I agree, back when the BBC was good, it produced the best programmes in the world, from factual to comedic, from the best of childrens tv, to honest. Respectable journalism, it was once the best. Seems now, to be the anchor that sinks the country!
@@richardcummins5465 No, I was born in 1945, so I am a bit before Blair's time. However, although I may be old, I'm not a bigoted old git. - and we don't need to look very far to find those, do we?
There was something uniquely chilling about late 60`s - 1970`s supernatural tales on TV. These ghost stories, Thriller and some of the plays etc. Superb.
I remember, watching Ghost Stories for Christmas, back in the 70,s as a teenager. They always frightened me. The Signal Man, was one of my favourites 😮
I remember watching this with the family when i was a wee lad. A little creepiness during the Christmas season was welcomed. Miss those days when families spent hours together in one room.
Wonderfully atmospheric and creepy. I'll take a sophisticated, beautifully produced ghost story like this, over any number of formulaic slasher movies.
Agreed fully. This was really well done from the beautiful, haunting seaside setting, to the creepy atmosphere to the score. This is how a ghost story should be told.
Has to be one of the few films where watching in low quality actually enhances the atmosphere. Felt like a nightmare in the best possible way, loved this to bits.
Watching these ghost stories, Thriller and some of the supernatural plays on TV in the 1970`s used to chill me to the bone. They had a quality that was sometimes marrow freezing. The people who conceived, wrote & produced these shows had a tremendous understanding of the human psyche.
@@pommiebears Blame the politicians...No one seems willing to stop troublesome immigration. Look at the recent mindless violence up north when children of migrants were taken in to care for neglect - that's what sparked the mindless violence.
@@pommiebears the very beginning of this story mentions Viking invasions, they probably had the same thoughts about them as we do about recent mass migrations.
@@juliee.7072the vikings weren’t migrants, they were mighty warriors with the technological know how to get across the sea and win battles. Many of them settled here (see Danelaw). They brought a lot to the party (as did the romans, Saxons and Normans. Today’s migrants - not so much.
It's a nice touch that Dr Black is shown weeping at the end, when he catches up with the battered to death Paxton, not screaming or just horrified, he's so distressed at Paxton's Fate. The Excellent Always Actor Clive Swift - he wrote a book on being an actor, a book that Glenda Jackson called the most Practical she had ever read. He wrote about the boring stuff like signing on when out of work, not the glam side of Acting, the Reality, ironically! Nice to see Vaughan playing a gentle character, usually given the ruthless types.
Clive Swift's Dr Black also appears in The Stalls of Barchester, another of the early 70s Xmas Ghost Stories. Robert Hardy was the evil cathedral deacon Dr Haynes.
Imagine now trying to find the ramshackle old cottages and houses littered about these ghost stories. They've all been done up or are very expensive second homes, or many demolished. So sad. I miss the sense of mystery of these houses when they were in these conditions, and they greatly added to the atmosphere of these films. We still have a lot of old buildings in the UK but they've been prettified mostly to the point where they have lost the sense of time, history and total authenticity. Miss Peter Vaughan. He was such a versatile actor.
I've watched old ramshackle British homes/houses/barns/ etc get renovated by folks who have no sense of history and strip these great old buildings of any character and architectural details only to create sterilize slick soulless homes. It breaks my little American heart to watch, why do they do it ?
I recognised the side of the house where they appeared to be lodging, I think it’s down the far end of Wells Next-The-Sea just beyond the chandlery ….before the path starts to wind towards the marshes … ooh er I just got a shiver !😊
They could but the cast would have to be almost black and with transsexuals in it and have some form of social injustice message in it about the patriarchy of white straight men Much like Doctor Who
@chris7921 The BBC (?) ,I think it MUST have been, did a recent drama which is probably on YT or iplayer ? It's about a modern day TV crew who visit the Suffolk coast inevitably headed by an aggressive norf Landan feminist man hater, whose job is to research or more accurately perform a hatchet job on M R James. Obviously he was a repressed homosexual / misogynist/ member of the Oxbridge white male patriarchy / elitist scholar bla bla bla fill in whatever current BBC board of governors cliché is current. A yawnfest. Actually it WAS a ghost story, of a kind and a supernatural entity puts in an appearance, but by the time you've got through the current BBC / Hampstead group think and PC BS, you've lost interest. I think it was a radio or audio play come to think of it. It must have been, because it would have been unwatchable.
For being under an hour this lovely little production produces more dread and spooky atmosphere than many feature films. I've watched this several times and it never fails to give me the chills.
This is the very best dramatisation of an mr James classic. The atmosphere throughout is fantastic. An early appearance by the late, great Clive Swift (hyacinth bucket’s husband in keeping up appearances) is the icing on the cake! Brilliant!!
