Simply Perfect

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

When the Whales Came, based upon Michael Morpurgo's charming story, is a beautiful well-meaning film, that I do think is worthy of a lot more praise than it is given. The cinematography and scenery were gorgeous, and so was the enchanting music score. The part when the villagers drive the Narwhal into the sea was such a poignant moment. The script was fine and so was the direction and the acting. The two children are believable, and Helen Mirren and David Suchet, two exceptional actors give fine support. Though the real kudos have to go to Paul Scofield, who was fantastic, and to Jeremy Kemp as Mr Wellbeloved, who wasn't only warm and loving towards the children, but it was also an altogether sensitive portrayal. My only minor complaint with the movie was the pace, it was a tad slow, but overall this film is beautiful. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is a superb film, designed for the entire family. A fascinating script, first-rate acting, glorious scenery (shot on location in remote islands off of England), and memorable music help make this film a classic. It is set in 1914, and World War One plays a role in the story. But the time is basically irrelevant; the place is not. The story is about a legendary curse, a man who survived it, and an opportunity to lift it, focusing on the destruction and preservation of an extremely rare form of whale.At its conclusion, I asked my wife, "How could a film like this be made today?" I still don't know. But let us give thanks that we still have enough imagination and basic decency to film a fairy tale with messages that are eternal. It remains an incredible artistic scandal that a movie of this quality has not appeared on DVD.

Beautiful cinematography and realistic acting combined and held me rapt throughout this drama of life in Britain's Scilly Islands.Many well known actors combined their talents to portray the story of a boy, a girl and old man. Their love of life and determined effort to save a stranded Narwhale.David Suchet portrayed Will, a friend of all.It took me a few minutes to realise I was watching "Hercule Poirot". What a talented actor.Don't miss this one, if only to see a travelogue of this gem in Britains crown. land/seascape.

On a remote, desolate island off the British coast, a community lives a hand to mouth existence, celebrating when passing yachts come to grief so they can scavenge the wood. They celebrate more when a pod of narwhales are beached, knowing they can eat in style for weeks. As the islanders ready themselves to butcher the whales, an elderly hermit appears to warn of danger if the whales are harmed, remembering an earlier time when the slaughter of a pod of stranded whales was followed by disaster.Good performances all round, led by Paul Scofield and Helen Mirren. This is certainly not a film to get your adrenalin going but "When the Whales Came" is worthy of a viewing; for the acting, the scenery and the whales.