poo scraped from the miners boot.I never expected much improvement to my old DVD but this blew me away. It felt vibrant stark and beautiful in turn. A well crafted piece of Television legend. And the definitive antecedent to Doctor Who. Please buy this. You won't regret it.

Very disappointed in this new Blu-ray version. Don't believe the hype. Compared to the original DVD of the TV series that was released a few years ago in a BBC Boxset with the other Quatermass TV serials, there really isn't that much of a difference in the picture quality. I know because I watched a side-by-side comparison and the Blu-ray is very soft and blurry throughout many scenes on all of the episodes. There is no consistent visual quality. I know the show is old but It certainly isn't worth upgrading if you have the original DVD of the TV series. For those thinking about buying for the first time, wait until the price drops because in my opinion, it certainly isn't worth the current price of 20 quid. Wait a few months and watch the price drop to around 10 or 12 quid. As for the so-called booklet, it mentions 8 pages but in reality it feels and looks more like a thin leaflet with two pages in between.

Made in 1967 by British film studio Hammer, this film was produced by Anthony Nelson Keys and directed by Roy Ward Baker; it stars Andrew Kier (Prof. Quatermass), James Donald (Dr. Roney), Hammer hottie and ‘scream queen’ Barbara Shelley (Miss. Barbara Judd) and Julian Glover (Col. Breen). This film was a low-budget spin-off of the original and very successful 6-part BBC Television serial of the same name which was first aired on British television on December 22nd. 1958 and ended on January 26th. 1959 (you can see this 1958 BBC black-and-white version on YouTube).The story revolves around the digging of an extension to the London Underground railway network at ‘Hobb’s End’ when workmen uncover what looks like a fossilised skull in the excavations; the skull appears to have some unusual characteristics so palaeontologist Dr. Roney (James Donald) and his staff are called in to investigate. During their investigation they uncover more bones, and then what they think is an unexploded bomb left over from the Second World War. The whole area is then cordoned off and British Army bomb disposal experts are called in to deal with it. From this point on things really start getting mysterious and creepy; it turns out that the so-called ‘unexploded bomb’ isn’t a bomb at all, but an alien spacecraft that has been lying dormant in the earth for at least five million years. The craft is made of an indestructible material that is non-corrosive, harder than diamond, and completely impervious to the heat of an oxyacetylene blow torch! Not even a ‘Borazon drill’ (whatever that is) can penetrate its surface!What is even more perplexing is that the craft seems to possess inexplicable supernatural properties; etched into the internal bulkhead of this indestructible spacecraft is the symbol of a pentacle of the type used in ancient cabalistic magic; the very hull and substance of the craft seemingly having the independent ability to ‘think’ and generate spectral images of ‘ghosts’, ‘imps’, and ‘horned demons’, and then take control of people’s minds!Things really start popping when some nitwit in government (where else?) decides that the only way to alleviate public and national concern is to stage a live, public television broadcast interview with the national press and the political and military representatives of the establishment, and to hold that interview in the pit itself to demonstrate to the country that there really is no danger. That’s when all hell breaks loose and the thing in the pit suddenly comes alive and starts morphing into a gigantic entity of heat and energy, triggering a mass stampede of panic and terror. Among the panic and mayhem, the thing starts breaking out of the pit and up through the road surface above. Once it dominates the London skyline, it starts taking over the minds of the people of London, resulting in violent panic, mayhem, death, wholesale carnage and catastrophic destruction.Yes friends, sounds like another fun-day out for all the family!Andrew Kier is perfectly cast as Prof. Quatermass and delivers a fine performance of authority and common sense; Julian Glover is also perfectly cast as the pompous, arrogant, self-opinionated ‘know-it-all’ Col. Breen. As a story, “Quatermass and The Pit” is quite fresh and original and is part of a ‘Quatermass’ trilogy written back in the 1950s by Nigel Kneale (who also wrote the screenplay for this film and the teleplay for the 1958 BBC serial).The special effects are pretty basic compared to today’s standards and reflect the film’s low budget investment (there was no CGI back in 1967) but that doesn’t detract from the impact of the story, the story itself is first rate, quite new, and original, and has some genuinely scary moments. If this film was re-made today, with the digital special effects they have now, this film would be sensational.This is not so much a science fiction ‘horror’ in the usual sense, but more like a supernatural science fiction thriller (if there can be such a thing). If you liked stories such as ‘Village of The Damned’ or ‘Day of the Triffids’, or 'Night of The Demon', then this film will be right up your street. It’s certainly one of the best films to come out of the Hammer studios during the 1960s. If you are a Hammer horror fan, this film will probably be in your collection already. Given its low-budget limitations, this is still one of my favourite films to watch.

Early BBC Release Of A Classic Tale. First screened as a six part serial in December 1958 The Beeb's Telling of The classic Tale Quatermass And The Pit still holds up remarkably well Today. I Don't plan To write a review of The story here we are all Two familiar with The story of a strange object unearthed containing evidence of an alien life. This newly released Blu-ray edition of The six part serial brings The story in its best format To date. with the print looking pristine and sharp Quatermass as never looked better clearly now The definitive version. along with a wealth of extras including commentaries for all six episodes a specially designed photo gallery containing rare behind The scenes making of and a special feature documentary on The production of The serial. while personally I always Thought The BBC's DVD of The serial was remarkable in picture and sound Quality This new Blu-ray Tops it Quite literally a new Restoration from The pit. comes Highly recommended.

Thrilling story of a buried Martian spaceship discovered under London in 1958, excellent performance by Andre Morell as professor Bernard Quatermass.Its a bit long at 6 30 minute episodes, but still manages to hold your attention.Quality is improved over the previous dvd release, comes with nice booklet.The hammer film remake from 1967 is also worth purchasing on blu ray.

There are 2 separate productions listed on this product page.One is the 1958 BBC TV series , abysmal in both quality and story. Cardboard sets and wooden actors.The other is the superior film version by Hammer.Despite informing them of their mistake some time ago, as with most things Amazon, they simply refuse to acknowledge the correction of their mistake and continue to annoy and irritate their customers.