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Doctor Who: Carnival of Monsters | 
| Actors: Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning, Leslie Dwyer, Cheryl Hall, Tenniel Evans
Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: CDN$ 24.98
Buy New: CDN$ 18.07
You Save: CDN$ 6.91 (28%)
New (14) Used (2) from CDN$ 17.06
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 15894
Format: Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.6
MPN: WARDE1758D
ISBN: 0790777533
UPC: 794051175823
EAN: 9780790777535
ASIN: B00008V2WZ
Theatrical Release Date: September 29, 1975
Release Date: July 2, 2003
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW - Shipped within 24 hrs via Airmail from the USA - Average 5 to 10 workdays delivery time. Excellent customer service. NEUF - Envoy? par avion des USA sous 24 hrs - Livraison en moyenne de 5 a 10 jours ouvres. Service clientele en francais.
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From Amazon.com
"Carnival of Monsters" finds Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) materializing on the SS IBernice/I in the Indian Ocean in 1926, on the very day the ship is about to give rise to a famous sea mystery. Passengers and crew, including Ian Marter (who would return as companion Harry Sullivan two years later), are reliving the same few moments over and over again, and there is a plesiosaur in the ocean. Meanwhile two traveling show people, Vorg (Leslie Dwyer) and Shirna (Cheryl Hall), have arrived on the planet Inter Minor with an illegal Miniscope peepshow. In a variation on the miniaturization plot of IFantastic Voyage/I (1966), and harking back to IDoctor Who/I's own "Planet of the Giants" story from 1964, the Doctor and Jo have materialized within the Miniscope's compression field and are trapped inside.p As the second story in the 10th season of IDoctor Who/I, this fast-moving, witty, and surreal adventure slots into series continuity between "The Three Doctors" and "Frontier in Space." A longtime fan favorite, the four-part thriller remains one of the most enjoyable of the Jon Pertwee-era stories. I--Gary S. Dalkin/I
Additional Features
IDoctor Who: Carnival of Monsters/I on DVD has an excellent 4:3 image and mono sound far better than was ever heard on the original broadcasts. Heading a massive range of extras is a commentary with Katy Manning being wonderfully enthusiastic and producer-director Barry Letts getting a little more technical. There are English subtitles not only for the episodes but also for the commentary, as well as a separate on-screen information text option. Also included are two extended and one deleted scene, Barry Lett's more tightly edited preferred ending, a trailer for a 1981 season of IDoctor Who/I repeats and a never-used arrangement of the title music. Additionally there is a compilation of visual effects test film, some studio shooting footage, a short computer animation of the TARDIS, a photo gallery, and a demonstration of the CSO special effects technique. Anything more comprehensive would be hard to imagine. I--Gary S. Dalkin/I
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
Carnival gets a first-class release March 29, 2004
Robert Cossaboon (The happy land of Walworth, NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Hoo-boy!-another Doctor Who DVD release....As far as Dvds go, this one is loaded with some pretty decent extras. There are at least four deleted, extended and changed scenes. There is an alternate opening sequence that sounds as if Keith Emerson may have had more of a hand in composing than the BBC workshop. There are commentary tracks, but for some reason, my player wouldn't work in that mode. The DVD transfer is of above average quality, but somehow the deleted scenes looked better. Go figure. The audio quality is also above average. I had no trouble understanding any of the spoken dialogue. The photo gallery is nice; I was really surprised to see the way Katy Manning hadn't aged one iota--she truly is a beautiful woman. There is also a small behind the scenes clip that shows just how much work went into the production of just one scene from the series, another reason we fans should be grateful to the creative architects who helmed the series over the years. There are even a couple of hidden features that showcase an extneded opening sequence and some guy counting backwards from 30. As for the story itself, Carnival was never one of my favorites from the Pertwee era, which is why the four stars instead of five. I would have rather seen Inferno or another Master episode released. It's way overhyped. Granted, the writing is very clever, but the action and plot are real yawners. Still any Who you can see is good who.
