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BFI Releasing Ghost Stories For Christmas Vol. 1

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  • BFI Releasing Ghost Stories For Christmas Vol. 1

    Press release!

    GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS VOLUME 1

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    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.
    https://www.bfi.org.uk/in-dreams-are-monsters

    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)

    WHERE TO BUY
    Pre-order from the BFI Shop
    https://shop.bfi.org.uk/ghost-storie...e-blu-ray.html

    All BFI Blu-ray/DVD releases can be ordered from usual home entertainment online retailers or from the BFI Shop at https://shop.bfi.org.uk/
    Rock! Shock! Pop!

  • #2
    That's a pretty bad deal compared to the old DVD set which included all those episodes along with Whistle and I'll Come to You (2010), The Treasure of Abbott Thomas, The Ash Tree, The Signalman, Stigma, The Ice House, A View from a Hill, and Number 13 in the same set for about the same price. Maybe in 2024 they'll do one set with everything like they should have done with this one...

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by f.ramses View Post
      That's a pretty bad deal compared to the old DVD set which included all those episodes along with Whistle and I'll Come to You (2010), The Treasure of Abbott Thomas, The Ash Tree, The Signalman, Stigma, The Ice House, A View from a Hill, and Number 13 in the same set for about the same price. Maybe in 2024 they'll do one set with everything like they should have done with this one...
      The cost of the new remastering may have made it necessary to issue fewer films in one set than the previous collection. I'd honestly bet on that, and possibly not having all the files fully remastered yet, possibly due to needing funds raised by this set to pay for those ones to be done.

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      • #4
        The old DVDs were originally released in five volumes with a couple of films in each before being collected into a big set so I assume it's a similar story here. Nice to see them adding some new special features though. The DVDs looked pretty good all things considered but if the original elements are in decent shape these should look gorgeous. It's just a pity that the next set isn't coming until next year when the original DVD sets were released over a few consecutive months.

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        • #5
          Volume 2 coming 11/20/23.

          The Films:

          The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974, 37 min)
          The Ash Tree (1975, 32 min)
          The Signalman (1976, 39 min)
          Stigma (1977, 32 min)
          The Ice House (1978, 34 min)

          Extras:

          A View From a Hill (2005, 39 mins): a young museum curator, Fanshawe finds himself in possession of a pair of binoculars that grant him a strange new ability. Ignoring all warnings about their necromantic creator, Fanshawe carries out his research, but the bloody past of the area is best left undisturbed…
          Number 13 (2006, 40 mins): infuriated by the ghoulish noises made nightly by his neighbour, Professor Anderson is soon driven to investigate the diabolical secrets of the old hotel and its mysteriously vanishing room 13.
          Newly recorded audio commentary on The Treasure of Abbot Thomas by TV historian Simon Farquhar
          Newly recorded audio commentary on The Ash Tree by author Johnny Mains
          Newly recorded audio commentary on The Signalman by TV historian Jon Dear and actor and writer Mark Gatiss
          Newly recorded audio commentaries on Stigma and The Ice House by Kim Newman and Sean Hogan
          Ghost Stories for Christmas With Christopher Lee (2000, 30 mins): Ronald Frame's adaptation is brought to life by horror maestro Christopher Lee
          Introductions by Lawrence Gordon Clark (2012, 39 mins): the director introduces The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, The Ash Tree, The Signalman and Stigma
          Illustrated booklet with archival essays by Alex Davidson, Dick Fiddy, Matthew Sweet, and Helen Wheatley



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          • #6
            Updated press release!

            GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS VOLUME 2

            3-disc Limited Edition Blu-ray box set released on 20 November 2023

            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, which terrified yuletide viewers for decades to come. For many fans, they are still a traditional Christmas-time watch. Volume 2 contains the remaining original instalments – The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, The Ash Tree, The Signalman, Stigma and The Ice House – all newly remastered from original film materials and presented on Blu-ray for the first time. Later adaptations of A View From a Hill and Number 13 are also included, plus new and archive extras and a booklet.

            The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974): directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, original story by MR James, starring Sheila Dunn, Anne Blake, Frank Mills

            The Ash Tree (1975): directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, original story by MR James, starring Edward Petherbridge, Preston Lockwood, Barbara Ewing

            The Signalman (1976): directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, original story by Charles Dickens, starring Denholm Elliott, Bernard Lloyd, Reginald Jessup

            Stigma (1977): directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, original story by Clive Exton, starring Kate Binchy, Peter Bowles, Maxine Gordon

            The Ice House (1978): directed by Derek Lister, original story by John Bowen, starring John Stride, Elizabeth Romilly, Geoffrey Burridge

            Special features
            • Newly remastered by the BFI
            • Newly recorded audio commentary for The Treasure of Abbot Thomas by writer and broadcaster Simon Farquhar
            • Newly recorded audio commentary for The Ash Tree by writer and TV historian Jon Dear, incorporating material from author and editor Johnny Mains
            • Newly recorded audio commentary for The Signalman by Jon Dear and actor and writer Mark Gatiss
            • Newly recorded audio commentaries for Stigma and The Ice House by writer Kim Newman and writer and filmmaker Sean Hogan
            • A View From a Hill (2005, 39 mins, SD)
            • Number 13 (2006, 40 mins)
            • Spectres, Spirits & Haunted Treasure: Adapting M R James (2023, 17 mins): newly commissioned video essay by Nic Wassell exploring some of the classic BBC adaptations
            • Introductions by Lawrence Gordon Clark (2012, 39 mins total): the director of seven of the BBC’s classic A Ghost Story for Christmas episodes discusses his part in the last four instalments he directed
            • Ghost Stories for Christmas with Christopher Lee – Number 13 (2000, 30 mins): Ronald Frame’s adaptation of MR James’s story is brought to life by the horror maestro
            • ***First pressing only*** Illustrated booklet with essays by Alex Davidson, Dick Fiddy, Simon Farquhar and Helen Wheatley; credits and notes on the special features
            Product details
            RRP: £29.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1500 / 15
            UK / 1974-1978 / colour / 173 minutes (+ extras) / English language, with optional descriptive subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 / 3 x BD50: 1080p/50i, 25fps, mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)

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