Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw” is one of the classics of ghost story literature, and when director Jack Clayton filmed his version, titled “The Innocents” in 1961, he created one of the classic ghost story films, due in no small part to the incredible performance by acclaimed British actress Deborah Kerr.
It can be argued that every aspect of filmmaking was working in just the right way for the production of this film, for I cannot find a fault with it. From Clayton’s direction to Freddie Francis’ cinematography, to the screenplay by Truman Capote, and the dazzling work by child actors Martin Stephens and Pamela Franklin, and the haunting musical theme that runs through the film, and yet I’ve always felt that the uncertainty of Kerr’s Miss Giddens is what makes the film truly remarkable.
Kerr was a bit long in the tooth for the role, at least as conceived by James, but it is the very fact that Miss Giddens is a spinster in early middle-age that makes her more susceptible to the supernatural goings on at the spooky old country manor where she’s been employed to care for young Miles and Flora, the niece and nephew of a disinterested London uncle. Discovering the truth about the sadomasochistic relationship between previous governess Miss Jessel and gamekeeper Peter Quint, both of whom have died prior to the story beginning fuels her repressed longings, which she has previously submerged in religious fervor, as the daughter of a country parson.
With only the friendly, well-meaning cook (Megs Jenkins) as an ally, Miss Giddens begins to believe that the spirits of Jessel and Quint are coming back through the bodies of young Flora and Miles, who, to put it mildly, are most unusual children. The question of whether Giddens is losing her mind or genuine hauntings are occurring seem rather plainly stated by Clayton. He shows us the evil, leering face of Quint peering in through a window, and a gorgeously melancholy shot of the ghostly Miss Jessel dressed in black, standing at the edge of a marsh during a rainstorm. But no one else seems to see these visions, only Miss Giddens.
Her fervor to save the children from these demons becomes an obsession with the woman, and Kerr plays her going off the deep end slowly and steadily. Perhaps most obviously in her relationship with Miles, who speaks in an odd rhythm and says things like “my dear” to the governess, more like a suitor than a child. And there is a very disturbing scene of an embrace between the two that is genuinely uncomfortable to watch.
Through it all though, Miss Giddens never loses her conviction, and Kerr never falters in her performance. How she neglected to even earn an Oscar nomination for this amazing performance baffles me, even though 1961 was a fairly strong year for lead actresses. I’ve seen all five of the nominated performances, and I’d rank Kerr (and the also un-nominated Shirley MacLaine from “The Children’s Hour” and perhaps even the non-nominated Claudia McNeill from “A Raisin in the Sun” as more worthy of nomination than either Piper Laurie in “The Hustler” or Geraldine Page in “Summer and Smoke”. It’s one of Oscar’s embarrassments that Kerr went home empty handed on six different occasions, though they did manage to give her one of those lifetime achievement (aka Oops, we forgot about you) awards a few years back. In fact, the lack of any nominations for this very worthy film just goes to show what a snobby attitude the Academy had towards the entire horror genre, a prejudice which has pretty much continued to the present day with only a few minor exceptions.
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