Ghost Stories - Volume 2 ( The Stalls of Barchester / A Warning to the Curious ) ( Ghost Story for Christmas: The Stalls of Barchester / Ghost Story for Christmas: A Warning to the Curious )

Ghost Stories - Volume 2 (DVD) (*)

~~$39.99~~ $33.97

Original Title: The Stalls of Barchester / A Warning to the Curious
Alternate Title: Ghost Story for Christmas: The Stalls of Barchester / Ghost Story for Christmas: A Warning to the Curious
Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
95 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 1971 - 1972 and produced in:
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )

Directed By:
Lawrence Gordon Clark

Written By:
M.R. James
Lawrence Gordon Clark

Actors:
Robert Hardy ..... Archdeacon Haynes
Clive Swift ..... Dr. Black
Thelma Barlow ..... Letitia Hayes
Will Leighton ..... Librarian
Harold Bennett ..... Archdeacon Pulteney
Penny Service ..... Jane Lee
Martin Hoyle ..... Verger
Erik Chitty ..... Priest
David Pugh ..... John
Ambrose Coghill ..... Museum Curator
Peter Vaughan ..... Mr Paxton
Julian Herrington ..... Archaeologist
John Kearney ..... Ager / Ghost
David Cargill ..... Boots
George Benson ..... Vicar
Roger Milner ..... Antique Shop Owner
Gilly Fraser ..... Girl
David Pugh ..... Porter
Cyril Appleton ..... Labourer

Synopsis:

Lawrence Gordon Clark directs this double bill of horror dramas adaptated by the BBC from two of M.R. James's classic ghost stories. In 'A Warning to the Curious' (1972) Mr Paxton (Peter Vaughan) travels to English seaside town Seaburg hoping to find the last of three Anglo Saxon crowns belonging to the Agers family whose last descendant has recently died. When he uncovers the crown, however, he finds himself haunted by a ghostly figure. In 'The Stalls of Barchester' (1971) Dr. Black (Clive Swift) is cataloguing the Barchester Cathedral Library when he comes across an old diary belonging to Archdeacon Haynes (Robert Hardy) who died mysteriously. Whilst reading the entries Black soon discovers that Haynes may have been cursed upon the death of his predecessor after which he was tormented by supernatural goings-on.

The Stalls of Barchester (1971)
A mysterious box in the old library of Barchester Cathedral reveals the strange story leading up to the death of a former Archdeacon. From some old diaries, Dr Black, a scholar, pieces together a chain of events leading to a horrifying climax. As Dr Black delves deeper into the past a macabre explanation emerges. Filmed entirely on location at Norwich Cathedral and Cathedral Close.

A Warning to the Curious (1972)
The narrator begins the story by describing a windswept yet idyllic town on the coast of Suffolk, England called Seaburgh where he used to either live or visit as a child. After the narrator has evoked the setting of the story, he allows his friend to take over the narration. The friend tells of a stay in an inn in Seaburgh where he came across a very nervous-seeming young man who was afraid to be alone. This young man, Paxton by name, then tells his story of having learned from the local rector of a legend of three Anglian crowns buried along the coast as protection from foreign invaders. One crown, according to the legend, had been discovered and melted down, and the second had been washed into the sea by coastal erosion. The third crown, the last remaining defense, was still buried along the coast but protected by the men of the family Ager. When the clergyman casually announces that the last of the Agers has just died, Paxtons curiosity is piqued. When he ascertains from another local the possible location of the buried crown, he is compelled to unearth it. Having done so, however, he finds himself constantly followed by a mysterious presence. He is desperate to put the crown back where he found it, but it may be too late.

As a Christmas treat in the late 1960s and 70s, the BBC produced adaptations of ghost stories based on the works of MR James, the Cambridge academic and author of some of the most spine-tingling tales in the English language, which were broadcast to terrified viewers in the dead of winter. This was a tradition that was briefly revived by the BBC between 2007 and 2010.
These adaptations, which have a subtlety and style all of their own, have been a major influence on many contemporary British horror filmmakers and have come to be some of the most sought after British TV titles of all time by their legions of eager fans. Volume Two of the BFI's BBC Ghost Stories collection includes the DVD premiere release of 1971's The Stalls of Barchester, starring Robin Hardy, and 1972's A Warning to the Curious (previously released on DVD by the BFI), starring Peter Vaughan.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 02 October, 2012.

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