DAVID TENNANT: THE PERIOD DRAMAS

April 4, 2014 · by maurinetritch

The reason I’ve never read Jane Austen isn’t just because I managed to avoid it in
school. I simply don’t love British period dramas. The characters are thoughtfully
presented and the highly charged emotional nuance is exactly what I crave in a story, but
in the end the plots drive me crazy. At least American period drama usually has a raw
edge that saves it; we’ve never been as wedded to nonsensical tradition as our brethren
across the water, and life in the old days was rougher here. I find it ludicrous that a
society can be so enmeshed in what is proper and what isn’t that everyone within is more
or less held hostage through their whole lives. The divide between upstairs and
downstairs is unfathomable to me, and I suspect it is for David as well who seems the
very soul of egalitarianism. There are three period dramas I’ve seen him in; technically
two dramas and a mystery. They are the kind of thing my mother adores and I just want
shake all the characters out of their manufactured difficulties, full of misheard gossip and
misunderstood intentions that are absurdly impossible to straighten out. That women are
treated as ornaments and no one is the pilot of their own destiny, and I don’t find the
stilted courtship between ladies and gentlemen beautiful, just insincere. I don’t relish the
delicate tread of social mores the characters go through or the catastrophic
consequences when a simple mistake is made. Give me the freedom of science fiction
and fantasy, or at least real people with real emotions solving their problems with
creativity and intelligence. So, this may color my perceptions somewhat. But I will note
that David hasn’t done any period dramas either once he reached a high enough echelon
to have his pick of scripts. (Einstein and Eddington was set in the past, but it focused on
the two men rather than the time period. And they were revolutionary scientists! And it
was wartime! And it was such a great story!) A question occurs: was David Tennant
offered Downton Abbey?
He Knew He was Right is based on the famous novel by Anthony Trollope–which I have
lost any slight interest I might have had in reading. The problem is that a man suspects
that his blameless wife is cheating on him, and the social strictures of the time make the
situation worse, and worse, and worse. The main action is blurred with a subplot that
makes no sense to the whole about a crotchety aunt and the young lady staying with her.
(The young lady is the sister of the suspicious husband’s best friend) The young lady is
courted by lecherous–or greedy, the script can’t decide which and he doesn’t seem to be
both–vicar played by David Tennant. Unfortunately, it isn’t his finest hour. In one scene
he’s a cynical Machiavellian clone who is happily stringing along local girls while his eye
is firmly fixed on the large amount of money attached to the girl staying with her wealthy
aunt. Then, in a hairpin turn, he’s a bumbling buffoon who is a bit slow on the uptake. As
I watched that scene, I was fully expecting the vicar to twist the words of his accuser
around and turn it to his advantage–as I seen David do so many times before in so many
ways, and that was who I thought this man was. I was shocked when he just stood
there, completely undone. I think the script actually called for a character of inflated
intellectual pomposity, a stupid man who spends a lot of time trying to convince everyone
he’s smart and judicious, and mostly succeeds until he’s confronted directly in a crisis.
But it’s difficult for David to play anything less than the smartest man in the room,
because he is. A complete opposite, beautifully wrought in Recovery, is very different
than an almost-but-not-quite, a wannabe. I can’t imagine him doing justice to the self-
important bungling of Polonius, for instance. In this case, the vicar was very much an
almost; he coasted solely on hubris and the respect demanded for his position. When he
got in an actual bind, he dithered and moaned until the scheming mother told him how to
get out of it. Laura Frasier, who shows up in Casanova and later Single Father, is
fabulous. I wish she would do more. And I did wonder what David would have done with
the lead, the increasingly-unhinged husband.
The only really good thing about The Last September, is that you get the delight of seeing
Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon act with and at each other. The scenes with the two
of the them are wonderful. Other than that, it’s a strange story that never really comes
together. It’s set in Ireland in 1920, when the strife between Irish and the English who had
lived there for generations comes to a head. A manor house full of wealthy expats carry on
with their party and family intrigues even while a contingent of soldiers are trying to
investigate violence in the town, and protect them. David Tennant plays the young lady of
the house’s soldier suitor, it’s a good performance although brief and he didn’t really get
enough screen time to flesh it out; he’s a young, inexperienced boy falling in love and being
played with by a careless girl like a cat, and his vulnerability stings you.

