Moving Pictures (novel)

1990 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Moving Pictures

* ''[[Discworld]]''
* 10th+novel+–+2nd+individual+story

First edition

Author| Terry Pratchett
Cover artist| Josh Kirby
Language| English
Series|

* Discworld
* 10th novel – 2nd individual story

Subject|

* Movies and Hollywood; the Cthulhu Mythos; Atlantis
* Characters:
* Victor Tugelbend, Theda Withel, C.M.O.T. Dibbler, Unseen University staff, Gaspode, Mustrum Ridcully
* Locations:
* Ankh-Morpork, Holy Wood

Genre| Fantasy
Publisher| Victor Gollancz / Corgi

Publication date

| 1990
ISBN| 0-575-04763-1
Preceded by| Eric
Followed by| Reaper Man

Moving Pictures is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, published in 1990, the tenth book in his Discworld series.[1] The book takes place in Discworld's most famous city, Ankh-Morpork and a hill called "Holy Wood".

## Plot[edit]

The alchemists of the Discworld have invented moving pictures. Many hopefuls are drawn by the siren call of Holy Wood, home of the fledgling "clicks" industry – among them Victor Tugelbend, a dropout from Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University and Theda "Ginger" Withel, a girl "from a little town you never ever heard of", and the Discworld's most infamous salesman, Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler, who introduces commerce to the equation and becomes a successful producer. The business of making movies grows rapidly, and eventually Victor and Ginger become real stars, thanks to the help of Gaspode the sentient dog (who also develops a manager-client relationship with Laddie, who everybody considers to be the real Wonder Dog, although in fact is very simple-minded). Holy Wood for a while becomes an effervescent place full of humans, dwarfs, alchemists, demons (which essentially constitute the main technological device to make movies), and trolls (among whom is Detritus) all living in harmony.

Meanwhile, it gradually becomes clear that the production of movies is having a deleterious effect on the structure of reality. Ginger is possessed by an unspecified entity and she and Victor find an ancient, hidden cinema, complete with portal to the Dungeon Dimensions. Back in Ankh-Morpork, during the first screening of Blown Away (a parody of Gone with the Wind) which the senior wizards of the Unseen University are also attending, a creature from the Dungeon Dimensions breaks through. Victor fights it (in what eventually becomes a parody of the movie King Kong also featuring the Librarian of the Unseen University), having discovered that he could exploit Holy Wood magic and the narrative conventions of the clicks if he had a camera pointing at him. However, after the creature is defeated, Victor and the Librarian realise that the creatures will still try to get through from the Dungeon Dimensions and that Ginger in her possessed state was not trying to summon them but trying to keep them from coming through (possibly as a result of being descended from the High Priestess of Holy Wood). Returning to the ancient cinema at Holy Wood, Victor and Ginger witness a golden statue of a warrior (reminiscent of an Oscar) come to life and travel through the screen to defeat the creatures.

In the end most things return to normal (also because the Patrician and the wizards make it clear that they will not allow any more movies to be produced ever again), although dwarfs find themselves inexplicably singing "Hihohiho" while mining. Victor and Ginger have a last dialogue over the meaning of Holy Wood and being famous, and Gaspode and the other animals under the influence of Holy Wood lose their ability to reason and speak. The ending lines depict a poetic scene about the fragility of Holy Wood dreams.

## Characters[edit]

* Cut-me-own-Throat Dibbler
* Thomas Silverfish
* Victor Tugelbend aka Victor Maraschino
* Detritus
* Ruby
* Gaspode
* Theda Withel aka Ginger aka Delores de Syn
* Oswald, a parody of the Academy Award of Merit, also referenced as Osric and Osbert

## See also[edit]

* Novels portal

* List of actors from Discworld

## References[edit]

1. ^ Fantastic Fiction Moving Pictures (Discworld, book 10) Terry Pratchett Retrieved 2009-05-9

## External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Moving Pictures.

* Moving Pictures title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
* Annotations for Moving Pictures
* Quotes from Moving Pictures
* Synopsis of Moving Pictures

Reading order guide

Preceded by

~~Faust~~ Eric

|  10th Discworld Novel | Succeeded by

Reaper Man

Preceded by

Pyramids

|  2nd Individual Story
Published in 1990  | Succeeded by

Troll Bridge

* v
* t
* e

Terry Pratchett's Discworld

Novels|

* The Colour of Magic
* The Light Fantastic
* Equal Rites
* Mort
* Sourcery
* Wyrd Sisters
* Pyramids
* Guards! Guards!
* Eric
* Moving Pictures
* Reaper Man
* Witches Abroad
* Small Gods
* Lords and Ladies
* Men at Arms
* Soul Music
* Interesting Times
* Maskerade
* Feet of Clay
* Hogfather
* Jingo
* The Last Continent
* Carpe Jugulum
* The Fifth Elephant
* The Truth
* Thief of Time
* The Last Hero
* The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
* Night Watch
* The Wee Free Men
* Monstrous Regiment
* A Hat Full of Sky
* Going Postal
* Thud!
* Wintersmith
* Making Money
* Unseen Academicals
* I Shall Wear Midnight
* Snuff
* Raising Steam
* The Shepherd's Crown

