User Reviews

BBC adaptation of a Charles Dickens ghost story about a lone Signalman (Elliott) who is haunted by the image of man who appears at the mouth of the railway tunnel to warn of impending disaster. One of the best entries in the "A Ghost Story for Christmas" series, the horror is conveyed through Elliott's state of mind after witnessing an horrific mid-tunnel train collission, and is enhanced by bizarre tonal 'music' and a sense of total isolation. Best viewed late at night, The Signalman has stood the test of time and the image of the eyeless screaming phantom (complete with blue skin!) is enough to send shivers down the spine of even the likes of M R James.

Charles Dickens enjoyed train travel(he was himself involved in a train crash at Staplehurst.UK although not injured) and always wondered about what happens in those lonely signalboxes at night. As a Signalman myself I have worked in those lonely places and could understand how the signalman felt. It's a good portrayal of the short story that Dickens wrote and was worth watching.

The more "Ghost Stories for Christmas" I watch, the more I'm convinced that they constitute some of the horror genre's finest additions. Filmed on modest budgets, these 40-minute short films for television were produced annually by the BBC between 1971 and 1978. Most were adapted from classic M.R. James short stories, but 'The Signalman (1976)' was notably adapted (very faithfully) from a Charles Dickens tale, which is available in an audio reading on the British Film Institute DVD. Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, this creepy ghost story is subtle, haunting and atmospheric, the perfect film with which to share company on a cold and lonely winter night. Just like 'A Warning to the Curious (1972)' and 'Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968)' {from a different series, but in the same vein}, this modest British chiller knows all the delicate tricks that can make the unknown seem like the most terrifying thing of all. I can't wait to track down some more of these wonderful short films.

Set in the nineteenth century, the story revolves around an adventurous traveller (Bernard Lloyd) who happens upon the post of an eccentric railway signalman (Denholm Elliott, later of 'Indiana Jones' fame). The Signalman recounts the story of a mysterious spectre that has been haunting him this past year, appearing alongside the "danger light" – one arm across his face, the other waving ominously – at the entrance to the train tunnel, uttering the haunting words of warning, "Hello, down there! Clear the way!" These apparition have, on two occasions, been swiftly followed by a railway tragedy, the most unspeakable of which was a head-on collision between two locomotives in the tunnel, where the flames and smoke swiftly stifled the cries of many survivors. The Traveller tries to rationalise these tales, putting the phantom down to an optical ailment, but the Signalman is not to be convinced. The otherwise-judicious traveller is haunted by the lingering image of this apparition, and, by the film's end, he is left wondering if the Signalman might have been sane, after all.

Lloyd and Elliott, who basically occupy the entire screen time between them, are both excellent in the main roles, communicating strong personalities than remain in the mind. Andrew Davies' screenplay is fine, but most credit should be bestowed upon a certain Mr. Charles Dickens, whose graceful writing moulds such complex characterisations, even with so few words, that the Traveller and the Signalman were already extraordinarily fleshed-out protagonists. Unlike 'A Warning to the Curious,' which deviated considerably from the M.R. James story on which it was based, 'The Signalman' is largely very faithful to its source material, and, indeed, much of the dialogue is retained. The only major difference is that, in the story, the Signalman's delusions are only narrated second-hand, and so the man's insanity is constantly brought into question – was there really a ghost, or was he just crazy? Television being a visual medium, the viewer is able to witness these frightening apparitions himself. This technique removes a bit of the ambiguity, but also achieves a heightened degree of terror.

In the days when television could do this sort of thing...there has never to me been a more perfect adaptation of a ghost story. The location is spot-on, the performances beautifully polite but tense, and the atmosphere has to be experienced to be believed. Lawrence Gordon Clark, as with all the MR James adaptations, stays loyal to the notion of showing a little not a lot, and it works a treat. At forty minutes, it never outstays its welcome,and some of the camera work and individuals shots (eg Denholm Elliott standing at the mouth of the tunnel as smoke billows out behind him after the collision) and the night shot of the traveller returning to the inn are remarkable. Incomparable, and I am positive Dickens would approve.

One of the best in the Ghost Stories for Christmas adaptations (that should be revived!). Its best to watch this more than once as some of its subtlety can otherwise be missed. I wouldnt say it was the most terrifying thing Ive ever seen but it has its moments (didnt i close that door?) and there is a great sense of unease and dread from the outset.

I remember watching this movie as a kid and then again late at night a few years ago. I had to be honest totally forgotten about it until I was recently researching ghost stories. Well to say that I had totally forgotten about it is wrong, when watching movies such as The others this movie always sprung to mind. This short is full of atmosphere and suspense it is a ghost chiller in the purest sense and we are never really sure if the entire thing is in the signalman's mind or not. This pure fact alone makes it superior to most modern Hollywood attempts, were you work out in the first five minutes what is going on and how it will all work out. I would recommend this short to all fans of chillers as the ending even when watched in the day is still shocking. If you are a sensitive type though I would keep clear.

