The Innocents

Over four decades after its release, 1961's The Innocents remains one of the most effective ghost stories ever filmed. An impeccably tasteful adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, it was originally promoted as the first truly "adult" chiller of the big screen (a marginal claim considering the release of Psycho a year earlier), arriving at a time when the thematic depth of James' story could finally be addressed without the compromise of discretion. Deborah Kerr stars as Miss Giddens, 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." Miss Giddens is dispatched to Bly House, the 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). As Miss Giddens learns the horrible truth about the estate's now-deceased groundskeeper and previous governess (events that would later be echoed in the Nicole Kidman thriller The Others), she begins to suspect that her young charges are ensnared in a devious plot from beyond the grave. 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, and a maze of mystery and terror by night. Sound effects and music are also used to bone-chilling effect, and director Jack Clayton, blessed with a script by William Archibald and Truman Capote, maintains a deliberate pace, while also emphasizing the ambiguity of James' timeless novella. The result is a masterful film—comparable to the 1963 classic The Haunting—that employs subtlety and suggestion rather than blood and gore to instill fear in the viewer. Presented in both widescreen and full-screen versions on an extra-less disc sporting a fine transfer, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (J. Shannon)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Sept. 23, 2014—Criterion, 100 min., not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1961's The Innocents sports an excellent transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray disc. Extras include audio commentary by cultural historian Christopher Frayling, an intro by Frayling (24 min.), a new interview with cinematographer John Bailey about cinematographer Freddie Francis (19 min.), a “making-of” featurette with interviews from 2006 with Francis, editor Jim Clark, and script supervisor Pamela Mann Francis (14 min.), and an essay by critic Maitland McDonagh. Bottom line: this classic adaptation of Henry James's eerie short novel sparkles on Blu-ray.]