POLL: What is your favourite Matt Smith story?

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  • Benjamin SiskoBenjamin Sisko Posts: 1,921
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    Not a Matt Smith fan TBH! So I voted for Day of the Doctor!! :)
    I loved Matt when he first started in the Eleventh Hour....but he became a parody of himself as the years went on. The waving arms, that f*****g sonic screwdriver and his dancing around just got on my nerves!
    Matt Smith - 10/10 for acting
    Doctor 11 - 1/10 (sorry)

    I don't get this - yes post-Christmas Carol Matt was a bit of a prancer, but that wasn't exactly every episode was it. Name of the Doctor and Time of the Doctor for example, had two of his most measured performances to date - in no way was he "dancing" or "waving arms" all the time - heck, only Matt Smith could make a death scene with that decapitated Cyberman head emotional and believable without slipping into a deep angst!
  • Tom TitTom Tit Posts: 2,554
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    I don't get this - yes post-Christmas Carol Matt was a bit of a prancer, but that wasn't exactly every episode was it. Name of the Doctor and Time of the Doctor for example, had two of his most measured performances to date - in no way was he "dancing" or "waving arms" all the time - heck, only Matt Smith could make a death scene with that decapitated Cyberman head emotional and believable without slipping into a deep angst!

    I realize this is a bit of an incendiary comparison but David Tennant would have played that scene so melodramatically. But with Matt Smith it was wonderfully touching.

    Matt Smith does go overboard sometimes with the physicality but I wonder, whilst not wanting to make excuses here, how much of that can be down to the director. One of the things he supposedly does as an actor is to come to the set with a lot of energy and try scenes in numerous different ways, trying to get the right level. Having done that you are really looking to the director to select the right one.

    But when he does it, Matt Smith can underplay amazingly. If you want him to be loud and 'shouty' (to use Neil Gaiman's word) he can be a little less inspired. I think of the Cyber-Planner scene as an example.

    I agree with that observation that it was in 'A Christmas Carol' that he first brought that slightly camp, expressive element to the character. I actually remember noticing it at the time; it wasn't really there in season 5. That has sometimes taken away from the broodier, more thoughtful moments he is capable of portraying wonderfully. But it's a good type of diversity he has really: to make you laugh and then make you cry within the space of a couple of minutes. That's really the contemporary style of doctor Who and the trait which they are looking for in an actor who plays the role.
  • CoalHillJanitorCoalHillJanitor Posts: 15,634
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    Tom Tit wrote: »
    I will have to choose 'Name of the Doctor' personally. The explanation is rather long-winded:

    So, the purpose of my long story is that it would be very difficult for any other episodes to match my fondness and respect for those ones as they genuinely impressed me at a time I wasn't necessarily so open to being impressed, and started me on a process of dedicating A LOT of hours to this programme. But one of the great things about watching 'Name of the Doctor' was that I got a similar feeling watching it as those earlier episodes. That feeling of 'actually, this isn't just an episode, this is something really exceptional'. I knew I'd just watched an all-time classic as soon as it had finished, without any need for deliberation. It was the first time I'd felt that about a new episode, at the time of broadcast. Plenty of great episodes in the intervening space but that was the first one I didn't have to think: 'is this as good as the Eleventh Hour'?

    Obviously I didn't vote for Name of the Doctor, but if I had done it would have been for that moment where Matt went almost instantly from whimsically silly (playing blind man's bluff) to weeping in terror (It was Trenzalore? Definitely Trenzalore?). Extreme to extreme, believably, in seconds flat.
  • Michael_EveMichael_Eve Posts: 14,424
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    Obviously I didn't vote for Name of the Doctor, but if I had done it would have been for that moment where Matt went almost instantly from whimsically silly (playing blind man's bluff) to weeping in terror (It was Trenzalore? Definitely Trenzalore?). Extreme to extreme, believably, in seconds flat.

    Absolutely agree with this and it's why Matt is right up there for me. I've given examples before on the forum, but the ones that stick in my head is him going from enthusiastic dizziness to wisdom and gentle kindness when Madge gets upset and reveals she's a 'widow' in many peoples favourite ;-) TDTWATW and the scene in TIA where he's positively threatening when he doesn't know what Amy, Rory and River have seen, but when he decides to go along with things he's back to being Mr Enthusiasm.

    He does this throughout his era and I adore this ability to switch so effortlessly. Whilst excited about Capaldi, I will miss Eleven big time.
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