I can remember watching this way back in the 70's.I was 12 at the time, couldn't sleep for a week. I always looked forward to the BBC Christmas Ghost Stories. Great stuff, someone should revive the tradition.
Likewise! Interesting how many people have had the same experience at approximately the same age. I’m in Norfolk atm with my wife and intend to visit Holkham beach from Sheringham. Like you I’ve never forgotten this brilliant film. Great series BBC ghost stories for Xmas however Schalcken the Painter was my favourite
An object lesson in the use not only of atmosphere, but also of location, silence, near silence and music. None of that what would be subtitled as 'ominous synth' intended to 'guide' us into the 'correct' feeling or reaction. In short, our imagination, assuming of course that it hasn't been sucked out of us by the 24/7 society we're all supposed to be enamoured with, fills the void that this production creates. It's a little masterpiece.
My favourite MR James adaptation. Absolute masterpiece - every role is perfectly cast. The dusty antiquarian shopkeeper is creepy beyond words. The atmosphere is beautifully created, brilliant score, and there’s a real sense of impending doom.. ‘No digging ‘ere!’
@@horrorfanandy4647 Yes that’s a Charles Dickens’ story - wonderful. Brilliant central performance by Denholm Elliot. Dickens was inspired by his own experience of being in a train crash. It’s hard to believe the BBC used to make drama of this quality, given what they currently produce (with a few, rare exceptions).
In November 2018 I was lucky enough to be in North Norfolk. Remembering this story I visited Wells Next The Sea. The gust house where Paxton & Dr Black stayed is now a private residence, "Shipwrights". The scene where Dr Black was painting is at the mouth of the river, the dunes have been altered with the erection of concrete walls to prevent erosion, a walkway to the beach & an RNLI Lifeboat Station & Coastwatch Station. Holkham beach & the tree covered dunes are just as atmospheric today as depicted in the drama: sadly I could not identify the mound where the actual digging was filmed.
I visited a few years back being a life long reader of James' work and had the same experience. My wife wasn't impressed that we travelled for 2 hours so that I could take maybe 5 photos.
I love the name of this channel. No remaining commercial potential. In other words, they've squeezed every last drop of money from it. I see movies on various sites that are 50-60 years old and they still want to charge for them.
I chose the name because with the shows I upload here, usually there is no interest in rebooting the franchise or giving it a sequel, because it has no perceived commercial potential. A lot of good stuff gets forgotten this way unless we archive it.
My favourite of these ghost stories. So creepy. Peter Vaughan is superb. Im so pleased he got the role in Game of Thrones so late into his life. What a wonderful part to play in the twilight of his extensive career.
Yes! The background music is often so over the top and absolutely not needed, as we can synchronise the video and audio for over 120 years now! It's also disrespectful to the people who have composed the music, as others talk over it! I've seen a film called "The wishing tree",(1976) made completely without any music, apart from the opening credits. It's a Georgian film, drama, with subtitles, well worth the time. Beautiful cinematography and fantastic actors.
I've visited the location of that actual wooded area in Norfolk where the crown was found and at the entrance to this conservation area, there's a polite sign of do's and don't's, such as, keep to the path and no littering etc. but one part of this list of rules literally says, 'NO DIGGING' in quite large, bold letters, as apparently there might be some old unexploded bombs buried in the dunes from the Second World War, due to the Germans dropping their surplus payload for a lighter aircraft on their return flight. _''No diggin' 'ere'!'_ What can I say, the rule amused me.
@@oneworldfamily Yes, the woodlands that sits on the dunes at Holkham Beach in Norfolk are very eerie indeed. I live the other side of the UK on the West coast and was in Norfolk (East coast) for a wedding and thought whilst I was in the area, I may as way take a pilgrimage to one of my favourite televised ghost stories and ghost writer. The 'No Digging' sign erected as you enter the woodland just tickled me and was very apt for the location! Here's a video of how it appears today, virtually unchanged, so you really get that unnerving feeling that you're being watched by that mysterious guardian of the crown. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-B1fNHbPKtv8.html
The problem with unexploded bombs a common problem in areas around Europe. When America dropped bombs in Germany during WWII some hit soft sand and were buried without going off. When one of them is found they go all out to evacuate whoever might be living there. Even World War One shells are dangerous after a hundred years. Likewise do everything they can to remove and safely detonate them. If the sand shown here is where those bombs landed it's no surprise they might still be there.
@Mekonta Did you visit Happisburgh, the site of St Mary's ( I think it's called) parish church, which Paxton visits in this production ? Apparently it's not far from the rapidly eroding coastline and might be in danger of falling into the sea within the next few decades, or sooner.
Bruh the quality makes the ghost even creepier cause you can't really see his human features, you can only see the figure silhouette. The shots with him running too is what makes this even more chilling wow! Also I love the atmosphere!
