The Innocents
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Movie Reviews of The Innocents
Movie Review: "Truth is very seldom understood by any but imaginative persons..."
Summary: 5 Stars
Produced and directed by Jack Clayton (Room at the Top, The Great Gatsby), The Innocents (1961), based on the short story "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James, was adapted for the screen by William Archibald (I Confess), Truman Capote (Breakfast at Tiffany's, In Cold Blood), and John Mortimer ("Rumpole of the Bailey") and photographed by Freddie Francis (The Elephant Man, Dune). Starring in the film is Deborah Kerr (From Here to Eternity, The King and I, An Affair to Remember), the only actress, to date, to have been nominated for six Academy Awards and never to have won (she received an honorary Oscar for her achievements in 1994). Also appearing is Megs Jenkins (Oliver!), Martin Stephens (Village of the Damned), Michael Redgrave (The Lady Vanishes), Peter Wyngarde (Night of the Eagle), and Pamela Franklin (The Legend of Hell House, The Food of the Gods), in her silver screen debut.
As the film begins we meet a middle-aged woman named Miss Giddens (Kerr), who's in the process of interviewing for a position as governess for two, young orphaned children left in the charge of their rather well to do uncle (Michael Redgrave). Seems the man, a somewhat dedicated bachelor, has neither the time nor desire to look after the children, so he's looking for someone he can give complete authority of the children to, removing himself as far from the burden as possible. Miss Giddens accepts the position and soon finds herself whisked away to a large, lonely country estate in the English countryside, populated by a handful of servants including Mrs. Grose (Jenkins) and the man's niece Flora (Franklin)...turns out the nephew Miles (Stephens), is currently away at boarding school. After Miss Giddens settles in, she learns Miles is coming home after having been dismissed (i.e. expelled) from school under curious circumstances, but after finally meeting him, he, or his sister for that matter, seem hardly the type to cause any trouble. As time goes by one can't help notice a subtle weirdness in the children given the fact they're constantly whispering to each other and they, especially Miles, seem to speak and act beyond their years. As the strangeness persists, Miss Giddens begins asking questions about the previous governess, a woman named Miss Jessel, and learns of an `improper' relationship Miss Jessel had with a valet named Quint (who was described as being handsome and obscene), both of whom were close to the children and both of whom died under mysterious circumstances. She also learns Quint, an abusive sort, had complete control over the estate while his master was away, and often abused his authority in various ways (no one seemed all that broken up when Quint was found dead, except for Miss Jessel). Anyway, Miss Giddens soon comes to believe the children, given their close relationship to Miss Jessel and Quint, have become corrupted in someway, and their increasingly odd actions not necessarily their own...
As far as gothic ghost stories, The Innocents is one heck of a humdinger. If you're looking for atmosphere, this film has it in spades...a huge, lonely Victorian house complete with creaking doors, clattering windows, squeaking floorboards, flickering candlelight, ethereal voices wafting in on the wind, shadowy corners, and so much more. From the moment we first enter the house there's a persuasive sense of creepiness, one that continues to grow as the story goes on...throw in a couple of spooky children and the occasional apparition and you've got most everything you need for a frightful cinematic experience, the kind rarely enjoyed in this day and age given the heavy reliance on computer generated effects. There are a number of aspects about this feature I thought immaculate, including the performances, the direction, the photography, eerie music, and the writing. I thought both Deborah Kerr and Martin Stephens (who played Miles) did a wonderful job. I really appreciated Kerr's character in that she was fleshed out enough for us to understand why she didn't get while the getting good. In another film we, the audience, might find it questionable why a character wouldn't remove herself from a situation she thought fraught with peril but here it's clear Kerr's character's motivation, along with her belief that the children aren't to blame for their situation or held accountable for some of their wicked behavior. Both the children came off as spooky, but Miles more so as his manipulations and deceitful ways were less obvious (and more sinister). I think what bothered me the most about his character was the way he'd talk to Miss Giddens. His tone felt a little condescending at times, as if it was all some sort of game, one that he was orchestrating, his sister more or less a pawn following his lead. The story is actually pretty simple, but that doesn't make it any less frightening (there's no, cheap `pop out' scares here). The pacing may appear slow at times, but I found it appropriate to the creepy nature inherent within the material. As far as flaws apparent in the production I really couldn't find any, but then I wasn't really looking. I suppose someone could make the argument some aspects of the story weren't fully explained but I felt everything in the story, including the ambiguity, were intentional. The best ghost stories, in my opinion, often leave one feeling unsure, asking questions that may never be answered...and it's not like anything within the story came out of left field, as if it didn't belong. As far as endings go, this one featured a real doozy. All in all, if you're interested in a fantastic chiller reliant heavily on solid storytelling, strong performances, and excellent production values, The Innocents will definitely fit the bill.
