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The Innocents
List Price: $14.98Our Price: $9.99 You Save: $4.99 (33%)Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0024543202950
Format: Closed-captioned, Black & White, DVD-Video, Anamorphic, NTSC
Label: 20th Century Fox
Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
MPN: 2230296
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Region Code: 1
Release Date: September 06, 2005
Running Time: 100 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: 1961
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Editorial Review:
The definitive screen adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, the 1961 production of The Innocents remains one of the most effective ghost stories ever filmed. Originally promoted as the first truly "adult" chiller of the big screen (a marginally valid claim considering the release of Psycho a year earlier), the film arrived at a time when the thematic depth of James's story could finally be addressed without the compromise of reductive discretion. And while the Freudian anxiety that fuels the story may seem tame by today's standards, the psychological horrors that comprise the story's "dark secret" are given full expression in a film that brilliantly clouds the boundary between tragic reality and frightful imagination.
In one of her finest performances, Deborah Kerr stars as Miss Giddons, a devout and somewhat repressed spinster who happily accepts the position of governess for two orphaned children whose uncle (Michael Redgrave) readily admits to having no interest in being tied down by two "brats." So Miss Giddons is dispatched to Bly House, the lavish, shadowy estate where young Flora (Pamela Franklin) and her brother Miles (Martin Stephens, so memorable in 1960's Village of the Damned) live with a good-natured housekeeper (Megs Jenkins). At first, life at Bly House seems splendidly idyllic, but as Miss Giddons learns the horrible truth about the estate's now-deceased groundskeeper and previous governess, she begins to suspect that her young charges are ensnared in a devious plot from beyond the grave.
Ghostly images are revealed in only the most fleeting glimpses, and the outstanding Cinemascope photography by Freddie Francis (who used special filters to subtly darken the edges of the screen) turns Bly House into a welcoming mansion by day, a maze of mystery and terror by night. Sound effects and music are used to bone-chilling effect, and director Jack Clayton, blessed with a script by William Archibald and Truman Capote, maintains a deliberate pace to emphasize the ambiguity of James's timeless novella. The result is a masterful film--comparable to the 1963 classic The Haunting--that uses subtlety and suggestion to reach the pinnacle of fear. --Jeff Shannon
Deborah Kerr stars in this "horrifying Gothic ghost tale" (Newsweek) based on Henry James' "The Turn Of The Screw,' a powerful psychological drama about innocence possessed by evil. Shortly after coming to live with orphans Flora and Miles in their dark, eerie mansion, the new governess (Kerr) mistakes their strange behavior for preciousness. But she soon comes to believe that the charming, beautiful children are possessed by evil, malicious spirits - the souls of their previous governess and estate manager who are now dead. With its shocking conclusion and sinister cinematic effects. The Innocents "catches an eerie, spine-chilling mood right from the start" (Variety) that never lets up.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Who's Zoomin' Who?
[This review is [part of my 31 days of Halloween series.]
There are certain aspects of this b&w puzzler that remind me of THE OTHERS with Nichole Kidman. The audience is presented a landscape with many undertones linking between the world of the living and the shadowland of those who have passed over. Deborah Kerr is outstanding as the repressed Victorian type governess. She is hired to take complete charge of 2 children who live in an appropriately gloomy mansion in the country. The ... Read More
Rating: - Hauntingly great movie
This is an excellent film for those that enjoy a truly classic ghost story... You will not have to brace yourself for any gore. This is a visual as well as a psychological thriller. It is one of my favorites.
Rating: - CREEPY CLASSIC HOLDS UP WELL! 4 1/2 STARS!
There are few films that are this old that can actually deliver any chills anymore. 'The Innocents' is a solid chiller even if it's a tad too long. Creepy atmosphere, haunting visuals and an excellent cast make this a grade a chiller! I caught this on cable so i can not give a review for this DVD edition. The film is worth checking out for sure!
Rating: - A superior thriller
This is so far superior to the dozens of Hollywood horror films...instead of gallons of blood thrown at the screen, cheap thrills, gratuitous violence, we have a beautifully acted and directed psychological thriller.
The fear we experience is in the faces of the actors--especially the very fine Deborah Kerr, in the leaves of the trees, the rooms, in the wind, darkness/light.
Beautiful black and white photography.
Restraint, intelligence, taste...all qualities ... Read More
Rating:  - Tremendous film 5 stars--1 star for this version...
Once again americans are forced to suffer the lack of extra features and the UK gets a 'real' version of this delightful film. Frankly I'm tired of the film industries doing this with dvds. If there are special features for a dvd, those features should be on every copy no matter what country you live in! I don't think it's too much to ask for and do we really need dvd regions? I think not!
Thanks for nothing Fox Century!
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