Henry James documentary

[@voyaristika5673]

I enjoy knowing the lives of influential writers from times past. Thank you for posting this video!

[@poetcomic1]

I'm still in love with Madame de Vionnet from The Ambassadors. Has anyone ever fallen in love with a fictional character? It is very painful.

[@patriciajrs46]

Yes, it is painful. I have.

[@janethayes5941]

This is one of the most romantic things I've heard. Thank you for sharing this comment.

[@funtimehappytime9263]

Anna Karenina

[@poetcomic1]

@@funtimehappytime9263 Ouch! That must be hard on you! Stay away from train tracks.

[@artieash6671]

Mr. Darcy, Mr. Rochester, Rhett Butler.

[@Richardwestwood-dp5wr]

Thank you for posting this gem 💎 💖

[@rahawa774]

Your documentaries are accompanied by the most delicious and apposite music choices - thank you so much for many hours well spent!

[@giovanna722]

I was just wondering what the slow piano piece in E was at around 13:00. It is so lovely I stopped listening to the narrator.

[@paolazuffinetti]

What a lovely way to study literature! A HUGE THANKS!

[@catlover34fl]

Why no mention of one of his most famous novels, "Washington Square?" This was a fascinating story. When it was made into a major academy award winning film in 1949 "The Heiress" it became a favorite of mine. Olivia de Havilland won an Oscar for her performance. Unforgettable story.

[@montanagal6958]

Monty

[@margo3367]

There was also a 1997 film called ‘Washington Square’, starring Albert Finney, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ben Chaplin and Maggie Smith. It was brilliantly acted. One could really feel the father’s passive aggressive abuse (Finney) and the daughter’s (JJL) conflicted love for her father and then when she finds “love”, desperation to be out of her father’s house. And Maggie Smith as the aunt, well what can I say? She was brilliant, as always.

[@srothbardt]

⁠

[@bethbartlett5692]

It's a reflection, not a full bio documentary.

[@kathybutterfield2760]

I just got it from the library and watched it today. Because Scorsese said it was one of his best favorite films. It was nearly perfect technically and the acting was superb. But the story was compelling. You couldn't wait to see what happened next. But it was a very poignant story. Loved it. Watched it twice in a row.

[@donaldkelly3983]

I have come to love James' fiction in the past ten years. Thanks for posting!

[@AuthorDocumentaries]

Of course!

[@stevehinnenkamp5625]

What a marvelous, encompassing tribute!! THANK YOU, ,sir, for bringing to light the life of Henry James.

[@davidlee6720]

am an artist myself, been in books, exhibitions, also write as well, are is plays any good?

[@stevehinnenkamp5625]

@@davidlee6720 No, they were considered 'bad-box-office' and never produced for the most part. All characters sounded like Henry James, minus his clinical narrative. The characters simply do not live by dialog and cannot transmit to the audience. Damn shame!

[@pamelaferreira4594]

Mr Darcy of Pride and Prejudice.

[@miriamaguilar7977]

I thoroughly enjoyed this mini documentary on Henry James. A prolific writer of the heart and the haunted. Love his stories, especially acted out on KZbin movies. Thank you!

[@petercrossley1069]

Richard Grant narrates beautifully. The text misses out however on his playwriting and successes and failures and dramas in his life.

[@JimiHendrix998]

Thank you, for a delightful precis of the life of a great writer.

[@marclayne9261]

Henry James......The Portrait of a Literary Genius....

[@SueFerreira75]

Thank you for these documentaries but also for the classical music. My friends and I often bemoan the slow disappearance of the classical performances.

[@zharapatterson]

Henry James, is one of my favorite authors, I think he deserves a proper Literary Bio Documentary, done by PBS or the BBC.

[@lawsonj39]

It's nice that several of his novels and stories have been made into films.

[@denizalgazi]

I doubt his private life will be discussed.

[@karaamundson3964]

"Turn of a Screw" freaked me stone dead when I read it at age 19. This, after "Sound & the Fury," "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad," "The Shining," and plenty of other up-front crazy and/or bone-chilling reads. Nope. Henry James knocked it out of the park. ...the film is heartstoppingly terrifying, too!

[@normanleach5427]

...a gothic ghost story and concurrently, a tale written as psychological realism.

