Hell Bent- The Extraction Chamber Scene

We are in the 8th anniversary of the Doctor Who episode Hell Bent. I hope to eventually write about Heaven Sent and Hell Bent together and really go into the themes of the Doctor/Clara arc. However, right now, I want to talk about certain scenes within Hell Bent that I love. These scenes really stand out to me, personally, and I want to make a post about each of them.

The first scene that I want to discuss is the Extraction Chamber scene. The Twelfth Doctor uses the extraction chamber to pull Clara to Gallifrey a second before her death.  He does this under the guise of needing information for the Hybrid.  Clara is very confused when she comes through the chamber door, and she starts to notice something very funny about her hearing. The General pushes Twelve to tell Clara what is happening, and Twelve eventually tells Clara that she's not hearing her heartbeat anymore.  The General proceeds to tell Clara that her death is a fixed point in Time, and therefore, it can't be changed.  You can start to see the anger in Twelve starting to boil over as the General is speaking to Clara. He then punches the General and takes his gun.  Twelve stares down the General  and declares:

"I will not let Clara die."

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Clara slowly approaches him, because she can see that he's on the edge. She takes his hand and tells him that she doesn't want this from him. However, he's not listening to her.  He has such a look of anger and determination on his face as he stares at the General.

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The General has a look of resignation on his face as he knows the Doctor is going to do it.  Then Twelve does it and pulls the trigger.  I love this scene, because you can see his anger building up before he goes into action.  He doesn't want to hear or face that Clara's death has to happen. The Universe needs her death to happen.  It's wonderfully acted by Peter Capaldi.

A Doctor Who Golden Moment: A Student Confronts Her Teacher

     The relationship between the Doctor and his Companion is the cornerstone or heart of Doctor Who. I think some of the strongest and most enjoyable seasons have a good Doctor/Companion relationship at its center.  I am a firm believer that one of the key facets of that relationship is a good confrontation scene. It really makes sense if you think about it, because we have individuals with vastly different life experiences. One member of the relationship has lived multiple lives and is over 1000 years old, and if we stick strictly to Revival Doctor Who, then the other member of the relationship is a human most likely under the age of 50. They shouldn’t see eye to eye in every situation.  The Companions shouldn’t always agree with the decisions the Doctor makes as their own biases, beliefs, and experiences would inform their perspectives.  These confrontations push the relationship forward.  It changes their relationship and brings a depth to it, because it creates understanding between the characters.  There have been quite a few great confrontation scenes, and I have chosen such a scene as my Golden Moment.  It’s from the S10 episode “Thin Ice.”

    Bill and the Doctor are in Victorian England where she has just witnessed someone die for the first time.  It wasn’t simply that it was the first death that she witnessed, but it was also the death of a child.  This shocking experience was compounded by the fact that her teacher and mentor appeared completely unfazed by what happened.  She wonders how many people he must have seen die that one more death is inconsequential to him.  He explains that he does care but he moves on.  Noticing a certain look in his eyes, she then goes deeper and asks if he’s ever killed anyone. After he tries to beat around the bush, she insists upon a simple yes or no answer.  He replies ‘yes,’ and she asks how many.  The Doctor doesn’t answer. He just stares at her, and she responds derisively “Let me guess. You’ve moved on.”   He tells her that if he doesn’t move on then more people will die. There are children still in danger that need their help. This argument between them helps Bill understand that it isn’t that the Doctor doesn’t care. It’s about the Doctor not wasting time wallowing or rending his clothes in anguish when he can do something productive to stop whatever is happening and at least save others.

    This scene, this argument, this confrontation helped make the relationship between the Doctor and Bill feel more real. There is more of an understanding between them, a connection, a common goal. It’s an important step in the growing depth of this relationship.  This is the reason it’s a golden moment for me.

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A Doctor Who Golden Moment: A Hug Between Friends

    The Twelfth Doctor was often described as grumpy during his first season.  He could appear very harsh on a surface level with attack eyebrows to round out the picture.  Physical affection was not within his comfort zone, and yet, the affection between the Doctor and his companion, Clara, was clear to see.  Scattered throughout the season were moments that highlighted the closeness of their relationship, and the episode ‘Listen’ contains such a moment.

