Since his only other option is a nonliving one, Moist accepts the position-and the hulking golem watchdog who comes along with it, just in case Moist was considering abandoning his responsibilities prematurely. Instead, it's Lord Vetinari, supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork, who promptly offers him a job as Postmaster. We’ve learned too that it was Adora’s brother who fell to his death from the clacks tower, and Adora discovers, through Moist’s own letter to her, that it was his fake bonds scheme that was the downfall of the Dearheart family and the start of Adora’s addiction to cigarettes (conveyed here as a much more sinister and heartbreaking habit).Originally published in hardcover: New York : HarperCollins, 2004Īrch-swindler Moist Van Lipwig never believed his confidence crimes were hanging offenses-until he found himself with a noose tightly around his neck, dropping through a trapdoor, and falling into-a government job? By all rights, Moist should have met his maker.
We’ve witnessed the invention of the postage stamp (von Lipwig’s attempt to create value he can fold and steal) and the perforated sheet (a serendipitous discovery by the far-from-genius Stanley), and the creation of the Discworld version of the Pony Express. Part of the appeal of Discworld is in its parallels to our own spherical world, slightly skewed.
#Going postal movie moist torrent#
One highlight and visual accomplishment is von Lipwig being swept through the post office corridors in a torrent of letters. The sets, props and costumes are all first class as are the special effects. The hallmark wordplay and puns of Discworld are all there, with quotable lines given to even the least prominent characters, as is the visual humour: in manner (Gilt rising to tiptoe in the presence of the taller Patrician), wardrobe (Reacher’s ridiculously oversized neckwear) and even signage (the hairdresser’s missing apostrophe). Clare Foy is a petite powder keg of sarcastic sharp-tongued charm and compact strength in four inch steel-tipped stilettos in her Adora Belle guise, and David Suchet makes a surprisingly effective and intense villain, while managing to draw a smile in every scene. Richard Coyle, a favourite on the small screen in Coupling and Strange, is immensely impressive as Moist von Lipwig in what is essentially multiple roles in various disguises, dialects and mannerisms of the conman.
#Going postal movie moist series#
I haven’t progressed through reading the Discworld series of books to this thirty-third story, but it’s clearly nearly wizard-free and not the sword and sorcery story of earlier books such as The Colour Of Magic and The Light Fantastic.įor all the changes from the prior films, once you’ve settled into the new look Ankh-Morpork it’s easy to appreciate the stunning performances of each actor. There’s also been no hint of magic, outside of the possessed letters of the post office, and the towers of the Unseen University are truly unseen in this adaptation. I thought his gentle menace in The Colour Of Magic was great, but I’m equally happy with Charles Dance in the role, who effortlessly shows, with a glaring glance and calm, even tone, that he’s a man in a powerful position and to be feared. There’s not a pub in sight within city limits that I’ve seen so far, and that element may be missed by those expecting the milling about of shopkeepers, stall owners and animals in the close quarters seen in the prior films.Īnother change that’s noticeable is the absence of Jeremy Irons’ softly lisping Vetinari. It’s not heavy-handed and I’m sure it will become a vital element in von Lipwig’s eventual redemption.Īnkh-Morpork is a much more solid, but less intimate city-state here, filmed in Budapest in stone and brick buildings and streets. This is the first of the three adaptations to include any sort of romantic element for the lead character.
These scenes reveal that what he thought were victimless crimes actually resulted in death and ruin for many families, including the Dearheart family and the sole survivor, the lovely Adora Belle, with whom von Lipwig is immediately smitten on first sight.įorced labour at the post office under threat of death isn’t just punishment, it’s his penance for his crimes, balancing von Lipwig’s immoral acts with improving people’s lives, by delivering long overdue mail, such as acceptances of proposals and other good news. But in the quiet hours of night, when no one’s around, the words in the envelopes have whispering voices and ink mingles in the air and combines to magically show von Lipwig the consequences of his many cons, in black-and-while silent films with title cards, projected on the post office walls.