I thought the picture, available in both widescreen anamorphic (2.35:1) and fullscreen (1.33:1), came across clean and clear, and the audio, available in Dolby Digital stereo in English and Dolby Digital mono in Spanish, came through well. There's not much in the way of extras except for subtitles in English and Spanish, a goofy theatrical trailer for the film, and trailers for The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), The Legend of Hell House (1973), and Phantom of the Paradise (1974).
Cookieman108
Movie Review: An Extraordinary Tale Of Evil and Possession
Summary: 5 Stars
The Innocents is one of the most unnerving, unsettling, subtle and well-acted ghost stories you'll ever hope to see.
"If I should die before I wake," says 8-year-old Flora, kneeling at her bedside, "I pray the Lord my soul to take. Miss Giddens," she asks her new governess, "where would the Lord take my soul to?" "To heaven," Miss Giddens tells her. "Are you certain," Flora asks. "Oh, yes, of course, because you are a very good girl." "But I might not be," Flora says. "and if I weren't, wouldn't the Lord just leave me here to walk around? Isn't that what happens to some people?"
In Victorian England, Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) has been engaged to be the governess to Flora (Pamela Franklin) and her 10-year-old brother, Miles (Martin Stephens). The children live at Bly, an isolated country estate with a lake, many trees and statues and a huge, stone mansion. Their parents are dead, their uncle lives in London and wants no responsibility for them. They are cared for by Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper, two maids and, now, Miss Giddens. The children are eerily precocious with perfect manners and many secrets. Flora is smiling, agreeable and perhaps too alert. Miles seems at times adult beyond his years. He is charming and self-possessed. One evening the shutters slam shut and a candle blows out. "Don't be afraid, my dear," Miles tells Miss Giddens, "it's only the wind." He has been expelled from school for unnamed offences which caused "injuries" to other students.
Miss Giddens soon learns that there previously was in the mansion Peter Quint, the master's valet, who had been left in charge. "It was winter," Mrs. Grose reluctantly tells Miss Giddens, "the coldest, blackest winter night. The steps were icy. He came home late, full of drink. He had a wound on his head as though he might have fallen out there in the dark. There was things in his life that could account for violence done him, vicious things...It was Master Miles who found him. Oh, that poor little boy. If you could have heard his screams, seen the way he clung to him and begged him to speak. The poor little boy worshipped Quint."
Miss Giddens learns of another person, Miss Jessel, the former governess, a woman who became enraptured by Quint. She took his beatings with joy, shared in his pleasure of her in the mansion's rooms, unconcerned with what the children saw. Miss Jessel threw herself in the lake after Quint died. There is not only the presumption of evil, but of moral and sexual corruption infecting the two children through Quint.
The children whisper together, share secrets. Miss Giddens soon sees a faint image of a man on the tower of the house...a woman walking across a landing...a face at a window. "There are two of them," Miss Giddens tells Mrs. Grose, "two of those abominations. The children are playing some monstrous game. I can't pretend to understand what its purpose is. I only know that it is happening...something secretive and whispery and indecent. I tell you, believe me, the children are in dreadful peril." She resolves that the only way she can free the children of the effort by Quint and Miss Jessel to possess them is to force the children to admit what is happening. "The children are possessed. They live and know and share this hell. One word, one word of truth from these children and we can cast out those devils forever."
The conclusion is powerful and tragic.
This movie works so well because of Jack Clayton's unhurried direction, wonderful, eery, black-and-white photography by Freddie Francis, a literate screenplay (from Henry James' The Turn of the Screw) by William Archibald, Truman Capote and John Mortimer, and excellent acting all around. In particular, Deborah Kerr turns in one of the best performances of her career. She trembles on the edge of resolve and her own insecurities. Both the child actors are convincing. Martin Stephens as Miles carries the heaviest burden and he is unsettling as a cool and very disturbed, conflicted boy.
