Back to newsletter listDate:
Thu, March 27, 2008 12:14:39 AMFrom:
Discworld Monthly
Subject:
[dwm] Discworld Monthly - Issue 132
*** Discworld Monthly ***
*** Issue 132: April 2008 ***
Table of Contents:
1. Editorial
2. News
3. Readers' Letters
4. DiscTrivia
5. The Colour of Magic Premiere
6. Competitions
7. Review: Terry at the Bath Literature Festival
8. The End
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1. Editorial
Welcome to issue 132. On March 3rd I was invited to the Premiere of
The Colour of Magic in London. It was a wonderful evening and an
excellent production. Read section 5 to find out all about it.
Sky have updated their official website of the adaptation to include
a very funny selection of Tourist Guides to Ankh-Morpork and The
Discworld presented in the style of Mr Cholmondeley Warner.
See http://www.sky.com/magic
----------
In the unlikely event that you missed the news this month, Terry has
personally donated 1 million USD to Alzheimers Research UK. More
information about this is included in the news section.
Various fans felt it would be good to "Match it for Pratchett", so
if you wish to make a small donation why don't we see if we can
(collectively) match Terry's contribution.
Terry has asked that if you want to donate to Alzheimers Research
UK, please donate direct to the charity (not via some of the
websites that have popped up claiming to offer this service) if for
no other reason than that by donating direct to the charity you can
guarantee that 100% of your money gets to them.
The other advantage of donating direct is that if you are a UK tax
payer you can claim Gift Aid on your donation and the government
will pay the charity an extra percentage based on what you donate.
To make a donation visit http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/ and
please remember to mention "Terry Pratchett" in the notes section.
It appears that a good start has been made on this endeavour. In
the first week over 34,000 GBP was raised by fans. See this report
by The Press Association:
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jAAMv1JBLrG7gATqtfyh77ImEW9g
The replica Luggage from The Colour of Magic auctioned on Ebay,
raised over 3,300 GBP for Alzheimer's Research.
http://wwww.discworldmonthly.co.uk?redir=eBay200803
----------
To celebrate 25 years of Discworld, the Times On-line are running a
competition to win an iPod populated with Terry's back history of
audiobooks. To enter the competition you must send them a picture of
you dressed as your favourite Discworld character.
More details at:
http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk?redir=TimesOnline200803
----------
Don't forget, if you visit a play or a talk and would like to let
the world know about it, please feel free to email your review to
oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk and we will consider it for publication.
--
Jason Anthony (Editor) oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk
William Barnett (Deputy Editor)
Richard Massey (Martyr to his Lumbago)
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2. News
From Sandra Kidby's excellent news site:
http://www.pjsmprints.com/news/
"I'D EAT THE ARSE OUT OF A DEAD MOLE IF IT OFFERED A FIGHTING
CHANCE" SAYS TERRY PRATCHETT, AS HE PLEDGES 1 MILLION USD TO
ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH
Best-selling author, Terry Pratchett, will today pledge 1 million
USD to leading UK charity, the Alzheimers Research Trust, in a bid
to help find a cure for the devastating disease, with which he was
diagnosed in December 2007. Speaking at the charity's ninth Annual
Network Conference in Bristol, the Discworld author will address
leading dementia experts, describing the sheer frustration he felt
after learning he had a rare version of early-onset Alzheimers
disease, and the extreme lengths he would go to in order to beat the
disease.
Mr Pratchett says:
"Part of me lives in a world of new age remedies and science, and
some of the science is a little like voodoo, but science was never
an exact science, and personally I'd eat the arse out of a dead mole
if it offered a fighting chance."
On the issue of raising awareness of dementia and the urgent need
for more research, the author added: "I intend to scream and
harangue while there is time."
While offering a light-hearted take on the disease, Mr Pratchett is
aware that his generous donation to the research charity will not
guarantee a cure can be found in his lifetime, adding:
"I am, along with many others, scrabbling to stay ahead long enough
to be there when the Cure comes along. Say it will be soon - there's
nearly as many of us as there are cancer sufferers, and it looks as
if the number of people with dementia will double within a
generation. In most cases, alongside the sufferer you will find a
spouse suffering as much. It is a shock to find out that funding for
Alzheimers research is just 3% of that to find cancer cures."