My Dad and I would watch the ghost stories 👻 on the BBC every Christmas Eve our favourite was always The Signalman but sadly I can't seem to be able to find it 😔 M R James was the master of ghost stories you can't have Christmas without a BBC Ghost story. I remember years ago 1988? Watching The woman in Black with Mom and Dad my goodness we jumped lol happy memories xxx
the signalman is here on youtube! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XL_4VHxdXng.html wonderfully atmospheric like this one and very eerie, probably my favorite as well
yes agreed but it was 50 years ago. brilliant film. I remember watching in when it was first shown - frightened the living daylights out of me at the time.
I love this adaptation. It has nice touches not even from the original story (the sacrificial bones found w/ the treasure, the encounter with the intimidating farmer) which heightens the sense of dread. The filmmakers even added a significant explanation for Paxton’s motivation (he has suffered from the economic downturn and is humiliated by the contempt shown by society towards the poor as reflected by the character Boots). Also, having the film tell the story in real time from Paxton’s point of view (rather than as a diluted memory from another character) gives it a greater sense of immediacy.
Hmmm... For me, James' stories need no embellishment. In another adaptation "Oh whistle and I'll come to you" t(starring John Hurt) they introduced a wife (Gemma Jones) suffering from dementia. Completely unnecessary. James deliberately kept the biographical details of his characters vague to allow the focus to remain on the central plot. The stories are very well crafted and I think they stand on their own merits. Having said that, this is very well done. Peter Vaughn is always brilliant whether he's playing a villain in "Porridge", a regulation-bound quartermaster in Zulu Dawn, or a crazed/violent Cornishman in "Straw Dogs". But I would love to see an adaptation of James as it was written.
Has to be best BBC Ghost story televisation ever. Strong performances from entire cast, especially Peter Vaughn and Clive Swift. SUPERB! Only wish it could be remastered. 👍🏻
@@Escape_from_thefog Thanks for the update, that's great news! These early 'seventies, M.R. James BBC productions are classics. But half a century on, they're in desperate need of some modern-day, technical TLC! I hope the new, 'buffed-up' versions will do full justice to all the fantastic, sadly now deceased actors who starred in them (eg Peter Vaughan, Clive Swift, Robert Hardy, Denholm Elliot etc), and will also significantly ramp up the 'creep factor'. M.R.James' 'Ghost Stories were remarkable - not least because they were created on 16mm film, and made on a very low budget! All credit to Producer Lawrence Gordon Clark, whose talent and vision created unforgettable, chilling drama of which M.R. James would surely have been proud. These ghost stories have passed the ultimate - indeed the only truly accurate judge of art - the test of time, with flying colours!
This film making is like from another world in its artistry and created atmosphere. I have watched this movie six or seven times and I'm just as chilled by this haunting as when I first saw it. I cannot choose between Oh whistle and I'll come to you - Lost hearts - and this masterful ghost story. We seem to have lost something in film making which is very difficult to define - but I reckon it has something to do with the suggestion of ideas to the viewer rather than directly showing. The former is much more unnerving and still resonates long after the closing frame.
Yes, and remember how different it was for folks who were raised on radio. I sort of think that it may have really been the best format. The listener knows that he is an active participant in his own entertainment. Like most things in life, you "get out of it" what you "bring to it", and that primary concept -- that some things speak to you at different phases in your life and "that all changes as you change" is lost.
I would buy myself a tv & pay the licence fee if the Biased Broadcasting Company still produced gems of this quality, unfortunately this will never happen ❤
There was a lot of snobbery in the 1930's with very little upward social mobility...a lot of working class people were very deferential towards the middle and upper classes...thankfully a lot of that changed in the 1960s!!
Someone above commented on modern day NBC political correctness. The original Monty James story A Warning to the Curious is about two gentlemen friends on a golfing (?) trip who bump into a frightened young man, Paxton, who tells the story of his crown discovery and his archaeological adventure. He feels a ghost is stalking him. They are all upper middle class "proper gentlemen" in the MRJ original. This TV adaptation transposed the Edwardian era published story into the 1930s depression era. Paxton is now an unemployed working class clerk. There was definitely a socio political commentary and agenda even in 1972. I agree, however, that this is better than most recent excursions into the field.
This story is utterly gripping from start to finish. 1970's classic ghost film and Peter Vaughn plays the part very well. Without the special effects and sounds that you see in today's ghost shows , A warning to the curious really sends a shiver down the spine today as It did when it was first broadcast , love the chilling music and the William Ager bloke standing still in the distance really gave me the chills , also at the end when he is chasing mr paxman through the forest is also quite disturbing.
My thoughts exactly about the final scenes of the chase, the ghost's cloak worked a lot better than any special effect giving it the sense of something unearthly coming after him.
This is how films should be made. No musical stings, sound effects. Just let the story unfold. Just one small thing - the surname Ager is pronounced Ay-jer here in Suffolk. With a soft g.