[@furiosaningveryserious7104]

Thank you so much for the uploading. James is a true gem for depicting human psychological complexities.

[@AuthorDocumentaries]

Much welcome! Agreed

[@arthurboehm]

This documentary provides the decor of James' life without examining in any way the nature of his work, his writing. He was a revolutionary, a kind of modernist who captured nothing less than the full depth of human consciousness. No one who reads James, who follows him on the page, is the same.

[@HerAeolianHarp]

So glad to have discovered your fine channel.

[@evelyncagle9595]

I treasure his writing. His work nurtures me.

[@stevenalvin167]

Yeah so beautiful 🥰 Evelyn my friend 😊 and I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Steven by name from Happy camp and you where are you from?

[@JudeNance]

Thank you so much for writing about this great writer. 🎉

[@caroldixon7796]

The narrator did such a beautiful job. This was a fascinating biography thank you for posting.

[@Josingable]

I find his voice beautiful - it's so smooth and eloquent

[@stevenalvin167]

Yeah so beautiful 🥰 Carol my friend and I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and I hope God bless you to have a great day, I'm Steven by name from Happy camp and you where are you from?

[@ЮлияКоршунова-п2о]

So well done documebrary...enjoyable ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@nmuphelps1]

It's like writing about the great Oscar Wilde without mentioning the importance of his gaiety!

[@mmedeuxchevaux]

Such a beautifully made documentary.

[@mrs.cracker4622]

Many thanks!

[@JCPJCPJCP]

Excellent video. I enjoyed this one; especially the scenes of his time in Newport, which is close to where I live and which I know fairly well. But I thought it neglected the books in favor of his life and I wished it had been twice or thrice as long. Many years ago, I read Leon Edel's monumental life of Henry James. In 5 volumes and over 2000 pages, it's the longest book I've ever read--and I recommend it highly. It's been condensed into one volume and received plenty of critical acclaim as such. The only novel by James that I've read is "The American," which I've read 3 times and really admired. The music by Brahms in this video added to its overall excellence. Thanks again.

[@AuthorDocumentaries]

2000 pages. That's amazing. And here I am hemming and hawing over Ulysses and Moby Dick. Glad you liked the doc. I did notice the lack of novel discussion too

[@yeowkl7541]

@@AuthorDocumentaries Oh, I love so many of his novels like The Ambassador, The Bostonians and Driving Miss Daisy (this one was a translation in Indonesian language) some 30 years ago. I somehow love James longish and meandering passages) and will read these books again just to enjoy his descriptive sentences.

[@lawsonj39]

@@yeowkl7541 Driving Miss Daisy? I think you must mean Daisy Miller; Driving Miss Daisy was a 1989 film.

[@joansutton]

In about 1958 I was 17 years old. My father gave me Huxley's "Brave New World." I thought it was great and asked for another one that good. He gave me Orwell's "1984." I loved it. After that I asked him to give me something as good as the first two: He gave me "The Turn of the Screw." It was just as good.

[@stevenyourke7901]

Henry Janes was a repressed homosexual and a literary genius of the first order.

[@denizalgazi]

Shhhh… we're not supposed to mention that bit!

[@TomorrowWeLive]

Second order at best

[@johnochiltree1170]

I’m reading the library of americas first volume of Henry james’ short stories and I love them!

[@frenchartantiquesparis424]

This should be called "The Places Henry James Lived....."

[@MarkMaciag-dz9gb]

No kidding. 17 minutes in and I’m getting nothing here about him.

[@chubbybrain]

Your narration is perfection . My grammar is not

[@ElizabethRichter-o6u]

For Americans it was much cheaper to live in Europe at the time. So if your money was running low you’d just go to Europe. That’s what happened with the James family.

[@bonzomcduffy8336]

They should turn up the piano music I can still hear the narrarator.

[@kathleenbrady9916]

Informative though the loud music almost drowned the speaker out😕

[@montanagal6958]

Washington Square...wow, loved that story! Imagine writing a story about where you lived as a child...Thank-you!

[@barbarabonanno1879]

The Portrait of a Lady is epic. Isabel and her monster husband are one of literature's deepest portrayals of a tragic marriage. And her visit to her beloved cousin's deathbed makes me cry every time I read it. James always presents us with extensive descriptions of his character's public selves, while delving into their most private motives and behaviors at the same time.

