Always nice to see the BBC carrying on a Christmas tradition with their Jamesian 'Ghost Story for Christmas' series; this year's offering is THE MEZZOTINT, once more written by Mark Gatiss who seems to have a monopoly on these adaptations these days. I can take or leave Gatiss: I loved his documentary series on the history of horror, but as for his ghost stories, I despised MARTIN'S CLOSE, found THE DEAD ROOM distinctly middling, and quite liked THE TRACTATE MIDDOTH. The good news is that THE MEZZOTINT is by far the best of his work.
He goes back to basics for this one, not embellishing the original short story very much, focusing on the quality of the acting and so letting the performers get across the sentiments. The tale is as well-crafted as you'd expect from James, subtle and inexorable, and the whole 'ghostly painting' trope is handled very nicely here; Gatiss seems to have really improved as director, as it's far less show-offy than his previous adaptations. And Kinnear is quietly excellent, really selling the show to us. A very chilling climax seals the deal.
He goes back to basics for this one, not embellishing the original short story very much, focusing on the quality of the acting and so letting the performers get across the sentiments. The tale is as well-crafted as you'd expect from James, subtle and inexorable, and the whole 'ghostly painting' trope is handled very nicely here; Gatiss seems to have really improved as director, as it's far less show-offy than his previous adaptations. And Kinnear is quietly excellent, really selling the show to us. A very chilling climax seals the deal.