Ghost Stories

Discuss releases by the BFI and the films on them.

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MichaelB
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Re: Ghost Stories

#51 Post by MichaelB » Wed Sep 19, 2012 6:56 am

Full specs announced for volume 5:
Ghost Stories
Classic adaptions from the BBC
A View From a Hill / Number 13

The fifth and final volume of films from the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas series will be released by the BFI on 29 October. The release of A View From a Hill and Number 13 brings this much anticipated collection to a total of a dozen films across five volumes, which will also be released together in a 5-disc DVD box set, Ghost Stories for Christmas, on the same date.

These two relatively recent adaptions of classic MR James stories perfectly complement the vintage films on the previous volumes. They were broadcast as part of a BBC revival of the much loved seasonal A Ghost Story for Christmas series during the last five years.

A View From a Hill (Luke Watson, 2005)

When young museum curator Fanshawe is sent to catalogue a debt-laden squire’s archaeological collection, he uses a pair of homemade binoculars borrowed from his genial host to survey local ‘Gallows Hill’. The glasses seem to give him a strange new ability and, ignoring all warnings about their necromantic creator, Fanshawe carries out his historical researches. But the bloody past of the area is best left undisturbed. Adapted from a short tale by MR James, the master of the English ghost story, A View From a Hill remains faithful in spirit to its literary creator, with an excellent lead performance from Mark Letheren as the uptight, doomed Fanshawe.

Number 13 (Pier Wilkie, 2006)

Dissatisfied with his hotel room, Professor Anderson (played by Greg Wise) demands to be moved to number 12 where he can work undisturbed. But, infuriated by the ghoulish noises made nightly by his neighbour, he is soon driven to investigate the diabolical secrets of the old hotel and its mysteriously vanishing room 13. MR James’ spooky tale was shot in the grounds and library of Winchester Cathedral, lending a rich period atmosphere to this terrifying adaptation.

Special features
Ghost Stories for Christmas with Christopher Lee – ‘Number 13’ by MR James (2000): Ronald Frame’s adaptation is brought to life by horror maestro Christopher Lee
• Illustrated booklet with newly commissioned essays by Jonathan Rigby and Simon McCallum

Product details
RRP: £19.99 / cat. no. BFIBVD963 / Cert 12
UK / 2005 + 2006 / colour / English language / 39 mins + 40 mins / DVD9 / Original aspect ratio 1.78:1 (16x9 anamorphic) / Dolby Digital mono audio (320kbps)
A few follow-up bits of info:

1. The absence of the Christopher Lee version of The Ash Tree is not an accident - apparently there were unspecified third-party rights complications. Which is why it wasn't included in the Australian box set either.
2. The discs in the box set will include hard-of-hearing subtitles, but will otherwise be identical to the individually-released discs.
3. The box set will contain a single booklet, which will contain most, but not all, of the content of the individual booklets. It's probably a safe bet that you'll get all of the pieces on individual films, but some of the overarching essays apparently had to be dropped for reasons of space.

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antnield
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Re: Ghost Stories

#52 Post by antnield » Wed Sep 19, 2012 1:33 pm

Cathode Ray Tube gets onto volume four (The Signalman, Stigma & The Ice House).

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DeepSouthDan
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Re: Ghost Stories

#53 Post by DeepSouthDan » Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:58 pm

And it seems the rather funny box art now shown by Amazon is bona fide.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Stories-C ... 280&sr=8-1

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A man stayed-put
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Re: Ghost Stories

#54 Post by A man stayed-put » Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:18 pm

DeepSouthDan wrote:And it seems the rather funny box art now shown by Amazon is bona fide.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Stories-C ... 280&sr=8-1
Is it a still from Stalls of Barchester? But yeah, not nearly as atmospheric as some of the individual cover art.

McCrutchy
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Re: Ghost Stories

#55 Post by McCrutchy » Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:16 am

Proper, good (actually, quite good) art is up for the box now...

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antnield
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Re: Ghost Stories

#56 Post by antnield » Fri Sep 28, 2012 7:42 am

The Digital Fix reviews volumes three and four.

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MichaelB
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Re: Ghost Stories

#57 Post by MichaelB » Fri Oct 26, 2012 12:06 pm

Another box has just been announced for the first quarter of 2013:
The MR James Collection: Tales from the Master of the Ghost Story – nine chilling BBC TV adaptations of MR James’ ghost stories, originally shown at Christmas time during the 1970s, are collected together in a 4-disc box set.