[@andrewgibbon-williams7974]

Well done Mr Hossick- I try... but I still find him almost impossible to read.

[@MrCrowebobby]

Weird, I know, but I've never thought of Henry James as ever being young.

[@519djw6]

*Thank for this enlightening introduction to Henry James! However, I have to confess that, with the exception of "Washington Square" and "Daisy Miller," I find his other "major" works to be unreadable--with their long, serpentine sentences that seem to go on forever, to the extent that once I've gotten to the end of one sentence I've forgotten how it started!*

[@TomorrowWeLive]

I believe he got more 'literary' as he got older, to the detriment of his writing.

[@lindarichards4408]

Off the subject but I had the same experience trying to read "Ben Hur" ---by the time I reached the bottom of the page I'd forgotten how it began 🙄

[@Poeme340]

Excellent-thank you!

[@rebekahcrossman4690]

Henry James himself would have been bored to tears listening to this narrator.

[@votemonty1815]

"It's time to start living the life you've imagined." ~The Master Himself ✒

[@AuthorDocumentaries]

Great quote!

[@patriciajrs46]

I wish I knew how to do that. What forward step is most productive?

[@danielmorris3687]

@@patriciajrs46 The 1st one! All journeys begin with that 1st step. ✌️🇨🇦

[@jillg151]

Stayed with it as long as I could. Good subject, history, footage, but once again some squeaky violinist etc noisily scraping away all through it distracting from the subject.

[@thomascreeley3627]

A pleasure!

[@MannyEspinola-q4t]

Thank you for this video

[@GHIDALIA1]

PORTRAIT OF A LADY IS HIS MASTERPIECE ,

[@patriciajrs46]

Who was the John Rogers that you speak of toward the end of your video? Please, what year would that have been, that Henry met John Rogers? I am a Rogers by birth.

[@nceleste63]

His book Washington Square is how I came to admire Henry James work. I sometimes wish I could listen in on his conversations with the greats during his time, especially Lady Edith Wharton.

[@elizabetharce5041]

Background music is too loud & distracting

[@bethbartlett5692]

Nice excerpt on Henry James (Key: define what caused him Writer's Block, Henry's personal wavering flow of free thought energies, that charity, confidence, and direction, and what was interfering in his having it, what allowed it?) ie: 15:30 -->

[@alanaadams7440]

His father sure was a restless soul not so good for the children

[@srothbardt]

Very interesting. I think we may have the origin of “The Turn of the Screw” in James Sr. ‘s early experience. I think he wrote about himself, as in “The American “. and “Beast in the Jungle.”

[@davidlee6720]

sacrilegious to say my favourite is 'the turn of the screw' but I do love shorter fiction, and I think because of films and our shorter attention spans, we are going in that direction, so many distractions now from finding the time to read longer novels, unlike previously ...

[@stevehinnenkamp5625]

You certainly have a point regarding readers short attention span. Perhaps the universe is speeding up so rapidly it affects our minds. I am a big fan of Turn of the Screw. And must admit the earlier works, with more brevity won me more than HJ in later years.

[@davidlee6720]

@@stevehinnenkamp5625 thanks for replying

[@stevehinnenkamp5625]

@@davidlee6720 Thank you, for the same. I shall always have reverence for Henry James. I loved reading so much I tried to transform his unsuccessful plays into musicals! Unsuccessfully.

[@blogginglife7956]

true and heartbreaking

[@barrybarnes96]

Houses and locations...

[@puja7453]

You didn't discuss his works.

[@climatedamage1811]

The music's volume is distracting.

[@petercrossley2956]

Philistine that I am, I cannot appreciate James' purple prose. As a short story writer and journalist, my prose borders on the mauve but James' prose is beyond my simple grasp. In all honesty, please, some one, explain to me the importanse of Henry James' stories. This is not a challenge nor do I ask it lightly, I want to know: What is the intrinsic worth of Henry James' written works. I ask in all humility for an honest answer,

[@ElizabethRichter-o6u]

The short stories don’t have those serpentine sentences. His problem with sentence length arose in his old age when he started dictating to a typist. James dissected the human heart with tremendous skill and developed the novel as a form beyond what had been achieved before. For this reason he is “The Master”.

