The Innocents

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Alejandro E From the ghost genre, the plot shines with the use of uncertainty, creating a surprise factor as one waits to see what is going to happen. Not for nothing did it serve as a reference for The Others (2001). Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/25 Full Review Alec B The more the movie digs into the ambiguity around the haunting the more eerie and unsettling it gets. Also, this is probably Kerr's best performance. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/24 Full Review Peter G Perhaps still the best version, IMO, to be based on James THE TURN OF THE SCREW. The ambiguity concerning whether the Governess actually sees Quint & Miss Jessel or whether her perceptions result from her own repressed mind are maintained as James intended except for with one particular instance. At one point the Governess hears crying & then when she finds it coming from the room with a piano she observes a tear on the keyboard. Pauline Kael called this tear ‘a pearl of ambiguity' & it does cause the viewer to, if only momentarily, believe in the actual ghostly presences which the Governess are claiming are real. I have seen quite a bit of Kerr's variety of film characterizations but this, IMO, is her ultimate achievement & the 2 children are splendidly unsettling especially Martin Stephens as young Miles. A year before this he was the leader of the alien children in VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED which was an equally fascinating & chilling portrayal as here. Choosing black & white cinematography instead of color adds to the combination of the natural beauty & sinister dread present in the films location. Capote's contribution to the adaptation is also a significant factor in this memorable film. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/30/23 Full Review David F This old movie adapting Henry James's novel isn't very scary but it has scary good sets. The creation of Bly, the country house populated by a few servants and 2 orphan children left to the responsibility of an absentee London-based uncle, is stupendous, with beautiful woodwork, lovely formal spaces, spacious grounds, and spectacular leaded-glass windows everywhere you look. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/07/23 Full Review Will G. F The show is better but this faithful adaptation is also fun and rewatchable. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/21/23 Full Review Steve I first saw this when I was only 12. It stayed with me for days. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Innocents

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