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Matt
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Re: Ghost Stories

#58 Post by Matt » Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:49 pm

Huh? What's in this that's not in the Ghost Stories for Christmas box set? And what's in it that is in the set?

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MichaelB
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Re: Ghost Stories

#59 Post by MichaelB » Fri Oct 26, 2012 5:01 pm

I'm guessing it's a scaled-down version of the full box set, aimed at hardcore M.R.James fans.

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MichaelB
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Re: Ghost Stories

#60 Post by MichaelB » Mon Oct 29, 2012 3:24 am

Mondo Digital on volume 5.

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bigP
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Re: Ghost Stories

#61 Post by bigP » Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:30 am

MichaelB wrote:Another box has just been announced for the first quarter of 2013:
The MR James Collection: Tales from the Master of the Ghost Story – nine chilling BBC TV adaptations of MR James’ ghost stories, originally shown at Christmas time during the 1970s, are collected together in a 4-disc box set.
Matt wrote:Huh? What's in this that's not in the Ghost Stories for Christmas box set? And what's in it that is in the set?
MichaelB wrote:I'm guessing it's a scaled-down version of the full box set, aimed at hardcore M.R.James fans.
Got my set through today. It's a really gorgeous package and the two booklets are very very substantial. In terms of packaging, the outer case saying 'Ghost Stories for Christmas - The Definitive Collection' is a thick-ish cardboard shell with 2 amaray type containers inside - one a 4 disc Amaray, the other a single disc amaray. The 4-disc Amaray is the M.R. James collection, and the large booklet is specific to that set. The single disc amaray is titled "Ghost Stories, Classic Adaptations from the BBC" with an image from The Signalman on the cover. Overall, it's a really lovely package.

FWIW - I hope they liven up the artwork for The M.R. James collection when it's released separately next year. It's just a minor niggle, but it is the only dull aspect of a great looking set.

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DeepSouthDan
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Re: Ghost Stories

#62 Post by DeepSouthDan » Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:37 am

I, too, have received the 5 disc set, and the cardboard box strikes me as a little flimsy, but that's a trivial complaint. Agree about the artwork, though.

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/3793/ghostset.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/9177/ghostcovers.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Otherwise, it looks like a cracking package. My weekend's viewing is sorted...

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antnield
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Re: Ghost Stories

#63 Post by antnield » Wed Oct 31, 2012 6:35 am

Graeme Hobbs' latest podcast for MovieMail takes a look at Whistle and I'll Come to You and the BBC Ghost Stories as a whole. I see they've also added a complete transcript if you'd rather read than listen.

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antnield
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Re: Ghost Stories

#64 Post by antnield » Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:24 pm

The Digital Fix on Volume Five.

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antnield
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Re: Ghost Stories

#65 Post by antnield » Fri Nov 30, 2012 7:51 am

The Guardian (the piece also notes that the BFI broke their first-day sales record on this set, previously held by The Devils)

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DeepSouthDan
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Re: Ghost Stories

#66 Post by DeepSouthDan » Fri Nov 30, 2012 8:09 am

antnield wrote:The Guardian (the piece also notes that the BFI broke their first-day sales record on this set, previously held by The Devils)
An interesting (and pleasing) statistic. The article is perhaps a wee bit spoilery, though.....

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MichaelB
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Re: Ghost Stories

#67 Post by MichaelB » Fri Nov 30, 2012 9:15 am

I can't say I'm surprised: to say this set was long awaited is a fairly major understatement, and the buzz on Facebook even amongst friends of mine who couldn't normally care less about BFI releases was huge.

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antnield
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Re: Ghost Stories

#68 Post by antnield » Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:00 pm


d-less
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Re: Ghost Stories

#69 Post by d-less » Sun Dec 02, 2012 1:54 am

I cant't wait to sit through and enjoy all the episodes. I'm not English and am thankful to enjoy the culture. I hope my friends enjoy your ghost stories as much as I do.

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antnield
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Re: Ghost Stories

#70 Post by antnield » Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:29 am


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barryconvex
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Re: Ghost Stories

#71 Post by barryconvex » Mon Nov 17, 2014 12:38 am

has anybody had any issues with discs 3 and 4? i have the 6 dvd set and after watching the first episodes on each disc i tried to go back to the main menu only have the screen go black. nothing i tried could correct it. a few days later i re-tied them both but with no luck. anyone else have this problem?

