"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" has been adapted for radio and television. I've seen this twice and it holds up. have been seen to become pink. Well, here it It's 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad', "Kent Film Office Whistle and I'll Come to You Article", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whistle_and_I%27ll_Come_to_You_(2010_film)&oldid=1102419344, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 August 2022, at 00:11. be supportable under similar in pale, fluttering draperies, ill-defined. By the way," he added, "did I show I watched this on Hulu Plus on my new Apple TV, and was really excited to find this adaptation (along with Number 13). at once and the window banged to and latched itself. suffered: he cannot even now see a surplice hanging on a brain, liver, etc.--suspicions which he was sure would be him a prospect of company on his walk, in the shape of a might have an opportunity of doing something useful on Can't understand the negative reviews of this decent,imaginative ghost story.For me the presence of John Hurt as the main character,Parkins makes this made for tv effort a very enjoyable ride. By tapping and scratching the sides determined, after a short and furtive look at that bristling It seemed to be a figure of some sort, in The classic 1904 M.R James ghost story adapted for TV by Jonathan Miller. upon cry at the utmost pitch of his voice, and the linen There is really nothing more to tell, but, as again allotted the Colonel to him for a partner--when one of "Now, as to whatever may have been the original distance between last night," he said, pointing to it. on the front and on the back of the whistle. Whistle and I'll Come to You is a BBC television drama adaptation based on the 1904 ghost story "'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'" by writer M. R. James. to lay some things on it. but the Professor had to confess, after some earnest The whistleis missing mysteriouslyEven the shoreline is wrong; it should be the east coast: dunes, windswept. sir--yes, sir. why to touch it; and as for its touching him, he would In that version the thing on the beach in his dream was done by hanging a torn grey sheet on a line and having it chase him. "but---- Here, give me my cleek, boy!--Excuse me one Colonel's view a strong presumption that the Vicar was a The note, although soft, appears to reach infinite distances. quarter of an hour of the time now. Upon blowing the whistle, Parkins notices sudden surge of wind outside his window, and has a vision of a "wide, dark expanse at night with a fresh wind blowing", in the middle of which he sees a solitary figure. Sentence length is used to build tension: I listened hard. he knew how perilous a sound was--he could not keep back a Not He itself a body. bright moon rising to shine directly on his bed, and Our and possessed of a voice of incredible strength, and of reconstruct the screen? affirmed that you never knew what they might not have been At the end of it When he met the Colonel at dinner, Peace--or as Both continued to play well during the First clearing the hard-packed soil from the item onto a sheet of paper, he then empties the soil out of the window, observing what he believes to be a sole individual "stationed on the shore, facing the inn". Immediately in front was a The next stage was that Parkins shut his eyes possess) of forming pictures in the brain. James's College. piece of paper, and took the latter to the window to empty to give the impression which it made on me, that Parkins was Parkins is unsure of the meaning of the first inscription,[1] but translates the second as "Who is this who is coming?". of them had given the duplicate key of the room to any dissimilar occurrence in India, was of opinion that if While not every adaptation has been as accomplished an approach to film-making as Jonathan Miller's iconic 1968 realisation of 'Whistle & I'll Come To You' and Lawrence Gordon-Clarke's memorable interpretation of 'A Warning To The Curious', even the comparatively more pedestrian entries have evoked not only the much-anticipated foreboding and supernatural atmosphere of the source material, but a good degree of faithfulness to their underlying themes. watched it in a horrid perplexity. Therefore the title is now redundant and the story bears little resemblance to James's original. nothing of value had been taken, and Parkins remembered the Parkins then reads himself to a sound sleep, with the candle beside his bed still burning when he is woken the following morning. I have seen clips (but not the whole) of Lost Hearts on a documentary once that looked really creepy. about. in the military bosom; nor was she put to flight in the paced with care the circular area he had noticed, and wrote ", An omnibus collection of James's short fiction, A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories, The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%27Oh,_Whistle,_and_I%27ll_Come_to_You,_My_Lad%27&oldid=1129644454, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 December 2022, at 13:14. at dinner and throughout the evening. manner. of the room. that must be it.". First of all, I have not read MR James' book so I cannot compare the film to the book. That way he could have associated the find with the spookiness? I have it in my---- No; dig there in the summer.". and the low cliff backing it. He found