Everything has been changed from the M. R. James story. Only the title remains the same to protect the guilty. There is not a whistle in sight as John Hurt grapples with the tragedy of his wife in dementia.
Why this completely alien element is introduced is not clear, bless it is an excuse to have the lead role played by an old man.
The point about James stories is that the protagonist brings disaster on himself by doing something. Like blowing the whistle. Since there is no whistle here nothing of that sort can happen.
The other element which James loves is the puncturing of confidence. Ghosts seem to pick on people who don't believe in ghosts.
The BBC had three alternative solutions they could have adopted.
They could have shown the ldJonathan Millar version. They could have made a new version. Or they could have made a good film about a man coming to terms with his wife's dementia and called it something else. They did none of the above.
Why this completely alien element is introduced is not clear, bless it is an excuse to have the lead role played by an old man.
The point about James stories is that the protagonist brings disaster on himself by doing something. Like blowing the whistle. Since there is no whistle here nothing of that sort can happen.
The other element which James loves is the puncturing of confidence. Ghosts seem to pick on people who don't believe in ghosts.
The BBC had three alternative solutions they could have adopted.
They could have shown the ldJonathan Millar version. They could have made a new version. Or they could have made a good film about a man coming to terms with his wife's dementia and called it something else. They did none of the above.
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