Mr Pratchett's donation is in recognition of the urgent need to
provide funding for research into the disease, which affects an
estimated 700,000 people in the UK. For every person with
Alzheimers, 11 GBP is spent each year on UK research compared with
289 GBP for each cancer patient, even though similar numbers of
people are affected.
Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimers Research Trust,
said:
"Whilst we were deeply saddened to learn of Mr Pratchett's
diagnosis, we are delighted that he has chosen to speak out about
his experiences with Alzheimers disease, to raise awareness about
its impact and the desperate need for more research.
Research is the only way to beat this disease and help people like
Terry - to prevent them losing their thinking skills and keep them
doing the things they love. Terry's generous donation will fund
promising UK research which hopes to find ways to slow down or
halt the disease. The reality is that we are scraping for every
penny and have to turn down two out of every three research
projects."
The conference is an opportunity for 200 of the best UK dementia
researchers, from across the ART's 15 Network centres, to exchange
results and discuss new ideas to tackle dementia.
- Ends -
About Alzheimers disease
- Alzheimers disease is not a normal, unavoidable part of getting
older, but an as yet incurable brain disease.
- Care services for Alzheimers disease cost the UK more than
cancer, heart disease and stroke combined.
- There are currently 700,000 people with dementia in the UK. The
number of people with dementia is forecast to double within a
generation.
About the Alzheimers Research Trust
- The Alzheimers Research Trust is the UK's leading research
charity for Alzheimers and related causes of dementia. It relies
on donations from the public to fund its vital research.
- The Alzheimers Research Trust provides free information to the
public on Alzheimers and the treatments currently available:
phone 01223 843 899; http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk
- Alzheimers research is severely under-funded - only 11 GBP is
spent on UK research annually per patient, compared with 289 GBP
for people with cancer.
A video of Terry's speech can be found at:
http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/?redir=BBCVideo200803
and a BBC interview can be found at:
http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/?redir=Interview200803
The Guardian has an article on Terry at:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2265294,00.html
and the Telegraph also has an article at:
http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/?redir=Telegraph200803
----------
From the Independent on Sunday -
http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/?redir=Independent200803
Broomsticks at dawn as Pratchett curses JK
Ah, a little literary ink is slung in the world of fantasy fiction,
something to warm the cockles on a nippy morning.
Should the Harry Potter author JK Rowling find herself invited to
inspect the carnivorous plant collection of the prolific Discworld
scribe Terry Pratchett, she had best decline, lest the door to his
greenhouse clicks shut, locked, behind her.
At the screening of the TV adaptation of Pratchett's mass-translated
novel The Colour of Magic, I asked if he was a fan of JK.
"Not particularly," he said bluntly. "I read the first one [Harry
Potter], that was fine, but now I read other things. You don't have
to be a fan, it's not compulsory."
Rowling is suing the US publishers, RDR Books, who intended to
publish a Harry Potter Lexicon, a 400-page reference book of
potions, mystical creatures and the like for fans of the child
wizard.
Pratchett disapproves of Rowling's legal action. "In fantasy
writing, accusations of copying are very difficult to make," he
said. "You know who invented wizards? Who invented Goblins? If we
were going to start paying royalties for nicking one another's
ideas, we'd have all given our life savings to the Tolkien family a
long time ago."
Turns out it's not the first time Pratchett has tried to turn JK
into a frog. In 2005, she said she hadn't realised the first Potter
book was fantasy. He deadpanned: "I'm not the world's greatest
expert, but I'd have thought the wizards, witches, trolls, unicorns,
hidden worlds, jumping chocolate frogs, owl mail, magic food,
ghosts, broomsticks and spells would have given her a clue."
JK Rowling / Warner bothers take their case to court on 24th March
at 9:30am at the United States Courthouse in Manhattan.
----------
Issue 168 (April 2008) of SFX magaine features a six page article
about The Colour of Magic adaptation. The article includes several
pictures taken on set and on location and even mentions Discworld
Monthly. Part of the article is an inteview with Tim Curry in which
he mentions the fan extras and how much he enjoyed us rioting
outside the Unseen University.
http://www.sfx.co.uk
The latest edition of TV Zone features an interview with Tim Curry
about his role as Trymon and features lots of pictures.
http://www.visimag.com/tvzone/
----------
Provisional TV ratings news from The Guardian:
Sky One's lavish Terry Pratchett drama The Colour of Magic concluded
with nearly 1 million viewers last night, March 24.