Short stories|

* "Troll Bridge"
* "Theatre of Cruelty"
* "The Sea and Little Fishes"
* "Death and What Comes Next"
* "A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices"
* A Blink of the Screen (anthology)

Other books|

* The Discworld Companion
* The Science of Discworld
* The Science of Discworld II: The Globe
* The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch
* The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day
* The Pratchett Portfolio
* The Art of Discworld
* The Unseen University Challenge
* The Wyrdest Link
* The Streets of Ankh-Morpork
* The Discworld Mapp
* A Tourist Guide to Lancre
* Death's Domain
* Nanny Ogg's Cookbook
* The Discworld Almanak
* Where's My Cow?
* The Unseen University Cut Out Book
* The Discworld Diaries
* Once More* with Footnotes
* The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld
* The Folklore of Discworld
* The World of Poo

Games|

* The Colour of Magic
* Discworld MUD
* Discworld
* Discworld II
* GURPS Discworld
* Discworld Noir
* Discworld: Ankh-Morpork

Films and TV series|

* Welcome to the Discworld
* Soul Music
* Wyrd Sisters
* Hogfather
* The Colour of Magic
* Going Postal
* The Watch
* The Amazing Maurice (2022 film)

Characters|

* Tiffany Aching
* Death
* Hex
* Moist von Lipwig
* Nanny Ogg
* Rincewind
* Susan Sto Helit
* Lord Vetinari
* Sam Vimes
* Granny Weatherwax

Races and creatures|

* Centaurs
* Dragons
* Dwarfs
* Elves
* Fauns
* Furies
* Gargoyles
* Gnolls
* Gnomes
* Gods
* Goblins
* Gorgons
* Igors
* Kvetch
* Lizard Men
* Nac Mac Feegle
* Orcs
* Trolls
* Undead

Locations|

* Discworld
* Ankh-Morpork

Organisations|

* City Watch
* Unseen University
* The Witches

Other|

* Boots theory
* Games of the Discworld
* Lie-to-children

* v
* t
* e

Works by Terry Pratchett

Discworld|

| Novels|

* The Colour of Magic
* The Light Fantastic
* Equal Rites
* Mort
* Sourcery
* Wyrd Sisters
* Pyramids
* Guards! Guards!
* Eric
* Moving Pictures
* Reaper Man
* Witches Abroad
* Small Gods
* Lords and Ladies
* Men at Arms
* Soul Music
* Interesting Times
* Maskerade
* Feet of Clay
* Hogfather
* Jingo
* The Last Continent
* Carpe Jugulum
* The Fifth Elephant
* The Truth
* Thief of Time
* The Last Hero
* The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
* Night Watch
* The Wee Free Men
* Monstrous Regiment
* A Hat Full of Sky
* Going Postal
* Thud!
* Wintersmith
* Making Money
* Unseen Academicals
* I Shall Wear Midnight
* Snuff
* Raising Steam
* The Shepherd's Crown

|

Short stories|

* "Troll Bridge"
* "Theatre of Cruelty"
* "The Sea and Little Fishes"
* "Death and What Comes Next"
* "A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices"

Maps|

* The Streets of Ankh-Morpork
* The Discworld Mapp
* A Tourist Guide to Lancre
* Death's Domain

Science|

* The Science of Discworld
* Lie-to-children
* The Science of Discworld II: The Globe
* The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch
* The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day

Art|

* The Pratchett Portfolio
* The Art of Discworld
* The Unseen University Cut Out Book

Other books|

* The Discworld Companion
* Nanny Ogg's Cookbook
* The Discworld Almanak
* Where's My Cow?
* Discworld Diary
* Wit and Wisdom of Discworld
* The Folklore of Discworld
* The World of Poo

Johnny Maxwell|

* Only You Can Save Mankind
* Johnny and the Dead
* Johnny and the Bomb

The Long Earth (with Stephen Baxter)|

* The Long Earth
* The Long War
* The Long Mars
* The Long Utopia
* The Long Cosmos

Other novels|

* The Carpet People
* The Dark Side of the Sun
* Strata
* The Unadulterated Cat
* The Nome Trilogy
* Good Omens (with Neil Gaiman)
* Nation
* Dodger

Collected shorts and nonfiction|

* Once More* with Footnotes
* A Blink of the Screen
* A Slip of the Keyboard

Authority control |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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