Robin Davies
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Re: Ghost Stories

#72 Post by Robin Davies » Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:33 am

The BFI have made available a 1956 adaptation of "Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad":
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/wat ... 956-online" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Charles
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Ghost Stories

#73 Post by Charles » Sun Dec 24, 2017 10:40 am

Damn, that sounded good.

Unfortunately, I’m only getting the message that BFI Player films (all of them??) cannot be played outside the UK.

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MichaelB
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Re: Ghost Stories

#74 Post by MichaelB » Fri Nov 11, 2022 7:28 am

Full specs announced for the first Blu-ray box:
GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS VOLUME 1

3-disc Limited Edition Blu-ray box set containing 4 episodes, out on 5 December 2022 alongside the BFI horror season In Dreams are Monsters

Broadcast in the dying hours of Christmas Eve, the BBC’s A Ghost Story For Christmas series was a fixture of the seasonal schedules throughout the 1970s and spawned a long tradition of chilling tales that terrified yuletide viewers for decades to come. For many fans they are still a traditional Christmas-time watch.

Previously released on DVD by the BFI – and among our all-time best-selling titles – these terrific tales come to Blu-ray newly remastered from original film materials. With extras including 2010’s Whistle and I’ll Come to You and a selection of new and archive extras this handsome set makes a perfect Christmas gift.

Included in Volume 1 are the first four instalments of the series:

Whistle and I’ll Come To You (1968): produced and directed by Jonathan Miller, original story by MR James, starring Michael Hordern, Ambrose Coghill, George Woodbridge

The Stalls of Barchester (1971): produced and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, starring Robert Hardy, Clive Swift, Thelma Barlow

A Warning to the Curious (1972): written, directed and produced by Lawrence Gordon Clark, starring Peter Vaughan, Clive Swift, Julian Herington

Lost Hearts (1973): directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, starring Simon Gipps-Kent, Joseph O’Conor, James Mellor

GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS VOLUME 2 is planned for release next December.

In Dreams are Monsters is a major two and a half month BFI UK-wide film and events season celebrating the horror genre on screen. Launched on 17 October, it continues until 31 December at BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX, UK-wide cinemas and on BFI Player.


Special features
• Newly remastered by the BFI
• Newly recorded audio commentaries for Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1968) and A Warning to the Curious by TV historian Jon Dear
• Newly recorded audio commentaries for The Stalls of Barchester and Lost Hearts by Kim Newman and Sean Hogan
Whistle and I’ll Come to You (2010, 52 mins): John Hurt stars in this 2010 interpretation of M R James’s chilling tale
• Jonathan Miller and Christopher Frayling interview (2012, 3 mins)
• Neil Brand reads M R James’s original story (2001, 42 mins, audio only)
• Ramsey Campbell on MR James (2001, 16 mins)
• Ramsey Campbell reads The Guide (2001, 27 mins)
• Introductions by Lawrence Gordon Clark (2012, 33 mins total): the director of seven of the BBC’s classic A Ghost Story For Christmas episodes discusses his part in the first three instalments he directed
Ghost Stories For Christmas With Christopher Lee (2000, 60 mins total): BBC Scotland’s ‘talking-head horror’ series starring the iconic actor as an M R James-like raconteur of fireside Christmas ghost stories. Included on this release are The Stalls of Barchester and A Warning to the Curious
• ***First pressing only*** Illustrated booklet with essays by Reggie Oliver, Jon Dear, Jonathan Rigby, Adam Easterbrook and Ramsey Campbell; credits and notes on the special features

Product details
RRP: £29.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1476/ 12
UK / 1968-1973 / black and white, colour / 172 minutes (+ extras) / English language, with optional subtitles for the Deaf and partial hearing / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 // 2 x BD50, 1 x BD25: 1080p/50i, 25fps, mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)

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Thornycroft
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Re: Ghost Stories

#75 Post by Thornycroft » Thu Dec 01, 2022 3:17 am

Ghost Stories for Beaver Vol. 1

Looks like a superb upgrade at first glance. It's just a pity we have to wait a year for the next instalment when the original DVDs were released over a period of months.

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