Lost Hearts (1973 film)

Lost Hearts is a 1973 supernatural drama produced by the BBC as part of its A Ghost Story for Christmas series. Running at 35 minutes and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, it was written by Robin Chapman[1][2] and was based on the 1895 short story "Lost Hearts" by M. R. James.

Lost Hearts title card

Synopsis
Ormsby Hall in Lincolnshire stood in as Aswarby Hall

The drama tells the story of Stephen Elliott, a young orphan aged 11 years and of an inquiring and intellectual frame of mind, who is sent to stay with his much older cousin, the scholarly Mr Abney, at a remote country mansion, Aswarby Hall, in Lincolnshire. His cousin is a reclusive alchemist obsessed with making himself immortal. Abney’s library "contained all the then available books bearing on the Mysteries, the Orphic poems, the worship of Mithras, and the Neo–Platonists."[3] Stephen is repeatedly troubled by visions of a young gypsy girl and a travelling Italian boy with their hearts missing.

Cast
The Pelham Mausoleum near Grimsby in Lincolnshire appeared in the drama

Adaptation

Lost Hearts was adapted by Robin Chapman in 1973 as part of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas strand, directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. The shortest of the adaptations, it was first broadcast on Christmas Day 1973 at 11:35 pm.[4] It starred Simon Gipps-Kent as Stephen and Joseph O'Conor as Mr Abney. The adaptation is noted for the distinctive hurdy-gurdy music, L'amour De Moi, that accompanies appearances of the two ghostly children. Ralph Vaughan Williams's English Folk Song Suite is also featured.

Locations
The churchyard of St Leonard's church in South Ormsby appeared in the film's final scene
St Leonard's church and churchyard from the village

Grade II* listed Ormsby Hall in South Ormsby in Lincolnshire stood in for the exterior shots of Aswarby Hall, while the churchyard of the nearby St Leonard's church in the village featured in the final scenes including the ghostly children waving to Stephen.

Harrington Hall in Harrington, Lincolnshire was used for the interior of Aswarby Hall, as well as a few outside scenes. The interiors seen in the film were all destroyed by a fire which occurred in 1991.

The Pelham Mausoleum near Brocklesby in Great Limber near Grimsby also featured in the production.

References
  1. Lost Hearts (1973), British Film Institute (BFI) database
  2. "BBC Four - Lost Hearts". BBC.
  3. Lost Hearts (1895), Project Gutenberg Canada Ebook
  4. "Lost Hearts". British Film Institute Database. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
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