    Listen is written by showrunner Steven Moffat, and it’s a very interesting and unique episode. It is entirely about the Doctor in search of a dream. Or nightmare.  The villain or monster of the episode isn’t an alien or a human.  The villain of this episode is fear. What’s hiding underneath your bed? That’s the question the Doctor is trying to answer.  The end of the episode finds Clara staring at the Doctor with a little bit more understanding due to the events of the episode. She slowly approaches him and gives him a hug.  Since physical intimacy is not in his comfort zone, the Doctor does not reciprocate the hug.  He bunches up and says:

“Not the hugging. No. No. I’m against the hugging. Please.”

    However, what is wonderful about this interaction is Clara’s response to the Doctor’s protestations.  She holds on tight while smiling and laughing as he tries to back away. It’s such a great moment because it is a glimpse into their friendship and relationship.  I believe you act this way with your best friend.  You act the way Clara does when you are very comfortable with the other person.  This moment shows there is affection and a bond between them even though the Doctor is uncomfortable with physical affection.  An unspoken love that can’t be denied. This is why this scene is a golden moment for me.

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War and Disillusionment: All Quiet On the Western Front

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930) is based on Erich Maria Remarque's book of the same name. It starred Lew Ayers, in one of his first starring roles, and Louis Wolheim. I personally think it is one of the best if not THE best anti-war film. It does a brilliant job of showing the horrors of war and how idealistic and patriotic men become disillusioned by those horrors. 

The story begins with Paul Bäumer and his fellow classmates on their final day of school. Their teacher, Kantorek, is rousing up their sense of patriotism. He tells them that there is no greater honor than to serve the Fatherland. They are the light of Germany. They are the heroes that will trounce the enemy. It is their duty and privilege to fight. We see the young men pressured to feel the honor to join the Army. The scene has intense close-ups of the teacher as he asks students what they will do. The close-up shows the pressure or rather the intensity of the pressure to agree to join the war. As the teacher pumps them up, the students start to feel good and proud about going to war. They cheerfully sing as they march to the Recruitment Office expecting to find glory and honor on the other side. When the group of students arrive at training camp, they find out that their Drill Sergeant is their former Postman, Himmelstoss. Himmelstoss loves the power and authority he now wields. He pushes the new recruits and enjoys making them perform humiliating exercises. After completing the training, the young Soldiers are sent to a unit near the front lines. They enter a barracks filled with only a few men. They find the place void of beds, and to their horror, they discover that food is also very scarce. There are no canteens near the front lines. They meet old-timer Kat, who takes the young soldiers under his wing and shows them how to survive life in the trenches. As time passes, the young soldiers become jaded and weary. Some lose their sanity due to the claustrophobia of trench life with the sounds of shells constantly exploding overhead. 

After the soldiers' time on the front lines, they are able to go to the Canteen. During this scene we are witness to a great conversation that highlights how war is waged by the people in power and not the people who are actually fighting. The soldiers talk about how they don't know the reason for the war, and that they feel no ill will towards their enemies. They don't want to kill the English or French, and they think the English and French soldiers probably feel the same way. These people hadn't even seen an Englishmen until they were face to face in battle. I always saw it as such an effective scene. Later in the movie, there is an incident that sort of piggy backs on this earlier scene. Paul is stuck in a foxhole when a French solider also drops in, and Paul stabs him. It takes all night for the Frenchman to die, and the sounds of his moaning torment Paul. When the Frenchman finally dies, Paul begs the man to forgive him. He tells the dead man that he would rather see him as a brother and not an enemy. He asks God why they were put in such a position.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is a montage that follows a pair of boots. One of the students turned soldier is a young man named Kemmerich, and he owns a very nice pair of boots. When Kemmerich gets fatally wounded his boots are passed from one friend to another. As each owner dies, the boots move on to a different person. Through the journey of the boots, we can see how that group of young soldiers are dying one by one.

We really start to notice Paul's disillusionment when he returns home for R&R. He goes home and his mother wants him to be the same little boy he was before he left for war, but of course he can't be that boy anymore. He walks into his bedroom, and it feels like the room of a stranger. On his wall there are pinned butterflies in frames. It seems like a lifetime ago when his days were filled with catching butterflies with his sister. Paul meets with his father and his father's friends at the pub while at home. The older men pull out a map of the fighting area, and they tell Paul that the soldiers have to push through the enemy's lines and eventually make their way to Paris. Paul tries to tell them that life is different in the war zone. It may seem simple to push through but things are different out there. However, the older men don't listen. They dismiss him and tell him that he has no idea what he's talking about, even though he's been to the front. He realizes the futility of trying to talk to them, and so he silently sits and watches them talk about how the war will be won. Another day he walks by his school and hears his teacher once again trying to inspire students to join the war. He is again talking about the glory and honor of fighting for the Fatherland. When Paul enters the classroom, his teacher asks him to speak to the class and tell the kids what it means to serve the Fatherland. Paul is honest and tells the students that life in the trenches is hard, and all they do is try not to die and sometimes fail at that. He confronts the teacher about telling students that it's beautiful and sweet to die for your country when in reality it is dirty and painful. However, the teacher nor the students listen to him. The students even call him a coward and boo him. He realizes they can't see the truth and won't see it until they witness it for themselves.

