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DVDs
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Whistle
and I'll Come to
You (1968)
Directed
by
Jonathan Miller
Michael
Hordern stars in this BBC
adaptation of M.
R. James' classic ghost
story Oh Whistle and I'll
Come To You, My Lad.
Whistle
and I'll Come to You
was produced in 1968 and was originally shown as part of the BBC's Omnibus
series and not as part of the A
Ghost Story for Christmas Series,
which the BBC ran in the 1970s, but people often make mistakes
about this and even Amazon has the DVD listed as being a Ghost
Story For Christmas.
Hordern
stars as a crusty college professor called Parkins, who is holidaying
near the coast. Parkins is actually quite an annoying character, who is
a bit of a loner, and yet he still manages to be strangely endearing.
At mealtimes the professor chooses not to sit at the main table with
the other holidaymakers, instead he opts to sit at a little table all
by himself, fidgeting and looking a little uncomfortable. He is
certainly not someone who could be described as 'a people person.'
Golf
appears to be a big attraction in the area, but Parkins has no interest
in the game. In fact, when another guest, the Colonel, who also seems
to be holidaying alone, offers him a game, Parkins refuses and chooses,
instead, to take a packed lunch and go for "A good trudge," among the
sand dunes. He even spends a little time in an old and very overgrown
cemetery and while he is there he finds and old whistle sticking out of
the ground near one of the graves. "Finders keepers," he says and
stuffs it into his pocket.
 Later
that day, when he is back in his
room at the guest house, Parkins takes out his pocket knife
and begins to clean the whistle. While he is doing so he notices an
inscription written on it, in Latin. He translates the words to mean: Who
is this who is coming? Who
indeed? The Professor raises the whistle to his lips and blows. From
that moment on Parkins is haunted by bad dreams, but that is just the
start of his problems and the logical college professor discovers all
too soon that there are some things that defy a rational, scientific
explanation.
 I
enjoyed watching Whistle and
I'll Come to You. I like the
dated, period feel of the programme: old furniture, maids to run the
bathwater for the guests. Flat caps and bushy moustaches; eiderdowns
and blankets rather than duvets, and curtains at the windows instead of
blinds. Even a nice coal fire. It is a dark story though, that borders
on being almost depressing at times. The scene where Professor Parkins
is walking down the beach and looks over his shoulder to see a shadowy
figure watching him is particularly memorable and sends an unsettling
cold shiver down the spine.
Whistle
and I'll Come to You
probably won't appeal to everyone. If you are the sort of person who
prefers a classic ghost tale though, then this is it. You have found
one. Whistle and I'll Come to
You is the kind of dark,
atmospheric story that gets the nerves tingling in ways that a lot of
modern horror movies never will. The script is based on a very good
story, written by someone who was, at the time, one of the very best in
his field and Michael Hordern was the perfect choice for the role of
Parkins; he does an excellent job of bringing the character to life.
The rest of the cast are equally good and when the script and cast are
put together all of the necessary ingredients are there and so no fancy
special effects were needed to spice up the mix. Modern film producers
could probably learn a lot from this one, because a truly great story
can stand on its own. It does not need a crutch of fancy technical
wizardry because the magic is already there.
CAST
Michael
Hordern ... Professor
Parkins
Ambrose Coghill ...
The Colonel
George Woodbridge ... Hotel proprietor
Nora
Gordon
... Proprietress
Freda
Dowie
... Maid
DVD
Information:
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Run Time
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42 minutes
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Aspect Ratio:
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Language
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English
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