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The Tractate Middoth

  • TV Movie
  • 2013
  • 35m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
609
YOUR RATING
Sacha Dhawan in The Tractate Middoth (2013)
MysteryThriller

On his deathbed vicar Rant makes a secret confession to his niece Mary Simpson. Some twenty years later young librarian William Garrett is asked by elderly John Eldred to locate a book calle... Read allOn his deathbed vicar Rant makes a secret confession to his niece Mary Simpson. Some twenty years later young librarian William Garrett is asked by elderly John Eldred to locate a book called 'The Tractate Middoth' but a mysterious cloaked figure takes the book from the shelves a... Read allOn his deathbed vicar Rant makes a secret confession to his niece Mary Simpson. Some twenty years later young librarian William Garrett is asked by elderly John Eldred to locate a book called 'The Tractate Middoth' but a mysterious cloaked figure takes the book from the shelves and Eldred panics and leaves. On a second attempt to find the book Garrett is confronted by... Read all

  • Director
    • Mark Gatiss
  • Writers
    • M.R. James
    • Mark Gatiss
  • Stars
    • Louise Jameson
    • John Castle
    • Eleanor Bron
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    609
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mark Gatiss
    • Writers
      • M.R. James
      • Mark Gatiss
    • Stars
      • Louise Jameson
      • John Castle
      • Eleanor Bron
    • 13User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos7

    The Tractate Middoth (2013)
    The Tractate Middoth (2013)
    Mark Gatiss and Messalina Morley in The Tractate Middoth (2013)
    Nicholas Burns and Messalina Morley in The Tractate Middoth (2013)
    Sacha Dhawan in The Tractate Middoth (2013)
    The Tractate Middoth (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Louise Jameson
    Louise Jameson
    • Mary Simpson
    John Castle
    John Castle
    • John Eldred
    Eleanor Bron
    Eleanor Bron
    • Mrs. Goundry
    David Ryall
    David Ryall
    • Dr. Rant
    Roy Barraclough
    Roy Barraclough
    • Hodgson
    Sacha Dhawan
    Sacha Dhawan
    • William Garrett
    Nicholas Burns
    Nicholas Burns
    • George Earle
    Paul Warren
    Paul Warren
    • Rant's Ghost
    Una Stubbs
    Una Stubbs
    • Miss Chambers
    Charlie Clemmow
    • Anne Simpson
    Mathew Foster
    Mathew Foster
    • Labourer
    Messalina Morley
    Messalina Morley
    • Female Student
    • Director
      • Mark Gatiss
    • Writers
      • M.R. James
      • Mark Gatiss
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Connections
      Featured in MR James: Ghost Writer (2013)

    User reviews13

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Eerie Thriller with a Surprise Ending
    During the Seventies the BBC made a habit of broadcasting A GHOST STORY FOR Christmas, mostly written by M. R. James and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. This continued a tradition established by James himself, who initiated precisely the same ritual during his lifetime as he read out a newly-created story each Christmas to his intimate circle of friends. Directed and adapted by Mark Gatiss, THE TRACTATE MIDDOTH revives that tradition; it concerns Garrett, a young librarian (Sacha Dhawan) who works at an Oxbridge college and is asked by elderly user John Eldred (John Castle) to locate a book, "The Tractate Middoth." This book appears to have been taken by a mysterious borrower who turns out to be a rotting ghost. Garrett encounters this specter and is thereby unwittingly drawn into a dark family story of resentment and revenge. Gatiss' adaptation updates the material to the Fifties, which enables him to create a thriller in the style of the MAN IN BLACK series (which Gatiss revived on radio) or the Edgar Lustgarten mysteries for Merton Park Studios. The adaptation establishes a sense of security through the presence of familiar elements - notably the Oxbridge locations, and the presence among the cast of stalwart character actors such as Roy Barraclough, David Ryall and Una Stubbs. As the action progresses, this sense of familiarity is gradually dismantled, culminating in a violent denouement. We are left in no doubt what will happen, but Gatiss stages it in an unexpected manner in the middle of a rural clearing on what looks like a fine late summer's day. The adaptation contains some notable cameos - for example Barraclough as a librarian insisting on absolute silence in his premises (even though there doesn't seem to be anyone there apart from Garrett and his friend George Earle (Nicholas Burns); and Castle's John Eldred, whose increasing anxiety is suggested by his breathless delivery.
    helpful•9
    2
    • l_rawjalaurence
    • Dec 26, 2013

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 2013 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Трактат Миддот
    • Filming locations
      • Chetham's Library, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK(the library)
    • Production company
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      35 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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