Cheap Dr. Who - The Mind of Evil (Video) (Morris Barry) (Bill Sellars, Morris Barry, Chris Clough) Price

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Customer Reviews of Dr. Who - The Mind of Evil

Good story but a little too long and a bit messy.
Sadly this third Doctor story is only available in black and white as all of the colour copies were lost. ...P>The central theme of this story is the Master once again trying to bring chaos to the earth in a plot to destry a major peace conference. Roger Delgado, again someone no longer with us, is evil incarnate but you have to love him nevertheless. His portrayal as the Master as a foil to the Doctor was a highlight of the Jon Pertwee Doctor Who years although it has always puzzled me why the timelords should act against the Doctor yet allow the Master's interventions.

The story once again involves outside broadcasts on location and casts the British Prison Service in a poor light suggesting that experiments should be allowed on prisoners in order to achieve a compliant and co-operative prison population.

As the story develops from the focus of the prison and the Keller machine for removing eveil impulses to incorporate the wider focus of the world peace conference, the show attempts to demonise the Chinese under the leadership of Mao Tse Tung as the protagonists in a plot to create war, firstly through the use of a female Chinese official as a murderer of one of her own delegation and then through an attack on the American delegate. Reflecting the cold war realities of the time it's use is limited by the existance of the Master who merely uses his alien technology to manipulate people and alien life forms to achieve his own ends.

A strong story the main weaknesses of the 'Mind of Evil' for me involve the poor set for the prison scenes, the drawn out sections of the Keller machine and the length. There certainly was a tendency in the Pertwee years for six part stories but to my mind a number of them could have been considerably shorter including this one.

The strengths of the story are greater than the weaknesses including a strong plot with sub-plots and it's contemporary relevance. It is hard to imagine a world on the brink of war but that was a possibility more than once in the period between 1960 and 1980. Topicality too given Richard Nixon's visit to China and the continuing conflict in Vietnam...

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"It's rather like making a film, isn't it, sir?"
"The Mind of Evil" is the story that perhaps best represents this era of Doctor Who. The last season had firmly established the new direction for the show. The Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee, would be earthbound and unable to pilot the TARDIS. This would see more "Earth in danger" stories, set in the present day, with UNIT playing a major role. This story encapsulates all that - it is also one of the best portrayals of the "UNIT family" - the Doctor, Jo, the Master, the Brigadier, Captain Yates and Sergeant Benton. On top of all this, it is a very fine story, well written (by Don Houghton, who also wrote the excellent "Inferno") and directed (Timothy Combe). The story has great moments of suspense complemented by moments of action, with terrific stuntwork courtesy of Havoc, who had contributed to earlier Pertwee stories, making them look more big budget and less like cheap sci-fi. The hijacking of the Thunderbolt missile and the UNIT raid on the prison are the two biggest and most lavish of these scenes. The story is perhaps a little long - perhaps it could have been one episode shorter, and the first four cliffhangers are almost all identical, all involving the parasite machine in some way. But these are minor gripes - "The Mind of Evil" has excellent acting (especially William Marlowe as the desperate convict Mailer) and sometimes feels very much like a James Bond film. All the UNIT regulars have moments in which they shine (this is the fortunate period before UNIT became a mockery of itself) and it is good to see the Master's presence hidden until the second episode. Upon its original screening he would still be fresh in the viewer's memory from the previous story - they would possibly be wondering if he is behind all this, but the decision not to reveal him until the second episode is a clever one. It could just throw the discerning viewer off before surpising him/her. Also, being in black and white makes the story even more atmospheric. It takes nothing away. For once in Doctor Who, the climax is not rushed and the ending is very satisfying. A fine story!

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Action, Adventure, Humor, Drama. A Must Have Story!
This may be my favorite Pertwee (3rd Doctor) story. The era of the 3rd Doctor is typified in this story. The typical 3rd Doc story involves the Doctor, Jo, UNIT (the Brigadier etc) and situations that quickly get out of control. The Doctor and Jo go to Stangmore prison to observe the use of the Keller Machine that supposedly removes the evil impulses from the brains of convicts and makes them useful members of society again. The Doctor doubts the machines abilities and thinks the machine should be destroyed. He is correct but destroying the machine is easier said then done. While the Doctor investigates the Keller machine, the Brig has to manage the security for a world peace conference which quickly becomes very complicated. And transport an illegal missile. The Keller Machine runs amucks at Stangmore Prison and riots ensue, a diplomat is murdered during the peace conference and the missile is stolen. The Master is involved in all of this. The Doctor is great as usual. The Master is as devious and dangerous as ever. And scenes where the Master and the Doctor are forced to work together are amazing. The Master even saying something like "What can I do to help?" This was such a un-Master like thing to say and mean that it was a shock. But it was perfectly plausible because of the circumstances. Jo who has been considered a bit of a ditz and a bit wimpy by some is excellent here, helping to quell a prison riot. The story was filmed on location somewhere in England and it is absolutely wonderful. UNIT was excellent in this story, perhaps one of the stories that show them off best. They appeared to be a well-oiled, professional group and not the stooges they are accused by some of being in later stories. The Brigadier is excellent with his Trojan Horse tactic. Benton and Yates were ideal. Yates, heroic and triumphant. Benton getting shot and getting a concussion but perservering. The other characters were also good. Mailor the inmate was sufficiently thug-like and Barnham was well done. This is a great story. If you have never watched a 3rd Doctor story before, or only seen a few, or never seen any Doctor Who at all. This is an excellent video! A must have!