Written by Richard Curtis
Directed by Jonny Campbell
“Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstacy and joy and magnificence of our world… no one had ever done it before. Perhaps no-one ever will again.”
Why does Doctor Who exist? Why does the world need Doctor Who?
Doctor Who exists to enlighten and entertain…to scare the blazes out of you, make you laugh, make you cry, and above all, make you think. Think about the complex, amazing, terrifying, wonderful universe. Think about the myriad people — the heroes, the villains, the triumphant, the victims — that populate space and time. Think about events that shaped the destinies of entire civilizations…or the simple choices of one individual. Doctor Who is art…and Vincent and the Doctor is all about the power of, as the Doctor so sweetly defines, “art and…artiness”.
Art is watching Tony Curran steal the show as Van Gogh…theft on the genius level of a Michaelangelo fresco. His intelligence and talent blazing as loudly as his red hair, and nearly shouted down by demons, real and imaginary. Art is watching Karen Gillan experience pure hero worship, and allowing herself to be swept along for the most romantic (in the Wordsworth/Byronic sense) adventure of her young life. Art is watching Matt Smith once again explore every facet of the Doctor’s exceptional character: his humanism, his compassion, his anger, and his deep sadness of things beyond his control. Whether it be curing Van Gough of his madness…or trying to deal with Rory’s erasure from history AND Amy’s memory.
Art is allowing Richard Curtis - writing demigod behind everything from Black Adder to Notting Hill - the chance to compose sparkling dialogue and exquisite set pieces (to say nothing of bow tie appreciation jokes) for a show that demands the work of such a great talent. Art is watching the actual sky transform into Van Gogh’s Starry Night…and watching Amy learn how a small demonstration of friendship can save a single man, even if it’s only for a single day; a sunflower in twilight.
All of this is to be found in Vincent and the Doctor: a love letter to the power of art for art’s sake, to the power of faith in friendship and the future, and to the reason Doctor Who continues to inspire and entertain millions, 47 years after its birth.
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