THE STONE TAPE (1972) (film comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
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Philip De Parto
Oct 24, 2025, 9:52:59 AMOct 24
to SFABC (nj) Movie Group
The following commentary is reprinted with permission from
THE MT VOID
10/24/25 -- Vol. 44, No. 17, Whole Number 2403
10/24/25 -- Vol. 44, No. 17, Whole Number 2403
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THE STONE TAPE (1972) (film comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Terry Frost recommended a film written by Nigel Kneale, THE
ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN, but rather than commenting on that film, I
will talk about three of Nigel Kneale's television plays for the
BBC.
Terry Frost recommended a film written by Nigel Kneale, THE
ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN, but rather than commenting on that film, I
will talk about three of Nigel Kneale's television plays for the
BBC.
THE STONE TAPE (1972). THE STONE TAPE (1972): THE STONE TAPE was a 1972 "Christmas ghost
story" by Nigel Kneale broadcast on the BBC. The "ghost", how it
is described by witnesses, how people react to it, and so on, bear
a strong resemblance to those elements in Kneale's 1958 BBC play
QUATERMASS AND THE PIT and its 1967 movie version.
We start with a bunch of "tech bros", and Kneale was very
prescient here: they are every bit as obnoxious as the ones are
now. They are moving into an old house to develop a new recording
medium, but one, the house is much older than they think, and two,
it seems to be "haunted".
At one time, this and THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS were very
difficult to find, especially on this side of the Pond. Now that
the BBC is releasing most (all?) of their ouvre, it is easier to
see these works by the author who was known pretty much only as
the creator of Quatermass.
(Kneale also did the script for SHARPE'S GOLD, and it was a doozy.
He added an entire subplot of a tribe of Aztecs surviving in caves
in Spain. Back in the day when the History Channel was the
*History* Channel, they ran the "Sharpe" series with Sander
Vanocur interviewing Bernard Cornwell about each episode. When
Vanocur asked Cornwell why he had included Aztecs, Cornwell was
quick to emphasize that *he* never wrote *that*.)
Released televised 25 December 1972.
Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069316/reference>
[-ecl]
story" by Nigel Kneale broadcast on the BBC. The "ghost", how it
is described by witnesses, how people react to it, and so on, bear
a strong resemblance to those elements in Kneale's 1958 BBC play
QUATERMASS AND THE PIT and its 1967 movie version.
We start with a bunch of "tech bros", and Kneale was very
prescient here: they are every bit as obnoxious as the ones are
now. They are moving into an old house to develop a new recording
medium, but one, the house is much older than they think, and two,
it seems to be "haunted".
At one time, this and THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS were very
difficult to find, especially on this side of the Pond. Now that
the BBC is releasing most (all?) of their ouvre, it is easier to
see these works by the author who was known pretty much only as
the creator of Quatermass.
(Kneale also did the script for SHARPE'S GOLD, and it was a doozy.
He added an entire subplot of a tribe of Aztecs surviving in caves
in Spain. Back in the day when the History Channel was the
*History* Channel, they ran the "Sharpe" series with Sander
Vanocur interviewing Bernard Cornwell about each episode. When
Vanocur asked Cornwell why he had included Aztecs, Cornwell was
quick to emphasize that *he* never wrote *that*.)
Released televised 25 December 1972.
Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069316/reference>
[-ecl]
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