Films That Star the Doctors

Haven't done a movie-watching project in a while, though of course, I'm bound to see more than my fair share of horror films in October (it's traditional), there's something a lot more important to me coming that month - a new series of Doctor Who! So yeah, you can expect weekly reviews of that show to start again, but it also seems like a good opportunity to supplement each week's horror with a little Doctor to keep the darkness at bay. Or any actor who's played the Doctor.

The idea: To watch one movie from each actor (from Hartnell to Whittaker), one I've never seen before (though I'm not against revisiting something). It's not always easy, since some had better television careers, and older British films may not be as easy to find as I hope. But I'm gonna give it the old Time Lord try. What would that marathon look like?

William Hartnell: If you're doing this with me, I recommend Hell Drivers. He's not the lead or anything, but it's a lot of fun (except I've seen it). The highest rated film he's been in seems to be 1947's Odd Man Out, though he has a bigger part in Brighton Rock, but he's best known for his Sergeant roles, and I've found Carry On Sergeant, so.

Patrick Troughton: I've already seen The Omen, Jason and the Argonauts, and Hamlet, so though I might be interested in watching that first one again, I might have to seek out The Gorgon or Treasure Island. Troughton was a character actor, so he's never in a big role.

Jon Pertwee: It's going to be A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum because it's already on my DVR! A good alternative might have been the Cushing/Lee The House That Dripped Blood.

Tom Baker: The most obvious would be The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, but Frankenstein: The True Story might be the better October movie (his role is pretty small though).

Peter Davison: Arrrgh, it seems You, Me & Him is not very good, but it has David Tennant, David Warner, and Sarah Parish, a confluence of Whovian interest. I'll look into it, but the better choice might be 1994's Black Beauty.

Colin Baker: Not a film star, I'd have better luck with a theater marathon, if that could be achieved. He's done some TV movies, I guess. If I can find his Christmas Carol (he plays Dickens), that might work fine. Otherwise, The Harpist looks interesting (but can I find it?).

Sylvester McCoy:
In addition to the Hobbit films, I guess the most popular thing he's been in is the Frank Langella Dracula. I've been meaning to see that anyway.

Paul McGann: Let's just say Alien3 is already out of the way. Withnail and I (also with Richard E, Grant) is the goal, but I have a feeling I'll be settling for Queen of the Damned.

John Hurt: I've seen the War Doctor in some 25 films already - he was a big star! - so what's left? I might try to watch Doggville, Perfume, or what?! I've never seen Watership Down all the way through? So maybe! Revisiting Spaceballs or Only Lovers Left Alive is also a possibility.

Christopher Eccleston: I don't remember him from Existenz, so I'm curious, but if I'm going with something I've never seen, it will have to be Legend (the Tom Hardy Kray Bros. movie).

David Tennant: Bad Samaritan never came to theaters here. Mary Queen of Scots comes out in December, which might fit my time frame. And if I'm in a hurry, I have a friend after me to see What We Did on Our Holiday. But I've also always wanted to see him and Catherine Tate in Much Ado About Nothing. Not short of options.

Matt Smith: I might recommend Womb, and didn't dislike Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but in my case, it's either Terminator Genesys or Ryan Gosling's arty Lost River. Hardly Sophie's Choice, is it? ;-)

Peter Capaldi: He plays "W.H.O. Doctor" in World War Z, which might be enough. Everyone's shouting at me to include Lair of the White Worm, so okay, I HEAR YOU! SEE HUGH GRANT BELOW!

Jodie Whittaker: I just might revisit Attack the Block, but Jodie is central in Adult Life Skills, so I'm aiming for that. Black Sea might also have been a good option.

BONUS ROUND!

If I want to keep going, here are movies I have not seen with actors who have played the Doctor on screen either in a non-canon capacity, or as recastings...
Peter Cushing: The Satanic Rituals of Dracula is streaming.
Richard Hurndall: Royal Flash
Rowan Atkinson: Never Say Never Again? One of his dumb comedies? I've seen all the good stuff.
Richard E. Grant: Corpse Bride, Can You Ever Forgive Me, but he's all over this list.
Jim Broadbent: Filth
Hugh Grant: The Lair of the White Worm
Joanna Lumley: Corpse Bride (also hits Richard Grant)
David Bradley: Harry Brown

Or perhaps there are flicks YOU want to recommend starring or featuring these fine folks. Let me know in the comments. In the meantime, I'll try to track down, watch, and review one of these a week, in order if I can.

Comments

Radagast said…
I'm just here for the headline image sorry. 😉
Will said…
Peter Capaldi:
Lair Of The White Worm
In the Loop as Malcom Tucker

David Tennant in Vile Bodies an adaptation of Waugh's Vile_Bodies
It's not a starring role
It also has Fenella Woolgar who played Agatha Christie on Dr Who
also Richard Grant very briefly
Siskoid said…
I of course have a copy of In the Loop since I'm a big fan of The Thick of It, but that's a second recommendation for Lair of the White Worm, I'll have to check it out.

Richard Grant is in, like, half of all possible films it seems.
Green Luthor said…
I suppose you could watch Eccleston in GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, but that would require you to watch GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and I don't think anything is worth doing that to yourself...
Anonymous said…
Christopher Eccleston - Shallow Grave

And yes, Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker is the best. But if you want to see him in a movie with the two robots from "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" AND Joan Redfern, that'd be "Magicians".

... for that matter, "Broadchurch" will get you David Tennant, Jodie Whitaker, and David Bradley. That's three Doctors, with some bonus Rory Williams, Prisoner Zero, and Gwen Cooper. And that's just first season!
Siskoid said…
Luthor: My ex-brother in law hurt me deep when he forced me to watch it.

Anon: You'll find reviews of all three Broadchurch series on this site somewhere, but of course, TV shows aren't on the menu.
Anonymous said…
How can you fail to include Capaldi's bagpipe playing, kilt-wearing archaeology student Angus Flint in Ken Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm.

Catsmate
Erich said…
Some possible suggestions (if you haven't already seen them):

For Jon Pertwee, "Carry On Screaming" (appropriate for the month of October) or "Carry On Cowboy."

For Tom Baker, "Nicholas and Alexandra" or Pier Paolo Pasolini's "The Canterbury Tales" (just be warned that you will see the Doctor naked in that one...)
Allen W. Wright said…
Hartnell: If you haven't seen This Sporting Life, I highly recommend it. It's classic British New Wave cinema.

Jon Pertwee: I may have over-vocalized when he appeared in Forum when we watched it in high school Latin class

Tom Baker: Also a vote for The Canterbury Tales, but also if you count TV movies - The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

Allen W. Wright said…
Oh, and Shallow Grave - a movie I watched just because Eccleston was in it, and I liked him in Cracker. (A decade before he was the Doctor.)