An Adventure in Space and Time - Grade and Discuss

[lurok]

Lawrence Miles weighs in. The historical inaccuracies have driven him around the bend.

Seems to have gone AWOL. Wonder if revising it?

As a very casual DW watcher - but much more familiar with TVC and production - enjoyed recreation, period details and character sketches, even if not sure whole worked as drama. But I thought the Matt Smith moment was lovely and nicely done.

 

[Cutter John]

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.

Which is why most sensible people go into a historical story knowing that things are going to be changed. Unless its something really egregious (A nuclear carrier turning up in a WW2 film for example), complaining about changes seems a bit pointless.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Lawrence Miles weighs in. The historical inaccuracies have driven him around the bend.

Seems to have gone AWOL. Wonder if revising it?

He often only leaves his Doctor Who posts up for a day. It's in my RSS reader at home (once it's loaded it never leaves). I'll see about posting it when I leave the office if you're interested.

His latest blog post seems to be his final word on Doctor Who.

 

[timothy]

Okay is this a two hour special or a serirs?

 

[Cutter John]

His latest blog post seems to be his final word on Doctor Who.

OhpleaseOhpleaseOhpleaseOhplease...

 

[Gov Kodos]

Lawrence Miles weighs in. The historical inaccuracies have driven him around the bend.

Seems to have gone AWOL. Wonder if revising it?

He often only leaves his Doctor Who posts up for a day. It's in my RSS reader at home (once it's loaded it never leaves). I'll see about posting it when I leave the office if you're interested.

His latest blog post seems to be his final word on Doctor Who.

Cranky fan yells at cloud. That what I get from it at least. I love Errol Flynn movies, I didn't have to live through the Great Depression and WWII to do so. I have a niece who adores silent films despite not having been through the gilded age, or the opening of the 20th century. Sure, if you grew up in the era you'd have a ready cultural vocabulary to see the respective shows and films with. Lacking that can make some shows inaccessible for viewers, but that rant was just Abe Simpson.

Okay is this a two hour special or a serirs?

I think it's just the one show, but others here can give you a more confident answer.

 

[Psion]

That was beautiful ...

I started watching it just to make sure it looked okay; I'd watch ten or fifteen minutes and then save it for Saturday family television. Twenty-five minutes later, my eight-year-old boy wandered in and cuddled up to watch it with me. We both sat, very entertained, but for perhaps different reasons for the remainder. That bit at the end actually had me burst out in tears. My son was a bit confused and asked lots of questions. "It was a metaphor. That bit never really happened. It just symbolized Hartnell's hopes for a legacy -- for being there at the birth of something bigger than himself. A tender bit of fiction that touches the heart and pretends the universe really does care now and then and lets a special few actually see how significant they really are."

He still didn't get it.

So ... time to pass it on to the wife. I'll let her watch it through to the end tomorrow. Hopefully, the little one won't give away the ending.

Five for five from me.

 

[Gov Kodos]

That was beautiful ...

I started watching it just to make sure it looked okay; I'd watch ten or fifteen minutes and then save it for Saturday family television. Twenty-five minutes later, my eight-year-old boy wandered in and cuddled up to watch it with me. We both sat, very entertained, but for perhaps different reasons for the remainder. That bit at the end actually had me burst out in tears. My son was a bit confused and asked lots of questions. "It was a metaphor. That bit never really happened. It just symbolized Hartnell's hopes for a legacy -- for being there at the birth of something bigger than himself. A tender bit of fiction that touches the heart and pretends the universe really does care now and then and lets a special few actually see how significant they really are."

He still didn't get it.

So ... time to pass it on to the wife. I'll let her watch it through to the end tomorrow. Hopefully, the little one won't give away the ending.

Five for five from me.

The show really brought Hartnell to life amazingly for me. The park scene with the kids was lovely.

 

[Relayer1]

I just loved it, and the end was great. The only things that jarred for me were Brian Cox and his accent, and Reece Shearsmiths Troughton just didn't ring true. He didn't look or sound the part. A cameo from David Troughton would've been nice...

 

[Candlelight]

Loved all of it except for the Matt Smith cameo. Pulled you out of the movie too much.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

So far so good. Great to see Jessica Raine again.

Was Hartnell really that grumpy?

 

[PorthosShadow]

Loved all of it except for the Matt Smith cameo. Pulled you out of the movie too much.

My only problem with that is given how the series will have a long life at Matt Smith it doesn't feel like a real book end. It would have made more sense to create a montage of all the other actors that would play the Doctor instead of just one or two. Hell, maybe throw Peter Capaldi in there. In other words, pay homage to them all and not just the one currently in the spotlight.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

Wow. Impressive. 3.5 stars out of 4 for me. The bit at the end with Matt Smith actually made me tear up (as did "I don't want to go."). Mostly, I loved it. I have to wonder how accurate they were about Hartnell being so grumpy and bordering on senile.

 

[Aldo]

I liked it overall and found it quite touching in a number of places. But like others the Matt Smith cameo just did not work for me. I understand the people saying that anything more would have weighed the scene down, but whatever they were intending with that cameo just did not come across onscreen.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

I think it came across just fine...that what Hartnell did would carry on for a long time.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Loved all of it except for the Matt Smith cameo. Pulled you out of the movie too much.

My only problem with that is given how the series will have a long life at Matt Smith it doesn't feel like a real book end. It would have made more sense to create a montage of all the other actors that would play the Doctor instead of just one or two. Hell, maybe throw Peter Capaldi in there. In other words, pay homage to them all and not just the one currently in the spotlight.

Matt just really represents that "William's show" show would go on, longer than any of them could have imagined.

I wonder if Tennant's "I don't want to go" was an homage to what William said, only most of us didn't know it a few years ago.

 

[Cutter John]

I wonder if Tennant's "I don't want to go" was an homage to what William said, only most of us didn't know it a few years ago.

I rather suspect its the other way around. But I don't think theres really any way of knowing if that scene ever actually took place. Only Hartnell and his wife would know.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Found it wonderful. Let's just say that.

 

[Sindatur]

I nearly lost it when Hartnell said "I don't want to go". Pretty sure Gatiss intentionally mirrored Tennant's line from The End of Time there.

Yea, that made me tear up too. I'll never be annoyed by Tennant doing that line again

I wonder, was Bradley's Hartnell given that line, because of 10 saying it, or was 10 given that line, because that Hartnell scene really did happen? Either way, it was awesome, and I'm very glad they went there.

I don't know anything about Verity Lambert or Sydney Newman, to know if the portrayals were accurate, but, I loved their portrayal.

Reece Shearsmith, I saw pics of him (not in character) prior to the show airing and thought (from looks alone), "God, couldn't they have gotten someone closer looking", but, I was very pleasantly surprised seeing it play out.

David Bradley did an incredible job, as did the other actors (Though Susan wasn't quite as good as I expected from pictures)

 

[USS Intrepid]

The Smith cameo at the end worked perfectly for me. YMMV.