... In 'Moving Pictures' there are many references to classic films, some of which I can spot, others of which I didn't know about till reading online where there are sites dedicated to spotting them.
This book isn't just a clever play on words and situations, however. There's also quite ... Read review
The alchemists of the Discworld have discovered the magic of the silver screen. But what ... more
is the dark secret of Holy Wood hill? It's up to Victor Tugelbend ("Can't sing. Can't dance. Can handle a sword a little.") and Theda Withel ("I come from a little town you've probably never heard of") to find out.
Advantages: Great humour, thought-provoking, clever references Disadvantages: None that I've found
...century.
The moving picture industry converges on a previously deserted town called the Holy Wood (an obvious reference to Hollywood!) - but without anybody knowing quite WHY they're doing what they're doing. People arrive there as if called by an invisible voice, and every so often strange things happen: an actor suddenly finds himself passionately kissing a girl rather than simply untying her; a sausage-salesman dreams of huge posters ... ...in the centre of the moving picture industry.
Probably most Pratchett fans will have read this book before, but it's well worth a re-read. I first read it about ten years ago, shortly after it was published; recently I read it again, and found myself chuckling out loud at some places where I'd quite forgotten the clever allusions. It also provoked me to think about the whole movie industry - the way people get sucked in to glamour ... more
This book tells the story of how movies arrived in the Discworld. The Discworld is Terry Pratchett's best-known creation: a flat world populated with - amongst others - granite trolls, bearded dwarfs, friendly zombies, as well as every conceivable type of human. They live (mostly) peaceably alongside each other, in a culture somewhat reminiscent of Mediaeval England. There are watchmen who call the hour (when they remember), dank alehouses, and a filthy river. Oh, and there's a university run by wizards with an orang-utang as librarian.
There are also guilds, an attempt at organising the different craftspeople of the cities. This book particularly features the guild of alchemists, who have been experimenting on a new and highly explosive transparent filmy substance called octo-cellulose.
Since the Discworld has wizards and plenty of creativity, it also has a vast number of inventions which are easily recognisable to those of us from 21st century earth, cleverly powered by 12th century technology. Cameras, for instance, look somewhat like the box brownies of the 19th century, and work by having not brownies but bad-tempered imps inside them, painting pictures of whatever they see through the peep-hole.
So, when someone has the bright idea of using a team of imps, painting extremely fast onto octo-cellulose, the concept of 'moving pictures' is born. Salamanders - creatures who absorb light from the sun and then give out light when startled - are used in another box to project the images from the octo-cellulose onto a large screen. There is no sound, and the movies (or 'clicks' as they're known on Discworld) tend to feature brave young men rescuing frightened maidens who had been tied to trees by evil monsters (generally trolls dressed up), a reference of course to the early black-and-white soundless melodramatic films made in the early part of the 20th century.
The moving picture industry converges on a previously deserted town called the Holy Wood (an obvious reference to Hollywood!) - but without anybody knowing quite WHY they're doing what they're doing. People arrive there as if called by an invisible voice, and every so often strange things happen: an actor suddenly finds himself passionately kissing a girl rather than simply untying her; a sausage-salesman dreams of huge posters and dramatic advertisements; one of the wizards, for no apparent reason, fries some corn in a crucible with a plate on the top, and produces some rather tasteless white puffy things that he calls 'banged grains', and suddenly everybody wants to sell them to people watching the clicks.
That's really how this series of books works: brilliantly written scenarios that seem believable (well, somewhat believable anyway, given the conditions of the Discworld), with humorous references to circumstances on earth. The books are enjoyable and amusing even without knowing what all the references are, but all the more fun when the reader realises what is meant. In 'Moving Pictures' there are many references to classic films, some of which I can spot, others of which I didn't know about till reading online where there are sites dedicated to spotting them.
This book isn't just a clever play on words and situations, however. There's also quite a philosophical thread running through it, beginning with a very old man, the last remaining inhabitant of the Holy Wood before the movie industry arrives. This old man performs regular mystical chants, something he's done all his life, to keep 'something' from happening. He learned about this from the previous keeper, who learned about it from someone else... but there is nobody for the last keeper to pass on his knowledge to.
And so, something begins to emerge from the hills, when the keeper dies and the chanting ceases. Something which gradually infiltrates people's minds, and draws them in. Something which has 'memories', which makes people do the strange things they've never done before - and which work. It's quite an ominous force, the style is almost suspenseful in places. The inhabitants of Discworld are taken over by an unstoppable and destructive force, which creeps up on them slowly but inexorably. If it wasn't for the humour, it would be a little frightening.
We have all the Discworld series, collected over several years. Recently I've felt they tended to be a bit samey, churned out to satisfy the demand of customers. Not that any of them are bad, but somehow I feel they've lost most of the sparkle that seemed to shine through the books written in the late eighties and early nineties. However I love this book! 'Moving Pictures' is the ninth Discworld book, and one of my favourites.
Some characters appear in previous books, and some reappear in later books, but it's not necessary to know who they are to enjoy this one, which could well be read as a standalone novel. There are some classics: the sausage-inna-bun salesman Dibbler, who pushes his way into Holy Wood to become the equivalent of executive producer; the flea-ridden wonder-dog Gaspode who suddenly starts talking, and dreaming about rescuing people from burning houses. The hero of the book, Victor, isn't in any of the other books. He begins as a perpetual student wizard who never wants to pass his final exams, and then finds himself right in the centre of the moving picture industry.
Probably most Pratchett fans will have read this book before, but it's well worth a re-read. I first read it about ten years ago, shortly after it was published; recently I read it again, and found myself chuckling out loud at some places where I'd quite forgotten the clever allusions. It also provoked me to think about the whole movie industry - the way people get sucked in to glamour and pretence, maybe to escape from the reality of life.
If you haven't read Pratchett before, then you'd probably still enjoy this if you have any interest at all in the film-making world, or simply if you want a light read that's deeper than it seems at first glance. It's intended for adults, but teenagers often enjoy these books too. My sons started reading Discworld book from about the age of ten or eleven; they didn't understand everything in them, but that wasn't a problem, and they've re-read most of them as they've grown older.
Terry Pratchett is apparently Britain's best-selling living writer, and all his books seem to stay constantly in print. 'Moving Pictures' in paperback, published by Corgi, costs £6.99 (or £5.49 from Amazon.co.uk) but unless you're a Pratchett fan already, I'd recommend getting it in hardback from the library. There are audio versions available, but as far as I know it hasn't been produced in a large print version.
Advantages: Brilliant supporting characters, loads of smart references. Disadvantages: A few duff jokes, reliance on obvious targets, not enough plot.
...and musical theatre blind. And Moving Pictures saw Pratchett mock the silver screen. The people of Ankh-Morpork have discovered the secret of octo-cellulose, and everyone is clamouring to be involved in the 'moving pictures' business. Student wizard Victor Tugelbend finds himself playing the Discworld's first screen idol opposite milkmaid Ginger, at the same time as he half-heartedly tries to unravel the mystery of the Holy Wood. Cinematic references ... ...Alongside the cinematic stuff, though, Moving Pictures is an important novel within the Discworld canon as it introduces some great characters. Sporting wizard Mustrum Ridcully appears as the new Archchancellor of Unseen University, and the passage where the elderly wizards' expectations of a twinkly-eyed nature-loving mage are contrasted with the hearty, bloodsport-crazed reality is simply hilarious. Under Ridcully is the Bursar. The Bursar appeared ...
Olly_Plimsoll 25.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: Short, sharp read. Superb parody. Disadvantages: Prior knowledge of Discworld an advantage. Poorly relaised central character.
Victor Tugelbend, Student Wizard and professional exam failure saves an alchemist from a band of robbers. The alchemist offers Victor a job in “Moving Pictures”, the latest craze, which will soon capture the world’s imagination. The only catch is, Victor must move to the mythical place known as “Holy Wood” a ramshackle town of wooden buildings that are all style and no substance. Were people will do anything to break into the “clicks” and truly have ... ...Holy Wood. Surely a place were people act so strangely and don’t know they are doing it has to have something wrong with it?
“Moving Pictures” is Terry Pratchett’s tenth novel set on the mythical and mad land of the Discworld. This strange place inhabits all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures from trolls to dwarves, to humans and they’re talking dogs. Unsurprisingly, “Moving Pictures” is based on and parodies the fantastical world of the cinema ...
dididave 15.12.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: hilarious, very clever, compelling read, great characterisation Disadvantages: no chapters - just one long one!
...isn’t because I didn’t like Moving Pictures – on the contrary, I LOVED it and thought it was brilliant, Terry Pratchett is indeed a genius! But this isn’t a straight-forward book or one that is easy to explain, but I will try.
Years ago, I read Small Gods and thought it was great. I have been meaning to read some more Pratchett ever since, but hadn’t got round to it. Then I read a review of Mort the same day I went ... ...– Feet of Clay and Moving Pictures.
A few days later, I was in a very noisy indoor play area with my four children (and what sounded like thousands of others). Being somewhat bored of watching the same kids slide down the same yellow tube in the same way, I reached inside my bag for the compulsory book and lifted out Moving Pictures.
However, I am notorious for needing absolute silence while reading, so I realised it would probably be a lost ...
KarenUK 18.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: Funny, good storyline, interesting characters, a good starting point Disadvantages: Not his best
...of his work by itself. Moving Pictures is, like most of his novels, a Discworld book, set on a fantasy world that moves through the universe carried by four elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle. Once you've got in the right frame of mind to accept the absurdity of the setting, you're ready for the story. Pratchett's stories are comedies, though this doesn't mean the plot or characters fall short in any way. You get a good story with a ... ...try one of his books. Moving Pictures is a good one to start with because although some of the characters have turned up in earlier books, this one works as a stand-alone. ~~~ The Plot ~~~
The alchemists in Ankh-Morpork discover away to make movies. Lots of people are caught up in the craze, rushing off to nearby Holy Wood where the light is perfect for filming. Student wizard Victor and former milkmaid Ginger are two of those who get signed up ...
87degrees 07.04.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: film jokes, atrocious puns, great characters, a serious message. Disadvantages: atrocious puns. Some of the jokes will be lost on the non-movie fans
...this production is strictly forbidden. No entry after page 15. Do try our hotdogs in the lobby (but Gaspode would prefer a steak, thank you).
Moving Pictures is a Terry Pratchett Production ...
Jacqui 13.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett
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If you were going to read a pratchett book for the first time, I would highly recommend that you read this one. This is possibly the funniest book yet and doesn't require a hugh understanding of the discworld as it is all totally new characters. These, unlike some of Terrypratchetts other characters that only appear in one novel, like MovingPictures, are very entertaining. This is an example of Terrypratchett at his best
The book is available from Amazon.co.uk at £9.09 ...
Advantages: A great theme Disadvantages: Can drivel on sometimes about something irelevant
-A dwarf that writes plays and gets Tomjon to Lancre.
Vitoller-The rich foster father of Tomjon.
Lady Vitoller-The rich foster mother of Tomjon.
Cost:£5.99 or $8.99
Where you can buy it: In all good bookstores
Age group:anywhere from 13+
If you like this book then maybe you should try some other of TerryPratchetts' books?:
*The Colour Of Magic
*The Light Fantastic
*Equal Rites
*Mort
*Sourcery
*Pyramids
*Guards! Guards!
*MovingPictures
*The three part trilogy Truckers, Diggers and Wings
*Witches Abroad
*The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents
*Feet Of Clay
*Hogfather
*Carpe Jugulum
and many more! ...
Product Information for "Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett" »
Product details
Type
Fiction
Genre
Fantasy
Title
Moving Pictures
Author
Terry Pratchett
ISBN
0451451317; 0575064862
Manufacturer's product description
A Discworld novel in which the alchemists discover the magic of the silver screen, and attempt to unravel the dark secret of Holy Wood Hill. See all Product Description
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