@@poohbearrichie72 it’s there, do a search for it in google and it comes up. May take a bit of finding but it is there as I watched just before Christmas
This dramatisation does James' work justice. The suspense has me on the edge of my seat, even the train bit has me waiting eagerly for something to happen
No that's an understatement! He was an understated genius. Porridge did him no favours in terms of his talent. It served to typecast him This was when tv was creepy ! If you like to read dig out Walter de La Mare's short story The Wharf. Ant P UK teacher
Incredibly the BFI, which have possessed for many years the original camera negatives for this film (and all the others in the Christmas ghost stories series), decided a few years ago to restore (at great expense) the negatives and release this film (along with others they have also restored) on HD Blu ray. I have loved this film ever since I watched its first broadcast on Christmas Eve 1972 (enjoying the frisson of terror!) as a teenager and later in life, getting to know this part of North Norfolk where the film was shot, learning to appreciate the eerie haunting beauty of this landscape especially during the dark grey winter months. The film was shot on 16mm film stock (as were most of the others in that period) so the restored image is not razor sharp (as modern audiences now expect from cutting edge digital cameras) but retains that beautiful period hue and film grain while displaying much improved detail and colour. I highly recommend seeking this out, and “Part 2” with the remaining filmed stories is due to be released soon. A perfect Christmas present for all fans - including yourself!
What a beautiful and very informative comment! I appreciate every word of it and I had the pleasure of reading it already twice and I might read it again, when I finish writing this, as everything you have mentioned in the comment, is always very important to me when I'm watching films. It's so wonderful to find another person seeing the same things as I do. Thank you very much again. My best wishes.
@@E-Kat Thank you for your very kind comments. Fifty years ago, the BBC would “green light” a film, agree the budget, and the filmmaker was left to get on +make the film as they wanted (the only constraint being budget). Fifty years later everything is now micro-managed by diversity, correctness, and language “police” - artistic creativity must now be controlled, not given freedom to flourish 🙁
@@jaywalker1233 yes, in front of our eyes we're losing the qualities which were synonymous with England and it makes me very sad indeed. The very English " Bobby" says the "f" word whilst on duty and if one complains, one is told to " grow up" by his superiors, as swearing is part of everyday life!! Hmm, so is crime, isn't it? I'm glad, I don't watch TV anymore as I couldn't stand the brainwashing anymore. The quality of programs was already so substandard and then they started planting exaggerated data into the nature programs and that had made me furious! I'm buying books now, in their original form as these cannot be remotely altered and whole paragraphs cannot be removed as it happens with the audio books, which also have character's pronouns often changed!!!!! It's begging to look like we're in the North Korea, and we're being slowly cooked without realising! We need to jump out before we'll be issued with a list of permitted hair cuts. It's so sad to see how did we allow this evil to get into our country? Is this the long term Chinese/ North Korean plan, to infiltrate our community with these highly sensitive issues and distract us from what's really going on, right in front of our eyes? Our newspapers have been plagued by pseudo news, full of celebrity gossip, but average citizens don't have any idea what's really going on with our country! Our children don't belong to us anymore, they belong to the state and it's the state, who decides if our children can have an abortion behind our backs, or change their gender, also without letting the parents know!!!! How has this happened? When was the law changed, taking away parental responsibility away from parents? Who has made this law, and when? We were shocked to learn that in the 50's unmarried young mothers had their babies taken away from them and shipped to Australia for them to be sexually abused in various children homes or/and foster homes!! But nothing has changed much now, as a young mother's baby can be so very easily taken away from the mother, just to meet the yearly council's adoption quota!! I've seen so many " horror" stories, which make me feel sick when I had learned about how young mothers were tricked into letting some government agencies to help them to get some respite and as a result, not getting their child back ever again!! Family courts, held in the middle of the night, people would think are a figment of our imagination and really bad conspiracy theory, but they really exist. I could write about these subjects, which should be close to everyone's heart, all day. I'm completely powerless to do anything about it and this is very scary. Governments are the real biggest offenders. Take care. My best wishes.
I just love this so much. Peter Vaughan was a genius actor. This is tv that made you think. I still find it an eerie,spooky ethereal tale. Really makes you think. I have watched this so many times, and never get tired of it. Ant p uk Teacher
I remember clive smith from keeping up appearances and peter vaughan from the rivals of sherlock holmes. Everything was done so perfectly in this production. Thank you for unearthing this gem.
Effective use of Geoge Ligeti's ATMOSPHERES from 2001: A Space Odyssey.....very atmospheric, if you'll pardon the pun! Excellent actor that he was I can only ever see Peter Vaughan as Grouty in Porridge....
Peter Vaughan and Clive Swift are better known for their comedy chops (Porridge and Keeping Up Appearances), but they really show their acting skills here.
