Whistle and I'll Come to You

This was the first in a series of BBC adaptations of M.R. James's famous ghost stories, and was directed by Jonathan Miller for the equally famous Omnibus productions. It was followed by a sequence that were made more or less on an annual basis through the 1970s, and the BFI has issued them all in a very attractive box set.

Miller, and Michael Hordern as his lead actor, did a great job and this film still grips the viewer. It holds its own as a ghost story and the recreation of a Norfolk hotel and its staff and guests is impressive. Jonathan Miller discusses the film in a short interview though he has disappointingly little to say about it. Unfortunately the same quality evaded the later films, most of which were directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. He produced much more workmanlike versions lacking the original camera shots and telling atmosphere that Miller achieved in 1968. But some are better than others and Clark did work with some good actors. Of the last entry in the 1970s run, The Ice House, directed by Derek Lister, the less said the better. The same applies to the misguided attempt to make a new version of 'Oh whistle' in 2010.

"Whistle and I'll Come to You" is a real oddity.

This video was released by the BFI as part of its new Archive TV series along with "The Stone Tape". While "The Stone Tape" is instantly accessible sci-fi drama this is a different story altogether.

Written by M.R. James, "Whistle" tells the rather sad story of a bachelor lecturer who enjoys a holiday by the sea. While out on his travels, the man comes across an old wooden whistle which he proceeds to blow. From this point forward his nights are restless, his dreams full of weird visions of something chasing him.

This paranormal drama is well directed by Johnathan Miller on wonderfully grainy 16mm film. Indeed the stock is so scratchy as to render the sheet, chasing the professor along the beach, almost unrecognisable.

Michael Horden's wonderfully understated performance complements the stark, dreary beach scenes very well. Horden, playing here an introverted bachelor with no capacity for conversation, is a revelation, particularly in the chilling final scene which cleverly mixes slow-mo film with distorted sound effects.

"Whistle" certainly takes a while to get used to. In this day and age, a film with such a slow pace would never get released and it's more or less over before it's started, but give it a shot and watch and re-watch to appreciate this mysterious gem.

The most disturbing aspect of this wonderful film is that, forty years on, the chances of seeing a production as ethereal or one that demands so much from the viewer on 'mainstream' television, as this was in May 1968, is nil.

In 1968, works by Harold Pinter, Dennis Potter and remarkable one-offs like this were commonplace on British television, but now we all live in a Michael Jackson/Madonna/computer-generated imagery theme park. Jolly good!

Alas, the BBC of the 21st Century, the 'Brave New World', would be frightened out of their wits (more than the Professor) to attempt anything as uncompromising as 'Whistle And I'll Come To You'.

After all.......nothing happens. And where's the dire soundtrack, where are the darting camera tricks, the clawing sentimentality and, anyway, might it not offend somebody?

Try 'pitching' this to someone at Broadcasting House in 2009 and see where it gets you.

Sad, isn't it.

I have read partisan levels of division on this notorious short. I will add my view to the debate.

The 'success' of the piece, if that's what garners acclaim or opprobrium depending on your perspective, is for me in the images that linger long after the film itself finishes. Most films finish and you think, just.....nothing. Nothing stays with you - nothing comes back to you, it's just THERE. Here however, for me, odd moments return to the mind's eye and can have an unsettling effect, as if the director (shackled now to being a 'cultural' stereotype of the highest order who will polarise opinion faster than you can say Melvyn Bragg) knew that these few images were what would remain, and this only - the beach and the claustrophobic room. It's appealing to childhood fears - there's someone there at the door who will help you. There's someone there...you're OK, or are you? You're on the beach. You notice it, you feign ignorance, you know, you fear, you think it's after someone else. No, it's after you. It could be Hemingway, couldn't it?

I think this is the real essence of horror. No horror film will be bedecked with 90 minutes or so of abject terror, that's not the idea. The zeitgeist is in what stays after, weeks, months, sometimes years after, moments when you have to relieve yourself in the night, walk downstairs in the dark, conjuring up some half baked idea that there's someone/thing 'in the room' - at moments like this, which, let's face it we all have and are now trying to deny, images of Hordern on the beach, with that THING behind him, will leave you wondering if it will come closer, and, more worryingly, if it will come for YOU, my friends....

Amazed to discover this has been released by the BFI, - for a rather hefty £20. I've been intrigued by this, not least by the comments on IMDb. I thought this was quite different from the story by M.R.James, Jonathan Miller characterising the Professor as the typical, socially inadequate, bumbling Academic, someone who has obviously spent too much time alone in his Ivory Tower. He really is quite funny at times (the breakfast scenes in particular I found very amusing) - and quite annoying. Make no mistake, this is first and foremost a character study and Michael Hordern is quite brilliant as Professor Parkins. The story or supernatural element is very low key, so much so that we are left with the distinct impression that it could all have taken place in the Professors' increasingly distracted mind. That said, the rustling of the sheets is still creepy. The location is excellent and suitably chilly, the lack of music accentuating the visuals. The ending was perhaps too abrupt for my liking but effective nonetheless and it is certainly worth seeking out for Hordern's performance alone. There are some excellent sleeve notes by Kim Newman, too.