Great documentary, I watched a recent one by Mark Gatiss but it was great to come across this. In my opinion, one of the things that sets M.R. James (and quite a few writers from the victorian, edwardian and early 1900s eras) apart from contemporary authors is the extensive use of our wonderful language. A description by James, of a basic situation, is transformed with such a vast use of beautifully flesh-crawling descriptives that one can smell the stagnant air and feel the creeping, hairy hand on the shoulder. The early Pan books of Horror, that were bedtime reading for me as a child are written by authors of the early 20th century and led me to M.R. James and although I went onto read King and Herbert etc my preference, should I wish to be really creeped out will always be the early masters of horror.
I was reading one of his books in a hot bath by candlelight !! l was sat the wrong way with my back against the taps !! l got to the scary bit when the main character was in the darkness and the monster was creeping up on him with with a bony arm out stretched ! The next line was " he felt a Tap on his shoulder ..... ! "
James was a genuine scholar, thus able to provide convincing narratives for his stories. The horror arises from the contrast between these, as the video says, dry as dust narratives & the intrusion of another, hideous world lurking just below the surface of the rational, mundane world inhabited by the narrator, who is usually too smug & sure in his understanding of all that exists in the universe to be aware of this other world. He lets his curiosity lead him into extreme danger because of his lack of awareness & imagination. "A Warning To The Curious" is, for me, the title which best defines his work (although certainly not my favourite story).
I am one of the many that grew up thrilled and terrified by the ghost stories of M R James. My goodness, those childhood nights when I was too scared to sleep without the light on. Thank you so much for this great documentary.
Before RUclips & an abundance of TV channels; Christmas was made all the more exciting by another adaptation of an M R James Ghost Story. The best present.
The presenter of this documentary is the late Bill Wallis, a prolific character actor who many or my generation will remember as Mr Ploppy the gaoler in the Blackadder II episode 'Head'.
A writer of monumental diction, and his often poetic romance to the spiritual and the macabre are like prophecies to the black spaces that invade our minds....a genius of wording and excavating our hidden vulnerability , that manifest through the unexplained presence of the passed over who suffer unrest......
Even though I'm from the opposite background of James, I entered university fully expecting traditional codes of conduct - well, in the library and classroom. I was surprised by the few professors who didn't manage classroom decorum and disappointed with the new library that looked more like a nursery school than a place to ponder, research and learn. It's not all that bad, but it took some adjustments. I still regret not having the intellectual foundation for attending a old ivy league university (as we call them here, stateside).
Excellent documentary, I thought that the presentation was a brilliant idea, in a way reflecting the role that narrators had in M R James' stories. In one of my favourite's "An Episode of Cathedral History" the story is told by a researcher talking to a witness to the odd happenings in a cathedral years ago. In "The Stalls Of Barchester Cathedral" it is another antiquarian scholar who comes upon the sad tale and awful demise of the dean. Thank you for the upload.
When it comes to him not becoming a minister I think there might be other things at work. If you take up the religious life it will take a lot out of you if you are not completely dedicated to your faith; not everyone can make a good spiritual advisor (no pun intended here.) His way of life was as a scholar which he excelled at in lifetime. This one had a few jump scares in it didn't it;)
It's interesting to compare James (Cambridge) and Tolkien (Oxford) being very near contemporaries and such literary greats both addressing very much a blend of Christianity (esp Catholic-leaning Christianity) and Pagan aspects (which both portrayed in a more understanding light).
An interesting story, almost conjuring the same atmosphere as The Woman In Black. Has great potential for a decent director to make a newer version made with modern technology to create a creepier atmosphere..
I am trying to imagine how this could have imputed more motives to James, or hinted more at things with apparently no great evidence (save, perhaps no evidence to counter it). I am at a loss. With a few exceptions, this is a restrained thrashing, in true sideways fashion. "He wrote great, memorable ghost stories, so surely he must have been plagued with Satanic thoughts. He was socially awkward and had a good friend, so surely he was gay. He was a excellent academic, so naturally he was emotionally stunted. He didn't keep a large diary, so we feel able to say what we wish with no fear of contradiction."
