Paintings in Full View
Doctor Who continues to embellish and grow as a series this year. And the episode “Vincent and the Doctor” is no exception. It is a telling story of sentimentality in the life of Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh.
The story is done in a very minimal way as it deals with his private life, his depression and the inspirations of life which can make things worth living for. This episode is written by the dependable Richard Curtis who has a tendency to make things sappy. Which is fine with me. I don’t mind sappy. It didn’t derive from the center of the story.
Something bothers the Doctor when he takes his companion Amy to the art museum to gather in the sights from Vincent Van Gogh works. However, the Doctor sees something slightly different as there is a strange creature appearing in the window of the church from “The Church at Auvers.” So the Doctor decides to go back in time and ask the painter himself what is going on.
What they discover is an invisible creature that is driving the Dutch painter mad… and the Doctor tries to understand the reason for its attacks and hope to bring a resolution to the problem. It is right for show runner Stephen Moffat to say, “The creature is invisible, so you don’t have to worry so much about the special effects. It’s brilliant.” Because of Van Gogh’s sensible nature, he is able to see it though his own eyes.
However, the gist of the story really revolves around the character Vincent Van Gogh who is the historical figure here… but he is also an interesting, peerless man of complex background. Also the subject of the depression is handled very deftly here. None of it overwhelms the character as there are many different sides to him. Not the bleeding man painter. But a man of dreams, passions and desires.
I liked the actor who plays him: Tony Curran. He was able to bring a right amount of passion to the part. I suppose I am being a little subjective here when it comes to Vincent Van Gogh who I have always admired as an artist, and consider him to have a very great imagination. I’m also Dutch as my grandfather on my father’s side came from Netherlands in 1929 to settle here in Wisconsin. So I feel a common bond with the artist himself.
It is a very sad story, tragic. The sad ending spills with a very emotional spark when the Doctor realizes the Krafayis, the creature, is also blind… which is why it lashed out with anger. It was not an enemy, but a frightened animal. And Van Gogh protects the Doctor and Amy by fending the creature off with an easel. But the creature impales itself, perhaps on purpose, in an accidental struggle. The sadness is that the Doctor realized too late about the creature and couldn’t help it in time.
Curtis’ writing focuses on the emotional side with a beautiful voice. You might recognize Curtis’ writing from “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” His other writing credits include some sparring co-writing with Rowan Atkinson on the Black Adder along with Mr. Bean. Curtis knows how to write comedy very well. But he writes a pretty damn good drama as well.
The episode makes great use of seeing the world through the eyes of the Dutch painter himself as he lets the Doctor and Amy focus on the surroundings in the same way as he does. The brilliant use of special effects here is well done… and it allows for us to see the strange lines and wonder of Van Gogh’s sight seeing tour through the heavens. And it looks like the formation for “Starry Night,” one of his most famous paintings.
The production crew are having fun with Doctor Who this year as many of the crazy gadgets seen look like something that was designed for the movie “Brazil” because there’s a real retroactive note. And it’s great to see the Doctor using these machines which gives a fantasy element to the stories. The Doctor was able to use the machine with the mirror to see the creature for himself. It’s a nice touch.
The Doctor makes his final good deed for the day by bringing the despairing Van Gogh, who feels left out of world, always feeling as a refuge from humanity. But the Doctor takes him to a 2010 art exhibit which shows Van Gogh’s paintings in full view… and the painter realizes that his work has not gone in vain.
And he understands now that there is always some good in the world that can be captures in the essence of art. And nothing could ever take that away from him. It’s a very poignant moment augmented by the tender music from the song called “Chances” by Athlete, giving it a very surreal feeling.
“Vincent and the Doctor” is another fine addition to the gallery of excellent shows this year on Doctor Who. And it allows for Doctor Who to expand its horizons to include a historical episode with a human conflict in the story. You don’t have to be a fan of Doctor Who to enjoy this one. And you don’t have to be a fan of Van Gogh either to like this one. And yet, somehow, the show is able to give a reflection of humanity at its best.
Look for great actor Bill Nighy who played the art museum curator in a brilliant scene. It looks like he is having fun with the show. And so are we. It’s a good sign that the series is still going strong.
