The Christmas Ghost Stories of Lawrence Gordon Clark recalls a tradition of seasonal spooky tales...
The Christmas Ghost Stories of Lawrence Gordon Clark
Lawrence Gordon Clark, Tony Earnshaw (Editor), Mark Gatiss (Foreword)
Published by Spectral Books
Price: £15.00 (plus various additional edition options)
Out Now
I have been aware of the stories of M.R. James since I was a child. As I have mentioned before, my father pulled out his tattered black book of James’ short stories and read them to us when we were children, much to the consternation of my mother. This book includes seven stories with which I am already familiar. Although I was not aware of the films until several years ago, I have since seen almost all of them. Still, I obtained a lot of information in The Christmas Ghost Stories of Lawrence Gordon Clark that I would not have been privy to if I had not read it.
This book is so much more than a small collection of short stories and I would hate for it to be overlooked simply because one has read the stories or seen the films.
From 1971 through 1978 a program entitled A Ghost Story for Christmas, shown on BBC, offered film adaptations of the stories of M.R. James. The Christmas Ghost Stories of Lawrence Gordon Clark offers production information of all these programs. The book features an excellent foreword by Doctor Who/Sherlock actor and writer Mark Gatiss. Impact columnist Tony Earnshaw’s introduction painstakingly explains Clark’s challenge with budget and his ability to create the short films. Earnshaw also offers two informative transcripts of interviews with Clark.
Finally, Clark himself gives insight on on each film produced, as well as one he would have liked to be able to film (Count Magnus).
The book is an excellent reference about both Lawrence Gordon Clark and the creation of the BBC films. It is highly worth the shelf space and provides information that cannot be gathered elsewhere. I found the interviews enthralling and Clark’s recounting of experiences in filming highly entertaining. Whether a fan of M.R. James, Lawrence Gordon Clark, or of the tradition of the history of Christmas and ghost stories, the book is well worth the purchase price.
You can find more details and purchase information at:
Review score: 10 out of 10
Written By
