The new governess and her two cherubic charges. Our central characters.
Miss
Giddens (Deborah Kerr) is hired as a governess by the affluent bachelor
uncle of young Miles (Martin Stephens, best known as the leader of the
alien children in 1960's classic VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED)) and Flora
(Pamela Stevens), with the strict stipulation that she take full
responsibility for the children in all matters, and that she is not to
bother him with any of their goings-on. He simply values his freedom and
ability to travel far more than fostering any sort of familial
connection with the children, stating in no uncertain terms that he
has "no room, mentally or emotionally" for the kids. Upon arriving at
the uncle's labyrinthine mansion, the governess meets young Flora and
the pair immediately become friendly. Miles is away at boarding school
but soon comes home after being expelled for being a danger to the other
boys, information imparted via a letter that Giddens keeps to herself,
sharing it only with the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (Meg Jenkins). As The
governess gets to know the brother and sister, it soon becomes quite
apparent that the pair are as creepy as all get-out, with Miles
displaying a preternaturally mature way of expressing himself, as well
as revealing a disturbingly sadistic side.
Flora and Miles.
As
the weirdness percolates, Giddens comes to believe that the mansion and
its grounds are haunted by the ghosts of the uncle's Valet, Quint
(Peter Wyngard), and Miss Jessel (Clytie Jessop), whose apparitions she
begins to regularly see. The pair had been engaged in an illicit
relationship, and now Giddens is convinced that their ghosts have
possessed the children in order to pick up their affair from where they
left off. But are the children actually in the thrall of un-restful
spirits, or is Giddens descending down a spiral of paranoia and outright
madness? And if she's right, how can she save Miles and Flora?
Is the governess losing her mind, or are the children haunted?
THE
INNOCENTS was among the first of the serious "adult" ghost story films
and was adapted from Henry James's 1898 novella the turn of the screw,
which I have not read, so I cannot speak for the film's fidelity to the
source material. That said, the film's tone is very much aimed at
grownups, and the plot is rather a slow burn that wallows in its own
ambiguity. It is never made clear if this is a case of genuine ghostly
possession or the governess simply descending into madness, and while I
applaud the film for having the balls to be so vague when it comes to
concrete answers, I would have liked to have an explanation, one way or
another. Nonetheless, THE INNOCENTS is well-crafted and engaging, as we
witness the weirdness of the children and the apparent ghosts of the
illicit couple, and it stands enshrined as one of the ghostly
sub-genre's masterpieces. It has a hallowed reputation and will likely
be greatly enjoyed by those who favor ghost stories, but I freely admit
that ghosts and hauntings are my least favorite sub-genre of horror, so I
found it quite staid and tepid. It is not bad by any means, but it's
just not my kind of thing. Your mileage may vary.
Poster for the theatrical release.
1 comment:
I actually like ambiguity in things like this and American Psycho and Blood Meridian. To me the question is more interesting than the answer.
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