The adaptation of Pratchett's Discworld novel attracted an average
of 967,000 viewers and a multichannel share of 4.7% between 6pm and
8pm, according to unofficial overnight figures.
Sky One's second Pratchett adaptation peaked at 1.1 million viewers
for the 15 minutes from 7.15pm.
The first part of the drama picked up 1.5 million viewers and an 8%
share on Sunday night.
Sky One's first Pratchett adaptation, Hogfather, launched with 2.4
million viewers over Christmas 2006, with the second part attracting
1.5 million.
The channel has already commissioned a third Pratchett drama, Going
Postal, which will air next year.
[I expect that the drop from Hogfather was down to Sky loosing
thousands of SkyOne viewers, myself included, when Sky and Virgin
Media were unable to re-negociate on price last year. - Ed]
http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk?redir=Guardian200803
----------
Wadfest (the Discworld's only annual camping event) has now got
pages on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/wadfest), Facebook
(http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24591245362) and Bebo
(http://www.bebo.com/Wadfest) as well as its own website and forum
at http://www.wadfest.co.uk
----------
The popular and long-running e-mail service A Word A Day (sign up at
http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscribe.html) features a theme of
"lesser-known counterparts of common words." The word for March 6
is "inhume", the Assassins' Guild's infamous euphemism for their
line of work.
http://wordsmith.org/words/inhume.html
----------
Transworld, Terry's UK publisher, have finally started to create a
website for Terry. At the moment it simply claims to be coming soon
but it promises that it will be a great destination site for all
fans. It will enable you to talk to other fans via its forum, and
will be packed full of information and exclusive news about Terry
Pratchett and his books, as well as having great downloads, games,
competitions and more.
See http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk
Why the Internet would need another Discworld forum I don't know. I
can think of half a dozen busy Discworld forums without trying that
hard. And I doubt it will be able to provide news that isn't
already available on Sandra Kidby's site http://www.pjsmprints.co.uk
which gets its information direct from Terry.
----------
Discworld Dates...
This section will contain events that you need to keep in your
diary. Entries will remain until they go out of date. New entries
will include the word [New] next to them. If this section gets too
large we will start pruning entries.
----------
[UK, New] The student drama group 'RoGUES' (Robert Gordon
Entertainment Society) in Aberdeen will be performing Wyrd Sisters
on the 1st and 2nd of April.
The play will be on at the Arts Centre, Aberdeen, and tickets are
available from the Aberdeen Box Office ticket site
http://www.boxofficeaberdeen.com.
The show opens at 7pm both nights and the curtains go up at 7.30.
Tickets cost 8 GBP (Concessions 6 GBP).
For more information about -
http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=3625961111
----------
[UK, Updated] The Broken Drummers is a London Discworld Group that
meets once a month on a Monday evening. Membership is free - just
come along. New members and visitors to London are both welcome and
encouraged.
April's meeting will be on Monday 14th April at the Monkey Puzzle,
Paddington, London, W2 1JQ.
Keep an eye on http://www.brokendrummers.co.uk or e-mail
helenenicholls@yahoo.co.uk
----------
On April 19th and 20th at the Elf Fantasy Festival at Castle de Haar
in Haarzuilen in the Netherlands, "Jeugdtheaterschool
Oost-Groningen" (youth theatre school East Groningen) will perform a
Dutch spoken version of Maskerade, based on Terry's book. Exact
times not available yet on the website.
There is a preview at: http://www.elffantasy.eu/?page_id=141 (second
clip)
----------
[UK, New] Tabs Productions will be producing 'Mort' at the
Pomegranate Theatre, Corporation St, Chesterfield from Tuesday 15th
April - Saturday 19th April at 7.30pm with a Saturday Matinee at
3.30pm
Tickets are 9.50 GBP (7.00 GBP concs), a family of four costs 30.00
GBP and can be obtained from 01246 345222
http://www.tabsproductions.co.uk
----------
The Chameleons Amateur Dramatic Society will be performing Wyrd
Sisters from May 8th - 10th 2008 at the Glaxo SmithKlein Leisure
Centre, Oldfield ***, North Greenford, Middlesex UB6 0HE (Easily
accessible from London and the M40)
Tickets cost 9 GBP Adults, 7.50 GBP concessions. With a 10%
discount available on groups of 10 or more.
