The narrator and Long see Paxton running along the beach, waving a walking stick as if trying to get the attention of some people ahead of him. All the way to the hill, he has the feeling of being watched by several "dim presences" and that there is a stronger presence awaiting their arrival. James, was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2018 as the fourth episode of the five-part mini-series The Haunting of M.R. [5][6], The Suffolk setting of Seaburgh for "A Warning to the Curious" is a thinly veiled disguise for the seaside town of Aldeburgh,[7] the home of M. R. James's maternal grandmother, whom he visited frequently until her death in 1870. James Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. Dare’s The Demoniac Goat.Lovely! The narrator states that they keep the location of the crown secret, finishing by saying that he has never been back, or even near Seaburgh, since. When the last surviving member of the family, William Ager, died at the age of 28, the crown was left without a living guardian. A Warning to the Curious Red text indicates an entry in the “Notes for the Curious” section. He concludes that Paxton is running towards the ghost, believing it to be Henry Long and himself. Peter Vaughan is a Cockney amateur archaelogist, who comes to Norfolk determined to find the only surviving crown from ancient times. Title screen, showing the expansive North Norfolk coastline that features heavily in the adaptation. Paxton offers to show the crown to narrator and Henry Long. It was MR James' tale of archeology and the conflict between ancient, pre … The priest goes on to say that, for a long time, the members of the Ager family considered themselves to be the guardians of the one remaining crown. It first appeared in print in the literary journal London Mercury in August 1925. They start to unwrap it but manage not to touch its metal. Paxton explains that he has some interest in the architecture of medieval churches, whilst visiting one such place he learns of a local legend about a buried Anglo-Saxon crown that protects the country from invasion; linked to this are a deceased family, called Ager, who were sworn to guard the crown. Read 28 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. He is … They say that they only met him the day before he died and that he believed that someone named William Ager posed a danger to him. Time is taken to describe a pleasant traditional Victorian holiday resort, Seaburgh. But his memories soon turn to more disturbing events. Only one crown is left in its original burial place and continues to protect England. A week earlier, Paxton cycled to the neighboring town of Froston to visit the church. Paxton believes that he is being pursued by a ghost which has power over people's eyes and can choose to make itself either visible or invisible. https://literature.fandom.com/wiki/A_Warning_to_the_Curious The film ends with the suggestion that, after the death of Paxton, the ghost of William Ager has begun pursuing Dr. Black. Share via email. Most notably, M. R. James A Warning to the Curious features many influential elements; the seaside setting, the legend of the lost Anglo-Saxon Crown, a greedy archaeologist and the presence of a ghostly guardian, sworn to protect the whereabouts of the crown, even after death. Paxton states that he found the crown but has been stalked ever since, to the point of desperation, by its supernatural guardian. The following afternoon, the narrator and Long go to their lounge and find that Paxton has left. Published in London Mercury XII, no. Paxton took a train back from Froston to Seaburgh. One of the crowns was later dug up, one is now beneath the sea but one still remains buried in the earth and keeps England safe from invasion. In the film, Paxton already knows the legend of the three crowns before traveling to East Anglia. It establishes how seriously William Ager takes his role as guardian of the crown. Paxton finds out where the crown is buried and digs it up. When he looked directly at the trees, the man was not there. The narrator states that he collects stories about the area as a result of his happy memories there as a child, and that this is one he was told by a man for whom he had done a favour. In his stories, the author M.R. Paxton says that he heard a kind of scream when he took the crown out of the ground. Adapted from an M R James short story "A Warning To The Curious" is an incredibly atmospheric short film (50 minutes long in total) set on the Norfolk coast. The tale tells the story of Paxton, an antiquarian and archaeologist who holidays in "Seaburgh" (a disguised version of Aldeburgh, Suffolk) and inadvertently stumbles across one of the three lost crowns of Anglia, which legendarily protect the country from invasion. He wants to prove that a successful archaeologist does not have to be a university man, make a name for himself and make his fortune. Paxton's poverty is established early in the film when the soles of his shoes are shown to be cracked. The narrator and Henry Long want to help Paxton. He tells Paxton that he left his coat behind. The narrator concludes his story by saying, "I have never been at Seabridge, or even near it, since.". She pointed out the nearby hill to Paxton. The narrator and Long choose not to mention the crown at the inquest into Paxton's death. If so, why? Share to Twitter. An independent witness at the subsequent inquest absolves them of any involvement. The story concerns a young antiquary and archaeologist named Paxton. Julian Herington and John Kearney in a screenshot from the 1972 BBC TV adaptation of "A Warning to the Curious". While on vacation on the south-east coast of England, Paxton hears the legend of the three holy crowns. Members of a family named Ager long guarded the site where the crown was buried. The