 Roll up roll up and see the monster show! November 7, 2003
Daniel J. Hamlow (Chikusei City, Japan)
A carnival of monsters living in their natural habitats in this little box of mine! So say Vorg, owner of a miniscope, a unique artistic achievement, the supreme creative invention of the age. Upon landing on the isolated Inter Minor, now undergoing a kind of glasnost under its liberal president, Zarb, the showman Vorg, resplendent in his flashy clothes, and his cute assistant Shirna, are met with hostility from the triad comprising the Aliens' Admission Commission. There is factionalism between the three, Chairman Pletrac supporting Zarb's policies, the xenophobic and scheming Immigration Commissioner Kalik aided by the submissive Orum. In fact Kalik becomes quite vitriolic: Don't talk to me about brotherhood and neighborliness! We have survived in the past because of our strength! Now we shall perish because of our weakness!pMeanwhile, the Doctor and Jo take their first independent flight of the TARDIS, and instead of landing on Metebelis 3, end up on 4 June 1926, aboard the SS Bernice, en route from England to Bombay. The Doctor senses something is wrong and he is right, as a plesiosaurus appears from the ocean. They are captured as stowaways, but once locked in, Jo and the Doctor notices that it was 7:35 PM when they were shut in. A few minutes later, it is 6:40 PM! Also, it's broad daylight outside instead of dark. The best cliffhanger is the end of Episode 1, when a giant hand plucks the TARDIS away from the SS Bernice.pBy Episode 2, it's clear that the miniscope and the SS Bernice are connected, and regarding that, the Doctor marvels at the output and input lines, circuits, saying It's like walking around inside a wristwatch, and the colourful set, with its pilars, red bulbs, shiny chrome-like walkways is a design triumph.pAnother design triumph are the screaming caterpillar-like Drashigs. As Vorg says of these ferocious monsters, the most evil, the most vicious, and undoubtedly the most frightening form of life in the whole universe! They are the beasties on the cover, BTW.pRace relations is a big theme here. On Inter Minor, there are two races, the more humanoid elite and the crude-looking and less intelligent Functionaries, who are getting more rebellious. KKalik is worried that the Functionaries will eventually take over due to Zarb's liberal policies. Orum says of the Functionaries, No sense of responsibility. Give them a hygiene chamber and they store fossil fuel in it. And the elite refer themselves in the neutral person: One must do this or One believes that... etc. is interesting. Their first contact with Vorg and Shirna leads to Pletrac talking down to them: We give magic talk disks back. All very good. Shirna sarcastically tells Vorg, You tellem tall fella we talk like him pretty good by and by. And Vorg says of the Tellurians (Earth people) that they all look so much alike. But Vorg's purpose to amuse ties back to the Functionaries, whose lack of entertainment is causing their rebelliousness, according to Pletrac.pA few continuity goofs: the calendar structure aboard the SS Bernice is that of the 1925 calendar. And the micrograph Vorg gives Pletrac is nothing more than an ordinary music cassette! And Fred Astaire is mentioned seven years before he became famous. Bad editing in Episode 2 leads to a previously unseen segment shown before a scene shown in Episode 1.pThe supporting players are all first rate, especially Tenniel Evans as Major Daly, a typical friendly pukka sahib-type. Ironically, Evans worked with Jon Pertwee in the British radio comedy The Navy Lark back in the 50's. Veteran actor Leslie Dwyer (Vorg) steals the show, with firm support from Cheryl Hall (Shirna). Ian Marter (Andrews) later became a regular in the Tom Baker Who years as Harry Sullivan.pOur purpose is to amuse, simply amuse. Nothing political, says Vorg. What I hope Predator did for hunting, showing what it feels like man to be the hunted animal, I hope Carnival Of Monsters will do for zoos. But the concept of overcoming isolation-induced xenophobia and prejudice is key here, and despite not appearing, President Zarb is a well-felt presence due to his liberalism. Rating: 4.5, rounded to 5.
 Topping day, what? September 20, 2003
Jason A. Miller (New York, New York USA)
"Carnival of Monsters" is an odd little story, and probably not the best candidate to be the second Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) story released on DVD. But the "Restoration Team" has done a rather good job on the disc, as with all "Doctor Who" discs, so that even the less-than-outstanding stories are still worth the purchase price.pI've watched this story at least half-a-dozen times since I was twelve years old, but it was only this time out that I noticed the political subtext. Story writer Robert Holmes always crammed politics into his busy scripts, and maybe the fact that I never "got" this story explained why I had such a dim opinion of it. I knew, for example, that the squabbling political functionaries of Inter Minor -- bald, grey-skinned creatures, in that great "Doctor Who" tradition of having three character actors portray an entire alien species -- were supposed to be funny. What I didn't "get" was that they were supposed to mirror not only the declining British Empire of the day, but also the colonial British sailors stuck in a perpetual 1926 evening inside the device that gives the story its name.pAt least, I learned that from the production notes feature. I also learned the string of acting credits for every guest actor in the story, and also the dates of filming for every outdoor location scene. As always, I'd prefer production notes that gave a little more substantial information about the episode on disc and its context within the larger "Doctor Who" picture -- not just lists of TV shows that I, in the US, have never heard of. But at least I did come away with something.pThe commentary track this time out, by story producer/director Barry Letts, and actress Katy Manning (companion Jo) is a little bit better than some of the recent disasters we've had ("Tomb of the Cybermen" springs to mind). Both commentators spent a lot of time with the show and this is the first DVD for each. Unfortunately, it took a lot of time for them to get to the meat and potatoes.pAlso thrown in the special features is model test footage that's just downright funny -- you can see the smirking face of the Drashig puppeteer, for example. I'm less certain about the recurring "Tardis-CAM" featurettes, but maybe one day I'll figure out what they're here for. The lone easter egg allows you to see the Pertwee-era opening credits, without the actual credits.pThe best part of this story, unwittingly, is long-time DW character actor Michael Wisher, here playing the most evil of the Inter Minor politicos. He suspects the Carnival of Monsters as being the invasion spearhead of alien spies (the harmless two carnies who arrive on Inter Minor by cargo class). He lets off several great over-the-top political rants... and sounds just like George W. Bush.
