Talk:Book:Carpe Jugulum/Annotations

2010-04-20T18:38:16Z

83.6.252.24:

Deleted comment and discussion:-

Corgi PB (British) p. 279: [[Magrat Garlick]] and [[Nanny Ogg]] are escaping into [[Überwald]] with Princess Esmerelda. Magrat is being gloomy about their prospects for survival, as they are entering ever more deeply into [[Vampires|vampire]] country. The dialogue, in the hijacked vampires' coach, runs:

''And it could be worse'' said Nanny.

''How?''

''Well...there could be snakes in here with us''

Could this be a nod to the plot of the film ''Snakes on a Plane''?

____________

''Snakes on a Plane'' released 2006. ''Carpe Jugulum'' published 1998. Terry's very clever, not prescient. --[[User:Old Dickens|Old Dickens]] 19:56, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Whoops... red face, didn't check respective release dates. But the film aside, I wonder if the concept of "snakes on a plane" has been around for some time, as a metaphor for the worst possible thing happening in the worst possible place, of being trapped with one's fears? All the makers of the film needed to do was to take a frightening thought that was already in the public domain and flesh it out with a plot... (Q: how to prove the phrase was there before the film?)--[[User:AgProv|AgProv]] 20:11, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

www.urbandictionary notes an early sighting of the phrase in early 2005 (predating the film by a year) and suggests it was already in wide use before the film to denote a situation where the worst that can possibly happen is happening... "combining three of mankind's greatest and most potent fears: of flying in aircraft, of serpents, and of being trapped in a restricted space/being buried alive". Interesting: wonder if it can be attributed back further in time as a phrase?--[[User:AgProv|AgProv]] 22:46, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

And Snopes.com records variations on a theme of the urban legend of the snake(s) in the car (or ''train''!), which bites the driver/passenger, or otherwise causes disproportionate terror and damage in a closed confined space with no opportunity to escape. Therefore a routine journey becomes an occassion of terror and crawling dread, giving the urban myth its force and power. These are dated back to 1988 or earlier...[http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/snakes.asp#accident]

I was curious as to why Nanny's very specific choice of words seemed to evoke a film that, as Old Dickens pointed out, wasn't to be released for another eight years. But how simple, when you realise what's happening: TP is evoking an urban myth which carries some force and power behind it. Enough force and power, in fact, for the film-makers to consider the same urban myth some years later, and think ''Hey, if we update this as "Snakes on a '''''Plane''''', then we've got a blockbuster horror thriller!''

We could have our annotation after all - to the urban myth, and not the film! --[[User:AgProv|AgProv]] 22:56, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

In the first Indy film, ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'', the good Doctor Jones finds a bloody big snake in the front cockpit of the plane he escapes from the swarming Amazonian indians - and their blowpipes - in. Not hugely useful, but there. --[[User:Knmatt|Knmatt]] 10:06, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks!

The other point occuring to me is that having picked up on one homage to a vampire film I know quite well (Nicolas Roeg's '''''The Hunger'''''), {{CJ}} must be well stuffed with allusions and visual imagery drawn from things like the classic Hammer Horror movies. I have a vague idea, for instance, that the scene where the Countess turns herself into green vapour so as to get through the locked door and confront Magrat and the baby is a direct lift from a Hammer horror, but I couldn't say which one.

So there's a rich seam here for horror film buffs to mine! --[[User:AgProv|AgProv]] 14:15, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

At one moment, Agnes asks Vlad wheter vampirism is a "pyramid selling system". Therefore, two questions:
-should this even be included (allusion to economic theory)
-which page in English edition it was (sorry, I don't own English version)--[[Special:Contributions/83.6.252.24|83.6.252.24]] 18:38, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

Talk:Book:Carpe Jugulum/Annotations

2010-04-20T18:37:56Z

83.6.252.24:

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Talk:Book:Carpe Jugulum/Annotations

Talk:Book:Carpe Jugulum/Annotations