The DVD comes with pan-and-scan on side A and the proper wide-screen presentation on side B. Watch the wide-screen, original version. The picture looks very good. There are no significant extras.
Movie Review: Classic ghost story finally appears on DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
Jack Clayton's film of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" is second only to "The Haunting" as the most effective and eerie ghost story put on film. Brilliantly photographed by Freddie Francis and superbly acted by Deborah Kerr, Pamela Franklin ("Hell House") and Martin Stephens ("Village of the Damned"), Clayton's film starts off as an idyllic glimpse into the life of a new governess Miss Giddens (Kerr) taking care of two children Flora and Miles(Franklin and Stephens)for an indifferent uncle (Michael Redgrave). Isolated on the uncle's country estate, it soon becomes clear that something is not right with the children and that Giddens wasn't told everything about the death of their previous governess. Giddens begins to suspect that the children are being guided or possessed by two spirits but to what end she's not sure. Or is it all in her head and due to her repressed Victorian sexuality? Director Clayton and writers William Archibald (who worked on Hitchcock's "I Confess") and Truman Capote keep you guessing.
Fox has done a nice job in transferring this classic to DVD. "The Innocents" appears for the first time in an anamorphic widescreen transfer. Curiously, the pan and scan version (which is what I originally saw on TV) is on the A side of the flipper while the superior anamorphic widescreen transfer is on the B side. The film shows quite a bit of wear and tear at the beginning but be patient as the image quality improves at the film moves along. The rich grays, black and white imagery look marvelous throughout most of the presentation. I am disappointed by the extras. Fox has provided commentary tracks for many of their film noirs. Since Franklin is still around (and, at the time of this writing so is Kerr)as is Stephens, I'd think that they would consider adding a commentary track for the film. A featurette on the making of the film would also have been nice. Unfortunately, it seems that no one at Fox values this film in the same fashion as the folks at Warner Home Video did "The Haunting" a perfect companion piece to this classic. We do get the original theatrical trailer as well as Fox Flix recommendations for other "horror" movies. Remade at least at least four occasions (with the 1999 TV version a solid entry as well), this is the best of the films made from James' novel.
Like Robert Wise's classic film "The Haunting", "The Innocents" is disquieting. The strong performances by the British cast and visually stunning direction keeps the film interesting throughout the production. The pacing is slow like many ghost stories creating tension and a sense of unease due to the unusual camera angles and visuals. Unlike many thrillers today, "The Innocents" doesn't resort to simple tricks like gore or violence. Instead Clayton uses sound effects and unusual camera tricks to create the tension that drives this thriller. If you come to this film expecting "Scream" you'll be sadly disappointed. The film that is nearest to this classic in tone is Alejandro Amenabar's "The Others" which was clearly influenced by "The Innocents".
Now the only other film I'm waiting on to show up on DVD is Robert Mulligan's film of Tom Tryon's novel "The Other". It's a good of example of how creepy thrillers used to be made with intelligence and style. Sadly, there's no DVD release announced yet for "The Other" or another film I admire (although it's flawed)"The Fool Killer".
Movie Review: Haunting 1961 haunted house classic!
Summary: 5 Stars
This black and white 1961 haunted house classic is a winner all around. Set in 19th century England, The Innocents has a haunted atmosphere throughout the movie that is perhaps unmatched. This movie is based on the novel "The Turn Of The Screw" by Henry James.
This is a ghost story that stars Deborah Kerr, who plays a governess named Miss Giddens who is caring for two orphaned children (Miles played by Martin Stephens and Flora played by Pamela Franklin) in a huge Victorian mansion. Throughout the movie there are ghosts that appear once in a while, such as a ghost of a woman who walks down a hallway, a ghost of a woman in a field (the previous governess Miss Jessel), and the ghost of a man who appears on the roof of the house and outside a glass door (Peter Quint, who is Miss Jessel's lover). As the movie progresses and the ghosts continue to appear, the childrens' behavior changes to the point of being strange and obnoxious. As a result, Deborah Kerr starts to wonder about what happened to the previous governess and her lover. The governess feels that it's possible that the ghosts of these people are trying to destroy the childrens' innocence by possessing the children. On the other hand, the haunted happenings could be just her imagination. The children really get angry with the governess when she insists she's seeing ghosts and wants the children to notice them, but the children don't see them. The only thing I didn't like about the movie was all the yelling and screaming by the children. It occurred a little too often.
