The Innocents (1961) / Z-View
The Innocents (1961)
Director: Jack Clayton
Screenplay: Truman Capote and William Archibald based on the Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw
Stars: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde and Megs Jenkins.
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a movie where two children in a remote mansion may be possessed by evil spirits!”
Tagline: A strange new experience in shock.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
In the late 1890’s a rich man hires a nanny, Miss Giddens [Kerr] to move to his remote, deserted mansion run by a few servants to oversee the raising of his nephew and niece. Shortly after her arrival Miss Giddens begins to believe that the evil spirits of the former nanny and a man are trying to possess the children.
The Innocents is considered a classic by many and is an excellent film. The black and white photography works wonderfully with the soundtrack to create a suspenseful movie full tension and a couple of legitimate scares. They don’t make movies like this any more and it is a shame.
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