A Warning to the Curious - A Ghost Story for Christmas (1972-ENG SUB)

A Warning to the Curious is a short film, the second of the British supernatural anthology series "A Ghost Story for Christmas". Audio in English with English subtitles (Click on CC for subtitles).

Written, produced, and directed by the series' creator, Lawrence Gordon Clark, it is based on the ghost story of the same name by M. R. James, first published in the collection A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories (1925) and first aired on BBC1 on 24 December 1972. At 50 minutes it is the longest installment in the series' original run.

It stars Peter Vaughan as Paxton, an amateur archaeologist whose attempt to track down one of the three legendary crowns of East Anglia causes him to be followed by the ghost of its last guardian, William Ager (John Kearney). He seeks the assistance of the vacationing scholar Dr. Black (Clive Swift) in order to return the crown and end the haunting.

In adapting the story, Clark changed the protagonist of the original from a young, innocent amateur who discovers the crown by accident to a middle-aged man (Peter Vaughan) who travels to Seaburgh specifically to find the crown. The era is updated to 1929, the background of the Depression adding an extra layer to Paxton's search for the treasure. The narrative layering of the original James story is dispensed with and a chronological narrative is used instead. Clark also included the character of Dr. Black (Clive Swift), who first appeared in "The Stalls of Barchester".

For "A Warning to the Curious", "Seaburgh" (a disguised version of Aldeburgh, Suffolk) was filmed on the coast of North Norfolk at Holkham Beach and Holkham Wood at Holkham Gap, Happisburgh, Wells-next-the-Sea and at the Sheringham and Weybourne stations of the North Norfolk Railway.

Cast & Characters:
Peter Vaughan as Mr Paxton
Clive Swift as Dr. Black
Julian Herington as Archaeologist
John Kearney as Ager / The Guardian
David Cargill as Boots
George Benson as Vicar
Roger Milner as antique shop owner
Gilly Fraser as girl at cottage
David Pugh as station porter
Cyril Appleton as labourer

Next Film: Lost Hearts
https://rumble.com/v5dniyx-lost-hearts-a-ghost-story-for-christmas-1973.html