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Post by Ela on Nov 16, 2018 6:08:20 GMT
Checkout the Target novel/audiobook it fleshes out certain plots & gives a much clearer narrative than the transmitted episode's. Frankly, even after reading the novel, it was still "clear as mud".  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 8:27:32 GMT
My favorite anecdote about Ghost Light is from Andrew Cartmel: "At a convention I went to, Marc Platt was on a quiz show during the cabaret and his first question was, 'explain the plot of Ghost Light in 10 words or less.'" "Thoughtship built under Victorian home nests cataloguer and would-be tyrant"? (They should have sent a poet...)  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 10:36:18 GMT
My favorite anecdote about Ghost Light is from Andrew Cartmel: "At a convention I went to, Marc Platt was on a quiz show during the cabaret and his first question was, 'explain the plot of Ghost Light in 10 words or less.'" "Thoughtship built under Victorian home nests cataloguer and would-be tyrant"? (They should have sent a poet...) I have two DVDs containing stories that have a reputation for being difficult to understand. One is Ghost Light, the other is a vampire film from 1967. On both commentary tracks, the author explains the plot line and is mystified as to why others should find the fiction so challenging. In explaining the plot, he simply describes what is happening on screen, and on both occasions I thought "Ah, so that's what it means!" There's no hidden meaning, there's just what we see. Sometimes I think we search for things that aren't there. I know I do. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 10:46:58 GMT
"Thoughtship built under Victorian home nests cataloguer and would-be tyrant"? (They should have sent a poet...) I have two DVDs containing stories that have a reputation for being difficult to understand. One is Ghost Light, the other is a vampire film from 1967. On both commentary tracks, the author explains the plot line and is mystified as to why others should find the fiction so challenging. In explaining the plot, he simply describes what is happening on screen, and on both occasions I thought "Ah, so that's what it means!" There's no hidden meaning, there's just what we see. Sometimes I think we search for things that aren't there. I know I do. I think that's one of the genuinely beautiful things about fiction. Somehow, if you manage to get that balance just right, not only is the audience experiencing what you've written, they're actively writing more of it themselves. Adding to it. It's why I love fan theorising so much, there's something really magical about a piece of fiction where everyone is coaxing the embers to make it come alive so thoroughly. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 10:55:56 GMT
I have two DVDs containing stories that have a reputation for being difficult to understand. One is Ghost Light, the other is a vampire film from 1967. On both commentary tracks, the author explains the plot line and is mystified as to why others should find the fiction so challenging. In explaining the plot, he simply describes what is happening on screen, and on both occasions I thought "Ah, so that's what it means!" There's no hidden meaning, there's just what we see. Sometimes I think we search for things that aren't there. I know I do. I think that's one of the genuinely beautiful things about fiction. Somehow, if you manage to get that balance just right, not only is the audience experiencing what you've written, they're actively writing more of it themselves. Adding to it. It's why I love fan theorising so much, there's something really magical about a piece of fiction where everyone is coaxing the embers to make it come alive so thoroughly. Really nicely put. Ghost Light is, for me, one of the most magical, sinister, eccentric Doctor Who stories ever written. It's played to perfection by a barnstorming cast and looks wonderful. Not bad for a tiny budgeted, all-studio story produced for a BBC that had long since lost interest in the show. |
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Nov 16, 2018 10:58:37 GMT
I love it to bits.
It's basically Doctor Who versus Bad Science wherein the Doctor talks a god to death and Ace turns a Victorian Ward into a Lesbian.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 12:10:58 GMT
I really love Ghost Light...but I'd struggle to synopsise it. I know how it makes me feel though and I know what the themes are. It's an obtuse story, something that we'd get a lot of in novel form during the wilderness years but never really done at that point on TV where people wanted a relatively straight forward story. I'd actually agree with Timelord, the Target absolutely made things a lot clearer, but not too much. I feel like parts of it are still out of reach. S26 was doomed anyway - dead on arrival. It didn't matter how good the stories were, the audience were not willing (or able given the schedule - not every house had two tellies in the 80s and Corrie was HUGE then) to come back on board. So since it was dying anyway I'm glad this story was made - refusing to play it safe and giving us something challenging. On a more facile point, I think it's the most Doctor-y McCoy ever looked with his brown coat and ditching the hat. He looked great. There's a reason BF have used the promo still of him from this ep so much. It's not for everyone but then neither are some of my favourites like Lynch, Cronenberg, Malick, Wheatley and others. If we all loved the same things yadda yadda.  Ultimately I really love drama that keeps you thinking afterwords, inviting speculation and interpretation. I know when it was written Marc thought he'd have more time to tell the tale so it's not all intentional ambiguity but it gives us enough to solve the major issues while being able to debate and consider the minutiae indefinitely. |
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Ultimately I really love drama that keeps you thinking afterwords, inviting speculation and interpretation. I know when it was written Marc thought he'd have more time to tell the tale so it's not all intentional ambiguity but it gives us enough to solve the major issues while being able to debate and consider the minutiae indefinitely.