Paul regrets going home. Away from the front lines, the people live in a bubble, and it's a bubble that he no longer fits in. When Paul returns to the frontlines, things are different there as well. He hardly recognizes anyone. The friends he joined the war with are either dead or in a hospital. Most of the soldiers he met when he first arrived at the frontlines are also gone. Dead or crazy. Paul finds out that old reliable Kat is still around and he went to look for food. Paul is happy to hear that and he rushes off to find him. Paul confides in Kat about no longer feeling as if he belongs back home and that Kat is really all he has now. As Kat and Paul are walking back to camp, a plane drops a bomb near them and Kat gets wounded. Paul starts to carry Kat to the Medic Tent when another bomb is dropped. Paul drops Kat off at the Medical Tent and is informed that Kat is dead. When we next see Paul, he is sitting in the trenches essentially alone even though he is surrounded by other soldiers. There is sense of despondency about him. He looks through the gun hole in the trench, and he spots a butterfly. In the midst of the barren field that is full of death and pain there was sign of life. A sign of nature's beauty in the form of a butterfly. A symbol of the carefree life he used to live before the War. As his hand reaches out to capture the butterfly, a shot rings out and Paul's hand falls lifeless.

The film ends with an image of a field full of graves. The images of the young students we met at the beginning of the film are transposed over it. These young men who were filled with life, idealism, and promise, now reside in graves.

"This story is neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war...."

An Unexpected Trip Through Time

In the Summer of 2019, I started on a journey through time.  This journey would take me from 2019 to 2014 to 2005 and all the way back to 1963. As the title states, this trip was unexpected. It was unexpected and very surprising, and it all began with a song.  

One day while driving my car, I heard a song that I found very catchy. The song turned out to be "Someone You Loved"  by Lewis Capaldi. I liked the song more and more each time I heard it. Then one day at home, I decided to listen to music on YouTube.  I searched for the Lewis Capaldi song and a particular video caught my attention. The thumbnail of the video had a face that seemed vaguely familiar to me. 

"Is that Peter Capaldi," I asked myself. It seems strange that I would even remotely recognize him since I never paid him much attention. I have a friend who is a big fan, and I came across some pictures of him on her Twitter timeline. How ever I came to recognize him doesn't matter. The important thing is that I did recognize him, because that is how my journey started.

I clicked play and watched a very moving video about organ donation, and as I watched the video one thought hit me from out of nowhere: Peter Capaldi could act. The emotions he displayed on his face throughout the video moved me so much. I felt the heartbreak of this character. 

I decided to check out more of his work. I remember my friend had mentioned Doctor Who in relation to Peter, so off I went to Amazon Prime. I did a search for "Peter Capaldi Doctor Who" and up it popped, and thankfully it was free!  I clicked play on the video and away I went. Deep Breath.

That was the name of the first episode- Deep Breath. Now, my original and sole purpose of watching this episode was to check out Peter Capaldi's acting. I had no pre-conceived notions about what I was about to watch. I had no expectations. I only wanted to see his acting.  As I watched the episode, I found myself laughing, because there was a lot of humor threaded throughout the episode.  I loved the dialogue and interactions between the characters. I was fairly intrigued by this character and his companion by the end of the episode.  I decided that I needed to see more of him.  The more episodes that I watched, the more I came to really like the character of the Doctor. He is completely fascinating!  I was incredibly moved by the relationship between the Doctor and his companion, Clara. The acting displayed between them was truly top notch, I thought.  When I reached the end of his Era, I was so incredibly impressed by what I had seen. There were episodes where the dialogue felt like poetry. It was beautiful. The relationship between the Doctor and his Companions was heartfelt, beautiful, and complex.  The character of Missy was wonderfully realized. The relationship between the Doctor and her was full of history and complexity. I didn't know anything about their history and yet I could feel it. I could sense it. It was tangible. The chemistry between the characters was strong. There was sci-fi, humor, and character drama woven throughout the episodes and seasons.  What about Peter Capaldi's performance specifically?