Box Office 020 8123 6443 or tickets@thechameleons.co.uk
http://www.thechameleons.co.uk/BoxOfficeWyrd.php
----------
[UK] The Wincanton Spring Bash will be held on the 24 and 25 May.
Visit http://www.discworldemporium.com/ for more details.
----------
[UK, New] KATS World Premier of Terry Pratchett's Moving Pictures
adapted for the stage by John Hicks and Kevin Miller will be
performed from 31st July to 2 August 2008 at Kennet School,
Thatcham. Tickets cost 8 GBP, see http://www.kats.org.uk for more
details.
AUDITIONS: If you are interested in taking part, open auditions are
being held on 27 March, 3 April and 7 April at Bucklebury Memorial
Hall, Upper Bucklebury. More details on the KATS website.
----------
[UK] The Discworld Convention 2008 will take place at the Hilton
Metropole Hotel, Birmingham from 22nd to 25th August 2008.
For more information visit: http://www.dwcon.org/
----------
[UK] Wadfest 2008 will take place on the 29th - 31st August 2008.
Tickets cost 15 GBP for adults with children under 16 free when
accompanied by a paying adult.
For more information visit: http://www.wadfest.co.uk/
----------
[UK] The Wincanton Hogswatch Event will be celebrated on the 29th
and 30th November. Visit http://www.discworldemporium.com/ for more
details once they have been confirmed.
----------
[US] The First North American Discworld Convention will take place
from September 4-7, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona.
For more information visit http://www.nadwcon.org/
----------
Small Ads...
Please note, DWM has no way of checking the veracity or validity of
any of the items in our small ads section. As always, exercise
caution when giving out your details over the Internet. We
*strongly* recommend parental supervision for younger readers who
follow up any of these contacts.
----------
Therusha Naidoo
fan since I was like 13! Got the books from my school library and
have been hooked since, I even have my mum hooked on Mr Pratchett!
I was wondering as its very difficult to find out information on
news and events in South Africa if you would be able to assist me.
I live in Johannesburg and feel like I am in a minority when it
comes to the Discworld books. Would like to join or start something
for my fellow followers so that we can grow a network as big as the
UK one.
Please help, I used to subscribe to DM and had to stop when I moved.
Now I am back on and keen to do this. I am sure there are millions
of fans here, just need to find them.
DWM adds: If you live in South Africa why not get in contact with
Therusha.
----------
David Lovett
myself to the Collector's edition calendar and diary (this year
being the Year of enlightenment'). But I was persuaded to leave it to
my children this time so that they did not have to think what else
to get me for Christmas. But they failed to do so, and now I cannot
find copies anywhere. Can anyone help me to find copies? I don't
want my collection to have a gap.
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3. Readers' Letters
If you have any letters or comments, please email them to
oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk
We assume any correspondence is eligible for use in the newsletter
unless otherwise stated, including the sender's email address. We
may also edit your letters and shred them to use a bedding material
for our hamsters.
It is vitally important that you don't pass off other people's work
as your own. If you use information from other resources please let
us know so we can give proper credit.
The best letter of the month will receive a Kiss the Cook print
supplied as by Bonsai Trading. Sadly Bonsai Trading is no longer
trading but John Pagan has kindly supplied me with a reasonable
supply of prints to give away.
----------
*
* From: "Rory O'Brien"
*
Further to correspondence of a few weeks ago I have extracted the
digit and set up a petition at:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/terry-pratchett-knighthood.html
With the intention of getting a Knighthood for Terry Pratchett.
----------
*
* From: "Heather Jadhav"
*
Regarding the book signing in Bath recently. How selfish some
people are! Yes ask for 1 book signing but why 5 at a time. A
restriction is requested, 'no dedications' does this not indicate
that the book signing is stressful. People asking for up to 5
books to be signed I cannot believe the thoughtlessness. My
daughter has queued for 2 hours for 1 signature for me (several
years ago) and Terry will just sit and keep signing, so many want a
piece of him. I think the time has come for people to have a little
bit of thought and not keep expecting Terry to do this. Maybe it is
because I'm a nurse that I have felt so cross or maybe it is because
I don't want to see some-one who gives so much back to his fans
burnt out by the excessive demands of a few. I am sure the majority
of people would agree with me.
----------
*
* From: "Diane Simons"
*
In the colour of magic a narrative does suggest that Rincewind
"looks" in his 30's. But it was dark.
