Quatermass II
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Quatermass II |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Production company |
BBC |
| Episodes | 6 in 1 season |
| genre | Science fiction |
| idea | Nigel Kneale |
| production | Rudolph Cartier |
| music | Mars, the Bringer of War by Gustav Holst |
| camera | Charles de Jaeger |
| First broadcast | October 22, 1955 on BBC |
| occupation | |
| |
Quatermass II is a British science fiction - television series from 1955 to the fictional Professor Bernard Quatermass . It was broadcast live and was the template for the feature film Enemies from Nowhere ( Quatermass 2 ) from 1957. The live broadcasts were recorded using a kinescope , so that the series, in contrast to its predecessor The Quatermass Experiment from 1953, has been handed down. The script was written by Nigel Kneale .
action
Professor Bernard Quatermass heads the British Rocket Group, which is testing a nuclear- powered space rocket in Australia . Quatermass, who was in London , was shocked to learn of the missile's false start. Hundreds of people were killed in its explosion. As a result, the project of a British lunar station is to be discontinued.
At the request of his daughter Paula, who is friends with the paratrooper captain John Dillon, he helps Dillon investigate a meteorite fall near the (fictional) village of Winnerden Flats. It turns out that the village has been completely destroyed and instead a gigantic, heavily guarded industrial plant has been built, about which the residents of the area know practically nothing. While examining the tiny meteorites, Dillon was injured on his face by an acid that left a noticeable scar.
During his further research, Quatermass discovers that the earth is threatened by an invasion of extraterrestrial ammonia cats that use the meteorites as spacecraft . They are able to influence people mentally and have already taken over government officials . The industrial plant was built with the help of influenced government members and supposedly produces synthetic foods. Quatermass learns from aerial photographs that facilities such as those in Winnerden Flats have also been built in Brazil and Siberia .
Although the industrial plant is heavily guarded, Quatermass manages to penetrate the site with the help of the uninfluenced government official Fowler and the public relations officer Ward. The heavily armed guards are called " zombies " by the workers because they are absolutely loyal to the factory management. The high-earning workers themselves are not influenced, but also do not ask questions, but believe in good faith that the industrial plant is used to produce food. Ward penetrates alone into the central tank of the facility and can tell Fowler and Quatermass while still dying that it contains a black slime that is supposed to serve as food for the invaders.
Quatermass can convince the workers that their work is in preparation for the invasion. Under the leadership of the worker Paddy, they make an uprising and fight with quatermass against the zombie guards, even using a bazooka . Eventually the whole system goes under in the chaos and the central tank is destroyed. Quatermass has since learned that the invaders come from the moons of Saturn .
To fight the invasion at the source, Quatermass and his colleague Dr. Leo Pugh with the nuclear missile "Quatermass II" into space to destroy the asteroid from which the tiny meteorites start with the invaders. But shortly before the start, Pugh was mentally influenced by the invaders. When the rocket landed on the asteroid, Pugh wants to shoot Quatermass with a submachine gun . However, since the asteroid has no gravity , the recoil of the MPi hurls Pugh out into space. Quatermass starts with the solid rocket part back to earth, the asteroid is destroyed by the exploding atomic engine of the rocket left behind. The mental influencing by the aliens has ended.
Episodes
1. The Bolts, first broadcast October 22, 1955, 7.9 million viewers
2. The Mark, first broadcast October 29, 1955, 7.9 million.
3. The Flood, first broadcast November 5, 1955, 7.9 million.
4. The Coming, November 12th, 8.3 million.
5. The Frenzy, November 19, 8.3 million.
6. The Destroyers, November 26th, 9.0 million.
criticism
The serial polarized its audience - viewers either loved its "thrilling story and effects", or loathed its "horror comics" plot. (Fulton, p. 354)
Production notes
Originally, the main role was to be filled with Reginald Tate, as in The Quatermass Experiment , but Tate died a few weeks before shooting began, so the role was taken over by Robinson. The main location was Shell Haven in Thurrock , Essex , which at the time offered a futuristic backdrop with its domes and towers .
In contrast to the previous series, more scenes had been shot in advance on 35 mm film , which contributed to the simplification of the live broadcast and better image quality. The special effects were created by Bernard Wilkie and Jack Kine.
Lore
A DVD edition with all episodes was released in 2005 by BBC Worldwide Ltd. in the Quatermass Collection . The edition contains a 47-page booklet (viewing notes) written by Andrew Pixley with detailed background information on the series.
literature
- Roger Fulton: The Encyclopedia of TV Science Fiction , London (Boxtree Limited) 1997. ISBN 0-7522-1150-1
- John Wade: The Golden Age of Science Fiction. A Journey into Space with 1950s Radio, TV, Film, Comics and Books , Yorkshire / Philadelphia (Pen & Sword Books Ltd) 2019. ISBN 978-1-52672-925-5 . ISBN 978-1-52675-159-1
- Andrew Pixley: The Quatermass Experiment, Quatermass II, Quatermass and the Pit. Viewing Notes , BBC 2005 (47-page booklet to the DVD edition).
Web links
- Quatermass II in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The series in full on youtube.com