"Quatermass" (1979) TV series

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

24 October 1979 (UK)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

After the mysterious destruction of the new space station, young people find themselves drawn to a stone circle in England...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | England | Future | London | Sequel

Cast

John Mills	...	Prof. Bernard Quatermass (4 episodes, 1979)
Simon MacCorkindale	...	Joe Kapp (4 episodes, 1979)
Ralph Arliss	...	Kickalong (4 episodes, 1979)
Paul Rosebury	...	Caraway (4 episodes, 1979)
Jane Bertish	...	Bee (4 episodes, 1979)
Rebecca Saire	...	Hettie Carlson (3 episodes, 1979)
Toyah Willcox	...	Sal (3 episodes, 1979)
Tony Sibbald	...	Chuck Marshall (3 episodes, 1979)
Barbara Kellerman	...	Clare Kapp (2 episodes, 1979)
Brewster Mason	...	Gurov (2 episodes, 1979)
Margaret Tyzack	...	Annie Morgan (2 episodes, 1979)
Bruce Purchase	...	Tommy Roach (2 episodes, 1979)
Annabelle Lanyon	...	Isabel (2 episodes, 1979)
David Yip	...	Frank Chen (2 episodes, 1979)
Neil Stacy	...	Toby Gough (2 episodes, 1979)
Brenda Fricker	...	Alison Thorpe (2 episodes, 1979)
Elsie Randolph	...	Woman Minister (2 episodes, 1979)
Larry Noble	...	Jack (2 episodes, 1979)
Gretchen Franklin	...	Edna (2 episodes, 1979)
James Ottaway	...	Arthur (2 episodes, 1979)
Clare Ruane	...	Jane (2 episodes, 1979)
Donald Eccles	...	Chisholm (2 episodes, 1979)
Sophie Kind	...	Kapp Child / ... (2 episodes, 1979)
Joanna Joseph	...	Debbie, Kapp Child / ... (2 episodes, 1979)

Also Known As:

"Quatermass IV" (UK) (working title)
"The Quatermass Conclusion"

Runtime:

60 min (4 episodes) | USA:204 min (4 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company:

Euston Films

Trivia:

Started life in 1973 as a BBC serial called Quatermass IV. It had been commissioned by Ronnie Marsh and according to Nigel Kneale, the intended producer was Joe Waters. Some model test sequences of the space station were shot, but eventually the project was abandoned by the BBC. ITV then picked it up a few years later and produced it in association with Euston Films.

Movie Connections:

Follows "Quatermass II" (1955)

Low Budget, Good Ideas

"The Quatermass Conclusion" is one of the few 'true' pieces of science fiction ever committed to film and Nigel Neale's script rates up there with "2001" and "Dark Star" for inventiveness. Unfortunately it suffered from an obviously low budget and there are lapses here and there into melodrama. The story, set in a dystopian Britain, concerns the arrival of an unknown alien force which is 'harvesting' the youth by leading them to ancient ritual sites. Professor Quatermass (John Mills) comes out of retirement to look for his missing granddaughter and is drawn into the fight to save the planet's population. There are some disturbing images such as Wembley Stadium reduced to a 'killing ground' and the pensioners forced to live underground for safety. Many of the predictions in the film have since come about, such as the upsurge in 'hippy travellers' and the general social decay of the inner cities.