Ghost Stories for Christmas

[Daniel O'Brien]

Does anyone know if this series was retained in its original form? The M.R. James and Dickens stories were all shot on film. I'm not sure about the two contemporary stories. The prints shown on BBC4 looked very grainy. I know most film stock deteriorates over time, but the quality seemed substandard. It's been suggested that these prints are dupes made for overseas sales. The archive purge didn't end until 1978, so it's possible the original negatives were junked. I hope this isn't the case. How does 'A Warning to the Curious' look on the BFI DVD?

[andrew martin]

dobrien said:

Does anyone know if this series was retained in its original form?

Yes, all the original material survives - film was far less likely to be junked, as unlike VT it can't be reused. Pretty much all colour filmed dramas have survived.

[Brian D not logged in]

Does 'Schalken the Painter' exist in its original broadcast form?

[Joe Cole]

It should, I taped it on repeat in the late 1980s! Check INFAX

[Lance C]

Some of the Christmas Ghost stories look like they are many film/tape generations down from the orginal master?

[Daniel O'Brien]

The prints shown on BBC4 look badly faded, with a lot of grain. This may be an inevitable side effect of shooting on 16mm film. 'Whistle and I'll Come to You', shot on 35mm, looks much better. That said, the 'Ghost Stories for Christmas' prints could well be 2nd generation dupes. I'm reliably informed that the BBC only allows access to 16mm negatives under special circumstances. Presumably, a BBC4 screening doesn't qualify, hence the reliance on inferior prints.

[H Hartley]

Lost Hearts 1973 was very grainy when it was first shown and the effect was the intention of the director.

The 1966 ABC version now only lives in faded memories, but has a reputation of being superior and scaring the daylights out of those who remember it.

[andrew martin]

dobrien said:

The prints shown on BBC4 look badly faded, with a lot of grain. This may be an inevitable side effect of shooting on 16mm film. 'Whistle and I'll Come to You', shot on 35mm, looks much better. That said, the 'Ghost Stories for Christmas' prints could well be 2nd generation dupes. I'm reliably informed that the BBC only allows access to 16mm negatives under special circumstances. Presumably, a BBC4 screening doesn't qualify, hence the reliance on inferior prints.

"Whistle and I'll Come to You" was made on 16mm... Colour film fades much more than b/w, the latter is a very stable medium (35mm gives better, less grainy picture quality, since the basic picture is so much larger). If something like a "Ghost Story" was scheduled for transmission, the material would be examined - either any existing VT transfers or the film transmission prints. If the material was technically unsatisfactory the producer responsible for the repeat would, if budget permitted, get a new print struck from the negative or an interneg or interpos if these existed - this would be negotiated via the technical department at the archive. For colour material such as this a 'second generation' print would not exist - I assume you mean a print copied from the tx print. There would be no point in making such a print, the main transmission print could be used for a repeat (once it was transferred to tape).

[Daniel O'Brien]

If Lawrence Gordon Clark intended 'Lost Hearts' to look grainy, fair enough, though I doubt he intended the scratches and dirt on the BBC4 print. I thought it looked better when I saw it ten years ago, but I could have misremembered. The ABC version may have been superior, but the BBC version is pretty good. Alas, we'll never get a chance to do a compare-and-contrast.

Intrigued that 'Whistle' was shot in 16mm. I was told the BBC used 35mm until the early 1970s. It looks fine on the DVD. I don't know what kind of budget BBC4 has for archive repeats. Maybe this is the best these films can look. At least they're still around to enjoy.

[Robin Davies]

I must admit all the ghost stories look fine to me, except for A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS which does seem a little too blurry, especially on the left side of the screen in the early parts. Otherwise I think a slightly soft image actually suits the material. Apart from that I think the only flaw I noticed was the spots on screen during part of that classic dream sequence in WHISTLE.

[andrew martin]

dobrien said:

Intrigued that 'Whistle' was shot in 16mm. I was told the BBC used 35mm until the early 1970s. It looks fine on the DVD. I don't know what kind of budget BBC4 has for archive repeats. Maybe this is the best these films can look. At least they're still around to enjoy.

35mm was used at least until 1969 (eg "Civilisation") but so was 16mm, which starts appearing in the mid 50s. At first 16mm was used mainly for news, since the cameras were smaller and lighter and so better suited for that kind of work, but by the end of the 50s 35mm film was starting to be rarely used for news. 16mm was being used for some telerecordings (mainly for sales and some less prestigious productions for repeat and as a safety copy) by the late 50s. 35mm was being gradually replaced by 16mm for other uses throughout the 60s, and was all but gone by the early 70s - an episode of "Take Three Girls" was made on 35mm colour film and shown in January 1970 (presumably filmed in '69), which must have been one of the last uses. 35mm continued to be used for some effects filming and for title sequences, and indeed still is, albeit as an element which is manipulated and edited electronically.

[andrew martin]

Brian said:

Does 'Schalken the Painter' exist in its original broadcast form?

Yes, and also in its recut version.

[Robin Davies]

Whaaaat??? When was Schalcken recut? I recorded it off air on 28/12/88 and assumed it was complete.

[Daniel O'Brien]

I caught a repeat showing of 'Schalken the Painter'. Does anyone know what was cut from the revised version (and why)? I thought the film was excellent and surprisingly explicit for its era. Definitely a high point in director Leslie Megahey's career.

[Dunc]

I agree with Robin i think the prints used looked fine to me
i have several versions recorded off air and they look fine to me
In fact i think the slightly soft grainy look is what gives them atmosphere and texture
The Ash Tree repeat was a revelation and i am thankful that it was re shown.

Interesting point above what is a re-cut version of schalcken mine looks complete ?