[@doughill8475]

Poor Erik Satie, forever doomed to be the composer of background music for podcasts.

[@alexcanfor-dumas1463]

Everyone has their own unique mission in life. And some poor composers have to settle for elevator music their whole lives. A bitter and unavoidable destiny.

[@julianabeatriz3573]

The narrator starts to mention Henry James works just at 23:00 on. Very late for a "Documentary" in my humble opinion....

[@margo3367]

Years ago, I was discussing Henry James with a coworker friend and he said, “Nothing happens”.

[@ElizabethRichter-o6u]

Yeah. He’s wrong.

[@aya3769]

Music erases the text. Unaudible

[@xyzllii]

Have money....can travel....

[@dl7281]

The Turn of the Screw. *Scariest* book I’ve read despite the comma coma.

[@gregsmith1719]

Can't understand -- Need closed captions.

[@scottfhannigan]

Interesting apart from the distracting background music

[@MarlinWilliams-ts5ul]

Henry James & Henry Adams, I get those two 19th century characters confused.

[@kylec2761]

“in Harvard” is not a place.

[@ednorton47]

Never trust anyone with two first names.

[@Retroscoop]

Interesting, but the piano on the background distracts too much.

[@donnabailey947]

Too bad we can’t stop that piano.

[@pamelacorbett8774]

The young Henry James reminds me of Endeavour.

[@RubenDario-hr4iq]

Terribly old fashioned documentary. It ignores his homosexuality and instead wants us to believe he was interested in women romantically.

[@patriciajrs46]

If he wrote horror stories I won't be reading them. I can't read the books by Stephen King. They aren't my thing.

[@inkyguy]

Thirty minutes, several mentions of presumed heterosexual relationships and not a single mention that he was gay.

[@eleanoraquitaine2966]

Who cares?

[@JohnBaldwin100]

Clearly the documentary makers cared as they whitewashed his sexuality in implying he was heterosexual.

[@eleanoraquitaine2966]

@@JohnBaldwin100 Why is his sexuality so important to you? I have a feeling he would have preferred other people mind their own business in that respect.

[@JohnBaldwin100]

You clearly don't seem to mind that the documentary implies that he was heterosexual. I would ask why do you care that someone points out he wasn't? Throughout history LGBTQ people have been made invisible. Many people have argued that James' sexuality was a big influence on his writing. when we understand the full history of an artist it helps us understand their work all the more.

[@eleanoraquitaine2966]

@@JohnBaldwin100 Why is publicly announcing his or anyone's sexual orientation so important to you?

[@Nina5144]

Lamb House in Rye (England) is a lovey place

[@crystalharris7394]

💗💗💗💗

[@mikec6733]

Never worked a day in his life. Must've been nice. Sheesh.

[@stevenyourke7901]

You don’t think that writing novels of genius is “work”?

[@stevenyourke7901]

In case you haven’t noticed “work” is a four letter word. If Henry Hanes had been forced to “work”, he would never have produced the works of genius that he did produce! Great literary talent should be provided with sufficient funds to enable them to write without having to worry about the necessity of earning a living.

[@mikec6733]

@@stevenyourke7901 I do not disagree completely, but I have a caveat. Reality vs mental masturbation Think think think words words words Who cares? Human life is accessible to those who engage with life at a basic level. Ivory towers breed brilliant douche sucklers.

[@ElizabethRichter-o6u]

Are you referring to Henry James or his father. In those days people still valued the kind of life where you had inherited money and had no need to work. It was admired not looked down upon. The focus of many of James tales was the attempt of😅 both men and women to jockey into an economic position thru marriage where they did not need to work.

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

Very good decision fans, put them thoughts on paper because they are worthy, these days become double precious, anyone is free to hold a camera making any kind of movie. Having the proper words to tell a story instead it's requested another kind of training and.. a lot of faith for sure. Exploring the other EPIC novelists experience of life might help mostly enjoying now web happenings watching such TV documentaries reunited with followers and cyber supporters, discovering the next level of human evolution, let them spiritual assets prevail because . ..we can have super human powers as well, you can do great jobs guys, let them genius writers inspire you more. Dealing these days with Putin's madness of how such a powerful man could be so unhappy frustrated and anti human, we still can dig deeper, what on earth happens to us? How come some men having nothing they worth all the fortune in the world and how could we dig out from the human DNA the secret of being good kind of guys or not. I trully hope some day bring back to life all genius minds...to replace bad guys psychopaths and criminal losers.. if we could be that lucky, let's dream forward friends, who knows?

