Audio

Remember when an interesting face and an emotional performance were more important than morphing robots and the color saturation in a pixel? Film freaks with a yen for the golden age of cinema--and all its shades of gray--can now hear old favorites on cassette in the Radio Movie Classics series. (Radio Spirits, original audio material, two cassettes, two hours, $12.95, various readers. Available in bookstores or by calling [800] 359-0570.)

Back when the studio system was abusing the talent, stars were often hustled from the sound stage into the recording studio. After a project was completed, the cast regrouped for a one-hour adaptation of that film for Lux Radio Theatre. They not only revived their roles, but also shilled soap flakes with great bonhomie.

Radio Spirits has published six of these collections, and each rates a perfect 10 on the audio book scale. Music and sound effects enhance stories performed by professionals who knew the importance of inflection and emotion. Just listen to Barbara Stanwyck’s false bravery in “Stella Dallas,” or that sexy bantering between Bogie and Bacall in “To Have and Have Not.”

Each “double feature” begins with an informative introduction by film critic Jeffrey Lyons. He’s too rushed but provides useful background on the stars and the production. The producer of Lux Radio Theatre (more often than not Cecil B. DeMille) introduces the cast members after informing us of their then-current career moves. The commercials for Lux soap are a retro riot.

Each cassette includes printed information about the production, a cast list and an encapsulation of the story. These have been digitally remastered and sound clear and crisp. Current collections feature Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock and Stanwyck. These adaptations are all tightly scripted and range from somber (“The Seventh Veil”) to lighthearted (“The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer”) to suspenseful (“The 39 Steps”).

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Film noir has moved on to audio with “The Third Man,” the Graham Greene novella that inspired the award-winning flick by Orson Welles. (Audio Editions, unabridged fiction, two cassettes, three hours, $17.95, read by Martin Jarvis. Available in bookstores or by calling [800] 231-4261.)

This has everything: lust, love, greed, betrayal, bad guys and not-so-bad guys. Set in Vienna just after World War II, it concerns the tainted dealings of the recently deceased Harry Lime, a man who had apparently lived a double life. Jarvis, as award-winning narrator, captures the cynicism and paranoia of the story. While he does alter his voice somewhat for various players, his performance is based less on characterization than on emotional nuance. He effortlessly slips into a flat American twang or the clipped speech of a working-class Brit. But that’s secondary to his smooth, deep voice and intelligent interpretation.

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The most recently written fiction to inspire a movie proved to be the most disappointing when adapted for audio. “The Wedding,” by Dorothy West, was written only a few years ago and was adapted for television by Oprah Winfrey. The last surviving member of the Harlem Renaissance, West penned a revealing story about a multiethnic and multigenerational family. However, if you want the sweeping lyricism of the novel, read the book. (Simon & Schuster Audio, abridged fiction, two cassettes, three hours, $18; read by Regina Taylor.)

Set on Martha’s Vineyard during the 1950s, this is not just about the wedding of a wealthy and privileged young woman of mixed heritage, but it concerns the color lines drawn by people of all races. However, the abridgment has scraped away the fine patina of West’s language, leaving us to merely guess at her intentions. Taylor does not add anything to this production and often comes across as harsh and even mildly sarcastic.

*

Rochelle O’Gorman Flynn reviews audio books every other week. Next week: Margo Kaufman on mysteries.