The Innocents (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
I popped in the DVD for 1961's 'The Innocents' (directed by & based on Henry James' novella The Turn of the Screw) with prior knowledge that this is regarded as one of the definitive ghost movies to ever be released. Well guess what ... in the claustrophobic confines of my small, darkened bedroom ... I gotta say that I was thoroughly creeped out. Deborah Kerr (The King and I, From Here to Eternity, An Affair to Remember) plays Miss Giddens, a timid & naive governess from London who is hired by an unfeeling uncle (Michael Redgrave) to care for his recently orphaned niece & nephew. She sets off for his sprawling countryside estate via horse-&-carriage and arrives at his beautifully decorated, if gloomy mansion.
There, she meets the amiable housekeeper (Meg Jenkins), as well as young Flora (Pamela Franklin) and, later in the story, young Miles (Martin Stephens). Outwardly, the children are little dears. But behind their innocent smiles hides some disturbing evil impulses. And Miss Giddens starts to feel that these 2 siblings exhibit a strange, almost disturbing degree of affection for one another and their home, which they consider their own world. Their unnerving manner of speaking, whispering, & staring slowwwly unhinges Miss Giddens, who comes to acquire the ability to see people who she learns to be dead (a recent young governess who drowned in a lake, and a creepy-looking valet who apparently died in an accident).
You know, 'The Innocents' contains no gore, few jolts, and is full of narrative ambiguities. But its strength comes from the bleakness & dread that builds as the story progresses. We are along for the ride just as Deborah Kerr is. Problem is ... she may be an unreliable protagonist for us to follow. Are the children possessed by recently deceased ghosts? Or are the ghosts just products of Deborah Kerr's unstable imaginings? Or is it both!? Using subtle special effects & evocative lighting by Oscar-winning cinematographer Freddie Francis, director Jack Clayton (The Great Gatsby, Something Wicked This Way Comes) builds an intense gothic atmosphere of fear. As I watched, I was reminded of 2001's fantastic Nicole Kidman film, The Others. THAT film took a lot from THIS film; I am sure of it.
Deborah Kerr is quietly magnificent as Miss Giddens. Her mysterious demeanor; the way she walks & talks; the fear inside of her; her gradual understanding (in her head) of what's going on in the mansion; how she attempts to "fix" the ghostly situation ... it's all handled so very well by this brilliant actress. When I think back upon the film, I am reminded of 3 particular scenes: 1) a vision we see as Deborah Kerr enters a room by candlelight in the midst of a hide-&-seek game that made me recoil in my bed from fear. 2) Later, we see the brief image of a woman clothed in black sitting in the middle of a marshland. And 3) there's a stunning vignette in which Miss Giddens kisses Miles on the lips, then retracts in horror when realizing that she has a) kissed a young boy. And b) he may not be who he is!
I also liked the running cinematic motif of beauty intermingling with ugliness. Miss Giddens is the picture of loveliness. And yet, anytime she encounters flowers in the movie, they continually fall/die at her touch. When she observes a beautiful statue or tucked away corner of the gorgeous estate, suddenly a gross insect will appear. These examples go to show that something evil may be lurking about, even amid all of the 'surface' beauty. Co-written by William Archibald & Truman Capote(!), I can attest that 'The Innocents' is one of the eerier films that I've seen in quite a while. Martin Scorsese considers this to be one of the 11 creepiest movies of all-time. And the fact that it was made over 50 yrs. ago only adds to its macabre allure.
There, she meets the amiable housekeeper (Meg Jenkins), as well as young Flora (Pamela Franklin) and, later in the story, young Miles (Martin Stephens). Outwardly, the children are little dears. But behind their innocent smiles hides some disturbing evil impulses. And Miss Giddens starts to feel that these 2 siblings exhibit a strange, almost disturbing degree of affection for one another and their home, which they consider their own world. Their unnerving manner of speaking, whispering, & staring slowwwly unhinges Miss Giddens, who comes to acquire the ability to see people who she learns to be dead (a recent young governess who drowned in a lake, and a creepy-looking valet who apparently died in an accident).
You know, 'The Innocents' contains no gore, few jolts, and is full of narrative ambiguities. But its strength comes from the bleakness & dread that builds as the story progresses. We are along for the ride just as Deborah Kerr is. Problem is ... she may be an unreliable protagonist for us to follow. Are the children possessed by recently deceased ghosts? Or are the ghosts just products of Deborah Kerr's unstable imaginings? Or is it both!? Using subtle special effects & evocative lighting by Oscar-winning cinematographer Freddie Francis, director Jack Clayton (The Great Gatsby, Something Wicked This Way Comes) builds an intense gothic atmosphere of fear. As I watched, I was reminded of 2001's fantastic Nicole Kidman film, The Others. THAT film took a lot from THIS film; I am sure of it.
Deborah Kerr is quietly magnificent as Miss Giddens. Her mysterious demeanor; the way she walks & talks; the fear inside of her; her gradual understanding (in her head) of what's going on in the mansion; how she attempts to "fix" the ghostly situation ... it's all handled so very well by this brilliant actress. When I think back upon the film, I am reminded of 3 particular scenes: 1) a vision we see as Deborah Kerr enters a room by candlelight in the midst of a hide-&-seek game that made me recoil in my bed from fear. 2) Later, we see the brief image of a woman clothed in black sitting in the middle of a marshland. And 3) there's a stunning vignette in which Miss Giddens kisses Miles on the lips, then retracts in horror when realizing that she has a) kissed a young boy. And b) he may not be who he is!
I also liked the running cinematic motif of beauty intermingling with ugliness. Miss Giddens is the picture of loveliness. And yet, anytime she encounters flowers in the movie, they continually fall/die at her touch. When she observes a beautiful statue or tucked away corner of the gorgeous estate, suddenly a gross insect will appear. These examples go to show that something evil may be lurking about, even amid all of the 'surface' beauty. Co-written by William Archibald & Truman Capote(!), I can attest that 'The Innocents' is one of the eerier films that I've seen in quite a while. Martin Scorsese considers this to be one of the 11 creepiest movies of all-time. And the fact that it was made over 50 yrs. ago only adds to its macabre allure.