There was something about his performance that was central to everything in his era. He had gravitas, joy, and he could be scary and also have an almost child-like nature as well. He commanded the screen. It's strange but watching him felt like watching history. I came to realize at the end of Deep Breath that this character changes. Their appearance changes, however, it's still supposed to be the same person. The Doctor or who he used to be is still in him. As I watched Peter's seasons, I felt like I could see that there were others in him. He would talk or act a certain way that made me wonder if that's an older version coming to the surface.  He had the past in him. It made for an interesting watch. Also his character grew over the course of his seasons. He changed for the better. It was a remarkable character journey he went on that was fun to watch.

While I was watching his episodes/seasons, I was also watching interviews on Youtube.  I will be honest and say that I fell down a Capaldi hole. By watching these interviews and seeing when he was introduced as the Doctor, I realized that Deep Breath wasn't his first appearance as that character.  He appeared at the end of Time of the Doctor which meant I had to watch that episode. As I watched that episode, I realized that I need to go back to the beginning of the 11th Doctor's era so I could find out how he ended up where he did in that final episode. Thus began my journey with the 11th Doctor, and I quite enjoyed that one too. 

I thought that since I enjoyed the 12th Doctor and 11th Doctor, then I should go back to the first season. It felt like I was watching one big story.  Each Doctor leading to the next, and therefore I should start at the first season. On Amazon Prime when you go to Season 1, it's 2005 with the 9th Doctor. That started my journey with the 9th and 10th Doctor and I quite enjoyed them too. I discovered that I love the Doctor.  

As previously mentioned, I watched interviews with Peter Capaldi. During these interviews, he talked about the early Doctors.  He talked about the Doctors that started it all.   He exuded so much joy and passion as he spoke about the Classic series.  The way he spoke of them sparked a curiosity in me. I wanted to meet these Doctors and the monsters that he loved.   That took me to 1963 where I met the First Doctor.  Should I say met the First Doctor for the second time since I sort of met him in Twice Upon a Time?  Is this timey wimey wibbly wobbly?  Oh well! It's Doctor Who. When I watched the classic episodes, I discovered that I like the Doctors from the past as well.  It brings the history I felt in Peter's performance even more to life. It's amazing. It highlights his incredible performance as the Doctor.  When you find something new that you love, you want to share it with other people who love it too.  Fortunately, I was able to do that.  However, I found something else that really surprised me.

I found out that Peter's era wasn't that popular when it aired. I kept coming across this common theme: Great Doctor, Bad Writing.  I honestly was very flabbergasted by it.  I stated earlier that when I watched his episodes/seasons for the first time that I was very impressed and drawn in by them.  I don't understand why that theme started or why it's so persistent, because I just don't see it. However, opinions like mileage may vary. 

I will simply state in conclusion that Peter Capaldi is the reason I started to watch Doctor Who both Modern and Classic versions.  He captivated and mesmerized me with his performance. He will always be Doctor Who to me. 

 

Stalag 17- A William Holden Centennial Celebration

WILLIAM HOLDEN: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

STALAG 17 (1953) 

William Holden is a true Hollywood Legend.  He had a career that spanned over 40 years.  His movies jumped across the different genres.  On the screen he conveyed ruggedness, handsomeness, toughness, and cynicism.  His screen presence couldn't be denied.  He worked with some of the best actors of the Golden Age of Cinema (Gloria Swanson, Judy Holliday,  Barbara Stanwyck, Alec Guinness, and Humphrey Bogart) and he held his own. Many of his movies are considered true classics- Sunset Blvd, The Bridge On the River Kwai, Network, and Stalag 17 to name a small few. This April will mark his centennial birthday.  As part of a birthday celebration, I am going to discuss one of his most iconic movies, the previously mentioned Stalag 17.

Stalag 17 (1953)  is the movie that won William Holden the Academy Award for Best Actor.  Set in a German Prisoner of War Camp, the movie is filled with both intrigue and humor.  Holden plays POW SGT J.J. Sefton, a cynic.  He's a guy who has been a prisoner for some time and has learned how to navigate the ropes of Camp Life.  He's decided the best bet for him is to sit tight and make himself as comfortable as possible. No escape attempts for Sefton; the odds are too much of a long shot.  In order to make himself comfortable, Sefton has to trade and do business with the German Guards, with the enemy.  Of course, this does not make him popular with his fellow bunkhouse mates. 