Underrated Pertwee adventure gets new life on DVD August 12, 2003
Cliff Shelton (Norcross, GA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After getting several classic Doctor Who episodes on DVD, the time has come to revisit the Pertwee era, and for this outing, we're treated to 'Carnival of Monsters.'pOften regarded as a curiosity between the fan-favorite stories 'The Three Doctors' and 'Frontier In Space,' this story actually has a lot going for it, and is given the full treatment on this new DVD release.pThe story has been carefully restored and remastered, and, as a first, is finally presented in the way it was originally broadcast. The previous videotape version had some curiosities about it, namely the early edit of episode two, which featured some additional, non-broadcast material and a different arrangement of the traditional theme music. Additionally, when the story was repeated in 1981, the director, Barry Letts, requested a reedit of part 4 and got it - so the original hasn't been seen for ages! Don't let that put you off though; it's been polished and shined and I can only guess that it's never looked as good!pAll the material from that early edit of episode 2 has been preserved here in the form of extras: you get a title sequence using the aborted 'Delaware' theme, deleted scenes, and also a presentation of the edited ending. That's not all though, as there's a great commentary from actress Katy Manning (Jo) and Director/Producer Barry Letts. Katy is obviously having a great time watching it and provides lots of humor, while Barry reveals quite a lot of behind-the-scenes info. There's also the now-standard pop-up production notes (one of my favorite parts of the whole line), a Who's Who section for information on the actors, a fascinating actual look at the shooting of the story from 1972, test footage of the visual effects, a photo gallery...plus even more. This disc is packed to the gills, and contains everything you'd like to have, and some things you probably didn't even know about.pAll in all, it will make a great addition to your growing Doctor Who DVD library. If you hadn't thought about this one before, the fantastic extras more than make the difference, as they reveal some rare behind-the-scenes info, and a chance to see the story as it was originally intended.
 CARNIVAL OF MEDIOCRITY July 27, 2003
Darrin Lanchbury (Lake Charles, Louisiana United States)
This was the second story in the 1972-73 season 10 and was first transmitted on the 27th January 1973. In this tale, The 3rd Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Jo Grant (Katie Manning) materialize in the TARDIS on what appears to be a cargo ship in the Indian Ocean in the 1920's. Unfortunately for them they are actually inside a miniscope which is a banned piece of equipment that snatches whole areas and people out of time and stores them in a perpetual time-loop for the amusement of paying visitors. This particular miniscope along with its collection of exhibits is the property of a pair of entertainers named Vorg and Shirna who have brought the device to the planet Inter Minor in order to make money displaying their captives.pThe Doctor realizes something is wrong and manages to escape from his particular exhibit and enter another world populated by the flesh eating Drashigs. Fleeing from the carnivorous creatures, the doctor manages to get into the inner workings of the machine and reach the outside, but is unfortunately pursued by the hungry monsters. Just to complicate matters, two Minorians attempt to use the escaping Drashigs in an attempt to overthrow the planet's president and seize power for themselves. Emerging from the machine causes the Doctor and the giant Drashigs to grown to normal size and it is left to the Doctor and Vorg to destroy them and prevent the overthrow of the planet's rightful leader...pOut of all of the Jon Pertwee episodes that could have been released on DVD, I would have placed this one near the bottom of the list. The story is boring, the acting is terrible, the costumes are laughable and the effects are dreadful. Jon Perwee, of course, gives his usual sterling performance and Katie Manning is as cute as ever, however it's not enough to turn this into an entertaining story. One interesting point to note is the appearance of Ian Marter who would later go on to star as Harry Sullivan in the early Tom Baker stories and even write a few of the target Dr Who novels based on the transmitted stories.pTechnical notes: The Doctor Who Restoration Team has again done an excellent job cleaning up the existing prints and removing as many glitches and scratchs as was possible. The disc is full of extra features including a commentary track by Katie Manning (Jo Grant) and Barry Letts (Director and Producer), deleted scenes, behind the scenes footage, test effects for the Drashig puppets and the spacecraft, alternative theme music which was dropped, TARDIS Cam, a training guide to CSO (Green Screen) by Barry Letts, production sub-titles, a photo gallery and more.
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