Читаю сейчас «Человеческую природу» Корнелла, ту самую книжку с Седьмым Доктором, которую потом переписали в сценарий для сериала. Сюжет в кино основательно подсократили и линию Джона Смита переписали с учетом биографии и характера Десятого. Но при чтении меня сильно задел один момент.
Когда я смотрела серию, меня зацепила сцена с наказанием Тимоти.

Хатчинсон: Разве я вам не говорил, сэр! Мальчишка бесполезен! Дайте разрешение выпороть мальчишку, сэр!
Директор: Это ваш класс, мистер Смит. Вам решать.
Джон Смит *безразлично*: Разрешение получено.
Хатчинсон *злорадно*: Идем со мной, идиот.
Джон Смит *даже не смотрит в их сторону и бежит общаться с Джоан*

Я тогда это для себя объяснила традицией. Учителям просто не принято было вмешиваться в подобное.

Но потом я прочитала в книге вот эту сцену.

читать дальше'Dean?'
Timothy was staring out of the window at the terrible greenness of the cricket pitch. Anand nudged him in the ribs. He looked up. 'Sorry, what?'
'Timothy Dean?' Smith grinned at him. 'I don't know why I'm asking, I can see you're there.'

Hutchinson glanced at the stern looks on his comrades' faces, nodded and stood up. 'Sir, that's not right.'
'What?' Smith peered myopically between Dean and Hutchinson. 'Can't you see him?'
'Missing one's name in a roll call is a disciplinary offence, sir, under the rules of the school. Aren't you going to do anything about it?'
'Why, what do you think I should do?'
'The standard punishment is ten strokes of the slipper, sir. Perhaps you weren't aware of it.'
'Aware?' Smith looked uneasily round the class. 'Yes, I knew that. But this is my form room. Can't I change the rules?'
'None of us can change the rules, sir. Even if we'd like to. If you'd prefer it, I could administer the punishment myself.'
Smith fiddled with the air, thinking. 'Yes,' he decided.
Timothy opened his mouth in horror. Last time Hutchinson had punished him, he hadn't been able to sit down for three days, and couldn't get to sleep for the pain of the bruises.
Hutchinson stood up. 'May I have the slipper, sir?'
Smith was fumbling inside his briefcase. 'I wondered why I had to bring one of these to every lesson. I nearly wore it, but I'd have ended up walking in circles.
Ah!' With a flourish, he pulled a fluffy pink slipper from the bag, and experimentally slapped it across the back of his hand. 'Yes... that shouldn't hurt.' He looked up at Hutchinson. 'Ready?'
Hutchinson had walked up to the desk. Now he stopped, stiffly turned and headed back to his place. 'I think we can defer the punishment, sir.'
'Oh good.' Smith looked puzzled, dropped the slipper back into his bag, and smiled at the class. Many secret smiles were directed back at him, except from the
Captains, who were staring at him with a mixture of incredulity and distaste. 'Now. Destruction, murder, people impaled on posts. All of these are a feature of
Boudicca's rebellion against the Romans, circa AD 62.'
[…]
'Who's right?' Smith lowered his head until it was level with Hutchinson's. 'How can I possibly - ?' Hutchinson glanced away.
'Who's right?' bellowed Smith.
'I don't know!' shouted Hutchinson.
'No!' Smith slapped the slipper across the edge of his desk with a sound like a whiplash.
The boy jumped up out of his seat and stood there, glaring at Smith and panting. For a moment, the class thought that Hutchinson was going to hit him.
Then Smith turned away, and wandered back towards the blackboard. The slipper had vanished once more.
'No,' he murmured, like he'd lost his place again. 'No, you don't...' He turned and looked at the boys. 'Now, where were we?'
[…]
The bell rang at eleven, and the class filed out, many of the boys clustering around the notice-board outside as they left. Hutchinson didn't even look at Smith as he
marched swiftly by.
Timothy stopped at the desk, and looked nervously up at his form master. Smith was quickly packing his briefcase, ready to get on to his next class. 'Excuse me, sir.
Thank you, sir.'
'Oh? What for?'
'You didn't let Hutchinson at me, sir. I wanted you to have this.' There was a quiet intensity, a desperation, to the boy's voice. He pulled a bright red apple from his
pocket, and held it out, his hand shaking slightly.


Можно много размышлять о том, насколько жестким и опасным был или не был Седьмой. Но мне кажется, что Джон Смит человечного и добрейшего Десятого уж никак не может быть равнодушнее к насилию, чем Джон Смит довольно противоречивого Седьмого.

И в фильме у Джона Смита есть возможность остановить наказание, но он ведет себя так, как будто ему абсолютно все равно.
В книге он обязан наказать ученика по правилам, но все равно находит способ этого не сделать и ставит на место Хатчинсона. В книге получается хотя и обычный человек, но хороший учитель, которого очень беспокоит, что происходит с учениками.
В фильме Джон Смит какой-то больше сосредоточенный на своих мечтах, снах и Джоан получился.

Меня удивляет, почему эту сцену так изменили, а другие подобные и вовсе вырезали. Ведь первый вариант к характеру Десятого и его Джона Смита подходит куда больше…