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dsmedia Grey Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Total posts: 3 Gender: Unknown |
 Posted: 11-02-2007 12:24 Post subject: Re M.R. James |
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The new FT has mentioned a 'flurry' of new adaptations can be expected as his work is now out of copyright.
If anyone is new to MRJ's work and interested in an intro to what print editions and film-TV adaptations are available, I did a roundup last year, for a blog entry I wrote following up Nick Warren's "Accursed Treasure" item in FT #206 (on MRJ and the Rennes le Chateau mystery). This 'Further Reading & Viewing' roundup has links, including to online video clips. It's at
http://codexceltica.blogspot.com/2006/05/was-what-sauniere-found-codex.html
[scroll down to bottom of page] |
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| quantgirl Grey Joined: 30 May 2006 Total posts: 6 Location: England Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 11-02-2007 17:35 Post subject: |
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Craftsman is publishing the complete unabridged ghost stories of MR James on audio CD. Think there are two volumes and that they are out February/March.
www.craftsmanaudio.co.uk |
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| WhistlingJack Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Total posts: 4298 Location: The Sewers of The Strand Age: 9 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 14-02-2007 15:55 Post subject: |
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| Ravenstone wrote: | Oh....bugger 
Please tell me it's going to be repeated |
No. 13 is repeated on BBC Four Thursday next week (Feb 22) in the evening and then again in the early hours of Friday  |
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| licata1708 Headmaster at the Sly-Lemkoff Picnic
Great Old One Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Total posts: 120 Location: Brooklyn, New York Age: 39 Gender: Female |
| Posted: 14-02-2007 17:18 Post subject: |
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I wish we could watch these in America.
I adore M.R James...............
That Argo history is fascinating by the way.
This Looks like Someting I Must Have
M.R James Book of the Supernatural
LINK |
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| Spookdaddy Cuckoo Joined: 24 May 2006 Total posts: 3924 Location: Midwich Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 27-05-2007 10:56 Post subject: |
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| quantgirl wrote: | | Craftsman is publishing the complete unabridged ghost stories of MR James on audio CD. Think there are two volumes and that they are out February/March. |
Oh dear. Oh deary, deary me. Hmm. How long can Spook go without food?
Have to say the mind boggles slightly at the thought of the stories being read by the actor who did the voice for Monkey but, well, I have put a bit of weight on lately! |
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| Hogarth999 Great Old One Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Total posts: 170 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 01-06-2007 15:59 Post subject: |
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| Spookdaddy wrote: | | quantgirl wrote: | | Craftsman is publishing the complete unabridged ghost stories of MR James on audio CD. Think there are two volumes and that they are out February/March. |
Oh dear. Oh deary, deary me. Hmm. How long can Spook go without food?
Have to say the mind boggles slightly at the thought of the stories being read by the actor who did the voice for Monkey but, well, I have put a bit of weight on lately! |
Just think of him as the actor who played the part of Silver in Sapphire & Steel, that'll help.  |
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| Spookdaddy Cuckoo Joined: 24 May 2006 Total posts: 3924 Location: Midwich Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 29-10-2007 12:23 Post subject: |
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I finally succumbed and bought Volume 1 of the Craftsman Audio recordings. Excellent - not a single complaint. I won't bother with a review because the one written by The Glum Reaper on the Amazon website really says everything there is to say.
All I'd add is that the music is, as the reviewer states, 'suitably eerie' but it's only used between tracks and doesn't encroach on the actual storytelling - which is fine by me. Similarly there are none of those cheesy sound effects that the producers felt the need to use in the recordings of Robert Powell and Christopher Lee. Craftsman rely on pure storytelling and although I wouldn't want to play one off against the other I would say that David Collings storytelling will probably not disappoint those who, like me, love the Michael Hordern recordings.
My only, very minor, niggle is that there could maybe have been more in the way of background and articles on the Data CD. But then I expect there'll be another included when Volume 2 is released in November. |
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| WhistlingJack Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Total posts: 4298 Location: The Sewers of The Strand Age: 9 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 04-11-2007 13:59 Post subject: |
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| You can download an mp3 of Jarvis Cocker reading M.R. James' Rats over at Drowned In Sound. |
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| Spookdaddy Cuckoo Joined: 24 May 2006 Total posts: 3924 Location: Midwich Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 05-02-2011 13:24 Post subject: |
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I hope this is going to make someone's day.
Over the last couple of years I've been regularly sifting the internet on the offchance that I might find the one Argo/Hordern/M R James collection that I still don't have a copy of.