Maybe native born British citizens would get more out of the movie since they would be
familiar with the history, I was confused. There was a short written blurb at the beginning
of the movie to help fill in the gaps but it only did so much. I wish they had chosen a more
narrative or visual way to go about it. The whole thing is seen from the eyes of the girl who
seems younger than her years. She has an Irish best friend who lives in the village, along
with her soldier whom she doesn’t really care about; the local bad boy turned rebel leader
has already caught her eye when the story opens. She’s not the most likeable heroine in
the universe, and what didn’t work about The Last September was her point of view. She
is too naive to tell the whole story, and too immature to disseminate what is going on around
her and relay it to us. It would have been more compelling told through someone else’s
eyes, or at least if she shared the main narrative burden with another character or two. For
those of you who get the reference, it would be like the entire Game of Thrones series told
from Sansa’s point of view alone. If we got the soldier’s story, who knew about the rebels
and knew what he guarded against–even while the girl he could potentially lay down his
life for was breaking his heart; or the rebel leader with his frustration turned to righteous
violence, then any violence would do, finally devolving into just a cornered beast…it would
have actually been a compelling look at a terrible incident, and the people involved. As it
was, there was too much fluff in the way.
I was unfamiliar with The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries before I watched the episode, “Death
at the Opera”. David Tennant was in it or I would still be in ignorance, but I’m glad I saw
it. David played a minor part as a music teacher at an elite girls’ “finishing school” set in
the twenties. Mrs. Bradley and her chauffeur are delightful. There’s no other way to put it.
