After last years poor offering by Mark Gatiss, I'm glad to say that this years Ghost Story for Christmas was much better.
What spoiled this version for me was the touches of comedy with the modern story teller and Judge acting out of context with jokes or silliness, which broke the atmosphere of the story.
Also why does every BBC production have to include minorities even when there would have been none in England at this time in English history. The actor is question was very good when he gave evidence, but it breaks the emersion for the viewer as you know he has only been cast so people don't conplain. It's perfectly fine to have an all white cast if the source material and historical period calls for it. That's not discrimination.
Last years film had a Gay relationship for example, people just want a good ghost story, not more political correctness, infact if you're willing to inject political messages into these ghost stories then why make them at all, as it disrespects both the author and the audience.
In short please stop the S.J.W stuff Mr Gaitiss. Honour the author not your own ideas. You claim to love his work, well then show us how much, the old M.R James adaptations are loved because they are by and large faithful to the original short stories. Emulate them.
To improve any future adaptions and build a darker atmosphere I'd have set the narrator/story teller in the past, as Christmas ghost stories are more effective if set in times gone by. Christopher Lee's M.R James ghost stories had exactly the right tone in this respect, that future versions should copy as I think having a narrator/story teller is a good idea, just as many of the original stories do.
I would also suggest keeping future adaptions in a period setting and having a darker tone overall. M.R James stories are about atmosphere and foreboding at least in part, so I think staying closer to the source material going forward would be wise. People want M.R James at the end of the day, so be as faithful as possible.
On the plus side the end reveal of the ghost was better this year and the period scenes were effective. Decent job overall Mr Gaitiss.
Please keep them coming as it's still better than anything else on the BBC at the moment.
6/10
What spoiled this version for me was the touches of comedy with the modern story teller and Judge acting out of context with jokes or silliness, which broke the atmosphere of the story.
Also why does every BBC production have to include minorities even when there would have been none in England at this time in English history. The actor is question was very good when he gave evidence, but it breaks the emersion for the viewer as you know he has only been cast so people don't conplain. It's perfectly fine to have an all white cast if the source material and historical period calls for it. That's not discrimination.
Last years film had a Gay relationship for example, people just want a good ghost story, not more political correctness, infact if you're willing to inject political messages into these ghost stories then why make them at all, as it disrespects both the author and the audience.
In short please stop the S.J.W stuff Mr Gaitiss. Honour the author not your own ideas. You claim to love his work, well then show us how much, the old M.R James adaptations are loved because they are by and large faithful to the original short stories. Emulate them.
To improve any future adaptions and build a darker atmosphere I'd have set the narrator/story teller in the past, as Christmas ghost stories are more effective if set in times gone by. Christopher Lee's M.R James ghost stories had exactly the right tone in this respect, that future versions should copy as I think having a narrator/story teller is a good idea, just as many of the original stories do.
I would also suggest keeping future adaptions in a period setting and having a darker tone overall. M.R James stories are about atmosphere and foreboding at least in part, so I think staying closer to the source material going forward would be wise. People want M.R James at the end of the day, so be as faithful as possible.
On the plus side the end reveal of the ghost was better this year and the period scenes were effective. Decent job overall Mr Gaitiss.
Please keep them coming as it's still better than anything else on the BBC at the moment.
6/10