In the mid to late sixties, the UK’s Hammer studios were at their creative peak. Their horror and genre films were well received in the international market, and they felt the time was right to create a new, cerebral, science fiction film. And which one of their franchise characters would they bring back for this new outing? By Jove, why not bring back Professor Quatermass? In 1967, QUATERMASS AND THE PIT was released in Europe, to be followed by an American release. 20^th Century Fox renamed the flick to the more exploitative FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH. The picture did decent business theatrically and remains a science fiction staple to this day. The film has appeared on TV over the years (on creature-feature type shows and even American Movie Classics) and has been reissued on VHS and LD numerous times. However, thanks to Anchor Bay, their DVD version of QUATERMASS AND THE PIT proves to be the last word on the film. Not only is the film released widescreen, but they even created a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack! Not to mention some impressive extras.

The film is directed by one of Hammer’s best, Roy Ward Baker, who gave us THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, SCARS OF DRACULA, and THE VAULT OF HORROR. The script was by Nigel Keale, who was the screenwriter for the first two Quatermass films (both men are present on the audio commentary track). The film toplines James (THE VIKINGS) Donald as anthropoligist Dr. Mooney. Andrew (THE VIKING QUEEN) Keir stars as Professor Quatermass, a physicist . Barbara (THE GORGON) Shelly is the daring and intelligent female lead Barbara Judd. Julian (THEATRE OF DEATH) Glover is the misguided Colonel Breen. Though these performers are the core stars of the film, QUATERMASS AND THE PIT features what seems like hundreds of cast members and extras.

In the downtrodden side of London known as Hobbes End, anthropologist Dr. Mooney conducts carbon dating tests on primeval skulls found in an underground construction site. Soon Dr. Mooney’s digging team find something resembling a metal shell casing buried in the dirt and mud. At first glance, the object is believed to be an unexploded bomb left over from World War II. The military is called in to cordon off the area and defuse the buried weapon. Colonel Breen is the man who brings along Dr. Quatermass to inspect the site.

The military men completely uncover the object and discover that this is no bomb. After making numerous unsuccessful attempts to breach the seemingly metallic hull, Colonel Breen concludes that this is some kind of abandoned Nazi device composed of an unknown experimental alloy. But Professor Quatermass, Dr. Rooney, and Barbara Judd realize their is more to this object than it appears, so they team up to investigate the mystery.

As Colonel Breen’s men step up their efforts to eviscerate the object, the interior cracks on its own, revealing the dead bodies of insectoid aliens. The scientists and the military are stunned at the find. Professor Quatermass and Dr. Mooney postulate a theory whereby these aliens are Martians that visited the Earth five million years ago, and performed experiments with life forms that led to the evolution of man. They conclude that the unidentified object is a kind of space craft. Quatermass informs the press of the discovery and his theory. Of course, Colonel Breen, the Prime Minister and the government don’t believe a word of it until they see some kind of evidence outside of the alien corpses.

After a string of weird occurrences happen near the derelict Martian craft, Dr. Rooney and Professor Quatermass bring in an audio/visual expert to record evidence. Dr. Rooney has perfected a device which relays visual cues from the brain to a recording device. Barbara volunteers to attach the device to her while she approaches the derelict craft. An unseen alien presence possess Barbara, and the scientists are able to record her brainwaves. The alien-possessed Barbara gets a glimpse of the end-of-life conflict that doomed the Martian race. The scientists remove her from the area, and Barbara is herself again. Now, Dr. Rooney and Professor Quatermass have the whole experience on tape, which they show to the disbeliving Prime Minister and Colonel Breen. Even with visual evidence, they balk at the scientists claims, and designate to the press, that the whole thing was a hoax. The British government invites the news media to go underground and see the derelict craft, and to explain the whole thing as Nazi propaganda from World War II. But as the underground tunnels fill with news and media people, the Martian derelict ship begins throbbing to life…

 This excellent film is full of disturbing, but thought-provoking ideas; the essence of genuine science-fiction. Nigel Kneale is able to propose his speculations in a very believable manner that could possibly be feasible. I’m surprised this picture was not condemned by the church for its original interpretations of old traditions. Out of all the QUATERMASS films, this is the one that’s most strongly remembered. The tension builds through-out, building up to an unforgettable climax as the uncovered Martian spaceship becomes reactivated and humanity receives some terrifying clues as to the source of its actual creation.

The acting is first rate; from the principals to the extras. Andrew Keir is especially good as Professor Quatermass and looks the role as well. Keir’s performance is a much more passionate and humane portrayal compared to Brian Donlevy’s performance in the first two films. James Donald is also great as the self-sacrificing Dr. Mooney. If only real-life scientists had the high moral fiber of these two, I’d feel a lot better. Barbara Shelley manages to instill her character with a lot of poise, intelligence, bravery, and she looks good too. Julian Glover successfully brings that loathsome quality to the misguided Colonel Breen. Thanks to some very good and natural dialogue, there is also good acting lower down on the credit list.

