Written by William Archibald And Truman Capote
Directed by Jack Clayton
Miss Giddens: "All I want to do is save the children, not destroy them. More than anything, I love children. More than anything. They need affection. Love. Someone who will belong to them, and to whom they will belong."
Nearly a year ago, I watched The Haunting Of Bly Manor and upon reading up further about adaptations of The Turn Of The Screw, I knew I had to watch this one too.
Starring Deborah Kerr, this version had her playing the new governess, Miss Giddens. She's given the job of looking after two children - Miles (Martin Stevens) and Flora (Pamela Franklin) by their uninterested uncle (Michael Redgrave). As in every adaptation, she should've turned it down.
Anyways, moving to the fictional Bly Manor and having the housekeeper, Mrs Grose (Megs Jenkins) for adult company, Giddens thought she was going to have an easy time. Flora was odd but generally co-operative. Then there was Miles, who was more of a challenge for the new governess.
He started off as a sweet kid, despite being sent home from his private school for fighting. At first, it even seemed like he was going to get along with Miss Giddens. However, it soon became apparent that there was more to Miles than Giddens suspected.
As with every adaptation, there were the ghosts of former governess, Miss Jessel (Clytie Jessop) and her abusive lover/former groundskeeper, Peter Quint (Peter Wyngarde). Possession was at the heart of the story and it was up to Miss Giddens to save the children. Too bad it took a large of screen time to get Mrs Grose on board.
The movie was at its best/most chilling with Giddens confrontation with Miles/Peter as she tried to do everything in her power to save Miles. There's a genuinely chilling performance from Martin Stevens as the possessed Miles and the ending, while faithful to the source material itself was definitely heartbreaking.
- A prequel movie, titled The Nightcomers that focused on Miss Jessel and Peter Quint would come out in 1971.
- I can't believe Truman Capote rewrote this screenplay while taking a break from writing In Cold Blood.
- Standout music: O Willow Waly by Georges Auric used to creepy effect at the start of the movie.
- Chronology: Set in 19th century Bly Manor, located in Essex.
Now that I've watched it, I can see why The Innocents would be the best adaptation of that particular novel from Henry James. Every single thing about this movie just worked to perfection. It's genuinely chilling and that ending. Perfect.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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