Great Characters: Dr. Emmett Brown (“Back to the Future”)
I have a special fondness for this character as he is one of the central figures in the beloved Back to the Future movie franchise, the original one of which I am both proud and somewhat embarrassed to say I first saw on my honeymoon night (if you need any proof of me being a movie guy, that is it). Without further ado, may I introduce Dr. Emmett Lathrop “Doc” Brown:
Played wonderfully by Christopher Lloyd and created by screenwriters Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale, “Doc” Brown is perhaps the most memorable in the ‘mad scientist’ meme of movie characters. For those of you who have lived under a rock since 1985, here is the IMDB plot summary for the original Back to the Future:
In 1985, Doc Brown invents time travel; in 1955, Marty McFly accidentally prevents his parents from meeting, putting his own existence at stake.
So Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) would not have gotten sucked into the plot had it not been for his intersection with Doc Brown. That got me thinking: How did these two disparate figures meet up? Wikipedia has some answers:
The films do not depict how Doc originally met Marty, however production notes and word from creators Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale have stated that they met several years prior to the events of the first film when Marty sneaked into his lab after being warned to stay away from Doc by his parents. Doc was happy to be revered as being cool and hired Marty as his part-time lab assistant.
Here is a taste of their relationship:
And a bit more of Doc Brown in action:
[Marty sees the outside of the Hill Valley High School in 1955]
Marty McFly: Whoa… they really cleaned this place up. Looks brand-new.
[Marty and Doc walk toward the building]
Dr. Emmett Brown: Now, remember — according to my theory, you interfered with your parents first meeting. If they don’t meet, they won’t fall in love, they won’t get married and they won’t have kids. That’s why your older brother’s disappearing from that photograph. Your sister will follow, and unless you repair the damage, you’ll be next.
Marty McFly: Sounds pretty heavy.
Dr. Emmett Brown: Weight has nothing to do with it.
Mad scientist. Inventor. Theoretician. And conduit of every bit of complicated time travel exposition Marty needs to know. All of those clearly qualify Doc Brown as a Mentor figure.
Doc Brown: Great character.
Seriously how great is the movie Back to the Future? If you want to know more about how to use subplots or the value of setups and payoffs, there may be not better movie to break down and analyze than BTTF.
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