Les Bowie’s special effects are minimal but not bad. His effects exist to propel the story and not dominate the movie. Bowie was responsible for the effects work of nearly all Hammer’s genre efforts. Though dated today, Bowie’s effects work was cutting edge at the time. The Bowie-designed alien critters still send chills down my spine as they did when I first caught this film as a kid. The Martian insects ooze with slimy green blood. Bowie and his team also created the many wind storm effects, the floating objects, and the animated alien devil. There are also some destruction scenes as the unseen alien phantoms destroy buildings in the Hobbes End section of London. These buildings are obviously miniatures, but they are carefully blended into the film for a realistic effect.

Arguably one of the best science fiction thrillers ever. What it lacks in budget, it more than makes up for in intellectual clout and finely-crafted composition. Nigel Keane’s idea that the human race was bred by Martians is plausible within the confines of the film. Though genre fans have complained the film is too talky, it is not too complicated for an audience to follow. Roy Ward Baker pulls out all the stops and turns in the finest directing job of his career. Why couldn’t Hammer have made more stuff like this? This is proof that you can create a memorable, sincere, and thrilling science fiction film, without megabuck CGI effects and a big name director.

SIGHT

Anchor Bay presents QUATERMASS AND THE PIT in the original 1.66.1 widescreen transfer. I had heard that the few releases of their Hammer Collection DVDs (such as SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA) were of sub-par quality. So I was a little apprehensive about viewing this DVD. My fears were soon laid to rest, however. Despite lack of 16x9 enhancement, this transfer is nothing short of stunning. It’s not perfect, but all things considered, it looks great for a 35 year old film. The image is very sharp with excellent detail. Colors are genuinely bright and appear accurate. Contrast and brightness are excellent with good shadow detail. The image is brimming with incredible detail. Because most of this film takes place in underground tunnels and inside the small alien derelict, Arthur Grant’s cinematography is wisely composed for a 1.66.1 image (as opposed to the more panoramic 2.35.1 or 1.85.1 ratio). This crowded 1.66.1 image contributes immensely to the overall claustrophobia of the film. Inside the tunnels, there is a lot of opportunity for detail, and we see the dirt, mud, lights, workers, tools, with superb clarity. There are some great color schemes, where browns, olives, oranges, and yellows dominate. The filmmakers purposely mute the shiny colors to heighten the atmospheric effect. Black levels are solid, giving the film that deep, dark, look. There were no instances of edge enhancement, chroma noise, halo effects, or artifacts. Despite the typical Hammer medium budget, the filmmakers managed to provide a bigger budgeted look. About the only negative thing I can say is the grain; but I’ve seen more grain in films half as old as this one. The vehicles, uniforms, and special effects are all believably rendered, and they look great on this transfer.

SOUND

Anchor Bay provides not only a Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 soundtrack, but a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack as well, that I am going to review. This DVD is the only entry in Anchor Bay’s Hammer collection that they actually bothered to remaster in DD 5.1. All the other Hammer DVDs have been two channel mono. The DD 5.1 track has a good range, clarity, and separation. There are tremendous directional effects that you just don’t expect to see in a movie of this type and vintage. The bass is especially good, and provides the low end to accompany the alien invasions sounds, windstorm effects, collapsing buildings, rumbling machines, etc. When the film does not call for heavy bass or directional effects, the DD 5.1 mix supplies haunting ambiance, right down to the echoing in the subway system. There is no hiss, dropouts, or distortion. If you are familiar with QUATERMASS AND THE PIT you are probably familiar with Tristram Cary’s musical cues. The score does not play consistently through the film; rather Cary’s cues are played to accentuate the drama and mystery. The sounds elements are perfectly synchronized and make for a surprisingly effective and powerful audio experience. There is an audio menu where you can select DD 5.1, 2.0 or the audio commentary (sorry, no mono). Once during the feature, the sound jumped out of the DD 5.1 mode, and I had to go to the main menu to select DD 5.1 again, then resumed play. Hopefully, this was just a one-time thing and you won’t have to deal with it.

FEATURES

Side 2 of the DVD contains the extras features (the audio commentary track is selectable on side 1). There is the original trailer (widescreen 1.66.1, 2 channel mono, 2:26), the trailer for FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH (widescreen 1.66.1, 2 channel mono, 2:20), a TV trailer (full frame, 2 channel mono, :45), and a TV teaser (full frame, 2 channel mono, :15). The video quality for these trailers is nowhere near as good as the feature. There is a The Worlds of Hammer documentary called SCI-FI. The documentary is full frame, 2 channel mono, and consists of snippets from THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT, FANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN, QUATERMASS 2, and QUATERMASS AND THE PIT. There is an audio commentary with director Roy Ward Baker and Nigel Keale. This commentary is a little dry, but enlightening, and a must for Hammer fans.

CONCLUSION

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is one of the best British science fiction films of all time. It delivers the goods and is actually thought provoking. The implications in the plot are mind bending—Martians travel to ancient Earth and influence our development. While it is true that the plot has been done countless times, it has never been done in the context of a Hammer production. Genuinely unnerving, classy performances, and an atmosphere you can cut. QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is a chilling combination of science fiction and Lovecraftian horror, bolstered by the great performances by Andrew Keir, James Donald, Julian Glover, and Barbara Shelley. I personally would like to thank Anchor Bay for treating it like the classic it is, and giving it first rate DVD treatment.

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is available at DVDEmpire

THE QUATERMASS AND THE PIT/QUATERMASS 2 DOUBLE FEATURE is available at DVDEmpire

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