Anyway, finally this page has appeared.
Unfortunately - for me - it only contains one of the stories that I don't already have. Fortunately - for you - it contains several of these very hard to find Hordern recordings.
The page does seem to be a little temperamental - this morning I couldn't get any of the files to either play or download, but when I tried again just now all seems fine. (However, just clicking download doesn't work - right click on Download/save target as/rename the file, is what worked for me.
One of the files on this page appears to be a radio dramatisation rather than one of the Argo recordings, and a couple are obviously not connected to M R James or Michael Hordern at all.
The Craftsman Audio collection is great - but, to my mind, nothing beats the Hordern recordings.
Enjoy, you lucky people. |
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| escargot1 Joined: 24 Aug 2001 Total posts: 17896 Location: Farkham Hall Age: 4 Gender: Female |
| Posted: 05-02-2011 13:44 Post subject: |
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Hooo, ta!  |
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| stuneville Administrator
Joined: 09 Mar 2002 Total posts: 10230 Location: FTMB HQ Age: 46 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 05-02-2011 15:17 Post subject: |
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Ho, yus. Definitely made my day!
Straight to MP3 player, about 10 of those. Thank you very much . |
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| colpepper1 Location: England Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 05-02-2011 15:30 Post subject: |
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Dunno what other people think but for me M R James's output was uneven. The best of it is superb, but there are a fair number of fillers where he's going through the motions.
The adaptations vary too. |
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| escargot1 Joined: 24 Aug 2001 Total posts: 17896 Location: Farkham Hall Age: 4 Gender: Female |
| Posted: 05-02-2011 15:45 Post subject: |
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I listen to some geezer reading MR James stories every night through headphones. Never heard the end as I'm asleep in minutes. That's the effect men's voices have on me.  |
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| Spookdaddy Cuckoo Joined: 24 May 2006 Total posts: 3924 Location: Midwich Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 05-02-2011 20:26 Post subject: |
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| colpepper1 wrote: | Dunno what other people think but for me M R James's output was uneven. The best of it is superb, but there are a fair number of fillers where he's going through the motions.
The adaptations vary too. |
I'd agree that there are some clunkers, especially later on in his output, but really not that many and certainly nothing that takes the shine off James at his best. Occasionally I think he shows off a bit - for example, in Martin's Close and Two Doctors the author seems to be having fun with form through his knowledge of old manuscripts and transcripts of old trials - it can come over as a bit self-indulgent, but whether it's at the expense of a good story is probably a matter of taste.
Personally I prefer the straight readings - sans frills, music or crackly fireside sound effects. Most of the dramatised radio adaptations that I've heard have been pretty poor, and often overcomplicated by the tendency to add to the plot and characterisations in order, I assume, to make them attractive to an audience more familiar with the conventions (and clichés) of the modern genre; my stock response to most of these is usually: why on earth did you bother?
As some on this board will already know, Night of the Demon is a favourite film of mine. As a film it's remarkable in it's own light. As an adaptation I think it works well because, although updated and fairly loose in translation (and, of course, there's the contentious subject of that demon), it sticks pretty closely to the central themes of the original.
I've quite enjoyed most of the BBC adaptations, although there's always been something about them that irks, and it was only reading a comment on YouTube (of all places) that I realised what it is: In virtually every adaptation the protagonist is portrayed to some extent as either grumpy, or anti-social, or awkward, or arrogant, or somehow lacking in social grace and the ability to connect with other human beings - whereas the Jamesian protagonist, although a bachelor and a loner, is almost always enthusiastic, garrulous, gossipy, inquisitive and generally content inside the cosy confines of his academic universe - in short, he tends to be relatively happy. (Until, that is, the sheets start acting in a way they really have no right to.) |
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| colpepper1 Location: England Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 05-02-2011 23:48 Post subject: |
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| Spookdaddy wrote: | | In virtually every adaptation the protagonist is portrayed to some extent as either grumpy, or anti-social, or awkward, or arrogant, or somehow lacking in social grace and the ability to connect with other human beings |
I agree. James's main characters tends to be be snippy or wry but not autistic. The BBC Oh Whistle worked brilliantly but it wasn't OWAICTYML of the book. Watching it again this Christmas I realised how much wide angle lenses and deep focus were used and distorted sound, it was basically Film Noir UK style. Deep focus is very difficult to cut around and they did a pretty good job. Edward Dmytryk meets Edwardian scholar. |
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