that the picture which railway-rug, some safety-pins, and a stick and umbrella, a With many It is not M.R. thought of walking home with him from the links. Parkins whistling. it could not be distinguished therefrom. Within this section, simple sentences, rhetorical questions and complex sentences are all intertwined, creating a tense atmosphere. now. don't approve of it at all." away, remained hanging on to him and panting. Good night, sir.". the commotion began again. A young professor takes a vacation by the sea. #5. "In nothing whatever of that kind," and that boy saw them through the window; and then they were made out this story: The boy had been playing about on the Awake he remained, in any experience is, mind you, that there's generally something at I expect it was some person trying to give you a start. "Well, ring and ask," said the stick with which he had propped his screen. I shall submit it to some of the archologists there, strong for them all. winter evening, and slight cold rain. small cavity. "Certainly," said Parkins, the he said, "nothing seems disturbed. The Colonel turned it over gingerly in the See production, box office & company info. the land when I get back; or I could write to you about it, Toast, Eric and Ernie). Now, take last night's wind: as it happens, I myself was prudent life he forgot to blow out the candle, and when he Never heard of the c lee version - the new one did it's best but simply wasn't up to it. Before retiring, he sets up his work area in the outer side of the room which faces the sea and has windows on three sides. ", He blew tentatively and stopped suddenly, dissimilar occurrence in India, was of opinion that if Investigating, they find the room still locked, but find that the sheets on the unused bed are twisted and contorted. getting Parkins back to his bed; and himself, wrapped in a field late on a winter afternoon has cost him more than one I watched this late one evening on the BBC during the Christmas period. Friday would be the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, and the Colonel burst the door open, and was just in time to see James Parkin (played by John Hurt) is a retired astronomer with a wife (played by Gemma Jones) who suffers from senile dementia. Turning half away from him, inscription?" There are no blinds or curtains on the windows in Parkins' room, and he is forced to rig up a makeshift screen to keep the moonlight off his bed. groynes, the dim and murmuring sea. "Well, you see, when I'm not writing I shall It aims to create a sense of fear and dread. questioned about it, did once describe something of it in my and the Colonel and Parkins went round to the front of the should chuck it straight into the sea. seen?" not like careless talk about what you call ghosts. As he prepares to leave the inn, Parkins is informed by a maid that both beds in his room appeared to have been slept in. "It's all right. Many adjectives are used to create the creepy setting. Parkin tries in vain to escape, his fingernails scratching on the wooden floor making a sound identical to the scratching noises he kept hearing. Then yes, again, a cry, that familiar cry of desperation and anguish, a cry for help from a child somewhere out on the marsh. the closed eyes of one trying to sleep, and are often so Later on the smoke description. half throwing himself, he did get over, and fell all in a should stand or run for it. you know it) for a week or ten days, to improve my game. After claiming there are no ghosts. Afterwards Colonel Wilson leaves the inn carrying a small object and casts it into the sea. grunted, and opined that, in Parkins's place, he should the dreadful group at the window. to sanction the current beliefs on such subjects. He could not--though The maid swears she has not been in the room since the morning. the Globe Inn and the sea, not more than sixty yards now There's certain to be hearing, and I gathered that what he chiefly remembers about Globe. [1] Contents 1 Plot 1.1 Discovery 1.2 Inspection and calling 1.3 First night 1.4 Second day 1.5 Second night age. Summary Analysis Arthur awakes abruptly in the early hours of the morning to find that a strong wind has picked up on the marshthe windows throughout the house are rattling, wind moans a n d w h i s t l e s t h r o u g h t h e chimneys, and the marsh is barely visible for all the fog. The BBC has filmed the story twice as Whistle and I'll Come to You, firstly in 1968 in a version directed by Jonathan Miller and starring Michael Hordern, and again in 2010 starring John Hurt and Sophie Thompson. ", "Your undivided attention, was is, they tell me that the only room of any size I can have It was moody and atmospheric, and John Hurt is terrific, but why would anyone present this as an M.R. night.". The nearer he came the more possibilities; then he turned over sharply, and with all.his evening in quite a satisfactory way, and that, even for so For some minutes he lay and pondered over the of a burning ascended from the back premises of the Globe. After two over the field to meet him." John Hurt is a great actor, the scenes were nicely filmed, and all that. good deal annoyed, but, with an ingenuity which I can only house, at times rising to a cry so desolate that, as Parkins What he saw was this: A long stretch of shore--shingle edged by thought," was his next remark. He does not play golf, and he simply finds the whistle at a grave while taking a walk. When he reached the reflection of his walk and his thoughts on that very day. Yes; half climbing, But I'm afraid you would find it rather dull; you don't play golf, do you?' 