The Doctor and Amy travel back in time to meet Vincent Van Gogh and face an invisible monster that only the painter can see.The Doctor and Amy travel back in time to meet Vincent Van Gogh and face an invisible monster that only the painter can see.The Doctor and Amy travel back in time to meet Vincent Van Gogh and face an invisible monster that only the painter can see.
- Director
- Writers
- Richard Curtis
- Steven Moffat
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter the broadcast in the UK, a special announcement broadcasting a suicide prevention number was made.
- GoofsBoth of Vincent's ears are intact. At least part of Vincent van Gogh's left ear was cut off in December 1888, more than a year and a half before his encounter with The Doctor and Amy.
- Quotes
The Doctor: Between you and me, in a hundred words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?
Curator: Well... um... big question, but, to me Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly the most popular, great painter of all time. The most beloved, his command of colour most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world, no one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty (2013)
But here the Doctor and his Scottish companion visit the legendary painter and tackle a giant outer space turkey bent on wreaking havoc in the rural country painting getaway that is Van Gogh's home. I have to say, as far as monsters go, I think the production team didn't go the whole nine yards for this episode. They had a budget to meet, so probably grabbed the first thing that came into their head and said "that's our monster" (I'll bet one of the writers was eating a chicken sandwich at the time they were brainstorming the plot).
The space-turkey/chicken (I say it's a turkey, but the guys on the BBS call it a chicken...whatever) never really gives us his motives for being a malefactor. He is in fact a stock villain for this entry in Who-ness, and runs amuck with vengeful thoughts on his mind sparked by fear of being stranded on Earth. Van Gogh helps resolve the plot.
But even though the plot is brought to an end, it's the story of Van Gogh himself that is the focus of this episode. How did a man who was so renown as a painter succumb to the dark recesses of his own self generated despair? We don't know. We will never know. That's one of the mysteries of severe depression. We're given a glimmer of hope in this episode for those suffering this condition, and it is indeed a very real hope. But depression by itself, is not always fueled by logic, and therefore things can go wrong.
It's a nice intimate episode. There are no major alien invasions here. The Earth itself is not on the precipise of disaster. The universe is not in danger of collapsing. There's a giant raptor like aggressor present, but otherwise this is one of the more intimate Who episodes. Think of the few "good" episodes of Season Three original Trek, and you'll know what I mean.
The important thing about this episode is that the historic figure here, Van Gosh, was not mad. He knew the difference between right and wrong, but his personal outlook and inability to keep himself fueled was an interior war that no amount of the Doctor's Tardis nor Sonic-Screwdriver could address.
A good watch.
- Blueghost
- Jun 15, 2013
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Filming locations
- Trogir, Croatia(Arles)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime47 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD