The Colour Of Magic

[Lianachan]

The people who made the Hogfather adaptation have made The Colour Of Magic, which is due on UK TV soon (Easter).

IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1079959/)
Website (http://www1.sky.com/colourofmagic/index.html)

[Paul Beardsley]

The casting sounds a bit odd, but otherwise this could be very good.

[Lianachan]

The casting sounds a bit odd, but otherwise this could be very good.

My thoughts exactly. I was very impressed with The Hogfather, although I've never read the book (it post-dates my like of Pratchett).

[ToSeek]

The casting sounds a bit odd, but otherwise this could be very good.

I notice Pratchett himself has another cameo.

[schlaugh]

Rather fun to see an actor cast as "The Luggage". Can't wait!

[KaiYeves]

Nice scuba snorkle, Paul.

[Gillianren]

David Jason is too old to be Rincewind, and while I don't think Sean Astin is a bad actor, he is manifestly not Twoflower. Who is, you know, Auriental.

[Kadava]

while I don't think Sean Astin is a bad actor, he is manifestly not Twoflower. Who is, you know, Auriental.

Well, now he is of course. When The Color of Magic was written, wasn't he really just a clueless tourist with too much money?

[Occam]

I agree with you, Gillian. I very much like David Jason but he is most definitely not my idea of Rincewind. Still, he may surprise. As an actor myself, I like to see what can be done when cast against type.

[Lianachan]

David Jason is too old, too short and too already-played-a-different-Discworld-character to be Rincewind, in my view.

[ToSeek]

David Jason is too old to be Rincewind, and while I don't think Sean Astin is a bad actor, he is manifestly not Twoflower. Who is, you know, Auriental.

Those were the exact two issues my wife came up with when she found out about this, and I have to agree.

On the other hand, David Bradley (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0103195/) seems ideal for the role of Cohen the Barbarian.

[Gillianren]

Well, now he is of course. When The Color of Magic was written, wasn't he really just a clueless tourist with too much money?

I don't read those books often; I think they're substandard compared to his later work. However, I'm pretty sure he is Auriental, or at least "foreign," in the first two.

Also, welcome aboard. Read the rules and stay awhile!

[Alasdhair]

Twoflower came from the Counterweight Continent, which in Interesting Times was established as having a feudal Chinese-analogue culture and history. Which doesn't mean that any particular type of actor is needed to play him...

[One Skunk Todd]

Perhaps he's a McSweeney. :)

[Gillianren]

Perhaps he's a McSweeney. :)

A fine old family.

[Kadava]

I don't read those books often; I think they're substandard compared to his later work. However, I'm pretty sure he is Auriental, or at least "foreign," in the first two.

Also, welcome aboard. Read the rules and stay awhile!

I agree, the later Discworld is much more satisfying.

Thank you for the welcome. I may not talk much, but I'll probably be around somewhere.

[HenrikOlsen]

Just checked, it was already named the auriental empire in TCoM, together with lots of other hints (ideogrammatical writing, etc.) that gave a certain chinaish impression.

[Kadava]

Just checked, it was already named the auriental empire in TCoM, together with lots of other hints (ideogrammatical writing, etc.) that gave a certain chinaish impression.

Okay, I'll concede the point. I can never picture the way people look when I am reading.

[HenrikOlsen]

Oh, I never pictured twoflower as oriental looking either.

Short, scrawny, with bermuda shorts and the kind of brightly patterned shirt that looks like he's covered in chameleons on acid the one only a middle aged male American tourist would ever consider wearing.

[Essan]

I always imagined Twoflower as Japanese. With glasses.

From the brief clips used to advertise the programme on Sky I actually think David Jason looks the part as Rincewind but I wonder whether Towflower being cast as an 'American' might spoil it?

Oh, and The Luggage looks brilliant :)

[Lianachan]

The first part, The Colour Of Magic, was on last night.

I found it to be highly disappointing, and very boring. Then, my expectations were very high.

I'm hoping for better tonight, from The Light Fantastic.

[scotsman]

I saw it as well , and I wasn't as disappointed as Lianachan was, there were several points in fact when I was delighted by it , Jeremy Irons as Vetenari, complete with Wuffles was a delight ,

The explination of rincewinds age actually added a degree of Pathos to his character , as a wizzard stuggling for decades to graduate and getting nowhere . the creation of Ankh Morpok was excellent , especially as Twoflower arrives , it looked every bit as smelly and nasty as I've pictured it. getting out into the countryside certainly opened things up from the studio bound Hogfather -

The downsides - well Sean Astin seemed to be playing himself - complete with terrible shirt , no real feeling of the innocent abroad as he appears in the books , and Tim Curry again seemingly going throgh the motions as Trymon ..

Still there's always to-night , and Cohen does look to a very welcome additon to the cast

Oh and the next adaption apparently has been confirmed as "Going Postal" - a much later Diskworld book , with a much larger part for the Partician , I just hope they can afford Jeremy Irons for more than a walk on !

[schlaugh]

Jeremy Irons as Vetenari...

That's funny. I've always imagined Vetenari as someone who looks like Irons - or a skinnier Alan Rickman.

[scotsman]

Its funny how perceptions re characters differ , tome someone like Jeremy Irons was always going to be a perfect choice to play the patrician , Tall, thin , with more than a hint of the supressed menace, but quiet with it ,

I've always seen Alan Rickman as too OTT, even as Snape .. nope Jeremy Irons for me nailed it perfectly

[Gillianren]

That's funny. I've always imagined Vetenari as someone who looks like Irons - or a skinnier Alan Rickman.

Alan Rickman is Pratchett's own imagined Vetinari, for what that's worth. Or what's-his-name who played the dad in Beetlejuice, if you can wrap your brain around that.

[Lianachan]

Second half was much better. It, at least, provided some funny moments. Tim Curry was still annoying, though!

[Paul Beardsley]

Just watched both parts. Enjoyable bank holiday fare, but hardly Pratchett brought to life. There were so many jokes that didn't get a look in, whereas the action was rather slow-moving.

In some ways I'd have preferred a completely original Discworld story created specifically for the screen - maybe borrowing elements from the books. A bit like the adventure games, in fact.

[HenrikOlsen]

A large problem with filming Discworld is that a major part of the humor is generated by the people in the books who definitely don't know they're funny1, but are put in situations that generate humor in spite of, and because of, that.
When you switch to filming it with actors who damn well know their characters are funny, it removes a large part of the base on which the humor is built and shifts the balance from high humor to simple (and thus boring) jokes.

1) With the exception of the clowns who trains so pathetically hard to be funny and fails so utterly2.

2) which is funny.