.swf attachments

I recieved an attachment in an email from a relative which I have
verified she did send, but IE7 won't let me open it. It is a .swf format
which should open in flash or shockwave. All I get in IE is a blank
page, and at the bottom left of the page is a yellow icon with a red
exclation point on it. Does this mean that it contains something
malicious, or is IE just being cautious? How do I get past the security?
--
Dave T.

"Many people die at twenty-five and aren't buried
until they are seventy-five".
Benjamin Franklin