The Intrigue in the movie comes by the German Guards  always being one step ahead of the Prisoners. The Guards seem to find out their plans and know of hidden contraband and tunnels.  How are the Guards always figuring things out? Is there a Spy among the group? Is an American actually ratting out fellow Americans? If so, who is this person?  Given Sefton's ability to trade with the Guards and gain privileges and benefits, he naturally becomes Suspect #1.  Is Sefton the traitor?  Of course he isn't, but I won't tell you who is the actual Spy.  Watch the movie!

The humor mainly comes from two of the Prisoners named Animal and Shapiro.  Animal is obsessed with Betty Grable, and his tears and mooning over Grable never fails to bring the laughs.  Be on the look-out for a funny scene between Shapiro and Animal during the Camp's Christmas celebration. 

Although the movie has a lot of humor, it also doesn't ignore the horrors of war.  It shows the horror in the form of a prisoner named Joey. He is a man shell-shocked who only finds comfort from playing an Ocarina.  The care and compassion that Joey receives from his bunk mates is very sweet to watch.

Stalag 17 was directed by the masterful Billy Wilder.  Along with Holden, it also features Otto Preminger, Don Taylor, and a young Peter Graves.   A great director, great cast, and a great story makes for one great movie watch.  In celebration of what would have been William Holden's 100th birthday, pop in Stalag 17 and have a cigar on Sefton.

Roddy McDowall- A Star Under the Summer Sky

Summer Under the Stars- Roddy McDowall

This article is for the Summer Under the Stars blogathon event.  On August 15th, Turner Classic Movies will be devoting 24 hours to Roddy McDowall.   He has had a career that spanned over 40 years with making the transition from child actor to adult actor.  This article will focus on the movie that put Roddy McDowall on the map and brought the world to his attention: How Green Was My Valley.

How Green Was My Valley (1941) was a John Ford masterpiece set in a poor Welsh mining town. It centers around the Morgan family.  Donald Crisp played the patriarch of the family. Sara Allgood played the matriarch of the family. Maureen O'Hara played the only daughter, Angharad.  And Roddy McDowall played the youngest son, Huw.  Walter Pidgeon also starred as the new town Preacher.

The movie is narrated by older Huw, and he tells the story of essentially becoming a man in the midst of a village dying and a changing family. Roddy McDowall was 12 years old when he played  the role of Huw Morgan, and he gave a brilliant performance full of sensitivity.    

Roddy McDowall is one of my favorite child actors of the classic film period, and his performance as Huw is the reason for it.  In the beginning of the film, Huw is treated as and seen as the baby of the family. He has no experience outside of life in his village. He has to be a bystander, an observer, as his family struggles and changes due to dangers of working in the mine and lack of fair pay by the mine owners.  Things start to change for Huw, when he attends a school in a different village. This school is full of more upper class children. At this school, Huw has to deal with a bullying classmate and a bullying teacher. The way Huw handles these situations has his family starting to see that he is becoming a man.

One of my favorite scenes with Roddy McDowall is when two of his elder brothers decided to leave for America for better prospects. Their mother leaves the dinner table heartbroken. It is only Huw and his father at the table. His father sits in silence with his head downcast. Huw gives a little cough, and his father says "Yes, my son. I know you are there." Huw smiles and continues eating his dinner.  His father's acknowledgement meant so much. It is a great scene between them.

Another scene was when Huw and his mother falls through ice into the freezing water.  After they are rescued, Huw overhears that his legs are frozen solid and he may never walk again. The look on that young boy's face, the look in his eyes....that was good acting from young McDowall.

Then there is the very last scene of the film.  Huw holds his father in his arms. There were no words spoken, and yet much was conveyed in McDowell's eyes.

His eyes. So much emotion, so much sensitivity and understanding seemed to be expressed in his eyes. That is what drew you to Roddy McDowell's performance as Huw Morgan and many other
performances.  He was a joy to watch as a child and he grew up continuing to be a fine actor and even
a great photographer.

On August 15, I hope people enjoy his performances that airs on TCM, and may newcomers come to
know of him.

2016 Summer Under the Stars Blogathon