The Innocents (1961)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Jack Clayton

Writers:

Henry James (novel)
John Mortimer (additional scenes & dialogue)

Release Date:

November 1961 (UK)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Apparitions? Evils? Corruptions?

Plot:

A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.

Plot Keywords:

Children | Governess | Girl | Soul | England

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 25

2:45 AM

AMC

Cast

Deborah Kerr	...	Miss Giddens
Peter Wyngarde	...	Peter Quint
Megs Jenkins	...	Mrs. Grose
Michael Redgrave	...	The Uncle
Martin Stephens	...	Miles
Pamela Franklin	...	Flora
Clytie Jessop	...	Miss Jessel
Isla Cameron	...	Anna

Also Known As:

The Turn of the Screw (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:12A (re-rating) (2005) | UK:X (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Bluebell Railway, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Achilles

Trivia:

Harold Pinter and John Mortimer also worked on the screenplay. The former advised Jack Clayton that he should not use flashbacks, and the latter was brought in to "Victorianize" the script.

Goofs:

Continuity: Miss Giddens is wearing one dress when Flora bursts in to tell them to come see Miles riding the horse. When they run outside, Miss Giddens is wearing a different dress.

Quotes:

Flora: [singing] We lay my love and I, beneath the weeping willow. But now alone I lie and weep beside the tree. Singing "Oh willow waly" by the tree that weeps with me. Singing "Oh willow waly" till my lover return to me. We lay my love and I beneath the weeping willow. A broken heart have I. Oh willow I die, oh willow I die...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nightmare Theatre's Late Night Chill-o-Rama Horror Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

Soundtrack:

O Willow Waly

A film that has haunted me ever since I first saw it. Staggering, brilliant, masterful, The Innocents is the Rolls Royce of ghost stories.

The Innocents is a film that has haunted me ever since I first saw it. Staggering, brilliant, masterful, The Innocents is the Rolls Royce of ghost stories. From the unforgettable camerawork by Freddie Francis to the incisive, beautiful direction by Jack Clayton to the brilliant performance by Deborah Kerr, The Innocents works on a thousand levels. This is a film for anyone who truly wants to see brilliance in its purest form. Any director who wants to make a suspense/horror piece that counts, see this film now. If you can, don't see the pan and scan version -- it was shot in black and white Cinemascope and should be viewed that way -- Letterboxed. Let's hope 20th Century Fox put it out on DVD. It is available on Laser Disc is a beautiful letterbox transfer. But if you get the opportunity to see it on a screen -- RUN. A film that lingers in the mind for decades to come. What more could you ask from a film?..............................