The story was a somewhat formulaic locked door mystery, what might be classified as a
“cozy” mystery. Murders, but all very civilized. A lovely mansion for a backdrop, witty banter,
upper class ladies and gentlemen…fans of gritty realism need apply elsewhere. The
eccentric Mrs. Bradley really carried the episode, but the story had a few surprises too.
There was quite a lot of lesbian intrigue I was not expecting from a murder mystery set in
the twenties to be solved by a little old lady. David was fine as the mysterious music teacher,
he mostly faded into the background which is what he was supposed to do. As in all locked
room mysteries, you needed to be able to suspect him along with everyone else, and part
of being a great actor is knowing how your character fits. It was all worth it for the flash of
dazzle in his eyes when former Timelord Peter Davison showed up as the police inspector
in one of David’s scenes. David didn’t break character or anything, and I don’t know if he
spoke to Peter about Doctor Who on set that day at all, or was too tongue-tied–I could see
it going either way. But he was clearly thrilled to his toes.
我之所以从未读过简-奥斯汀的作品，并不仅仅是因为我在学校⾥避开了它。我根本不喜欢
英国的年代剧。英国剧中的⼈物形象都经过深思熟虑，情感细腻丰富，这正是我所渴望的，
但最终情节却让我抓狂。⾄少美国的年代剧通常会有⼀种原始的锋芒来拯救它；我们从来没
有像对岸的兄弟那样拘泥于⽆厘头的传统，⽽且这⾥的旧时代⽣活更加崎岖不平。我觉得⼀
个社会如此纠结于什么是合适的，什么是不合适的，以⾄于社会中的每个⼈都或多或少地被
裹挟着度过⼀⽣，这实在令⼈啼笑皆⾮。楼上楼下之间的隔阂对我来说深不可测，我猜想⼤
卫也是如此，他似乎是平等主义的灵魂⼈物。我看过他出演的三部年代剧，严格来说是两部
剧情⽚和⼀部悬疑⽚。这些都是我⺟亲喜欢的类型，我只想把所有⻆⾊从他们⼈为制造的困
境中解救出来，这些困境充满了听错的流⾔蜚语和被误解的意图，荒谬得根本⽆法理清。⼥
⼈被当作装饰品，没有⼈能主宰⾃⼰的命运，我不觉得绅⼠和淑⼥之间呆板的求爱关系有多
美，只是觉得不真诚。我不喜欢剧中⼈物对社会⻛⽓的微妙践踏，也不喜欢犯了⼀个简单的
错误就会带来灾难性的后果。给我科幻⼩说和幻想的⾃由，或者⾄少是有真实情感的⼈，⽤
创造⼒和智慧解决他们的问题。因此，这可能多少会影响我的看法。但我要指出的是，⼀旦
⼤卫达到了可以挑选剧本的⾼度，他也没有拍过任何年代剧。(爱因斯坦和爱丁顿》的背景
是过去，但它关注的是这两个⼈⽽不是那个时代。他们都是⾰命性的科学家！⽽且是在战争
时期 这是⼀个多么伟⼤的故事啊！） ⼀个问题出现了：⼤卫-坦南特是否接到了《唐顿庄园》
的邀请？

《他知道他是对的》改编⾃安东尼-特罗洛普（Anthony Trollope）的著名⼩说--我已经失去
了阅读这部⼩说的兴趣。问题是，⼀个男⼈怀疑他⽆可指责的妻⼦出轨了，⽽当时的社会束
缚使情况越来越糟。⼥主⻆被⼤卫-坦南特（David Tennant）饰演的好⾊或贪婪的 "维卡 "
