Midnight Cry of the Deathbird by Amanda Dalton

Midnight Cry of the Deathbird
by Amanda Dalton
based on the story and images of the 1922 silent film Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens', written by Henrik Galeen and directed by F.W. Murnau
The film was based on Bram Stoker's Dracula
 
First broadcast: Sunday 28 October 2012, Drama on 3
The Gothic Imagination season
Duration: 1 hour, 40 minutes

160/44; 108.7 MB; sound quality excellent

A version of the classic silent film Nosferatu for radio.

Poet Amanda Dalton was inspired to tell this story by her love of silent film and an interest in how we communicate with each other. Fascinated by silence , Nosferatu led her to imagine a version in which Ellen is deaf, living in a world of miscommunication and misinformation. In The Midnight Cry of the Deathbird Mandy uses poetry, prose, song, monologue and dialogue to explore the ways people both talk to and miscommunicate with each other.

When the film Nosferatu was made, soldiers were returning to Germany from WW1 broken men. An influenza epidemic spread through the country at the same time, killing many people. In The Midnight Cry of the Deathbird, Amanda Dalton taps into this fear which is still relevant to us now, of silent illness and epidemics which arrive unnanounced and threaten our existence.

Roger ..... Roger Morlidge
Ellen Hutter ..... Sophie Woolley
The Nosferatu ..... Valerie Cutko
Thomas Hutter ..... Henry Devas
Bulwer ..... Conrad Nelson
Knockv ..... Terence Mann
Count Orlok ..... Malcolm Raeburn
Ruth ..... Ruth Alexander Rubin

Music composed and played by Olly Fox.
Directed in Salford by Susan Roberts.

Midnight Cry of the Deathbird LINK

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Replies

  • Fantastic !  Thank you so much ! I so love The Gothic Imagination...You're a gem !

    • Thank You for the compliment!  --------------------------  R

  • Thank you very much for sharing and bumping.

  • Another great addition...thanks !

    • Bump

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