One of my favorite scenes occurs when Miss Giddens is walking through the house with a candelabra in hand, investigating strange things that are happening. It is such a spooky scene with perfect lighting, shadows, background noises, and innovative camerawork. There are some classic haunting situations throughout the movie that are eerie and will scare you, some familiar, some innovative.
Just like The Haunting (1963), this movie's atmosphere benefits from and is enhanced by the black and white filming because to me, black and white makes it darker and spookier. There's just something about black and white that works. It elevates the creep factor by bringing out the shadows and darkness.
This movie is always compared to The Haunting by horror fans and critics. Why? It's because both films were released around the same time (1961 and 1963), both are black and white films, both are ghost stories set in haunted Victorian mansions, both are based on novels, both are extremely creepy, and both have innovative camerawork. I often have a hard time deciding which of these two films is better. Of course, the books these movies are based on (Henry James's "The Turn Of The Screw" and Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting Of Hill House") are night and day different. The movies, however, will always be compared due to the above reasons and simply because it comes down to what a person looks for and prefers in a haunted house ghost story movie. When it comes to comparing haunted house movies, I personally put the movie's atmosphere first and the story second. The next person might do the opposite.
If you're up for a good ghost story, buy The Innocents. You won't be disappointed. It's one of the all-time great haunted house/ghost story movies.
Movie Review: ..does she, or doesn't she?
Summary: 5 Stars
...only Henry James knew for sure! Miss Giddens, a rather "sheltered" governess, is convinced that her two young charges are possessed by the spirits of her predecessor Miss Jessel and her lover, a cruel valet named Quint, in a lonely and sprawling mansion in the English countryside. Written in 1897 and set in 1850s England, Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" is a cleverly written (tho somewhat torturous) novella which was required reading for schoolchildren like myself in the 1960s. James never divulged whether his bedeviled heroine actually SAW ghosts, or if they were simply the externalization of her own neuroses. Scripted by William Archibald and Truman Capote, a 1950s TV production of "The Innocents" starred Ingrid Bergman (I would love to see that!), and then filmmaker Jack Clayton ("Room at the Top") filmed his version of the tale in 1961. Stunningly photographed by Freddie Francis in black and white, "The Innocents" depicts its disturbing visions of ghosts often in bright, broad daylight, such as a rose garden, or in a gazebo by a lake. The lovely Deborah Kerr plays the role of Miss Giddens with a slightly edgy self-consciousness (perfect for a sexually repressed daughter of a country parson) that grows into an absolutely manic frenzy that could either be absolute madness (which I think she was), or terror at the fact that her 2 young charges are indeed housing the spirits of dead (and sexually quite active) people. Strong and very Victorian stuff, this is! The supporting cast are wonderful, which includes a short and very telling scene with Sir Michael Redgrave as the children's disinterested roue uncle, Megs Jenkins as Mrs. Grose, the longtime housekeeper, the cruelly handsome Peter Wyngarde (later TVs "Jason King") as the dead Quint, and, of course, Martin Stephens and Pamela Franklin as the children, Miles and Flora. Director Clayton deliberately did NOT tell these youngsters too much about the motivations of their characters, so their performances have a certain ambiguity to them that could be interpreted as simply childish precociousness or dark, sly deviousness. Stephens had played the leader of the monstrous children in "Village of the Damned" a year or so earlier, so he was no newcomer to dark-themed stories, and Miss Franklin appeared in numerous horror/thriller-themed films after this, well into her young adulthood, including Clayton's "Our Mother's House", and "The Legend of Hell House". Georges Auric's atonal music lends a great deal to the uneasy tone of the film. There's not a lot of music, but what's there is quite effective. Miss Kerr was asked what HER interpretation of the story was, to which she replied that she felt that Miss Giddens was a sexually repressed and frustrated woman, and this was HER way of dealing with her inner demons. ....and what do YOU think? The DVD is certainly an excellent addition to a horror/ghost story lover's collection, and is very reasonably priced. The picture quality is excellent, with just a tad of graininess here and there, and one has a choice of watching it in widescreen (is there any OTHER way to view this?) or full-screen. The sound is good. There aren't many 'Extra", unfortunately (I wish that a "making of" short could have been made), just the original theatrical trailer.