Going Postal, a story in the Discworld series, satirises the Ankh Morpork Post Office, which has slowly crumbled to be overtaken by the new technology of clacks messages. A conman, Moist von Lipwig, is brought back from the dead by Lord Vetinari the ruler of the Ankh Morpork and then set to work reinventing the Post Office. This is dangerous as there are people who would like to see him dead, the shady operators of the clacks, who are not happy having competition.
Going Postal: The Book
The book moves at Pratchett's usual engaging pace, with humour aplenty. Moist von Lipwig is saved from being hanged and charged with rescuing the aging monolith of the Post Office. He has to contend with letters from forty years ago, Junior Postman Groat (who is actually rather senior), Stanley and his world of pins, and a probation officer who keeps watch on his every move. All the while, the operators of the clacks are plotting how to ruin his plans. Von Lipwig gets the post office up and running, does the postman's walk, and gets the mail moving.
His enemy, Reacher Gilt, who runs the clacks network, is on his tail. A fire soon envelops the Post Office and all looks lost. However, von Lipwig has a past as a conman, and a fortune that he can call upon in times of need. He prays to the gods for help and suddenly the treasure appears from nowhere.
Moist challenges Reacher Gilt to a race, impossible for the Post Office to win. Unless you have a trick up your sleeve. Using the mysterious smoking gnu to shut down the clacks, von Lipwig wins the race and also the heart of his companion, Adora Belle Dearheart.
The book is a fabulous read, not just because of the plot but because of the humour, especially during von Lipwig's attempts to run from doing honest work and his horror of trying to resurrect the Post Office against the odds. The characters come out in the book very well and it is easy to feel you are part of the story, as is so often the case with the Discworld books.
Going Postal: The Film
The character of Moist von Lipwig (Richard Coyle) is played excellently, as well as his rival Reacher Gilt (David Suchet). The scenery and the feel of the Post Office are very similar in the film to the way they could be imagined when reading the book. The funny moments are effective in the film overall and the plot is quite good, with von Lipwig's retrieval of his fortune, or gift from the gods, being especially well crafted. Suspense and drama all come into play at the right moments and the film has the feel of a big budget. It looks a quality production.
The vibrancy of Pratchett's Discworld comes across too, with a very busy plot and all the different guilds, characters and cultures being represented. There is a real sense of atmosphere with this film, which in some ways is very like the book - you can imagine yourself being in the story.
On the downside, many funny moments in the book have been cut out, which is a constant issue when making books into movies. The postman's walk has not made the film, along with the rescue of Tiddles the cat from the Post Office fire, although the golems are suitably creepy and the special effects are generally very good.
In the film, the relationship between von Lipwig and Adora Belle Dearheart is much frostier than the book until right at the end. The race between the Post Office and the clacks network is also different, along with the telling of the Post Office fire. In the main, the film does well but is not as true to the book as perhaps it could have been.
Sources
The Book: Pratchett, T Going Postal, (London, Corgi, 2005)
The Film: Going Postal, (KSM Film, UK, 2010)
Claire Gorman - I am Claire Gorman, I live in Bradford, West Yorkshire. I have always wanted to write and my favourite author is Terry Pratchett. I am ...