As for David Jason - My first reaction was the same as JP's. If Sky
make more then it can get confusing who an actor is meant to be in
this one. However, I reassured myself very quickly. I have never
confused Del Boy with Inspector Frost or G...g...g.g.ranville. In
fact I remember the day it actually dawned on me that they were
played by the same person. I was stunned. It was a slow as the way
sunlight rolls over the disc! I have no doubt what so ever that
this marvellous, talented and adaptable actor could play every part
in the screen play and we would still see the individuality or each
character.
Don't worry JP - It will work out well. He's good.
----------
*
* From: "emma crewdson"
*
I just finished reading the most recent edition of Discworld Monthly
and in response to the person who complained about PTerry not being
mentioned in the 50 Greatest British writers, (I completely agree
that it is an appalling oversight) you mentioned Isaac Asimov also
not being listed. Isaac Asimov wasn't British! He was born in
Russia and emigrated with his family to the USA when very young.
Perhaps you meant Arthur C. Clarke? Sorry to be picky...
And speaking of Arthur C Clarke - we note his sad departure from
this reality this month. You can hear Terry's fitting tribute to
the man that put science into science fiction at
http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk?redr=ArthurCClarke
----------
*
* From: "Tony Wood"
*
Following the recent reference to Treacle Mines in the DWM, I seem
to remember (back in the Sixties) that Ken Dodd's Diddymen used to
work in the treacle mines at Knotty Ash, just outside Liverpool.
That's where Mick the Marmaliser and Dicky Mint worked - or was that
at the nearby jam butty mines?
btw for a great interview with Ken Dodd and the Beatles, check out
Youtube.
----------
*
* From: jacqueline simpson
*
There are many villages and towns in England that have this weird
legend of a secret treacle well. The one Terry first knew of was at
Bisham in Bedfordshire; his father used to tell him about it when he
was about eight years old, and though he didn't actually believe it
he still somewhere deep down hoped it *might* be true.
How do I know this? Ten years ago Terry gave a lecture to the
Folklore Society in London (I was its Secretary at the time), and he
happened to mention this.
----------
*
* From: "Adam Craik"
*
Re. JA's reply to J-P Jones's letter of issue 131, Rincewind is
generally believed to still be in his mid 30's to 40's based on both
the age of Dr Rijinswand (33) in 'Colour of Magic' and based on
'Sourcery', which says that he enrolled at Unseen University 16
years earlier, which means he can't be more than his late 20's if he
enrolled at about the age of 10/11 (the age Esk and Simon were when
they enrolled in 'Egual Rites' and the age Coin was when he arrived
in 'Sourcery'. Ridcully was also, presumably, not much older than
this when he enrolled, because Windle Poons states in 'Reaper Man'
that Ridcully cried for his mother on his first night).
Additionally, while Josh Kirby's art does depict Rincewind as being
older than this, he also depicts Twoflower as having four eyes and
shows Rincewind both wearing a hat (despite Druella commenting that
he lacked one) and with a long beard (despite it being described as
short).
As for Rincewind needing to be old because he was educated at the
same time as Trymon, this need not be the case. Trymon doesn't have
to be old in order to be a Senior wizard - he simply needs to have
taken action to ensured rapid promotion. Ridcully, for example, was
a Seventh level wizard by the age of 27. It would have not taken
much for him to achieve the Eighth level and become a Senior wizard.
It should also not be forgotten that Ponder Stibbons is a senior
wizard, but he can't be older than his mid 20's, since he only
graduated in 'Moving Pictures'.
----------
*
* From: "Jenny Wolfe"
*
I am a 58year old female & Grandmother and sick of being told that I
am too old to read Terry! I tell these idiots that I have abandoned
all other books and only read and re-read Terry, because he is the
only author in all my years of reading who consistently leaves me
disappointed that the book is finished and satisfied having had a
good read. One tiny question however, if Trolls are rocks, where
does the troll skin come from that the Hero's wear? Terry, may you
live forever, because your books will!
----------
*
* From: "Scott Haley"
*
On the Discworld, Eight is a magic number. I noticed that this year
we'll have 08/08/2008. Has anyone already suggested that August the
Eighth be a special day to honor Mr. Pratchett? Perhaps fans could
raise money for Alzheimer's research on that day.
----------
*
* From: "Cynthia M Games"
*
It would appear that Terry Pratchett's Discworld is invading
Torchwood via the rift in Cardiff (or is it that Roundworld is
invading Discworld once again?)
