The Innocents, a film directed by Jack Clayton, adapted from Henry James’ short novel The Turn of the Screw by John Mortimer, William Archibald and Truman Capote, can be argued to have subject matter of either a supernatural or psychological nature. The same can be said for Henry James’ original, but having digested both texts it is made clear to me that there are some very noticeable differences between the two, that both hinder and enhance our understanding of the stories.
In both the film and the novella, the principal story is narrated, somewhat unreliably, by Miss Giddens, the governess appointed to care for the two children by their uncle. In Henry James’ version however, the story is framed in the prologue by an unknown character, Douglas, who introduces the story to a few friends at a house party. In the film, we see Miss Giddens crying with her hands together as if praying, emotionally exclaiming: “All I want to do is save the children, not destroy them. More than anything I love children. More than anything.” It then fades into the interview scene with the uncle, soft focus, to suggest a flashback. Both these openings elicit an anachronistic or nostalgic feel, and with The Innocents, this sensation is strengthened by the black and white cinematography. The cameraman, Freddie Francis, used a special filter which darkened the edges of the frame similar to the ‘vignette’ effect. This had practical uses for characters walking of screen but it also gave the impression that we are watching back a memory; in this case Miss Gidden’s account of the events at Bly. This makes the film increasingly difficult to believe, however, because it makes us more aware that this was someone else’s account and not an unbiased observation of the story that unfolded. As I will discuss later, the governess’s eccentric behaviour gives us reason to be sceptical about her narration.