In a far-flung island called Balfe just off the Cornish coast arrives a doctor (Ian Bannen) tasked by a government agency to investigate strange events , as he has to study the after effects of a recent oil tanker spill , as the waters surrounding become contaminated by chemical dumping . Once there the locals are very cold towards him and rather disturbingly they reject him .
I bought this on DVD and was expecting to sit back and watch a British classic.But far from it.
A scientist from London visits an island off the Cornish coast to investigate pollution but the unfriendly, suspicious locals make it clear that he's not welcome. This premise is very similar to that British classic The Wicker Man, the latter being made after Doomwatch.
This film actually reminded me of the wicker man, although it has very little in common with that film. there is a strong environmental message as the navy is dumping canisters of radioactive waste into the sea, causing a hideously disfiguring disease known as acromegaly in the local population.
What on Earth have they got in their hair? How can anyone wear those shirts?
You didn't have to wear paisley shirts and a cravat to work here...but it helped.
Heavyweight casting and an intelligent script do nothing to dispel the atmosphere of lethargy surrounding this production, which often threatens to be stodgy and dull but somehow retains interest despite this. An adaptation of a popular BBC TV series at the time, this follows the typical plot of having an outsider arrive at a mysterious village where the villagers are rude, unwelcoming, and hide an unwholesome secret.
Doomwatch is definitely worth a watch for Hammer fans, even though it's made by Embassy Pictures it plays out the same way. It starts off quite ordinarily with some fantastic shots of the desolated island village, the hero played by Ian Bannen, who is actually a very, very good actor in this despite what anyone says, is not given a warm welcome and is treated as an outsider.
Ian Bannen stars in the big screen version of the British TV show concerning a British government organization that keeps an eye on the effects of pollution. After an oil spill Bannen is sent to check out a small island where an isolated fishing community lives.
