|
|
Post by cauldronbrewer on Nov 27, 2012 12:36:19 GMT
Dorothy Macardle - The Uninvited (Peter Davies, 1942 as Uneasy Freehold; Bantam, 1966) Got these two for $5 at a 2nd hand bookshop:  I'm envious of you on this one--I've looked for it online before and never found a copy anywhere near that cheap. I finally found a copy for a (somewhat) reasonable price. Mine is the 1966 Bantam, whereas the one that James posted is the 1966 Corgi. The book is surprisingly hard to find given that it was the basis for a well regarded 1944 film. Marcardle was actively involved in Irish politics and led what sounds like a fascinating life.
|
|
|
|
Post by jamesdoig on Nov 27, 2012 20:24:06 GMT
The book is surprisingly hard to find given that it was the basis for a well regarded 1944 film. Another scarce paperback is Frank Baker's The Birds, first piblished in 1936 and reprinted by Panther in 1964 - like The Uninvited, the few copies on the Internet sell for stupid prices. Frank Baker is best known for Mrs Hargeaves, recently reprinted by Tartarus. The person who wrote the Frank Baker Wikipedia entry reckons that Daphne Du Maurier ripped it off and that bits of Baker's novel made the Hitchcock film: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Baker_(author) |
|
|
|
Post by cauldronbrewer on Nov 27, 2012 21:12:04 GMT
Another scarce paperback is Frank Baker's The Birds, first piblished in 1936 and reprinted by Panther in 1964 - like The Uninvited, the few copies on the Internet sell for stupid prices. Frank Baker is best known for Mrs Hargeaves, recently reprinted by Tartarus. The person who wrote the Frank Baker Wikipedia entry reckons that Daphne Du Maurier ripped it off and that bits of Baker's novel made the Hitchcock film: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Baker_(author)Interestingly, the same person suggests that Baker's book was inspired by Machen's The Terror. |
|
|
|
Post by cauldronbrewer on May 5, 2013 12:11:14 GMT
I finally got around to reading The Uninvited (a.k.a. Uneasy Freehold) and found it a solid if unexceptional modern Gothic. It's more than a little sentimental, but the solution to the haunting is complex and interesting. I wish that Macardle had omitted all of the digressions about the narrator's play and his theater friends; they're superfluous and boring.
I should watch the film one of these days.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jojo Lapin X on May 5, 2013 16:08:09 GMT
I finally got around to reading The Uninvited (a.k.a. Uneasy Freehold) and found it a solid if unexceptional modern Gothic. It's more than a little sentimental, but the solution to the haunting is complex and interesting. I wish that Macardle had omitted all of the digressions the about narrator's play and his theater friends; they're superfluous and boring. I should watch the film one of these days. I did, recently. It was a huge disappointment, given its solid reputation. But then I do not like the matter-of-fact approach to the supernatural. You will be relieved to know there is nothing in the film about the narrator's play and his theater friends; the male protagonist is a composer. |
|
|
|
Post by algernon on May 9, 2013 2:28:33 GMT
I saw the film last week (having finaly bought it on DVD after reading so many good reviews and hearing that Martin Scorsese was a fan of the film). Sadly, I was very disapointed too. I like Ray Milland as an actor, however, I found the way in which he fell in love with the girl after only a brief boat trip to be too simple and felt that the writers could have made more of an effort. Many reviewers say that it still has the power to scare the audience, however I didn't find it remotely atmospheric or scary (despite the fact that it was set on Cornwall's magnificent coastline, was filmed in black and white and was supposed to have a couply of malevolent ghosts etc). I beleieve that The Haunting, The Innocents and Hell House are far superior films in their ability to conjure up chills, atmosphere, general unease and scary set pieces.
|
|
