T Dan Smith: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Utopia is billed by its makers (Amber Films) as 'an experimental mix of thriller and documentary'. The film is half of one and half of the other. The documentary aspect discusses T Dan Smith's life with the man himself: his views on Newcastle Upon Tyne, his prison sentence, and what it means for him now. The drama aspect tells a 'fictional' tale of a prominent councillor who does some questionable dealing, but is ultimately stitched up by the local Conservative MP and the Home Secretary.
The documentary aspect is good. It fails to come to any kind of definitive conclusion as to Smith's guilt (or lack thereof), but that isn't necessarily a problem. The question of his morality and ethics whilst serving is still open to question to this day. Smith himself is honest and forthright, although at times he comes across as incoherent and often stumbles across his answers. Based on earlier interviews, this is not limited to the film.
The drama is okay, if amateurish at times. What I think does work is the mix of the two. Throughout, we are told of the decisions that the fictional T Dan Smith would encounter and why was he the right man in the right place at the wrong time.
The most worthwhile contribution of the film is the manner in which it shows the limits of local government, something which rings true more than ever today. T Dan Smith was a revolutionary, who had a vision for a rebuilt Newcastle as part of an independent North East. Yet, the lack of organisational networks (something he viewed as a good thing) was to be his, and Newcastle's, downfall. To this day, local government remains a highly relevant political institution yet deeply underfunded and lacking in real autonomy. This docudrama highlights that better than anything.
All in all, a film well worth watching, if only because it is one of the only films to explore this in any great depth.
The documentary aspect is good. It fails to come to any kind of definitive conclusion as to Smith's guilt (or lack thereof), but that isn't necessarily a problem. The question of his morality and ethics whilst serving is still open to question to this day. Smith himself is honest and forthright, although at times he comes across as incoherent and often stumbles across his answers. Based on earlier interviews, this is not limited to the film.
The drama is okay, if amateurish at times. What I think does work is the mix of the two. Throughout, we are told of the decisions that the fictional T Dan Smith would encounter and why was he the right man in the right place at the wrong time.
The most worthwhile contribution of the film is the manner in which it shows the limits of local government, something which rings true more than ever today. T Dan Smith was a revolutionary, who had a vision for a rebuilt Newcastle as part of an independent North East. Yet, the lack of organisational networks (something he viewed as a good thing) was to be his, and Newcastle's, downfall. To this day, local government remains a highly relevant political institution yet deeply underfunded and lacking in real autonomy. This docudrama highlights that better than anything.
All in all, a film well worth watching, if only because it is one of the only films to explore this in any great depth.