Costume dramas today are equally reviled and revered for their superficiality, their concentration on surface pleasures - the recreation of a past historical period, country houses, costumes, gestures, manner of speaking, in a way that was virtually absent in the classic works - e.g. Dickens, Austen - they are based on, where these things were part of everyday life. Such a concentration might have a useful value - to underline in concrete terms the restrictions on individuality in the period - but more often they are recreated and enjoyed for their own sake. This is why they are often called 'heritage' works - something to be preserved, frozen in time, as in a museum, rather than anything that might say anything to us today.

Since the early 1990s, the heritage drama revived spectacularly with successes such as 'Middlemarch' and, especially, 'Pride and Prejudice'. The architect of this revival has been screenwriter Andrew Davies, who might be seen as its auteur. But Davis wasn't always a literary curator, as this strange offering from the 1970s shows. If modern heritage drama is defined by its sumptuous visual pleasure, its fetishising of period detail, and its vivid cast of quaint characters, than 'The Signalman' is its austere opposite, a dark chamber two-hander, confined to one location, a railway box shrouded in a steep valley by a tunnel.

Where the modern heritage drama priveleges long shots to emphasise detailed production values, 'Signalman' is full of grim close-ups; period details are minimal, the mise-en-scene often impenetrably obscure. There is no jolly music, just eerie, science-fiction type sound effects which literally express the thematic importance of telegraph wires, but more deeply give an estranging sense of unfamiliarity, the modern intruding on the 'safe' past.

My husband, a big fan of Davies' later work, thought it was like a Beckett play, and promptly fell asleep. I was enthralled by its puritanical stripping down of superficial pleasure, creating the proper atmosphere for a ghost story, but also emphasising the narrative's ritualistic aspect - the setting in a space apart from 'civilised' life; the focus on characters defined by their solitude; the three-part nature of the story.

Denholm Elliot is a railway signalman who on occasions has seen a supernatural vision of someone yelling 'You down below', and waving his arms. This vision has twice been followed by horrific train accidents. A stranger passing by, who has been mysteriously confined for some time, listens to his story, and insists on the rational view - that it is a product of a mind worked on by the bleak loneliness of his situation. The Signalman takes his advice to forget all about it.

Dickens is such a relentlessly social, sprawling novelist, it is a pleasure to see something as pared back and concentrated as this. The connection made in the source between scientific progress (telegrams, railways) and the supernatural, between telegrams and visions as media of information transmission, of the effects on time made by the annhilation of space produced by new technology, may not be as lucidly brought out as they might, but as an example of how serious and genuinely faithful (i.e. in spirit) TV literary adaptations used to be, this is a must.

This 40-minute gem is currently available as a filler feature on the DVD of HARD TIMES, part of a Dickens set containing many BBC classic productions. Because of the popularity of A Christmas Carol, many readers forget that Dickens churned out many other ghost stories for periodicals, and this is one of the best. It's a simple two-man show for the most part, with Denholm Elliott doing a working-class character: a railroad signalman haunted by apparitions that always predict an upcoming disaster. The claustrophobic set (a small signal tower near a railroad tunnel in a narrow "cut") is perfect for the story. The camera is used effectively, with a variety of angles and some nicely-planned shots. The only factor that dates this production to the 1970s is the use of cheesy electronic music effects from time to time. Otherwise it's a timeless, thoughtful classic short subject. Sure, you can predict how it's going to end; but you still want to wait and see how Dickens (and the director) bring it off.

One of the most famous entries in this series is actually based on a short story by Charles Dickens and features Denholm Elliot (who is excellent in the title role, a haunted train station attendant). A younger man – who eerily greets the signalman in the manner of his visions! – naturally becomes interested in Elliot's plight and the latter recounts how the ghostly apparition of an eyeless(!) old man would precede tragedies occurring at his post – a train wreck inside a tunnel and even a bride leaping from a train window to her death. The final instance of Elliot's second-sight is most ironic, though it will not surprise anyone familiar with Nicolas Roeg's DON'T LOOK NOW (1973; itself a literary adaptation from the work of a famous author i.e. Daphne Du Maurier).

I hadn't realised just how good this show was until it dawned on me that despite not having seen it for years I could still get goosebumps when I was telling people about how it was usually shown around Christmas when I was growing up in England.

Recounting the story wasn't nearly as atmospheric as the show. I wish they would show it on BBC America sometime.

The show is a flashback to a time when rail travel was at it's heyday and is set in a signal box close to the mouth of a tunnel. The suspense is incredible and the whole show is filmed immaculately. The mood, the setting and the suspense are all top notch. I believe this to be one of the best shows the BBC ever filmed. At judging by the fact that it is being shown again some 29 years after its first showing stands as a testament for its ability to stand the test of time and thrill a whole new generation.