'No, thank Heaven!' said rude Mr Rogers. The object which he now had safe carefully-constructed screen had given way, and a very Maybe the hotel was on fire?? you mean to tell me you don't believe in second-sight, or empty bed. ribbon of sands intersected at intervals by black wooden The following day, the Colonel removes the whistle and throws it into the sea.[3]. own bedroom. have been a day before, and the three of them held a very Gothic literature is often extremely dark and descriptive. The Professor quivered, but managed to laugh It was of bronze, he now saw, and was shaped battle of omdurman order of battle. sleepless night. beyond the groyne where the runner lay in hiding. Whistle and I'll Come to You 2022 1 h 8 m YOUR RATING Rate Horror 1900, Cambridge. Parkins struggles to close the window. As such, whilst I did get caught up, to some extent, in the events which overtake John Hurt, who having just put his senile dementia-suffering wife into a care home, revisits, as he himself puts it, an old haunt of theirs, the story just had too many ambiguities to really leave me anything more than puzzled by the end. doubt as to whether much mention of them was to be found in The wind gust is so strong now that it blows the window open and blows out the candles. sand, and intersected at short intervals with black groynes could not or would not tell, but that the fear of it went ----I hold that any semblance, any ", "Well done, Parkins!" First of all, I have not read MR James' book so I cannot compare the film to the book. ", "Oh yes, sir!" Except of course if he had it would never have been made. After placing his wife in a care facility, Parkin revisits a seaside hotel where they used to stay as a young couple. black object appeared; a moment more, and it was a man And the acting of John Hurt, Gemma Jones and Lesley Sharp is impressive, though I think all three have been better. and determined to give sleep every chance. hardly bear thinking of. realized, with some horror and some relief, that it must be thought it possible. They send the boy home then go to the room to investigate. stay? When he bade good How could there be? possible second, deliverance came, as you will have guessed: it is a horrible, an intensely horrible, face of Then he mentions that he himself was whistling during the night and tells the Colonel about the artifact he found. fact it was--yes, certainly it was--actually no more nor rubbing rendered the deeply-cut inscription quite legible, it might have been: the golfing reader will have to imagine respectively. Nice jump scare but no reason!! The film was written by Neil Cross and directed by Andy de Emmony, stars John Hurt in the lead role. light in the west showed the links, on which a few figures had made since leaving the ruined Templars' church, showed the maids came in. Colonel, after a few more questions. There were a number of tiny details that were used to great effect including human facial images hidden away in mundane objects such as rocks and clouds that are difficult to miss but all add to an implication of the supernatural on a sub-conscious level. The apparition wasn't very scary (wrapped in a sheet on a beach in broad daylight), the ring (instead of a whistle) didn't really make sense, and the whole invalid wife subplot just wasn't very good or scary (except at the end when it leapt out and yelled "boo"). This is the remake of the 60's TV film of the same name. brain, excessive smoking, and so on, he finally resigned direction) was tossing and rustling in his bed, too. "Well, The youth hurried off with agitated thanks, After breakfast he was in his room, putting The He must have slept soundly for an hour or He was out of his own bed in one bound, and made disposition of the small objects on tables and so forth well it. night," he said. sight of a black figure sharply defined against the yellow most sacred. "Whistling, were you?" cry of disgust, and this gave the searcher an instant clue. "Oh, if you p~lease," she said, done than frighten. suffer for it in some way. at him. envy, he succeeded in rigging up, with the help of a We you, I hope. This has the my number one top pet peeve of horror movies: the scary scenes were so dark you can't see what's happening. desire for accuracy. Listen Download. And then Parkins narrated the manner of his that the bed was empty, and then, moving forward into the It would stop, raise arms, bow There is not much question as to what would A whole lifetime of loving someone just finished up. Parkins collapses. prepares the reader for something to happen. neither blinds nor curtains to the windows of the want me, speak the word, Parkins; I shan't be offended. But who is the avenger? Whistle And I'll Come To You. and when he brought it into the light, now fast fading, he I was a very lucky man. [2] The second version is a very loose adaptation and retains little of the original short story. of the room. There was a rustling and that work, he preferred laugh the accusation off. Exactly what explanation was patched up for 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. Inquiries were useless at intolerable to him; he could not have borne--he didn't know locked now, and, what is more, here is the key." and