The story is done in a very minimal way as it deals with his private life, his depression and the inspirations of life which can make things worth living for. This episode is written by the dependable Richard Curtis who has a tendency to make things sappy. Which is fine with me. I don’t mind sappy. It didn’t derive from the center of the story.
Something bothers the Doctor when he takes his companion Amy to the art museum to gather in the sights from Vincent Van Gogh works. However, the Doctor sees something slightly different as there is a strange creature appearing in the window of the church from “The Church at Auvers.” So the Doctor decides to go back in time and ask the painter himself what is going on.
What they discover is an invisible creature that is driving the Dutch painter mad… and the Doctor tries to understand the reason for its attacks and hope to bring a resolution to the problem. It is right for show runner Stephen Moffat to say, “The creature is invisible, so you don’t have to worry so much about the special effects. It’s brilliant.” Because of Van Gogh’s sensible nature, he is able to see it though his own eyes.
However, the gist of the story really revolves around the character Vincent Van Gogh who is the historical figure here… but he is also an interesting, peerless man of complex background. Also the subject of the depression is handled very deftly here. None of it overwhelms the character as there are many different sides to him. Not the bleeding man painter. But a man of dreams, passions and desires.
I liked the actor who plays him: Tony Curran. He was able to bring a right amount of passion to the part. I suppose I am being a little subjective here when it comes to Vincent Van Gogh who I have always admired as an artist, and consider him to have a very great imagination. I’m also Dutch as my grandfather on my father’s side came from Netherlands in 1929 to settle here in Wisconsin. So I feel a common bond with the artist himself.
It is a very sad story, tragic. The sad ending spills with a very emotional spark when the Doctor realizes the Krafayis, the creature, is also blind… which is why it lashed out with anger. It was not an enemy, but a frightened animal. And Van Gogh protects the Doctor and Amy by fending the creature off with an easel. But the creature impales itself, perhaps on purpose, in an accidental struggle. The sadness is that the Doctor realized too late about the creature and couldn’t help it in time.
Curtis’ writing focuses on the emotional side with a beautiful voice. You might recognize Curtis’ writing from “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” His other writing credits include some sparring co-writing with Rowan Atkinson on the Black Adder along with Mr. Bean. Curtis knows how to write comedy very well. But he writes a pretty damn good drama as well.
The episode makes great use of seeing the world through the eyes of the Dutch painter himself as he lets the Doctor and Amy focus on the surroundings in the same way as he does. The brilliant use of special effects here is well done… and it allows for us to see the strange lines and wonder of Van Gogh’s sight seeing tour through the heavens. And it looks like the formation for “Starry Night,” one of his most famous paintings.
The production crew are having fun with Doctor Who this year as many of the crazy gadgets seen look like something that was designed for the movie “Brazil” because there’s a real retroactive note. And it’s great to see the Doctor using these machines which gives a fantasy element to the stories. The Doctor was able to use the machine with the mirror to see the creature for himself. It’s a nice touch.
The Doctor makes his final good deed for the day by bringing the despairing Van Gogh, who feels left out of world, always feeling as a refuge from humanity. But the Doctor takes him to a 2010 art exhibit which shows Van Gogh’s paintings in full view… and the painter realizes that his work has not gone in vain.
And he understands now that there is always some good in the world that can be captures in the essence of art. And nothing could ever take that away from him. It’s a very poignant moment augmented by the tender music from the song called “Chances” by Athlete, giving it a very surreal feeling.
“Vincent and the Doctor” is another fine addition to the gallery of excellent shows this year on Doctor Who. And it allows for Doctor Who to expand its horizons to include a historical episode with a human conflict in the story. You don’t have to be a fan of Doctor Who to enjoy this one. And you don’t have to be a fan of Van Gogh either to like this one. And yet, somehow, the show is able to give a reflection of humanity at its best.
Look for great actor Bill Nighy who played the art museum curator in a brilliant scene. It looks like he is having fun with the show. And so are we. It’s a good sign that the series is still going strong.
posted by K.M. Paters at 1:59 PM
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