The Screwtape Letters

My husband loves this ebook.

This spiritual classic needs little introduction, unless one is unfamiliar with the excellent works of C.S. Lewis. Read just off the page, the book is brimming with deep wisdom and insight as to how the devils attack us at our weakest points. Each letters is packed to the gills with clues to our truest nature and the pitfalls we all face. An example? These linesfrom letter seven are haunting:"The attitude which you want to guard against is that in which temporal affairsare treated primarily as material for obedience. Once you have made the World anend, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very littledifference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing. Provided that meetings,pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades, matter more to him thanprayers and sacraments and charity, he is ours - and the more "religious" (onthose terms) the more securely ours. I could show you a pretty cageful downhere"This explains so much confusion in the world today-Add Andy Sirkis and Focus on the family and what you have is a tour de force presentation that the whole family can enjoy and be edified by. The sound is excellent as we have come to expect from focus on the family. The added dialogue is perfect, not overdone, but illustrative. It leaves C.S. Lewis' intentions fully in tact while adding another dimension of the experience with Uncle Screwtape.In surprise to a few of the negative reviews of this excellent production and particularly to C.S. Lewis' letters themselves, Midwest Guy said "took 1000 words to say what can be said in 10" If you think you can say in 10 words what C.S. Lewis said in 1000, you are either some kind of genius or you have no idea what C.S. Lewis is saying.This is an excellent production of the Screwtape Letters and more than worth the cost of admission.

While the effects are well done and they put a lot together to make this work, it doesn't fall in line with the original source material, nor the screenplay. It has the right words and Wormwood is quite good, but the humour is completely lost in the producer's attempt to make it dark and scary. So much effort is made to give this a horror jibe that the feel Lewis intended is completely lost. I actually prefer the screenplay to the novel, however this execution of it was not to my taste. I was aghast when I gave this as a gift with some hope they would laugh and learn ("advice not to take" as my father said to me when he gifted me a copy of the book) but instead they went on a horror show.

I admit that I was a bit leery when I read that this was Radio Theater and not just a book reading. After I clicked on the sample at the Radio Theater's webpage and heard the bombers in the distance and approaching London as the narrator - Geoffery Palmer - read the preface - then Letter 1 and raspy voice of Uncle Screwtape and nephew Wormwood hissed and growled into their conversation and I was hooked. I am thrilled and the CD audio is top quality. The background noise is subtile and is eased into - supporting the characters. My little Bose stereo picked up the nuances as clear as a theater. Wow! I sat and listened to my Letters 1& 2 for Sunday school ... then I contacted my Sunday school teacher to come over and listen to this! She was also thrilled. There is always something difference between reading and listening, and I could imagine the reading, but the Radio Theater was superb! My problem is not to 'listen' to far ahead of my Sunday School class!

I've always had an idea in my head about what Screwtape would sound like - very reserved and clipped. Andy Serkis does a great job here of putting a whole new spin on things as the under-secretary of a department in hell.The dramatisation brings out the themes and characters in a whole new way. It wasn't cheap, but worth the money and a great addition to my Lewis collection.