CAF was the mother calling her children in for tea and reminding them "That show you like is on!" during the primiere of The Daleks. I picked out her voice right away but completely missed William Russell the first time through.
^Aha! Thanks! It was only after the episode when they had a little interview with William Russell in his doorman outfit that I realised! I thought the girl playing Carole/Susan was spooky.
That was good. They could've used voiceover from Hartnell in the last scene ("Ah, so you're my replacements" and cut at that point) to make it clear what they were trying to achieve - as it was, it was a little messy. Also, I never realised that Hartnell had been half-pushed out... I knew he'd gone due to failing health, but I'd assumed it was his decision (or GP's orders).
I'm hoping we'll get some nice interviews/reactions from production people/original actors today. I'd love to know if any of the other actors who played the Doctor had their own "I don't want to go." moments.
Very, very good, the only thing I didn't like was Matt Smith popping up at end. I found it very jarring, apart from that though it really was excellent.
I voted excellent. I'm not really a fan of biopics or docudramas but this film just nailed it perfectly. David Bradley was really wonderful in the role and, unlike many period pieces, it seemed convincing on the detail of the era. I caught William Russell because a friend had told me that he was playing a security man. Didn't catch the other cameos, Matt, aside. 'I don't want to go' was a lovely touch and the scene where the kid mobbed Hartnell by the pond was great; slightly clichéd but worked perfectly. I wasn't totally sold on Shearsmith as Troughton (he just seemed to be playing another LOG character to me) but that was my only quibble. It was notable just how well cast everyone else was, when you saw the real people opposite their actors in the end credits. The retrospective on Hartnell that followed was a nice little treat too and I liked seeing his grown-up grand-daughter, having seen her character as a child in the film.
Shearsmith did seem a bit fresh-faced and boyish (in spite of being in his mid 40s) to be playing Troughton but I thought it worked anyways. If he were in it for more than a blink of that last scene it might have been a bit more questionable.
Yes I wasn't totally sold on Shearsmith either, but given it was a very small cameo there probably wasn't time for a more nuanced portrayal.
I didn't know that there were so many cameos in An Adventure in Space and Time [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLwLV1W2H_c[/yt]
Lawrence Miles weighs in. The historical inaccuracies have driven him around the bend. What amuses me is that I had a similar reaction to Gatiss' "Invaders from Mars" a decade ago. The historical inaccuracies there were many and they were egregious.
I wouldn't be surprised if at the end of Day of the Doctor, Matt Smith is standing alone in his console room looks up and standing before him for a moment is David Bradley as the Doctor staring back at him.
I'd say "this time, it's the historical inaccuracies that have driven him around the bend". There's always something, isn't there?
I thought it was pretty good for what it was. The writing was a little more cutesy and superficial than I was expecting, and made it feel more like a simplistic Cliff Notes version of history than a real look back at the making of the show. But David Bradley's performance was so strong and moving that I thought it somehow made the movie work anyway. It was hard not to feel for him as he struggled to concentrate or remember his lines towards the end, and there were moments where he sounded so much like Hartnell that it gave me chills. As for the final cameo, my only complaint is it looked a little too much like the actor was inserted digitally after the fact, instead of actually being filmed on the set. Which just made the whole thing look a bit cheesier than it should have for my taste.
Excellent! What struck me the most wasn't the recreated scenes from the Hartnell stories but rather how it brought that era to life. Quite amazing how a show that was created in a totally different world still works today, largely unchanged! Mr Awe
Yeah, I wasn't that fond of his look either. Otoh he nailed the voice. Jesus I hate people like this. A showrunner can only work with the resources and money they have.
I think Lawrence's point was that history was more interesting than the fantasy version he saw in AAiSaT. And he's right; film tones down history because it's messy and makes for poor storytelling. Storytelling needs character arcs, but real people don't develop (or behave) in ways that naturally lend themselves to that.
Magnificent, gave it 4/5 (although I rate it myself as 4 and a half stars. ) Was almost at 5, but the first like 5 minutes were a bit boring, but other than that fantastic. Although I didn't like the casting for Ian. Plus the Tenth Planet Cyberman costume looked quite different to the actual tenth planet cybermen for some reason. Can't put my finger on it. At the beginning of it before Hartnel was cast as the Doctor, I began to hate him; he was bitter, shouted and was quite cruel to his granddaughter. But after he was cast we gradually saw him turn soft and kind. Some lovely moments, was heart-breaking when the original producer left and Hartnel had to deal with this incompetent newbie, and it was also tragic when he couldn't cope and eventually had to leave. Heart-breaking. Not on Earth sure about that cameo from Matt Smith though. I mean Smith wasn't even born then. And I'm pretty sure William Hartnel never hallucinated Matt Smith being there while filming his regeneration. Plus in a few years time when Capaldi or even the 13th doctor is the current, that will definitely seem outdated. I mean in the long run, there's nothing really special about Smith out of all the doctors.