They view of the modern world is that if you haven't been married at least three times and fathered a half dozen children you must be homosexual. The notion of a deep affliction between two members of the same sex is also viewed as suspicious by many. Another ridiculous fallacy. There's an obsession of modern society with the subject of sexuality that prevents even the scholarly from understanding people who devote their lives to a profession or cause and forego marriage and other routine aspects of life. His interest in his late friend's wife and child indicates a certain regret on the part of James that he never had his own family and that he would have been a fine husband and father. He certainly would have kept his children entertained.
i simply can't understand why, if chaps can improvise 'new' Sherlock Holmes stories, the same cannot be done for M R James stories - can't seem to have enough of them! are there absolutely no 'improvised' M R James stories 'in the Jamesian style'? Ahhh!
Unfortunately there are quite a few stories appearing in last year or so ' inspired ' by M R James. Most of them quite dreadful exercises in plagiarism .
@@2msvalkyrie529 You lot whine too much. Look through the comments, and watch the video. All around there are claims of how James is better at building subtle suspense than most contemporary writers, yet you blame those who try to build suspense in the same way as plagiarism, without featuring any of the original characters
The only ghost story writer that has never written anything that I find remotely frightening. And hairy ghosts just don't do it for me either I'm afraid.
This is so interesting: spoiler At the very end when he died, June 12th the same date as his father had died years before, at Eton college as the Nunc Dimittis was being sung in the chapel - in English the Nunc Dimittis is permission to depart. It is also known as the Song of Simeon or the Canticle of Simeon, is a canticle taken from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 29 through 32. Its Latin name comes from its incipit, the opening words, of the Vulgate translation of the passage, meaning "Now let depart". How poignant and fitting a supernatural transportation to the ‘that undiscovered country, from whose bourne, no traveler returns’, as Shakespeare so eloquently put it in Hamlet’s soliloquy.
Well done - until the literary experts decided to speculate about his sex life. Not something they knew anything about nor particularly germane to his writing. Pervs gonna perv
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The thinking person's ghost stories. Thank you for downloading.
Great documentary, I watched a recent one by Mark Gatiss but it was great to come across this. In my opinion, one of the things that sets M.R. James (and quite a few writers from the victorian, edwardian and early 1900s eras) apart from contemporary authors is the extensive use of our wonderful language. A description by James, of a basic situation, is transformed with such a vast use of beautifully flesh-crawling descriptives that one can smell the stagnant air and feel the creeping, hairy hand on the shoulder. The early Pan books of Horror, that were bedtime reading for me as a child are written by authors of the early 20th century and led me to M.R. James and although I went onto read King and Herbert etc my preference, should I wish to be really creeped out will always be the early masters of horror.
Same here. The Pan books had some excellent anthologies. My new favourite author of the chilling story is F.G. Cottam.
I was reading one of his books in a hot bath by candlelight !! l was sat the wrong way with my back against the taps !! l got to the scary bit when the main character was in the darkness and the monster was creeping up on him with with a bony arm out stretched ! The next line was " he felt a Tap on his shoulder ..... ! "
James was a genuine scholar, thus able to provide convincing narratives for his stories. The horror arises from the contrast between these, as the video says, dry as dust narratives & the intrusion of another, hideous world lurking just below the surface of the rational, mundane world inhabited by the narrator, who is usually too smug & sure in his understanding of all that exists in the universe to be aware of this other world. He lets his curiosity lead him into extreme danger because of his lack of awareness & imagination. "A Warning To The Curious" is, for me, the title which best defines his work (although certainly not my favourite story).
I enjoyed watching this interesting documentary.
I am one of the many that grew up thrilled and terrified by the ghost stories of M R James. My goodness, those childhood nights when I was too scared to sleep without the light on. Thank you so much for this great documentary.
