Still as the night was, the mysterious population of the distant moon-lit woods was not yet lulled to rest. From time to time strange cries as of lost and despairing wanderers sounded from across the mere. Were not they coming nearer?
It’s Christmas Eve once again so cast your thoughts back 37 years to when Lost Hearts was the BBC’s 1973 Ghost Story for Christmas. This television adaptation of the M.R. James ghost story often features in lists of favourite tv and film terrifying moments. Lost Hearts isn’t repeated that often, and I think it is down to the power of Lawrence Gordon Clark’s film in leaving a lasting impression on viewers. Whilst similar to the other BBC James films in striking the right balance of atmosphere, this one stands out on its own with some particularly vivid ghosts and, perhaps most disturbing of all, the appearance of Joseph O’Connor as the very disturbing Mr Abney. If your memory is failing you, this is the one featuring a pair of particularly spooky children backed by some chilling hurdy gurdy music.
In the original short story, Stephen Elliott is a young orphan who goes to stay with his eccentric cousin Mr Abney. Apparently some kind of reclusive scholar, the elderly gentleman is welcoming to the boy although, as with the best of M.R James stories, it only takes a page or two before the reader realises that something isn’t quite right. Why does he keep asking Stephen’s age? What exactly is he up to in his study?
M.R.James creates a brilliantly effective ghost story without appearing to do very much at all. As usual, he sets a believable scene, telling the reader just enough to move them off into the chills of the tale. Stephen learns from Abney’s servants that he had previously befriended two children who subsequently disappeared. The reader eventually deduces that the old man was up to no good and that Stephen is next in the succession of victims who may be contributing to his cousin’s enduring longevity. Something to do with lost hearts, ancient scripture and a generous glass of port.
The James story is one of his briefest and the BBC flesh it out by broadening the character of Abney, using O’Connor to depict an almost camply comical figure. Clark brings out the underlying menace very skilfully in the film. Stephen is quietly haunted by visions of two other children, a boy and a girl watching from a distance. Faces in windows, mysterious scratches on furniture, and snatches of laughter. This is the most enduring aspect of the film, the silent figures with claw like fingers who stand with arms crossed, over-protective of their hearts…
The BBC make one or two embellishments to the story, for example making Stephen’s birthday fall on hallowe’en. The endings also differ. Stephen overhears his cousin’s demise at the hands of the spirits in the original, whilst in the film we see him poisoning Stephen and the ghosts entering his study to finish him off. Both work effectively.
I’ve always found Lost Hearts to be the runt in the litter to the other celebrated M.R. James television adaptations that include Whistle and I’ll Come to You, The Stalls of Barchester and A Warning to the Curious. All deal with solitary gentlemen and their curiosity getting the better of them, although the pursuit is usually that of monetary or intellectual value. With Lost Hearts James makes the theme a little less obvious but gives a far darker undercurrent to the pursuit of knowledge. And its consequences.
This year the BBC return to James with John Hurt in a new adaptation of Whistle and I’ll Come to You. I wonder how they’ll do?
Christmas Playlist 2010
Saturday December 18, 2010
in music |
For this year’s Christmas playlist I’m going to concentrate on just four new releases.
Owl City: Peppermint Winter
An interesting little festive pop song, and one that’s sadly been overlooked this season. A joyous little ditty.
Reason you should purchase: somehow this will remind you of your youth.
The Priests and Shane MacGowan: Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth
Like a drunken old uncle gatecrashing your posh Christmas concert, this track is slightly embarrassing whilst at the same time you’ve got to look up all starry eyed to old Shane. And following on from last year’s bizarre Dylan interpretation of the song, Little Drummer Boy just gets odder and odder.
Reason you should purchase: it should be made law that we all hail Shane MacGowan at Christmas.
Coldplay: Christmas Lights
At first this sounds like Chris Martin has had one sherry over the limit and is making this song up as he goes along. But after a few listens this proves to be a wonderful Christmas tune that will haunt the NOW collections for years to come.
Reason you should purchase: for a commercial “rock” band they’re not too band. And U2 are to up themselves to make a Christmas record.
Ellie Golding: Your Song
Not a Christmas song, but now tied into this time of year thanks to the John Lewis advert. But Golding’s interpretation of this is wonderful, and takes it into another dimension. Whilst I always thought that the Elton John version was paving the way for future bad karaokes only now has Your Song fallen into the hands of an artist who can bring out its innate genius.
Reason you should purchase: it’s just flippin’ great.
And that’s it for this year. In these austere times I can’t even provide images of the record sleeves of these songs. I’m saving the effort to pour myself a generous glass of port instead. Good cheer and Merry downloading!
2010 was an odd reading year. Too many strange choices, too many overlong novels and a few disappointments. However, there were a few highlights, some good and some middling. One or two of my reads were frankly quite awful. I hope the recommendations below are helpful. For what to read and for what to avoid.
Five Star Reviews: Must Reads
Early in 2010 I thoroughly enjoyed The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris, a novel which places him as a major writing talent. I’m very excited about what Mr Ferris has in store for us in the future. The Unnamed is an extraordinary read. I was also highly impressed by The City and the City by China Miéville, a book which has a peculiar knack of easing the reader into the strange world it creates. These two novels are certainly the most original I’ve read for a long time.
Jonathan Coe continued to impress with The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim, a novel which I thought received some unfairly harsh reviews. Syd Barrett: A Very Irregular Head by Rob Chapman is my music biography choice of the year, which manages to flesh out an oft told, but very sad, life story.
Inherent Vice is Thomas Pynchon’s most accessible novel to date, an amusing tale set during the dying days of 60s California. It put me back in touch with Pynchon, although my attempts to finally finish Gravity’s Rainbow were frustrating.
Ghost stories were aplenty in 2010 although Dark Matter by Michelle Paver was by far the best. A well written, gripping and effectively frightening novel.
Four Star Reviews: Should Reads
Both Howard’s End is on the Landing by Susan Hill and Must You Go? by Antonia Fraser are non fiction choices that I’ll recommend. Fraser’s account of her life with Harold Pinter is very revealing about the man, although any of his admirers looking for critical appraisals of his art should stick with the MIchael Billington biography.
David Mitchell delivered his latest novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, although I found it to fall short of the masterpiece I was expecting. But it’s worth sticking this marathon read out. Similarly with C by Tom McCarthy, which was certainly a clever novel but one perhaps a trifle too pleased with itself.
Paul Torday’s latest, The Hopeless Life of Charlie Summers, is my favourite of his to date. Torday has a charming and unique style and this is a very moving tale that’s worth reading.
The Small Hand by Susan Hill and Life by Keith Richards are respectively the second best ghost story and music biography of the year.
The Small Disappointments: You May Want to Avoid
Both Solar by Ian McEwan and Stories ed. Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio failed to deliver. In particular the Gaiman anthology was a wasted opportunity, which featured very few short stories of worth. The best was Sarrantonio’s own offering.
The Big Disappointments: Please Avoid
Legend of a Suicide by David Vann was recommended by several blogging friends but it just didn’t work for me. The Ghost by Robert Harris and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson were tedious doses of popular fiction. Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas was a dull read and The Girl With Glass Feet by Ali Shaw was pitiful. Girl With… books just don’t work for me. Enough said.
However my worst read of 2010 was Room by Emma Donoghue, the most overrated book for a long time. I found it unconvincing and the narration-from-the-point-of-view-of-a-child irritating. Can somebody please explain why this novel is supposed to be so good?
But enough grumpiness. Here’s to continued enjoyable reading in 2011. Good health!
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