Monday, November 24, 2008

Spectacular find: Screwtape Letters read by John Cleese, and other C. S. Lewis audiobooks

This site claims to provide copyright-free old radio programs. It provides in particular one...

...Spectacular Find...
...for which I've long searched. To wit:

The Screwtape Letters, read by John Cleese

The same site also features The Problem of Pain and Mere Christianity on audiobook.

(Thanks to my friend Tim, in Minnesota)

29 comments:

NoLongerBlind said...

Does he begin with "And now for something completely different...."?

DJP said...

LOL; I think it goes without saying, in this case.

NoLongerBlind said...

Amazing story, it would have been, if converted, he got, as a result of reading it.

DJP said...

Yep: you wonder, don't you, about these actors who read wonderful lines and wonderful books and apparently don't absorb a punctuation-mark of it.

But it will still count before the Throne.

coldwell said...

*Sigh. Probably not free. The Screwtape recordings appear to have been removed about 10 minutes ago.

NoLongerBlind said...

FYI--
I was just able to DL part 1 w/o any problem....
(there's a second link at the top of the page to the ST Letters...)

DJP said...

So, NLB, what are you saying: is my link defective, but the site still has the link up on the page with Mere Christianity and Problem of Pain? Does my link give an error message? What is it? Could you send me the correct link, if mine's in error? (Obviously it worked for me at home.)

NoLongerBlind said...

D'uuhhhh.....
sorry, Dan (and everyone)

The links are all fine!

I was referring to the last one in "This same site also features", having missed the one above CS's pic!!!

(shrinks away in shame....)

DJP said...

Well, I (A) would never want to put up anything not on the up-and-up, and (B) always appreciate being advised of bad links and all.

I'd rather get those notes in email, instead of cluttering up the meta. But I'm grateful for them either way.

Jay said...

My favorite book ever! I found my grandmother's copy in a box one day and read it in two nights. Not only was the book completely fantastic (and very provoking; challenging me to consider things about God and sin I had never considered before), but I also got to read my grandmother's notations and underlined bits. I hate when books are written in, but in this instance, it was really good.

coldwell said...

Sorry for causing confusion. The site works for me, too now. I guess I'll put it in the journal of irreproducible events :)

Screwtape is one of may favorite C. S. Lewis books. Thanks for the find, Dan.

Mike Westfall said...

Awesome, awesome awesome!
And they are now safely downloaded to my computer.
Just in case.

Chris H said...

Without trying to derail this, Zootradio has a huge collection of those old time radio shows, for free. It's not the most easily navigated site, but there's nothing quite like turning off all the lights and listening to those old mysteries.

I mention it because DJP's linked site has them too.

Trinian said...

NO. WAY.

Thank you!

Craig Schwarze said...

The site works - but I can't believe it is not a copyright violation...

Rachael Starke said...

"Yep: you wonder, don't you, about these actors who read wonderful lines and wonderful books and apparently don't absorb a punctuation-mark of it.

But it will still count before the Throne.
"

I always take a moment to pray for them whenever I've watched something in that genre - Anthony Hopkins who played Lewis in Shadwolands, and especially Albert Brooks playing Newton in Amazing Grace. Any actor with even a bit of background in method acting would have spent some time reading all they could on their character's background and "motivation." Re: counting before the Throne - my prayer is always that God will hound them with the memory of the words they spoke in this life, so that they are saved, rather than be hounded by them as they suffer eternal punishment in the next.

Such a great resource, and on laundry day too, when I'm constantly in need of a renewed mind as my Sunday worship high runs smack into the downer of giant piles of whites and coloreds....

Rachael Starke said...

"the downer of giant piles of whites and coloreds...."

Wow. Until I saw that in print, I never realized I was a complete textile segregationist, not to mention racially insensitive in my terminology.

Not to derail the meta but ~Mark, if you're reading this, I may need some counsel on how to appropriately approach laundry day in a more sensitive manner. :)

DJP said...

I have some of the uniquerest commenters.

threegirldad said...

Fabulous! Thanks for the link.

Mike Westfall said...

> I have some of the uniquerest
> commenters.

I didn't know that common 'taters could be unique.

lee n. field said...

Hot diggedy! I know what I'm listening to tomorrow.

You know there's some actual C. S. Lewis audio extant?

trogdor said...

I was just in Israel (which will probably be the intro to my every comment for the next few months), and was thinking about something similar to the Cleese conversion issue. The tour guides have to study the Bible for their job, including the New Testament (our guide told us the first time he heard about Jesus was in the tour guide class - they apparently don't even acknowledge the NT as history). Some come to faith because of it. But others read the scriptures all the time, day after day visiting the sites and talking about Jesus, even coming to believe that he actually did what the Bible says he did - and still never come to faith.

It's sad that someone can be so close to the truth - really, how much closer can you get? - and never embrace it. But it truly highlights the depth of our sin, and how helpless we are to believe on our own. Without God making us alive, there is no amount of evidence that will ever convince us.

So if you're in Christ, take a moment and thank God again, because we sure didn't figure it out on our own. Then take a moment and pray for Cleese, while you're at it.

Kay said...

I still have it on cassette tape and we listen to it in the car. It may well be very useful to have it in digital format :)

I always remember the confusion I had when I read a damning review of CS Lewis that suggested the reason they knew he wasn't really a Christian was because The Screwtape Letters proves that he had been communing with devils, because he'd written a book all about how to tempt a Christian away from faith.

Talk about royally missing the point...

Chris H said...

Libbie,

Agreed. That sort of person would likely miss the ground with a rock were it not for gravity.

~Mark said...

DUDE!!!!

*regains composure*

Dan,

radio drama is one of the greatest loves of my life. (I have no wife.) You have no idea what a boon you've granted me with this link. I'll have to send you a copy of "B.S.I. Pittsburgh", the radio drama we (Bible Burgh) did based on the show "C.S.I. Miami".

With our version standing for "Blasphemy Scene Investigations"!

Thank you so much for posting this!

Chris H said...

Just listened to the whole thing. Cleese is spectacular in his reading. It's well-acted, his diction is great. Not a bad moment. Thanks, Dan!

Just Another Traveler said...

He has until his last breath as far as I understand. Don't underestimate the POWER in The Word of GOD. And NO I am NOT talking about the "words" in Screwtape Letters. All Cleese has to do is open The Bible... read... and come to accept Jesus as his savior before his last breath.
* steps up onto the scale to be weighed as a witch, ready to be dunked or burnt. *

DJP said...

Absolutely. But none of us should assume we know when that breath will come.

Unknown said...

Rachael Starke - That would be Albert Finney as Newton in Amazing Grace, not Albert Brooks.