Before RUclips & an abundance of TV channels; Christmas was made all the more exciting by another adaptation of an M R James Ghost Story. The best present.
Bill Wallis has the most extraordinary voice
The presenter of this documentary is the late Bill Wallis, a prolific character actor who many or my generation will remember as Mr Ploppy the gaoler in the Blackadder II episode 'Head'.
He's Mr Ploppy here too.... 😩
The greatest ghost writer that Britain , if not world has ever produced . An excellent homage to the Master .
My favourite story teller. M R James would be my Desert Island book.
3.54 the pic of MRJ,excellent shot,quite haunting in itself.
Lovely to see Bill Wallis narrating for TV after all the years of radio pleasure he gave. A wonderful actor with an unforgettable voice.
i did not know he had died in 2013. Quite a shock.
William Wallis 20 November 1936 - 6 September 2013
Love MR James but Bill Wallis ....no thanks
I have Ms Briggs book "Night Visitors: The Rise and Fall of the English Ghost Story." It's very good,you should read it. ☺️
Thanks!
I have it. It's superb 😊
A writer of monumental diction, and his often poetic romance to the spiritual and the macabre are like prophecies to the black spaces that invade our minds....a genius of wording and excavating our hidden vulnerability , that manifest through the unexplained presence of the passed over who suffer unrest......
Brilliant.
this is wonderful and always heralds the beginning of winter season
Thank you. I saw this once years ago and despaired of ever seeing it again.
Thank you. Most appreciated. Now a recurring sensitive and occasional melancholic pleasure. Glad you sought it and good of you to share it.
The arrognce of the intellectual still plauges the simplicity of fear.
Brilliant, thank you so much for this absolute gem of a video.
Incredibly insightful & deep investigation. One of the best-& most intriguing-docs I've ever seen.
Off to Amazon for some James.
Often imitated. Never equaled.
Even though I'm from the opposite background of James, I entered university fully expecting traditional codes of conduct - well, in the library and classroom. I was surprised by the few professors who didn't manage classroom decorum and disappointed with the new library that looked more like a nursery school than a place to ponder, research and learn. It's not all that bad, but it took some adjustments. I still regret not having the intellectual foundation for attending a old ivy league university (as we call them here, stateside).
Excellent documentary, I thought that the presentation was a brilliant idea, in a way reflecting the role that narrators had in M R James' stories. In one of my favourite's "An Episode of Cathedral History" the story is told by a researcher talking to a witness to the odd happenings in a cathedral years ago. In "The Stalls Of Barchester Cathedral" it is another antiquarian scholar who comes upon the sad tale and awful demise of the dean.
Thank you for the upload.
Episode is my favorite MRJ story!
Sadly , Julia Briggs passed away in 2007 . A brain tumour.
How cruel Life is ?
When it comes to him not becoming a minister I think there might be other things at work. If you take up the religious life it will take a lot out of you if you are not completely dedicated to your faith; not everyone can make a good spiritual advisor (no pun intended here.) His way of life was as a scholar which he excelled at in lifetime. This one had a few jump scares in it didn't it;)
Thank you for taking the time to comment :)
No problem thanks for the feedback:)
Lot's of the speculation is rather overblown and silly, but this is well produced, and I love James, so let that pass...
Outstanding......
So, apparently it was his first reading at the Chitchat Society? James' would've been 30. That's a wonderful omen. ...Gwendolyn.
Excellent documentary. I have always enjoyed his timeless stories.
This is great! Better in some ways than the Gatiss documentary. Thank you!!
katie boo I always get the impression that Mark Gatiss tries to put a homosexual slant on all the programs he makes.
@@tinabaker4662 ..cos a pat on the back means you're homosexual.
@@tinabaker4662 You seem to be the one with the questionable "slant."
It's interesting to compare James (Cambridge) and Tolkien (Oxford) being very near contemporaries and such literary greats both addressing very much a blend of Christianity (esp Catholic-leaning Christianity) and Pagan aspects (which both portrayed in a more understanding light).