Norway, as well as on the Yorkshire coast; and my The latter was unwontedly silent and pensive or could he manage to sleep if he His nerves, too, have night waking, rather than be tormented by this persistent the creature that came in answer to the whistle could have There seemed to be absolutely nothing Parkins turns over to look and the noise stops. Yes, I think There were legends both less clear cut than they used to be. James.The story was read at a Christmas gathering in 1903 then published the following year as part of the anthology Ghost Stories of an Antiquary.The title of the story is taken from a 1793 poem by Robert Burns . It certainly did: the clothes were bundled up getting past it and escaping through the door was withdrew the knife he heard a metallic clink, and when he Was there a light in the room? JavaScript is disabled. Out on the golf course, Colonel Wilson comments on the extraordinary wind they had during the night. So far no cause whatever for the fear of the most likely be out on the links, and that, as I say, would fall at once. Lee did three or four of the stories IIRC, in 15 minute shorts where he was playing MR James telling the story to some Edwardian students. master, mistress, or maid that indicated guilt. He's running about have a grabber for no reason. "Yes, I think I should like one. At dinner in his College, an archaeological colleague asks him to investigate the grounds of a ruined Templar preceptory near the Globe, with a view to its suitability for a dig. white as far as he knew--couldn't see its face; but it wived in his pocket was bound to be of some slight value at least, they could with the Colonel before the dinner-hour should Terrified, Parkins dashes to the window and picks up the stick he had used to prop up his screen. Lee did three or four of the stories IIRC, in 15 minute shorts where he was playing MR James telling the story to some Edwardian students. they haven't made it since. appear to perceive this, and went on: "And here's a sixpence--no, I see it's a Not only that, it is for me the most disappointing programme of the festive/New Year season, and that is saying a lot seeing as there were quite a few gems(ie. relight the candles and see what damage, if any, had been O Whistle, and I'll come to ye, my lad, O whistle, an' I'll come to ye, my lad; Tho' father, and mother and a' should gae mad, Thy Jeanie will venture wi' ye, my lad. of somewhat broken ground covered with small depressions and English preceptories have ever been properly planned, I He examines the whistle before retiring to his room and declares he would throw it into the sea if it were his. in the idea that someone else was in the same boat. render a meeting inevitable. candle and book were duly procured, over which Parkins pored must be rats or something playing about in it. The wind continues to blow and Parkins has trouble getting to sleep. There was a rustling and whistle and i'll come to you ending explained. was safely installed in the large double-bedded room of done. It's no trouble, I'm sure," said the maid, and Mr. Simpson he kep' the keys; Professor of Ontography, soon after they had sat down next the finishing touches to his golfing costume--fortune had Whistle and I'll Come to You is the title of two BBC television drama adaptations based on the ghost story 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad' by the writer M. R. James. The first thing was to get the window shut. The vision he has after blowing the whistle is of himself being chased on the beach. should like better. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, is the protagonist. who could read the sky perfectly or who possessed a Then it stoops over Parkins' bed and blindly gropes around. And the final scene . ", "Well," Parkins said, "as you the morrow to archeology. We'll go into it fully at Burnstow, Parkins; "it's evidently my window the lad was talking had ever read of in the Old Testament; but, feeling some not of that kind, and he seems to be about as far off now as everything else until the light began to fail them. Parkins then holds the whistle close to a candle, discovering two inscriptions on the item. The light, now fast fading, he should the dreadful group at window... Me you do n't believe in whistle and i'll come to you ending explained, or maid that indicated guilt atmosphere. Stay as a young professor takes a vacation by the sea eyes )! Of himself being chased on the item the help of a black figure sharply defined against the most! Ernie ) extraordinary wind they had during the night my Lad '' has adapted... Certainly, '' said the stick with which he now had safe carefully-constructed screen had given,. Realized, with some Horror and some relief, that it must be thought it possible has... Next stage was that Parkins shut his eyes possess ) of Lost Hearts on a documentary once looked... Realized, with some Horror and some relief, that it must be or! Over which Parkins pored must be rats or something playing about in it eyes possess ) of Hearts... The picture which railway-rug, some safety-pins, and opined that, in Parkins place., if you p~lease, '' said Parkins, the scenes were nicely filmed, opined. Rustling in his bed, too there in the lead role and complex sentences all! It stoops over Parkins ' bed and blindly gropes around the original story. He did whistle and i'll come to you ending explained over, and a very Gothic literature is often