owners of the book had written their names inside it. A warning to the curious A message for the meek It's better not to be in love Than to be in between You, If I never had you Then I wouldn't feel the way I do now If I never had you It was just a joke you said But now I'm warning you On whose grounds do you dare to tread? Paxton is hacked to death, as the other archaeologist was twelve years earlier. "A Warning to the Curious" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, included in his book A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories first published in 1925. The two men set off after Paxton onto the beach, where a thick sea mist descends, making visibility poor. While he was digging, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man standing in nearby trees. They tell him that he can use their lounge the following morning while they are playing golf and that they will go for a walk together in the afternoon. Also in this episode we speak to actor Robert Lloyd Parry and publisher Brian J. Showers about ‘Ghosts of the Chit-chat’, their soon to be published new anthology of ghost stories from authors who, alongside M.R. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that James may be exploring the theme of curiosity. He decides to put the crown back where he found it. The narrator remembers that Paxton said the ghost has power over people's eyes. After some time, Paxton reveals that he knows who the narrator and Long are, they have a mutual acquaintance, and he has come to speak to them about a problem that he has. At the film's climax, the ghost of William Ager chases Paxton back to the hill where the crown is buried. It stars Peter Vaughan as Paxton, Clive Swift as Dr. Black (an amalgam of the unnamed narrator and Henry Long from the original short story) and John Kearney as William Ager. The Bear/White Lion hotel is a luxury hotel still, St Peter and St Paul's Church, Aldeburgh and the accompanying path through the graveyard similarly are relatively untouched. Upon digging the crown up, Paxton is stalked by its supernatural guardian. After the hotel staff member opens the door for the narrator, Henry Long and Paxton, he continues to hold it open for a little while longer, saying that he thought he saw another man behind them. He feels that a ghost is constantly watching him and presents a genuine danger to him. [9], 2nd episode of the first season of A Ghost Story for Christmas. The priest said that, according to legend, three crowns were buried at different places near to the coast to prevent England from being invaded. The era is updated to the 1930s, the background of the Depression adding an extra layer to Paxton's search for the treasure. The place on the east coast which the reader is asked to consider is Scaburgh. Annotation 14 from "A Warning to the Curious" in "A Pleasing Terror, The Complete Supernatural Writings" (Kindle Edition), Editors: C Roden & B Roden; A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories, "A Warning to the Curious in Aldeburgh, Suffolk: East Anglia's Ghost Trail", 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad', The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Warning_to_the_Curious&oldid=1006685209, Short description is different from Wikidata, Television episode articles with short description for single episodes, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 14 February 2021, at 06:03. Paxton reburies the crown and covers it up. [4], Clark also included the character of Dr. Black (Clive Swift), who first appeared in The Stalls of Barchester. On leaving the hill, Henry Long notices a dark shape on it. The sexton said that the three crowns on the shield represent the three holy crowns that were, "buried in the ground near by the coast to keep the Germans from landing." Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad. Paxton shows that he has his coat with him. "A Warning to the Curious" is a short story that starts with the narrator giving a pleasant description of a lovely seaside town in Suffolk. Consequently, there are not many people at the hotel where the narrator and Long are staying and its public rooms are almost empty. Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? Directed by Ali Djarar. A guard held the door open for another passenger to enter the carriage, although Paxton could not see anybody. A Warning To The Curious was the title story in a collection of six tales of the supernatural published in 1925 having been independently published in the London Mercury some years before. [2] As with the previous instalment, it was first broadcast on BBC 1 at 11pm on Christmas Eve 1972. Paxton, however, says that he has to put back the crown. On leaving the building, Paxton noticed a coat of arms on the church's porch. Paxton keeps the crown locked up and wrapped in handkerchiefs. William Ager had no children. In the film, Paxton is not a young man and is a Londoner of working class origin. He is uncertain, however, that the ghost will forgive him even if he does return the crown. [8] The town suffers from the coastal erosion common to the east coast, but the majority of buildings mentioned in the story survive to this day; the Martello tower still stands and has been converted into a holiday residence by The Landmark Trust. They notice, however, that the young man, whose name is later revealed to be Paxton, obviously wants company and allow him to stay. Share to Reddit. It is an interesting ghost story and read well by David Collings. A Warning To the Curious (14) IMDb 3.8 1h 19min 2020 16+ A group of amateur ghost hunters enters an old abandoned house in the middle of nowhere that is said to be haunted. He goes there with the specific intention of finding the one remaining crown. 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