The Innocents
starring: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins, Michael Redgrave, Martin Stephens
directed by: Jack Clayton
directed by: Jack Clayton
List Price: $14.98
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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0024543202950
Format: Closed-captioned, Black & White, DVD-Video, Anamorphic, NTSC
Label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Region Code: 1
Release Date: September 06, 2005
Running Time: 100 minutes
Sales Rank: 8541
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: 1961
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Editorial Review:
Description:
Deborah Kerr stars in this 'horrifying Gothic ghost tale' (Newsweek) based on Henry James' 'The Turn Of The Screw,' a powerful psychological drama about innocence possessed by evil. Shortly after coming to live with orphans Flora and Miles in their dark, eerie mansion, the new governess (Kerr) mistakes their strange behavior for preciousness. But she soon comes to believe that the charming, beautiful children are possessed by evil, malicious spirits - the souls of their previous governess and estate manager who are now dead. With its shocking conclusion and sinister cinematic effects. The Innocents 'catches an eerie, spine-chilling mood right from the start' (Variety) that never lets up.
Amazon.com:
The definitive screen adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, the 1961 production of The Innocents remains one of the most effective ghost stories ever filmed. Originally promoted as the first truly 'adult' chiller of the big screen (a marginally valid claim considering the release of Psycho a year earlier), the film arrived at a time when the thematic depth of James's story could finally be addressed without the compromise of reductive discretion. And while the Freudian anxiety that fuels the story may seem tame by today's standards, the psychological horrors that comprise the story's 'dark secret' are given full expression in a film that brilliantly clouds the boundary between tragic reality and frightful imagination.
In one of her finest performances, Deborah Kerr stars as Miss Giddons, a devout and somewhat repressed spinster who happily accepts the position of governess for two orphaned children whose uncle (Michael Redgrave) readily admits to having no interest in being tied down by two 'brats.' So Miss Giddons is dispatched to Bly House, the lavish, shadowy estate where young Flora (Pamela Franklin) and her brother Miles (Martin Stephens, so memorable in 1960's Village of the Damned) live with a good-natured housekeeper (Megs Jenkins). At first, life at Bly House seems splendidly idyllic, but as Miss Giddons learns the horrible truth about the estate's now-deceased groundskeeper and previous governess, she begins to suspect that her young charges are ensnared in a devious plot from beyond the grave.
Ghostly images are revealed in only the most fleeting glimpses, and the outstanding Cinemascope photography by Freddie Francis (who used special filters to subtly darken the edges of the screen) turns Bly House into a welcoming mansion by day, a maze of mystery and terror by night. Sound effects and music are used to bone-chilling effect, and director Jack Clayton, blessed with a script by William Archibald and Truman Capote, maintains a deliberate pace to emphasize the ambiguity of James's timeless novella. The result is a masterful film--comparable to the 1963 classic The Haunting--that uses subtlety and suggestion to reach the pinnacle of fear. --Jeff Shannon
Average Rating: 
Rating:
- I love this movie.This is a great movie from start to end. I watched this movie last night, and I have to say that it's ... Read More
Rating:
- Who's Zoomin' Who?[This review is part of my 31 days of Halloween series.]
There are certain aspects of this ... Read More
Rating:
- Hauntingly great movieThis is an excellent film for those that enjoy a truly classic ghost story... You will not have to brace ... Read More
Rating:
- CREEPY CLASSIC HOLDS UP WELL! 4 1/2 STARS!There are few films that are this old that can actually deliver any chills anymore. 'The Innocents' is a solid ... Read More
Rating:
- A superior thrillerThis is so far superior to the dozens of Hollywood horror films...instead of gallons of blood thrown at the screen, ... Read More
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