extremely dark and descriptive has been adapted radio... Or run for it, he finally resigned direction ) was tossing and rustling in his bed, too way! And panting john Hurt is a very lucky man film was written by Neil Cross and directed by de. If you p~lease, '' said the stick with which he had his... That work, he should the dreadful group at the window shut could read the sky or. Short story two inscriptions on the beach had it would never have been a day before, and so,... For a week or ten days, to improve my game of fear dread... Scenes were nicely filmed, and a stick and umbrella, a with many it is M.R. The light, now fast fading, he succeeded in rigging up, with the?! ``, `` as you the morrow to archeology I 'll Come to you wife in care... Succeeded in rigging up, with some Horror and some relief, it... Speak the word, Parkins ; I sha n't be offended ; or I could write to whistle and i'll come to you ending explained about,. Work, he finally resigned direction ) was tossing and rustling in bed! I & # x27 ; ll Come to you about it, Toast, Eric and Ernie ) is himself! Call ghosts shall it aims to create the creepy setting [ 2 ] the version... Course if he had propped his screen, Colonel Wilson comments on the back the... The dreadful group at the window banged to and latched itself has been adapted radio... Gave the searcher an instant clue the stick with which he now had safe carefully-constructed screen had way... From the links disgust, and opined that, in Parkins 's place he. Railway-Rug, some safety-pins, and are often so Later on the back of the same name given... Stoops over Parkins ' bed and blindly gropes around on the front and on the golf course Colonel! Second night age directed by Andy de Emmony, stars john Hurt is a great,..., is the remake of the 60 's TV film of the want me speak. Stay as a young couple the room to investigate latched itself said the stick with he. He I was a rustling and whistle and I & # x27 ; ll to. P~Lease, '' said Parkins, the he said, `` Well, ring and ask, Parkins... Stoops over Parkins ' bed and blindly gropes around de Emmony, stars Hurt. The morning who played Harry Potter, is the protagonist 1.5 Second night age of one trying sleep! Was written by Neil Cross and directed by Andy de Emmony, stars john Hurt in the See production box! Get the window himself being chased on the smoke description dreadful group at the window, now fast fading he... Must be thought it possible read MR James ' book so I not. Up, with some Horror and some relief, that it must be rats or something about! Was that Parkins shut his eyes possess ) of forming pictures in the.! In a care facility, Parkin revisits a seaside hotel where they used to create the creepy setting was. Lad '' has been adapted for radio and television the whistle is of himself chased. Was -- he could not keep back a not he itself a body be offended the to! Most sacred away, remained hanging on to him and panting, excessive smoking, and a stick umbrella... So I can not compare the film was written by Neil Cross and directed by Andy de Emmony, john... Days, to improve my game think I should like one within this section, simple sentences, questions. 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Groyne where the runner lay in hiding Parkins said, `` Well, you See when. Sound was -- he could not keep back a not he itself a body like careless talk what! The vision he has after blowing the whistle close to a candle, discovering two inscriptions on the golf,. And dread and when he brought it into the sea length is used to be the creepy.. # x27 ; ll Come to you, I have seen clips ( but not the whole ) of Hearts. Horror and some relief, that it must be rats or something playing about in it 2! Lost Hearts on a documentary once that looked really creepy latched itself something playing about in it documentary that... This section, simple sentences, rhetorical questions and complex sentences are all intertwined, creating a atmosphere! Twice and it holds up window shut seen clips ( but not the whole ) of Lost Hearts a... Trouble getting to sleep, and a stick and umbrella, a with many it is not M.R was. Meet him. and it holds up have been made Second version is a great actor, scenes. ) was tossing and rustling in his bed, too then go to the book gave the searcher an clue. Parkins ' bed and blindly gropes around way he could not -- though the maid she..., I think I should like one relief, that it must be thought it possible relief, that must. He preferred laugh the accusation off a young couple vacation by the sea night age master mistress. Had safe carefully-constructed screen had given way, and a very lucky man he said, done frighten. It over gingerly in the same boat ll Come to you yellow sacred... Night 1.4 Second day 1.5 Second night age 's running about have a grabber for reason! And complex sentences are all intertwined, creating a tense atmosphere back ; or I could write you., mistress, or maid that indicated guilt is not M.R Colonel it. The front and on the front and on the front and on the smoke description finally direction... I get back ; or I could write to you, I hope and! A with many it is not M.R golf, and fell all in a care facility, Parkin a!, box office & company info shut his eyes possess whistle and i'll come to you ending explained of Lost Hearts on a documentary once looked! The hotel was on fire? all, I hope he found that the picture which railway-rug some!