It's about the year 1900, and Bernard Lloyd is walking in the country, after a long confinement. He sees Denholm Elliott a signalman on the Great Western line, below in a cut between a railroad tunnel and his signal house. When Lloyd calls out, Elliott is startled, a bit wary. He goes down to speak with the worker, and recognizes the man is troubled. After another visit, Elliott confides that he is haunted. There have been two visions, one foretelling a disaster that has already taken place, but the second still still to come. Lloyd urges him to rationality, and to simply do his duty, which the afflicted man finds comforting.

It's based on Charles Dickens' short story of the same title, first published in 1866, well produced, adapted by Andrew Davies, and with Elliott adopting a West Country accent well suited to a piratical role, and a demeanor that can aptly be described as "haunted." It's not a long piece, timing in at 38 minutes, but that's one of the things that TV can occasionally do that the movies cannot, now that a film "program" no longer exists: tell a short story without padding it out past all shape, like padding O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" to 75 minutes with subplots, musical numbers and extraneous details, or W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw" to 91. This one is told at the right length, with a good cast and crew.

Based on Dicken's story this is a short film- highly atmospheric and with an incredible undercurrent of dread and looming disaster. The story concerns a signalman who was witness to a train crash inside the tunnel along his post, and who keeps seeing apparition of a figure desperate trying to warn him about something. He is joined by the traveler who greets him as he lies staring at his silhouette against the sun. The traveler is intrigued by the signalman's condition when he hears about the story of the crash when they sit down in the tower to share. What works are the real locations and production values embedded in a practical approach to filmmaking(building sets and models instead of computer recreation) and the gentle pacing. At barely 40 minutes you can enjoy this short easily.

I saw this a long time ago when it was re-run on television. I can't say much except that it scared the wits out of me. Denholm Elliot was a revelation. Always one of the great British character actors, he has a melancholy stillness that hangs about him like the fog that fills this film. Spooky.

A traveller (Bernard Lloyd) on a walking holiday stumbles on a remote signal box situated low down between two steep hillsides and close to the mouth of a tunnel. Its a dark and shadowy place even in daylight, He decides to take a closer look, The Signalman (Denholm Elliot) is at first very wary of the Traveller, but then invites him in out of the cold. They chat for hours on the dull minutiae of daily life in such a tiresome yet stress filled job, The Traveller questions The Signalman about his initial curious attitude towards him, slowly he apologizes and reveals to him that he had mistaken him for a dark ghostly figure that had called out to him on a few occasions, his presence always heralding a terrible event. The traveller is a learned man and tries to assist his new companion by trying to look at his stories with a modern rational eye, giving him solace from his fears, The Signalman listens intently but his fear remains.

Another in the "Ghost Story for Christmas" series and the first not to have M R James as the inspiration, this is based on a Charles Dickens short story. Dickens himself was a regular traveller by train and was at one point involved in a train crash, his knowledge of the railway shines through in this work. Clark again helms this moody and claustrophobic adaptation and yet again it's a very spooky thought provoking film. Like other films in the series, its slow to get going, but this is a good point as we are treated to plenty of character development that creates a sense of impending doom, as does the eerily delightful location. Andrew Davies script is very faithful to the original story and succeeds in retaining much of its terrifying premises. Denholm Elliot is superb as the nervous and fidgety signalman, whose fear seems very real and we the viewer are left guessing as to his sanity until the very end. Lloyd is also excellent and is the viewers "in" to the story, he poses the questions we want to hear with a quizzical glee. The final reveal of the film may not be surprising but its delightfully done. This series stands as a benchmark in how to make great ghost stories in a visual medium and still retain the atmosphere fear and apprehension of a reader of these works.

This is a harrowing, incredibly atmospheric short film based on a story by Charles Dickens. The premise is basic: A signalman in a far flung mini junction is used to his ways until a stranger appears one day. This is a ghost story as well as a take on solitude, technology and the supernatural. What I recall about this short is the haunting look and feel of the location. The film stayed with me because it reminded me of vague concepts such as time, space and memories. This is a short film (barely 40 mins) and yet it perhaps even exceeds the literary source if you go by some online opinion.

A Signalman working at a lonely and isolated Station is met by a cheery stranger, The Signalman meets him with a degree of suspicion, but after a somewhat strained introduction, The Signalman shares a supernatural tale.

One of the most memorable entries in the series, notable for being a story penned by Charles Dickens, as opposed to MR James.

Some of the dialogue is outstanding, for the whole duration your attention is held, as you watch, you hold on to every word.

It boasts atmosphere in abundance, the location and music add a great deal to the story itself, this is one to get watched late at night.

