Guardian of the Abyss

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Toohey
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Guardian of the Abyss

Post by Toohey »

Did anyone else feel that this Hammer House of Horror episode was superior to the film the Dveil Rides Out?

I know that Dennis Wheatley did not write the script for this TV episode but I feel it was closer in spirit to what he was trying to say in the Devil Rides out:that evil is too powerful, even for the good, to defeat.
Alan
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Post by Alan »

How on earth did you get that conclusion from "Devil Rides Out"? Surely the point it made was that evil CAN be defeated, Didn't you read to the end?


>I know that Dennis Wheatley did not write the script for this TV episode but I feel it was closer in spirit to what he was trying to say in the Devil Rides out:that evil is too powerful, even for the good, to defeat.
Toohey
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Post by Toohey »

alan, please read my post again. I was discussing the film version of the Devil Rides out and not the book.
Alan
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Post by Alan »

Apologies for my misunderstanding here - much to my regret I never saw the film, and it does not appear to be available in Australia. Surely, however, when you say:


>I feel it was closer in spirit to what he was trying to say in the Devil Rides out:that evil is too powerful, even for the good, to defeat.



you referred to what DW had to say, and I find it hard to believe his script would put over such a message. To be honest (see above) I had no idea if DW or someone else wrote the script (and given what I have heard about it, with Mocota being Anlicised and the appearance of giant spiders to menace the Duke and his team in the pentacle, I doubt it)...
Jim
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Post by Jim »

Famed horror writer Richard Matheson (THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN) wrote the screenplay for TDRO, and DW went on record thanking him for his work. He felt that no more changes were made to the original than were absolutely necessary to get the story on the screen. I believe that's the only film of the five (?) made from his books that won his approval.
Last edited by Jim on Sat 6 Aug, 2016 13:05:14, edited 1 time in total.
Darren
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Post by Darren »

It is only concidence (or is it????) that I am writing this on the date of the 10th anniversary of the last update to this particular post. :smt013

I have seen Guardian of the Abyss a number of times and do enjoy this episode. It is clearly inspired by TDRO with a bit of Wicker Man thrown in for good measure. Highly recommended to DW Black Magic story fans.

A key link to TDRO film is the main actress in Guardian of the Abyss, Rosalyn Landor, who as child played Peggy in the film TDRO.
Regards,

Darren.
Alan
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Post by Alan »

Curiously enough I too am readin this more or less ten years after the original. Since then i am forced to say I must revise my opinion of the DRO movie. I managed to find a copy on Youtube, and though it had (like most movies) a lot of deviations from the original script, I found it very enjoyable. Naturally, since many of its viewers would not be familiar with the Duke and his team, they had to downplay their origins and nationalities (which were irrelevant to the story, save maybe Simon's Hebrew background for the swastika incident) but in general it was a well-acted, well-scripted work. The giant spider remains a disappointment (I'd have LOVED to have seen the "sack like thing") and of course the ending had to be rejigged but given the technology available at the time I think it was a pretty well handled adaptation.

This said, I'd love to see a modern version with good quality CGI, following the story authentically. Johnny Depp as Le Duc, Anthony Hopkins as Mocata, come on guys, what do you think for the other roles?
shanedwyer
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Post by shanedwyer »

In the spirit of the entertainment industry’s current fondness for modish identity politics (vide Ghostbusters 3, the Mad Max remake etc.), may I suggest Whoopi Goldberg as the Duchesse and Graham Norton as Rex?
Alan
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Post by Alan »

shanedwyer wrote:In the spirit of the entertainment industry’s current fondness for modish identity politics (vide Ghostbusters 3, the Mad Max remake etc.), may I suggest Whoopi Goldberg as the Duchesse and Graham Norton as Rex?
And Chuck Norris as Mark-Lou and Lucy Liu as Richardette. I think I am liking this :^)
Darren
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Post by Darren »

Darren wrote:It is clearly inspired by TDRO with a bit of Wicker Man thrown in for good measure. A key link to TDRO film is the main actress in Guardian of the Abyss, Rosalyn Landor, who as child played Peggy in the film TDRO.
Another link between Guardian of the Abyss and TDRO is they both share the same Gaffer in the camera department (Steve Birtles - who was also the Gaffer in To the Devil.... a Daughter) and the same musical supervisor (Philip Martell - he was also the musical supervisor in To the Devil.... a Daughter).
:smt015
Regards,

Darren.
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