Pucker Up

A delightful documentary about the International Whistling Competition in Louisburg NC. This is not a bunch of hicks standing on a stage at a county fair. These are dignified professional people who have a passion for a dying music form. The finalist are followed from their homes and thru the competition until the awards. We hear how they started to whistle, their passion for it, and their various techniques. The whistling at the competition is truly amazing, and it would have been nice to hear a complete performance from beginning to end. You'll hear Vivaldi, Handel and Big Voodoo Daddy on the same stage. If you don't leave this film trying to coax a whistle from your lips - then you have no heart. A must see for anyone with kids, for anyone old enough to remember hearing whistling daily, and a must see for the rest of us as a reminder that you can make your own music with just a little practice. Pucker Up and go see this documentary.

Whistling: "It comes from the heart ... the mind .. the thoughts that 'pass by' ... that you want to get out" - as one whistler in the show said.

This movie was absolutely fantastic. Like those in the film say, there really is something uplifting about whistling.

Though whistling seems to be a dying art, this documentary shows that master whistling is still very much alive. It shows up in the rural mid-west in the form of a turkey driver to a big metropolitan city in the form of an investment banker. The show also follows several of the top contestants at the 2004 National Whistling Competition (it's really an international competition with international awards) in Louisburg, North Carolina. They talk about how they started whistling and how it affects their daily lives.

We also hear a little bit about the history of whistling, how some foreign cultures incorporate it in their communications, and about the different types of whistling (throat, palatal, pucker, finger, etc.).

I'm not really a fan of whistling, but I'm glad that I got to see this unusual topic being explored. It's well done and worth a watch.