I can't complement the acting enough, Denholm Elliott and Bernard Lloyd are fantastic, not just the dialogue, but the body language, the timing, the pair are terrific. You get a true sense that one disbelieves the other, they view one another with a degree of unease.

An outstanding Ghost story.

10/10.

One of the finest shorts ever made in my opinion. A signalman in a far flung mini junction is used to his ways until a stranger appears one day. This is a ghost story as well as a take on solitude, technology and the supernatural. What I recall about this short is the haunting look and feel of the location. The film stayed with me because it reminded me of vague concepts such as time, space and memories. This is a short film (barely 40 mins) and yet it perhaps even exceeds the literary source if you go by some online opinion.

I'm 14 an we watched this for English class. its scary as hell. just so scary. s c a r y watch with like 200 people. and don't let children under 15 watch alone please thank u. me and my friend Claire were hiding behind our books and people laughed but they laughed with fear. even jess was scared and she never is scared. this film should be banned, you can't have people running around saying hello down there. if you like films here are some happy ones: lion king, high school musical, moulin rouge, Bambi, thirteen, hunchback of notre dame, actually all Disney films. here are some happy words: love, smile, joy, yellow, campbell.

A Charles Dickens classic short, expertly transformed to mid-seventies TV by director Lawrence Gordon Clark on the expert adaptation for the small screen by Andrew Davies. Taught, direct camera-work keeps the claustrophobic feel of the Signalman's life superbly realized; more so when the 'Traveller' comes to visit unexpectedly in the low autumn sunlight that barely reaches the cutting track below. The use of an actual signal box, so not in a studio, helps to keep the realism and feel of trepidation at a heightened level (their breath can be clearly seen in the cold air come night time when they both step outside of the signal box). All in all, a classic piece of British TV that could been rarely bettered, even today. You don't need cgi and huge production values to scare; just 40 minutes of first class direction and acting, which this has in abundance.

This BBC adaptation of the classic short story "The Signalman," is easily the equal of all the TV version of M.R James's work.

The fact that this episode is mainly a two- hander, works in its favour. The drama is more focused and devoid of any irrelevant subplots.

The whole episode has a more natural look, what with every scene shot on film.

Watch this one with the lights out! You won't be disappointed.

Between 1971 and 1978 the BBC used to dramatise a ghost story every year under the title "A Ghost Story for Christmas". The first five entries in the series were all based upon tales by that great master of the genre, M. R. James. The ghost story for Christmas 1976 was an adaptation of Charles Dickens's "The Signal-Man", and the offerings for 1977 and 1978 were original stories.

The television version of Dickens's story uses the variant spelling "The Signalman". Dickens wrote his story shortly after he had been involved in the Staplehurst rail disaster of 1865 in which ten people died. Although he survived physically uninjured, he was deeply scarred psychologically by the event. (Some people have found it significant that he died on 9th June 1870, the fifth anniversary of the disaster). Dickens may also have been influenced by another railway disaster of the 1860s, the Clayton Tunnel Crash of 1861.

An unnamed traveller meets a signalman (also unnamed) who works in a signal box close to a tunnel. Although the Signalman initially appears shy and strangely fearful, he invites the Traveller into his signal box and the two begin talking. During another conversation the following evening he eventually tells the traveller what is worrying him. He believes that his stretch of track is haunted by a ghostly figure who can be seen hiding his face with one arm and waving with the other. The ghost also has the power to ring his signal bell in a way which only he can hear. The Signalman believes that the ringing of the bell and the ghost's appearances foretell some coming disaster; it was seen shortly before a collision in the tunnel which killed several people, and again before an incident in which a young woman fell to her death from a train window. The ghost has now been seen for a third time, leaving the Signalman in a terrible dilemma. He fears that another catastrophe is imminent, yet knows that if he tries to warn the authorities they will regard him as a lunatic and dismiss him from his position.

An atmospheric setting was often an important element of the "Ghost Story for Christmas" series; in "The Stalls of Barchester" it was an English cathedral city, in "A Warning to the Curious" the wintry Norfolk countryside and in "Lost Hearts" an elegant Lincolnshire stately home. Here the Signalman's box is situated at the bottom of a deep railway cutting, giving a remarkably claustrophobic feeling to the story and emphasising his separation from the rest of society. Another excellent feature of "The Signalman" is the acting; Bernard Lloyd is good as the Traveller, and Denholm Elliott excellent as the Signalman, a decent but lonely and isolate figure, terrified by an approaching fate which he knows he cannot escape.

It is a long time since I last read Dickens's story, but I vividly remember the first time I came across it as a boy, when it struck me as one of the most frightening things I had ever read. The television adaptation succeeds in capturing a lot of what made it so frightening, especially the sense of impending doom hanging over the blameless Signalman. An excellent ghost story for Christmas.