I know this is supposed to be a blog about Polish music, etc., but I'd like to talk about this week's Doctor Who episode (as aired on BBC America). There is a connection to Polish folk dancing... for me that is, but more about that later.
Even though I watch the old shows now on DVD, I was never a fan of Doctor Who, that is, until Christopher Eccleston first uttered the immortal phrase: "Run!", all the way until David Tennant tearfully said: "I don't want to go!"
Those shows had a very real feeling, and I laughed and I cried and I loved. But this new series with Matt Smith seems to have gone back to the cartoonish look for me. Nothing wrong with the Doctor, but there are some annoyances in the scripts, and the production gives the show that old "wobbly set" look, doesn't it?
That said, I love the latest episode: Vincent and the Doctor !! I even cried !!!
Even though I watch the old shows now on DVD, I was never a fan of Doctor Who, that is, until Christopher Eccleston first uttered the immortal phrase: "Run!", all the way until David Tennant tearfully said: "I don't want to go!"
Those shows had a very real feeling, and I laughed and I cried and I loved. But this new series with Matt Smith seems to have gone back to the cartoonish look for me. Nothing wrong with the Doctor, but there are some annoyances in the scripts, and the production gives the show that old "wobbly set" look, doesn't it?
That said, I love the latest episode: Vincent and the Doctor !! I even cried !!!
First of all the look fit perfectly with the Impressionistic style of Vincent Van Gogh ! (I loved what they did to the sky !!) And the story line was not the usual ... the Doctor fighting a monster, with a historical figure like Dickens or Shakespeare along for the ride... This show was about Van Gogh, with the monster as incidental.
Now, I'm not a fan of Impressionism, nor of Van Gogh, but I was totally able to feel Amy's awe at being in Vincent's presence, and the thrill of being in the artist's home, surrounded by his paintings. I had that same experience when the Mazowsze Polish Folk Song and Dance Company's head choreographer, Witold Zapała invited me to Karolin to watch him work with the dancers. It just doesn't get better than that !!
Of course, with Doctor Who, this is all the more poignient because Amy has recently suffered a loss, which she does not remember, and Vincent Van Gogh is also not long for the world. The best part, of course, was the ending, when the Doctor transports the artist to the future so that he can see how beloved he has become in our time. The actor playing Van Gogh did a remarkable job in conveying his emotions.
As for the monster...well, the Moral of the Story is that Vincent saw things that the rest of us cannot. That is why his paintings look the way they do. I finally have an understanding and appreciation of the Impressionist.