Susan Hill - The Woman In Black

[dem bones]

Susan Hill - The Woman In Black (Penguin, 1984: Mandarin, 1994)

B.A. Loftus

Blurb from Mandarin edition.
Proud and solitary, Eel Marsh House surveys the windswept reaches of the salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. When Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, the house's sole inhabitant, he has-no inkling of the tragic secrets hidden behind the shuttered windows. It is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, an unease which is deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black — and her terrible purpose.

looking forward to this. Have been assured The Woman In Black is "your kind of thing" by somebody who has a 46.3% success rate (approx.) in identifying what my "kind of thing" is, and a slimline 160 pages makes for a good start. Up 'til now, I've somehow managed to avoid contact with The Woman In Black in any of its manifestations and, although it's been alluded to in despatches once or twice,as far as I can tell, in close to six years we've never given the novel its own thread. One chapter down, and can already see the appeal: Susan Hill's writing is a neat approximation of Victorian supernatural fiction minus the bloat. A jolly family gathering at the fireside on Christmas Eve with the younger members of the family taking it in turns to tell increasingly lurid ghost stories, but for their father the subject is no laughing matter and he astonishes all by leaving the room and wandering out into the cold. Something appalling occurred during his days as a junior solicitor and, embarrassed that his strange behaviour has put a damper on the festive harmony, he resolves to confront the episode once and for all by setting it down on paper ....

[mattofthespurs]

The only book to have given me 'the willies' in the last 30 years. The previous one was The Exorcist.

Very good book. I believe (Hammer?) that a new film version is due out soon?

[David A. Riley]

I saw the play at a theatre in London several years ago and it was brilliant. Only two actors and a minimalist set, but how effective. I've had the book for years now, though, and never got round to reading it. I really should.

[cw67q]

I don't think the book lives up to its reputation. It is ok, but not a patch on the old bbc tv adaptation which is superb, and I've heard from a number of sources that the stage show ie even better.

- Chris

[David A. Riley]

Aug 8, 2011 10:12:37 GMT cw67q said:

I don't think the book lives up to its reputation. It is ok, but not a patch on the old bbc tv adaptation which is superb, and I've heard from a number of sources that the stage show ie even better.

- Chris

I had heard that too, which might be why I haven't got round to reading it yet.

I am looking forward to seeing the Hammer version of it.

David

[Dr Strange]

I've read this plus a couple of others by her (Mist In The Mirror and The Man In The Picture) and enjoyed them all, though this was probably the one I enjoyed most. I found her writing suprisingly "light" - or at least I was surprised, as for some reason I was expecting her to be a bit heavy-going. I am also looking forward to the Hammer film - if for no other reason, it'll be interesting to see how the "new" Hammer deals with the gothic Victorian setting.

[Shrink Proof]

The play was first performed at Alan Ayckbourn's theatre in Scarborough, Susan Hill's home town. A truly gripping plot coupled with some terrific acting (from just 2 actors) produced moments of heart-stopping fear. The tension in the theatre was palpable, the audience horrifyingly gripped.

The least relaxing night out I've ever had. Brilliant, quite brilliant.

[David A. Riley]

I've been to Scarborough and even took time to visit Alan Ayckbourn's theatre, though not to watch a play (this was during the afternoon unfortunately). Never knew this play was first performed there nor that Scarborough was Susan Hill's home town.

[mattofthespurs]

Aug 8, 2011 10:12:37 GMT cw67q said:

I don't think the book lives up to its reputation. It is ok, but not a patch on the old bbc tv adaptation which is superb, and I've heard from a number of sources that the stage show ie even better.

- Chris

It wasn't a BBC production, it was ITV. I've got a region 1 dvd of it. Personally I think the book is superb. The stage play which I saw in London was very good too. As mentioned, minimal sets and two actors (I think, if memory serves, the only props are a lantern and two crates against a black curtain). The TV adaptation is very good too.

[Jojo Lapin X]

I realize that this is a minority opinion, but I just wanted to note that I found both the novel and the television film of THE WOMAN IN BLACK perfectly awful.

[dem bones]

Aug 8, 2011 10:57:41 GMT Dr Strange said:

I am also looking forward to the Hammer film - if for no other reason, it'll be interesting to see how the "new" Hammer deals with the gothic Victorian setting.

the exact period has me wondering. early on we have all the nineteenth century trappings - London pea-soupers, ghost stories around the fireside, the novelty of long distance train travel, etc. - but on his way to Crythin Gifford, Arthur, then aged twenty-three, muses:

"The business was beginning to sound like something from a Victorian novel, with a reclusive old woman having hidden ... ancient documents somewhere in the depths of her cluttered house."

in the opening chapter we learn that Arthur is fifty, or close as makes no difference, when he sets to writing it all down, so i'm guessing Alice Drablow's funeral takes place in the 'twenties at the earliest, and most likely the 'thirties. if only he'd thought to buy a copy of the latest Not At Night when he set off from Kings Cross we could be sure.

[The Lurker In The Shadows]

Aug 8, 2011 17:43:23 GMT dem bones said:

the exact period has me wondering. early on we have all the nineteenth century trappings - London pea-soupers, ghost stories around the fireside, the novelty of long distance train travel, etc. - but on his way to Crythin Gifford, Arthur, then aged twenty-three, muses:

"The business was beginning to sound like something from a Victorian novel, with a reclusive old woman having hidden ... ancient documents somewhere in the depths of her cluttered house."

in the opening chapter we learn that Arthur is fifty, or close as makes no difference, when he sets to writing it all down, so i'm guessing Alice Drablow's funeral takes place in the 'twenties at the earliest, and most likely the 'thirties. if only he'd thought to buy a copy of the latest Not At Night when he set off from Kings Cross we could be sure.

Nigel Kneale's television script sets the story's events firmly in 1925 - there's a specific reference by one of the office clerks (played by Andy Nyman, future co-author of 'Ghost Stories' on stage) to 'the new Charlie Chaplin' - 'He eats his boots!' 'The Gold Rush' came out in '25.

Hill hates the TV version. I'm a fan of the TV film - the changes Kneale makes lead to a better TV drama. My favourite version, though, is the stage play - I love the way the whole process of adaptation becomes part of the plot, the mix of narration and drama - which I've happily used myself for my radio stuff - and the way the audience's imagination is exercised through description alone.

[Dr Strange]

You're right, of course - it's not a Victorian setting, it's not even Edwardian.

Strange, though - I don't think I've seen the TV adaptation, but that Charlie Chaplin reference is ringing a bell. Could that also be in the book? Or maybe I have seen the TV adaptation, I think my memory... um, what was I saying?

[Thana Niveau]

I saw the play first and thought it was incredibly effective. Never seen anything quite like it. So the next night John showed me the Kneale TV version, which I thought was very good, but not as potent as the play.

Which is why I've not read the book. I can't imagine the story without my experience of the play behind it, so it's bound to pale in comparison.

But hey - no big. There's plenty of other stuff to read!

[The Lurker In The Shadows]

Here's the latest US teaser trailer for the new film version - the UK trailer will have the Hammer Films logo properly in place and a different voice over...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=arixaTWmIA0

Looks like some fresh twists to the plot in there, but I think this looks very promising indeed.