The Screwtape Letters: First Ever Full-cast Dramatization of the Diabolical Classic (Radio Theatre)

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 lines from letter seven are haunting: "The attitude which you want to guard against is that in which temporal affairs are treated primarily as material for obedience. Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing. Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades, matter more to him than prayers and sacraments and charity, he is ours - and the more "religious" (on those terms) the more securely ours. I could show you a pretty cageful down here" 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.

We enjoyed listening to this book more this time with multiple actors portraying parts. The last time we listed to this book we listened to a single reader. We felt it was well done.

Well done!

Amazing! Andy Serkis as Screwtape was an incredible, bring to life type performances. All other actors were a strong supporting cast. This is not only entertaining; but Lewis' work is educational as well. Great production quality & the bonus music inspired by 'The Screwtape Letters; was a fantastic addition. I would love to see this become available for digital download so you could listen to it on your tablets, phones, etc. (Are you listening Audible?) . Very happy with purchase...you won't go wrong here.

As a book this is a masterpiece of psychology and theology, but as an audio performance it is brilliant! Satire at its best, Lewis creates a wonderfully deliciously conniving interplay between various demons trying to tempt a man away from converting, and then, upon his conversion, to tempt him back into darkness. In the book the dialogue is in the form of letters between the demons, while in the audio it is a mix of dialogue and letters. I was a little curious as to how the audio would be done, and it is a masterful adaptation in every way. Between the music, sound effects and snively, self absorbed voices, its a delight. And a warning.

I imagine that if you're reading this review, you have not only read the original "The Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis, but you are a fan of his writings and thought. Well, you are in for a ride if you purchase this audio drama. I was skeptical at first. How can a full-cast drama be contrived from mere letters? That is why I waited three full years before plunging into purchasing. I am not disappointed. For starters, understand that for the purposes of the drama; most of the written correspondence has been converted to a face-to-face discourse between Screwtape and Wormwood. Sometimes these meetings are private, and sometimes within view of the patient himself. Some of the letters are retained in letter form, complete with pen scratching paper sound effects, and Screwtape reading them aloud as he's writing them, and sometimes read aloud by Wormwood upon receiving the letter. But for the most part, the letters have been converted to actual conversation. The role of Screwtape is played by Andy Serkis, whom you'll likely remember as playing Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" movies. Serkis, whose natural persona bears a sense of the diabolical and macabre all on it's on, brings with him a very animated verbal soliloquy. He sometimes overacts the part, in my opinion, but that is for you to decide. I had always imagined Screwtape a slightly more cerebral fiend than what Serkis' depicts him as. Serkis' Screwtape is a fellow who is extremely visceral and highly prone to emotional outbursts. Perhaps such outbursts are needed for audio only dramatization, since a more "intellectual" Screwtape does little to draw pictures in the listener's mind. If a more intellectual Screwtape is what you want, you might be better off with the John Ackland unabridged audiobook. I am not sure if Serkis' interest in playing Screwtape stemmed from Christianity, or from the desire to play malevolent characters. I am not even sure if Serkis is a Christian. As regards the time-frame the drama is set in, I am very glad that Focus didn't modernize the drama by making the patient a contemporary person subject to one of our contemporary wars. He remains, as in the book, a citizen of early twentieth century England, subject to being drafted into the second world war. And although readers of the book will notice that much of the book is quoted verbatim in the drama, a few liberties were taken. The principles remain intact. The medium is very good. It contains four compact disks and a DVD that contains behind the scenes videos, as well as a full feature of the audio drama, all four hours, in Dolby Surround Sound. The packaging is outstanding. Not like the pathetic cardboard sleeves that Focus on the Family's "Chronicles of Narnia" audio drama comes in. Instead of cardboard sleeves to scratch the surfaces of the disks, you will get an actual plastic case with center hub mounts for each individual disk. I would give the packanging twenty stars. So, four stars. Would have been five, except for Serkis' overacting in some parts.

Incredible play!! Best ever!!

I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Screwtape Letters dramatization. How can anything be so entertaining, scary, thought provoking, and engrossing, all at the same time? The sound quality was perfect - a good stereo system or quality headphones will make the most of the production, but even listening to the CDs on a standard CD player is well worth it. I plan to re-listen to the whole dramatization in the next couple of days, just because I enjoyed the experience so much. Reading the book is great and well worth the read, while listening to the CDs introduces another way of experiencing this work.

This is so great to take a day off from work and listen to it all the way theough to the end, whether you stay in bed all day or lounge on the sofa with a hot brew and a packet of your favourite biscuits.

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.

My husband loves this ebook.

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.

Absolutely brilliant and recommended to anyone.