Has anyone else noticed the very Discworld plot themes in recent
episodes of Torchwood? Firstly, we see the newly-undead Dr Owen
Harper leaping into the sea (echoes of Reaper Man's Windle Poons
trying to end his undeath by jumping from the Brass Bridge into the
Ankh). Then enter the tall bloke with the scythe and the black robe
(who somewhat resembles Death's malicious would-be successor in the
same novel). Then a few episodes on, Cardiff residents are found
gazing glassy-eyed at an Odium-like movie theatre screen (Making
Movies) whilst their last seconds of life are kept in a bottle which
is accidentally dropped and spills its contents (similar to the
story of Albert's broken lifetimer in Soul Music).
Will the Discworld fan in Russell T Davies' team please stand up?
Or - could it be possible that Pterry has followed in Douglas Adams'
footsteps? The late great DA is known for having written episodes
for Dr Who about searching for the lost pieces of a broken artefact
that were rejected, but later the ideas appeared both in the
HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy" and the Time Lord's
adventures. I cannot believe that it is pure coincidence.
DWM replies: I would probably put this down to coincidence until the
latest episode I watched where Owen's girlfriend is diagnosed as the
youngest person to ever have early on-set Alzheimers! It actually
turned out she had an alien growing in her brain. I wonder if Terry
has had this option checked?
For coming up with this brilliant theory Cynthia gets this month's
Letter Of The Month.
----------
*
* From: "amandaanne1@tiscali.co.uk"
*
I have been a secret Discworld fan for over 20years!
I have never written before but felt compelled to do so today, after
Terry's fantastic donation to Alzheimers research but more
importantly his raising the awareness of Alzheimers and his
fighting spirit that would make the Mac Feegles proud! Never mind
knockin politicians teeth out Glasgow kiss needed!
I am a community psychiatric nurse working with older people in
Glasgow many of whom have dementia. I was spitting feathers today
when I heard Terry says he has to pay for his medication!! And has
struggled for specialised help. What a disgrace! I am glad to say
that doesn't happen in Scotland (Yet). I could rant on more but...
I would like to send my best to Terry and his family and thank him.
He kept me going as a student nurse on night shift 20yrs ago with
MORT and I have been addicted ever since.....and now people know it.
----------
*
* From: "The Innerbrat"
*
I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in Pterry than when I
read the "Letter from Terry" on SkyOne's site that you posted in
your Picsaweb gallery. Specifically "Observant fans, though, will
know that Twoflower was merely exotically foreign until Interesting
Times and Sean told me years ago he wanted to be in a Discworld
movie and so we decided West Coast American was exotic enough!"
Not only does this pre-empt any chance of doing an adaptation of
Interesting Times, but it also removes the most significant
character of colour from the entire series; the only other I can
think of offhand being Lu Tse.
It's not that Astin's not a fantastic actor - I'm sure he plays
Twoflower very well (I, being a Virgin customer, will have to wait
until the DVD release to find out), it's just that its rare enough
to see people of colour in fantasy, especially as sympathetic
characters, and the rich diversity of people and populations on the
Discworld is one of the reasons it stands up so well as a mirror of
our own. There's supposed to be no racism on the Discworld because
speciesism is more fun, not because all humans on it are white.
I had been looking forward to hearing what Pterry had to say about
this - the way racism/speciesism is dealt with in his novels had
always suggested he might at least acknowledge the issues inherent
in casting a white person in a role widely held to have an Asian
appearance - but the only reason he can give is that it was a favour
for another white male?
I can't wait until someone decides a man would be perfect for the
role of Granny Weatherwax. Or when they decide Tonker and Lofty
would be better as 'just good friends'.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
4. DiscTrivia
This month I'm asking questions about The Last Hero.
Q1. Who is in charge of the group of really stupid Henchmen?
Q2. What name does Vena the Raven Haired now use?
a) Vena
b) Zena
c) Mrs McGarry
d) Mrs Cake
Q3. Who joins Rincewind and Leonard da Quirm to make up the official
crew?
Q4. What does Ponder Stibbons have written on his shirt?
Q5. What is the name of the ship that Leonard designs?
The results, as always, appear at the end of this issue.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
5. The Colour of Magic Premiere.
March 3rd - Curzon Cinema, Mayfair, London
Written by Jason Anthony.
