Deborah Kerr stars as a governess to two strange children Flora and Miles in this film 'The Innocents'. The movie is based on the novel 'The Turn of the Screw'. The same novel was also adapted into a movie called 'In a Dark Place.' I unfortunately ended up seeing the latter movie first for I believe it is a really bad movie directed without much skill and a total waste of time. My major complaint with the movie was the way in which the disturbed mental state of the lead character was handled.
But wind the clock back to 1961 and see this movie - 'The Innocents' and you will find Deborah Kerr giving the right performance. Her performance along with the brilliant performance of the child actors sets up the story in a much more clear and precise fashion. And while the puzzle in modern day version as to what exactly happened is not a proper puzzle, the puzzle is presented in a much clearer fashion in this movie.
I guess a major strength of this movie is that it was made during a period where there were no CGIs available and the directors had to use all their brains to create the fear using both sound and camera. The movie moves very smoothly giving you the goosebumps and handling the sex part of it without any boldness and yet using effective dialog to convey the same.
It is one of those movies that leave the viewer at the end to form his or her own interpretation as to what exactly happened. And the way the screenplay has been written, one can present some arguments in favor of the supernatural and one may also argue that if there is anything supernatural, it is the ability of the mind to see what it wants to see. A wonderful movie, a must watch for those that enjoy psychological thrillers.
But wind the clock back to 1961 and see this movie - 'The Innocents' and you will find Deborah Kerr giving the right performance. Her performance along with the brilliant performance of the child actors sets up the story in a much more clear and precise fashion. And while the puzzle in modern day version as to what exactly happened is not a proper puzzle, the puzzle is presented in a much clearer fashion in this movie.
I guess a major strength of this movie is that it was made during a period where there were no CGIs available and the directors had to use all their brains to create the fear using both sound and camera. The movie moves very smoothly giving you the goosebumps and handling the sex part of it without any boldness and yet using effective dialog to convey the same.
It is one of those movies that leave the viewer at the end to form his or her own interpretation as to what exactly happened. And the way the screenplay has been written, one can present some arguments in favor of the supernatural and one may also argue that if there is anything supernatural, it is the ability of the mind to see what it wants to see. A wonderful movie, a must watch for those that enjoy psychological thrillers.