I first became acquainted with the Quatermass character in the late 1970s through the 3 Hammer film adaptations. The first two were done shortly after the TV shows aired. They featured American actor Brian Donlevy (who was chosen to sell the movies in the U.S. and who was definitely not author Nigel Kneale’s choice) in the title role and were re-titled THE CREEPING UNKNOWN/QUATERMASS 1 (1955) and ENEMY FROM SPACE/QUATERMASS 2 (1957). Despite Donlevy’s one note performances, both were tense and exciting with atmospheric B&W photography and terrific supporting performances. QUATERMASS & THE PIT (1967) became FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH and featured a better suited Andrew Keir in the lead. That movie was shot in color which I felt to be a mistake as B&W would have added more tension and would have helped to disguise the special effects.
Now that I have finally had an opportunity to see the originals I can say that they are the equal of the later film versions despite their technical limitations. In QUATERMASS 2 the use of a Shell Oil refinery as the Earth base for the aliens was a stroke of genius as it was made to look incredibly sinister through lighting and camerawork. That was not quite the case in the movie version. Unfortunately only the first two episodes of QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT survive. The concept of intelligent sci-fi was new and the BBC didn’t know how popular the serial would become, so they didn’t preserve them. Also in 1953, video technology was in its infancy and the picture quality was never great. By 1955 when 2 was serialized, it was preserved and the quality is much better.
In 1958 PIT was given as deluxe a treatment as the BBC could afford and the extra care is evident. That, coupled with Kneale’s fascinating screenplay, makes it the best of the three programs. It also benefits from Andre Morell as Quatermass. He had turned down the role originally and so Reginald Tate was chosen. Sadly he died right after completion of EXPERIMENT and John Robinson was chosen to replace him. All three actors gave the role a sensitivity and an intelligence that Brian Donlevy lacked in the film versions. Morell chose not to reprise the role in 1967 and that’s how Andrew Keir got the job.
Along with all the surviving episodes there is a very thorough booklet covering the entire QUATERMASS series. There are also interviews with author Nigel Kneale that explore his thought processes regarding the series and the Quatermass character. This set is a must for fans of the original telecasts and/or anyone interested in thoughtful sci-fi especially the British brand from the 1950s which I much prefer to the American brand of radioactive giant creatures that were circulating at that time.
The Capsule Critic 