My wife and I arrived at the Curzon Cinema at about 6:15 for the 7pm
show and were amazed at just how many people were already waiting.
Both sides of the street had been fenced off and were covered in
large The Colour of Magic posters which I believe were all
appropriated within five minutes of the Curzon closing the doors on
the first performance.
We recognised some of the fans in the crowd and spoke with them for
a while until we noticed that some people were heading into the
cinema. We had tickets for the first show so we followed them in.
There were a few props in the main reception of the cinema including
the open unchained Octavo and Twoflower and Rincewind's costumes.
Once in the auditorium Richard Woolfe (head of Sky One, Two and
Three) spoke about how proud Sky was with this production and
mentioned that a few cameos were in the film. The most famous being
Jeremy Irons as Lord Vetinari. Richard also made reference to his
performance as the Alchemist.
With much less fanfare than the Hogfather premiere the lights were
dimmed and the film started. The intro was quite similar to the
Hogfather one but this time the narrator was Brian Cox. I found
Brian's narration a bit disjointed with large pauses between
sentences but soon fell into the pattern and sat back to enjoy the
film.
Whereas Hogfather was mostly confined to interior shots, The Colour
of Magic was able to have some really breathtaking long distance
shots which suit the wide-screen aspect beautifully. When the ship
that Twoflower arrives on pulls into the docks, you are treated to a
view of the whole city with the Tower of Art totally dominating the
skyline. It looks incredibly beautiful you just want to step into
the screen and be in Ankh-Morpork.
Despite all the controversy in casting David Jason as Rincewind, I
can happily say that his performance is brilliant - David is
obviously a huge fan of the character and it shows in his portrayal.
Sean Astin plays the foreign tourist excellently. It was a joy to
watch their first meeting in the Drum come to life on screen.
Helped, of course, by the shady-looking Ankh-Morporkian citizens in
the Broken Drum. I'm the Thud player on the left.
There is so much going on in the film that it would be impossible to
mention it all. The Luggage looks so good and Jeremy Irons is
simply amazing - he has a little puppy with him that we know will
grow up to be Wuffles.
The film ran along at a decent pace and our two heroes were soon out
of Ankh-Morpork (watching it burn) and heading out on adventures in
true road movie style. Unfortunately the Sending of the Eight
section of the book is absent but we do get to see the Wyrmburg in
all its CGI glory. Vadim Jean (the director) explained later that
Sean Astin has already fought giant spiders in a previous film so
they decided to go the Wyrmberg route instead.
Rather than running the two books in succession, the producers of
the programme have combined parts of The Light Fantastic into The
Colour of Magic. So we get to see Trymon's ambitious progress
through the faculty and we get to see a lot of the Librarian prior
to his magical accident. We also get to see the start of the
accident that transforms him into an Orangutan. I loved the wizards
running into the room and the Librarian looking up and saying
"Oook?".
The first hour and a half were over in a flash and the snippets of
the second half look amazing too.
After the program there was a quick Question and Answer session with
Terry Pratchett, Sean Astin, Sir David Jason and director Vadim
Jean.
The first question asked was "what are you making next?" and after
checking permission to go ahead, it was announced that Going Postal
would be made. They do, apparently, want to make more Rincewind
stories but David Jason wasn't available to do the next one due to
other contracts.
After the Q&A we were ushered out of the cinema to let the second
session take place.
After leaving the cinema we spoke briefly to some of the fans that
were queuing up for the second performance before heading off to the
after show party.
Things get a little blurry after that. Upon arriving on the 28th
floor we were given glasses of champagne. It seems to me that every
time I took the glass away from my mouth somebody was there filling
it back up again. So I only had one glass of champagne but it felt
like I had drunk several bottles of it!
I got to speak briefly with the very beautiful Karen David who plays
Liessa Dragonlady who pulled her stomach muscles doing the upside
down fighting scenes in the Wyrmburg and briefly with Sean Astin but
he was obviously in high demand. He appeared to remember me from
when we were filming the Broken Drum scnes and I reminded him that
he still owes me a game of Thud.
After that it was time to go home before I fell over. We got home
at about 2am, tired, drunk but very, very happy.
I can't wait now to see the whole production - scheduled to be on
SkyOne on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (23rd and 24th March) at
7pm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Competitions
This month I have a SkyOne pack to give away. This pack was given
to people at the Premiere after show party and therefore is very
limited.
