r/bookclub • u/maolette Bingo Bouncer • Jul 30 '26
Discworld series [Discussion] Book vs. Adaptation | The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett | Discworld
Welcome to today’s book vs. adaptation discussion covering Pratchett’s The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic! Both books were adapted as one in 2008’s The Colour of Magic, which was produced for Sky1 and aired in two parts in March of that year. Technically this is the second of Pratchett’s adaptations in live-action film, but the first chronologically in book order.
The film was generally praised by critics, although some cited it to be far too long (clearly they hadn’t indulged in modern movies yet!). Pratchett himself seemed pleased with the work as well.
Below are some guided discussion questions, but please feel free to post your own thoughts and comments separately if that’s your preference. That said, please note spoilers abound in the discussion below for both books and this adaptation, so tread carefully. If referencing anything other than the first two books in the series or this movie, please be sure to spoiler your text for others reading.
And don’t forget our next book discussion for this series, Equal Rites, is starting next week! I hope you’ll be there reading it with us.
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Jul 30 '26
- What are your thoughts on casting for this movie? Who do you think is best cast, and why is it Tim Curry as Trymon? 🙂 Are there some you think might be miscast?
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u/armcie Jul 30 '26
The standout for possible miscasting is Sean Austin as Twoflower. He’s nothing like the Asian-esque Twoflower in the books, but I think this was a sensible change. The stereotype of a Japanese tourist with a camera has become much less known in the 25 years between the books and the show, and would have risked coming across as racist. Nobody complains about taking the mick out of an American tourist though.
David Jason was probably too old to play Rincewind. Rincewind is around 33 (that’s the age given for his alternate, Dr Rjinswand, in TCoM), David Jason was in his late 60s. International and younger Redditors may not recognize him, but he was the star of the biggest British sitcom of the 80s and 90s - the finale of Only Fools and Horses still holds the record of 24 million viewers. After that he starred in A Touch of Frost, a serious detective drama, which was one of the most popular UK shows of the 90s and 2000s.
David Jason was a huge get for the show. He’d previously appeared as a different character in the adaption of Hogfather, and the story is that he agreed to take that role, so long as he got first shout at playing Rincewind in any future production - it was a role he’d always wanted to play, and would have been virtually impossible to turn him down given his status in UK television.
I thought Jeremy Irons was perfect for Vetinari on my first watching, but another actor in Going Postal proved me wrong.
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Aug 02 '26
100% agree on Twoflower's casting. It's funny because I see a lot of Samwise Gamgee in Twoflower, and I do think inspiration-wise they are of similar minds, so I wonder if Sean Astin recognised that and played it up.
1000% agree on David Jason - I'll admit as an American I had no idea who he was and thought he was way too old for Rincewind, although I grew into him as hour 3 came on. I'll reserve more judgment on him for when we potentially watch Hogfather later on.
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u/YewBetcha 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Jul 31 '26
Agreed with u/armcie that Sean Astin is perfect as Twoflower. Time Curry was great, though David Bradley as Cohen the Barbarian was a fun surprise.
I absolutely have not seen David Jason in anything before. He didn't quite fit the appearance of Rincewind I had while reading, but his attitude and temperament were spot-on.
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u/YewBetcha 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Jul 31 '26
Oh wait! Cannot forget Christopher Lee voicing DEATH! That was an excellent choice and he'll surely take over the voice in my head reading those lines going forward.
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u/armcie Jul 31 '26
Not his first time in the role. There were two 90s Discworld animations in which he voiced Death.
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Aug 02 '26
I LOVED Christopher Lee as the voice of Death! Really sets the right tone.
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u/jaymae21 Yearbook Editor-in-Chief Aug 13 '26
Yeah, I have to agree with Tim Curry as Trymon. To be fair to the other actors, it's hard to compete with Tim Curry especially playing a sinister role.
Special shoutout to my LOTR actors Sean Astin and Christopher Lee (who played the voice of Death)!
Edit: I forgot about Pratchett's cameo at the end as one of the astrozoologists!
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Aug 13 '26
I loved this cameo! I was admittedly half-watching and half-crafting at the time and I looked up perfectly to recognise it was him!
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Jul 30 '26
- What do you think of the music accompaniment with this film? Does it fit the overall feeling of the story or its setting?
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Aug 02 '26
The music in this reminded me strongly of the Harry Potter productions, but the first of those was released in 2001, so the timing seems off. Maybe just channeling general 'magic' vibes?
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Jul 30 '26
- This adaptation is quite faithful to the original books’ stories, although it does take a few liberties with some details. Do you think it did a good job adapting the source material? Does it cover what you expected to see?
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u/armcie Jul 30 '26
It was a shame that the Bel Shamharoth scene was cut, but I can imagine it being rather expensive to film, and eldritch horrors may not have fit the vibe of the rest of the movie. I did like the little nod to it on the signpost though.
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Aug 02 '26
Yeah I thought it was alright how it was mentioned and brought up fully but then not shown. The effects that were there were interesting enough and didn't require major suspension of disbelief, so it felt right for a made-for-tv movie anyway.
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u/jaymae21 Yearbook Editor-in-Chief Aug 13 '26
I was surprised how it seemed to stick with the books mostly, of course cutting things out as needed.
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Jul 30 '26
- For the things that were changed in production from the original books, do you think they made more sense within the whole film’s context? Or did they ruin the original stories trying to be told? What do you generally expect of adaptations of fantasy books?
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Jul 30 '26
- The original books are written for an adult audience, although something could be said for their ability to serve anyone who wants to read them. What about this film, is it also just for adults? Who is its primary audience?
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u/jaymae21 Yearbook Editor-in-Chief Aug 13 '26
I can't see a child being super interested in these films. The jokes require some more knowledge of the world I think. There's a bit of flashy magic stuff but maybe not enough to hold the attention of one. Maybe a nerdy teenager would be amused.
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Aug 13 '26
I'm with you - I wonder if I had seen this when I was younger if I'd have appreciated much if anything about it. I think it could be a cult classic if you'd read the books and appreciated how closely they aligned to this film.
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Jul 30 '26
- What’s your overall impression of this film? What rating would you give it on a social media platform? Did you enjoy watching it? Who would you recommend it to, if anyone, and why?
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u/YewBetcha 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Jul 31 '26
I liked it, though I can't see going back to watching it again. There was a certain stage play vibe to a lot of the costumes and props. The digital effects were a bit chintzy, but I found it charming. I gave it 3/5 on the movie rating social media platform of my choice.
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Aug 02 '26
I gave it about the same, and I'm with you that I wouldn't revisit it. I could see if I'd watched this one as a kiddo I might have been more interested in watching it more regularly, though!
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u/jaymae21 Yearbook Editor-in-Chief Aug 13 '26
I don't really rate movies, but I did enjoy this one and could see myself coming back to it.
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u/maolette Bingo Bouncer Jul 30 '26