[@marymarysmarket3508]

Putin is great! 💥Russia is the righteous country!

[@mikec6733]

Why look amongst his cousins for a girlfriend. Weird, no ?

[@sandiangel]

I can't imagine moving around that much while maintaining friends and writing on top of it. They had so much clothes back then. Suits, and great coats, gloves, top hats. And the women w their many skirts and frocks and furs and hats. Traveling in trains and ships and carriages. How'd they live from place to place and transfer all their furniture and on and on. They must have had an army of people hired to move them around. What happened to his dog when he moved yet again? Maybe the people he hired in London kept it, as he j jaunted off to Italy or France or Rome or Florence or back to America for the hundredth time on another voyage. 😀. Can't imagine living like that. All the museums and culture, bouncing around everywhere.

[@frenchartantiquesparis424]

Why could you not take your dog on yout travels? There were 12 dogs travelling with rich travellers on the Titanic afterall...

[@bethbartlett5692]

Our birthplace is this Earrh, theres no need to define boundaries by lines of borders, we are attracted ti where we feel our greater sense of Wellbeing. The whole idea of patriot is affixed ti the Lower Mind's limiting thiyghts 8f Physical and Fears, of aggressiins and wars. Grow into the Higher Mind, axa the Mature Mind to experience the intended Journey. The other is limiting.

[@suesmothers4225]

My grandfather father

[@shawnburnham1]

21:00

[@guilfordcigarman]

It sounded as though it was narrated by Sir John Gielgud.

[@kathleenscullion8348]

Actor Richard Grant.

[@vino140]

A thumbnail....very superficial...shallow....but the photos are good.

[@kennedymcgovern5413]

Haha, I came here to learn about the guy who started the Bar B Q chain.

[@Nocturne-zk3tg]

I cannot tell a lie 🍒

[@mattneillninasmom]

Boring. Narrator drones on and on reading a tired, uninteresting script.

[@patriciajrs46]

If his father never had a job, where did he get all of the money to keep going to Europe? The father seems to spend quite well. How did Henry afford his flat in Italy? You never mentioned that he got paid for his early writing. Okay, you did mention his pay, some.

[@drinksanddice9528]

Henry James Sr. had a pension from a partial inheritance after his father died. They didn't get along so James Sr. Didn't get all of the money. The $10,000 mentioned here is about $500k a year now.

[@denizalgazi]

The father's income is mentioned here and also mentioned is the strong US dollar in Italy. I recommend watching this again and listening without distraction. His private life is not discussed but you can figure out that bit.

[@drinksanddice9528]

@@denizalgazi James Sr. also made some money from the few philosophy books he wrote, and he was friends with all of the wealth Transcendentalists in New England, so I doubt he was really paying for much anyway. I discovered last week that he actually knew Mathew Brady and didn't have to pay for that portrait of him and Henry Jr. that they had taken for mom/wife.

[@patriciajrs46]

@@denizalgazi Thank you. I am sorry that my life does get distracted.

[@noeleendarke5085]

Ruined by very LOUD music!!! Is it necessary? When you're speaking the most important parts the pianist bangs the keys like a demented squirrel running across the keys!!! Awful!!!

[@Nocturne-zk3tg]

How u doin? 😘

[@robertsantana3261]

Terrible bio. Hardly anything about his writing process. Mainly a travelogue. Meh.

[@normanduke8855]

I gave up about 3/4 of the way through. That fruity voice was putting me to sleep. A thorough list of every house he ever lived in and a prohibition on all Americans, savages to a man. No thank you.

[@ronniedelahoussayechauvin6717]

Stop Please🛑🛑🛑

[@JSwift-jq3wn]

Henry James, mediocrity personified. Money can buy many things, but not everything. He was a repressed homosexual.

[@ellenmorse8559]

Adrian Borna~ So why, in your opinion, is he a mediocrity? Because he was a homosexual or because he repressed it?

[@GordonGibson-q8e]

Definitely NOT repressed - discreet yes.

[@Nocturne-zk3tg]

😉