Director: Ron Jones
What's the score?
Jonathan Gibbs was working on the score for this story when he was suddenly given The Mark of the Rani to work on as well. As if this weren't pressure enough, Gibbs reveals in the "Lords and Luddites" documentary on the DVD release of The Mark of the Rani that he had no designated studio of his own at the Radiophonic Workshop at this time, and was using Peter Howell's equipment in overnight shifts in order to complete his assignments. Either circumstance could explain why both scores run shorter than the usual, just over 30 minutes for each story.
Vengeance on Varos provides Gibbs with a futuristic setting to work with, so - as with Warriors of the Deep - conventional melodies are out of favour and unconventional sounds are in. Some of those unconventional sounds will be pressed into use again to signify alien elements in the next story.
Musical notes
- In keeping with the story's desolate setting, Gibbs' score is a frequently bleak affair, with plenty of quiet sustained whines and little metallic flourishes. One notable feature in the more tense moments of Part One is the use of a rattling four-beat rhythm, either with or without a synth tone laid over the top.
- Another prominent recurring element is the Governor's pompous fanfare in synth horns. Vengeance on Varos takes place in a brutal offworld regime where scenes of science fiction characters in violent and dangerous situations are recorded and sold on for the entertainment of the folks back on Earth... It's pushing the point hugely, but it's worth it for a laugh - is anyone reminded of the fanfare BBC Video were using in 1985? The connection wouldn't be out of place in such a knowing, self-aware story as this one.
- Gibbs tackles the hallucinatory scenes of monsters in the Punishment Dome in Part One with some relish. The second instance is the more notable - as the Doctor, like a showman, reveals how a false monster has been conjured up with a pair of lamps and a manufactured stench, Gibbs launches into a lurid piece of fairground calliope music. The first instance, the encounter with an apparently gigantic fly, is accompanied by loud buzzing synths; when the actually tiny fly is revealed, a tinny buzzing sound effect is added to the soundtrack - but Gibbs anticipates this even before the main encounter, hinting ahead of time at the true nature of the fly.
- This week's "oo-wee-oo" is a particularly long-drawn-out one, as the Doctor collapses from thirst in the Part One cliffhanger. The third note is held for a full thirty seconds, finally slumping downwards when the Doctor does.
- My favourite cue from this story must be the appropriately off-balance piece that introduces the two doomed acid bath attendants. This scene at the start of Part Two also provides a follow-up to my suggestion last week that the incidental music could have accentuated the public's reaction to scenes of violence in this season of DW. Vengeance on Varos comes in for particular criticism here, perhaps not so much over the Doctor knocking the two attendants into the acid (a long-standing misconception - they manage to fall in by themselves while he's busy avoiding being pulled in by them), but more because he reacts with a callous quip in the James Bond style. Gibbs emphasises this with a grim musical chuckle, followed by a mockingly sad reprise of the attendants' theme. It's also worth noting that he uses almost exactly the same "woops, he's fallen in the water" cue that he used over the Part One cliffhanger for Warriors of the Deep when the poor duo topple in.
Vox pop
This is a solid but unassuming score at first glance, but it's grown on me with repeated listens. There's enough accessible material in the mix to act as a gateway for the more ambient and discordant elements. Considering the pressure under which it was composed, it's a highly proficient piece of work.
Availability
- The original BBC DVD release did not include the option of listening to the isolated score; this was rectified with the release of the special edition DVD.
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