The pack includes a black SkyOne bag, a The Colour of Magic press
pack, a limited edition region 2 DVD of Hogfather (No. 013657) and
the new paperback 25th anniversary edition of The Colour of Magic
and The Light Fantastic.
I have decided to raffle this off this month. Any money raised from
the raffle will be donated to Alzheimers Research UK. Due to the
weight and cost of postage of this prize the raffle is only
available to UK residents.
Tickets cost 2 GBP each and there is no limit to the number you can
purchase. To purchase your tickets please Paypal the correct amount
in GBP to oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk, please be sure to mention how
many tickets you are purchasing.
Please note: The only receipt you will receive is the one that
Paypal provides - please keep this for future reference.
All tickets should be purchased by the 20th April. The randomly
selected winning ticket will be announced next issue.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Review: The Colour of Magic Adaptation
Reviewed by Jason Anthony.
On Sunday 23rd and Monday 24th March 2008 SkyOne broadcast The Mob
Film Company's live action adaptation of The Colour of Magic.
Earlier in the month I was lucky enough to go to the premiere in
London where I saw the first half of the adaptation.
I have now watched both halves (after taking over my parents' lounge
for two nights). The Mob previously cut their Discworld teeth on
the well regarded and Bafta winning Hogfather. This time round they
decided to start back at the beginning of the series. This years in
fact is The Colour of Magic's 25th anniversary.
The pacing of The Colour of Magic appears to be much quicker than
Hogfather and the story much easier to follow too. The casting is
spot on. David Jason is excellent as Rincewind (and completely
different to his previous role as Albert) and Sean Astin makes a
wonderful Twoflower. He looks suitably out of place among the Ankh
Morpork inhabitants.
A few liberties have been taken with the story but this is to be
expected. We have for example the Wyrmberg but not the temple of
Bel Shamharoth. We do however get a nice scene where Twoflower sees
milestones to the Wyrmberg and tThe temple and has to make a choice
between the two locations. Death's role has been beefed up a bit as
his original role is quite limited in the book.
Some of the special effects looks absolutely amazing such as the
baby star turtles, semi-transparent dragons, the red star and Old
Granddad (a great big troll). Others look at times a bit limited,
such as when Rincewind rides a horse away from Ankh Morpork. I
expect that this is mainly down to trying to get so much done with
what is a very limited budget. The Mob have to be congratulated on
just how amazing this adaptation looks considering their budget was
a fraction of a big action movie.
More of the screen time has been given over to The Light Fantastic -
this adaptation is a combination of the first two Discworld books.
So Trymon's rise to power is mixed in with Rincewind and Twoflower's
adventures across the Disc. This allows more of the Light Fantastic
story to remain intact in the second half.
I love the way that Nicholas Tennant, who plays the Librarian
pre-transformation, talks about Monkeying around and also mentions
that the Octavo has gone Ape. Richard de Costa does a wonderful job
as both The Luggage and the post-transformation Librarian.
Apparently he spent a long time studying Orangutans before starting
the role.
As mentioned previously The Mob Film Company got fans involved with
this production and many of the background artists were Discworld
fans. Don't forget to look out for the editor of this very
newsletter drinking and playing Thud in the Drum and also being part
of the noisy crowd outside the UU.
Overall, fans and general viewers alike should enjoy this
adaptation. My parents, for example, who are not fans were both
able to follow the story more easily than with Hogfather.
I can't wait to get the DVD edition so that I can watch the
adaptation in my own home and without the adverts.
I absolutely loved this adaptation and won't hesitate to recommend
it. The Mob film company will next work on Going Postal and I can't
wait to see what they make of that. Hopefully fans will be allowed
to take part in that adaptation too (hint, hint).
The Colour of Magic really has brought the spirit of the Discworld
to the small screen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
8. The End
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* Disc Trivia Results *
Q1. Who is in charge of the group of really stupid Henchmen?
A1. Evil Harry Dread.
Q2. What name does Vena the Raven Haired now use?
A2. c) Mrs McGarry.
Q3. Who joins Rincewind and Leonard da Quirm to make up the official
crew?
A3. Carrot.
Q4. What does Ponder Stibbons have written on his shirt?
A4. Actually I am a Rocket Wizard.
Q5. What is the name of the ship that Leonard designs?
A5. The Kite.
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