Isn’t the presenter of this Mr Ploppy from Blackadder? Haha
An interesting story, almost conjuring the same atmosphere as The Woman In Black. Has great potential for a decent director to make a newer version made with modern technology to create a creepier atmosphere..
Love it! Thanks!
many thanks that was rather swell...
Bill Wallis played Mr Ploppy in Blackadder 2
I am trying to imagine how this could have imputed more motives to James, or hinted more at things with apparently no great evidence (save, perhaps no evidence to counter it). I am at a loss. With a few exceptions, this is a restrained thrashing, in true sideways fashion. "He wrote great, memorable ghost stories, so surely he must have been plagued with Satanic thoughts. He was socially awkward and had a good friend, so surely he was gay. He was a excellent academic, so naturally he was emotionally stunted. He didn't keep a large diary, so we feel able to say what we wish with no fear of contradiction."
I wish I could watch a program on M.R. James where the creators didn't erroneously claim he was a homosexual.
Amen to that! 😡
You knew him personally, did you? Better than his contemporaries?
Wasn't he gay? Don't think he was married. His sexuality is of no matter to anyone but him, anyway.
They view of the modern world is that if you haven't been married at least three times and fathered a half dozen children you must be homosexual. The notion of a deep affliction between two members of the same sex is also viewed as suspicious by many. Another ridiculous fallacy. There's an obsession of modern society with the subject of sexuality that prevents even the scholarly from understanding people who devote their lives to a profession or cause and forego marriage and other routine aspects of life. His interest in his late friend's wife and child indicates a certain regret on the part of James that he never had his own family and that he would have been a fine husband and father. He certainly would have kept his children entertained.
@@Oakleaf700 It may come as a shock to people that most of us who have never married aren't gay.
i simply can't understand why, if chaps can improvise 'new' Sherlock Holmes stories, the same cannot be done for M R James stories - can't seem to have enough of them! are there absolutely no 'improvised' M R James stories 'in the Jamesian style'? Ahhh!
Unfortunately there are quite a few
stories appearing in last year or so
' inspired ' by M R James.
Most of them quite dreadful exercises in plagiarism .
New Sherlock Holmes stories would have Sherlock Holmes in them. How would an improvised M R James story be identified as a new M R James story?
@@2msvalkyrie529 You lot whine too much. Look through the comments, and watch the video. All around there are claims of how James is better at building subtle suspense than most contemporary writers, yet you blame those who try to build suspense in the same way as plagiarism, without featuring any of the original characters
I'm working on one, but... well, take that for what it's worth >_>
First time
Great documentary, thanks for posting. When was this documentary made? Late 1990s?
TheDragonsleeve You're welcome :) It was made in 1995.
Thanks.
The only ghost story writer that has never written anything that I find remotely frightening. And hairy ghosts just don't do it for me either I'm afraid.
Does anyone know whose version of the Nunc Dimittis is being sung while James is dying? Would like to hear all of it.
ruclips.net/video/icjcVr6j8gc/видео.html
not the same version as the one in the programme but lovely all the same.
This is so interesting: spoiler
At the very end when he died, June 12th the same date as his father had died years before, at Eton college as the Nunc Dimittis was being sung in the chapel - in English the Nunc Dimittis is permission to depart.
It is also known as the Song of Simeon or the Canticle of Simeon, is a canticle taken from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 29 through 32. Its Latin name comes from its incipit, the opening words, of the Vulgate translation of the passage, meaning "Now let depart".
How poignant and fitting a supernatural transportation to the ‘that undiscovered country, from whose bourne, no traveler returns’, as Shakespeare so eloquently put it in Hamlet’s soliloquy.
Well done - until the literary experts decided to speculate about his sex life. Not something they knew anything about nor particularly germane to his writing. Pervs gonna perv
1:10 Christopher Lee 😍
His M.R. James performances are the best.
Such a shame to hear ordinary intellects dissect a brilliant intellect by the social mores of their day.