追求。不幸的是，这并不是他最出⾊的时刻。在⼀个场景中，他是⼀个玩世不恭的⻢基雅弗
利克隆⼈，⼀边乐此不疲地勾搭当地⼥孩，⼀边牢牢盯着住在她富有姑妈家的⼥孩⾝上的巨
额财产。然后，他⼜来了个急转弯，变成了⼀个有点迟钝的笨拙的⼩丑。当我看到这⼀幕时，
我满以为牧师会把控诉者的话曲解成对⾃⼰有利的话--就像我以前多次看到戴维⽤各种⽅
式所做的那样，我以为这个⼈就是这样的⼈。 当他站在那⾥，完全不知所措时，我感到⾮
常震惊。我认为剧本其实需要的是⼀个智⼒浮夸的⻆⾊，⼀个愚蠢的⼈，他花了很多时间试
图说服所有⼈他很聪明、很有判断⼒，⽽且⼤部分都成功了，直到他在危机中直接⾯对。但
⼤卫很难扮演房间⾥最聪明的⼈，因为他确实是。⼀个完全相反的⼈，在《复苏》中的出⾊
表现，与⼀个⼏乎但不完全是的崇拜者截然不同。⽐如说，我⽆法想象他能把波洛涅斯那种
⾃视甚⾼的笨拙表现得恰如其分。在这种情况下，牧师在很⼤程度上是⼀个 "差不多"；他完
全是靠着⾃⼤和对⾃⼰地位的尊重。当他真正陷⼊困境时，他犹豫不决，呻吟不⽌，直到⼼
怀⻤胎的⺟亲告诉他如何摆脱困境。劳拉-弗雷泽（Laura Frasier）在《卡萨诺⽡》和后来的
《单⾝⽗亲》中都有精彩表演。我希望她能出演更多的作品。我确实想知道⼤卫会如何处理
这个主⻆，这个越来越神经质的丈夫。

《最后的九⽉》唯⼀真正的优点是，您可以欣赏到玛吉-史密斯（Maggie Smith）和迈克尔-
⽢本（Michael Gambon）的精彩表演。他们两⼈的戏份⾮常精彩。除此之外，这只是⼀个
奇怪的故事，从未真正融合在⼀起。故事发⽣在 1920 年的爱尔兰，世代居住在那⾥的爱尔
兰⼈和英国⼈之间的纷争⼀触即发。⼀座庄园⾥住满了富有的外籍⼈⼠，他们继续着⾃⼰的
聚会和家族阴谋，⽽与此同时，⼀队⼠兵正试图调查镇上的暴⼒事件，并保护他们。⼤卫-
坦南特（David Tennant）在⽚中饰演年轻⼥主⼈的⼠兵追求者，他的表演很出⾊，尽管时
间很短，他也没有得到⾜够的出场时间来充实⾃⼰；他是⼀个没有恋爱经验的年轻男孩，被
⼀个粗⼼的⼥孩像猫⼀样玩弄于股掌之间，他的脆弱刺痛了你。

也许⼟⽣⼟⻓的英国⼈会对这段历史⽐较熟悉，因此会对这部电影有更多的了解，但我却感
到困惑。电影开头有⼀段简短的⽂字说明，帮助我们填补空⽩，但作⽤有限。我希望他们能
选择⼀种更具叙事性或视觉性的⽅式。整个故事都是从⼥孩的眼睛⾥看出来的，她看起来⽐
她的年龄要⼩。她有⼀个住在村⼦⾥的爱尔兰闺蜜，还有她的⼠兵，但她对⼠兵并不关⼼；
故事⼀开始，当地的坏男孩变成了叛军⾸领，已经引起了她的注意。她并不是全宇宙最讨⼈
喜欢的⼥主⻆，
《最后的九⽉》的不⾜之处在于她的视⻆。她太天真了，⽆法讲述整个故事，
也太不成熟了，⽆法将她⾝边发⽣的事情传播给我们。如果通过其他⼈的视⻆来讲述故事，
或者⾄少让她与其他⼀两个⻆⾊分担主要叙事负担，会更有说服⼒。对于那些懂⾏的⼈来说，
这就好⽐《权⼒的游戏》整个系列都是以珊莎⼀个⼈的视⻆讲述的。如果我们看到的是⼠兵
的故事，他知道叛军的情况，知道⾃⼰要防范的是什么--即使他有可能为之献出⽣命的⼥孩
让他⼼碎；或者是叛军⾸领的故事，他的挫败感转化为义愤填膺的暴⼒，然后任何暴⼒都可
以，最后演变成⼀头被逼⼊绝境的野兽......这其实是对⼀个可怕事件和相关⼈物的引⼈⼊胜
的描述。但现在的情况是，有太多的浮华在作祟。
在观看《布拉德利夫⼈之谜》的 "歌剧院之死 "⼀集之前，我对《布拉德利夫⼈之谜》并不
熟悉。 ⼤卫-坦南特（David Tennant）出演了这⼀集，否则我还会⼀⽆所知，但我很⾼兴我
看了这⼀集。⼤卫在剧中饰演⼀个⼩⻆⾊，是⼆⼗年代⼀所精英⼥⼦ "精修学校 "的⾳乐教
师。布拉德利夫⼈和她的司机都很讨⼈喜欢。没有别的说法了。故事是⼀个有点公式化的锁
⻔推理，可以归类为 "温馨 "推理。谋杀，但都很⽂明。以⼀座可爱的豪宅为背景，诙谐的
戏谑，上流社会的绅⼠淑⼥......喜欢残酷现实主义的读者可以去其他地⽅看看。古怪的布拉
德利夫⼈确实是这⼀集的主⻆，但故事也有⼀些惊喜。剧中有很多⼥同性恋的阴谋，我没想
到⼆⼗年代的悬疑谋杀案会由⼀个⼩⽼太太来解决。⼤卫在剧中饰演的神秘⾳乐⽼师还不
错，他⼤部分时间都淡出了背景，这也是他应该做的。就像所有的密室谜案⼀样，你需要能
够和其他⼈⼀起怀疑他，⽽作为⼀名优秀演员的⼀部分就是要知道你的⻆⾊是如何配合的。
当前时空领主彼得-戴维森（Peter Davison）扮演的警察督察出现在戴维的⼀个场景中时，
他眼中闪过⼀丝炫⽬，这⼀切都是值得的。戴维并没有破坏⻆⾊，我不知道他那天在⽚场是
否和彼得谈起了《神秘博⼠》 ，或者是太⼝不择⾔了--我觉得两种情况都有可能。 但他显然
⾮常兴奋。