The Innocents (1961 film)

The Innocents
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJack Clayton
Screenplay byWilliam Archibald
Truman Capote
John Mortimer (additional scenes and dialogue)
Based onThe Turn of the Screw
by Henry James
Produced byJack Clayton
Starring
CinematographyFreddie Francis
Edited byJim Clark
Music byGeorges Auric
Daphne Oram
Production
companies
Achilles Film Productions[1]
20th Century Fox
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • 24 November 1961 (1961-11-24) (London)
  • 15 December 1961 (1961-12-15) (Los Angeles)
Running time
99 minutes[2]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget£430,000[3]
Box office$1.2 million (North America)[4] (US/Canada)[5]

The Innocents is a 1961 gothic psychological horror film directed and produced by Jack Clayton, and starring Deborah Kerr, Michael Redgrave, and Megs Jenkins. Based on the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw by the American novelist Henry James, the screenplay was adapted by William Archibald and Truman Capote, who used Archibald's own 1950 stage play—also titled The Innocents—as a primary source text. Its plot follows a governess who watches over two children and comes to fear that their large estate is haunted by ghosts and that the children are being possessed.

Archibald's original screenplay for The Innocents was based on the premise that the paranormal events depicted were legitimate. Displeased with Archibald's take on the material, director Jack Clayton appointed American writer Truman Capote to rework the script. Capote's rewrites incorporated psychological themes, resulting in a final work that suggests other alternatives to the plot. Filming took place partly on location at the Gothic mansion of Sheffield Park in Sussex, with additional shoots occurring at Shepperton Studios in Surrey. Shot in CinemaScope, The Innocents incorporated bold minimal lighting as well as deep focus, employed by cinematographer Freddie Francis to achieve a distinctive—and sometimes claustrophobic—atmosphere. The film also pioneered the use of synthesised electronic sound created by Daphne Oram.[6] Clayton was dissatisfied with the original score of the movie by French composer Georges Auric and requested some alteration. However, because Auric was not available due to health problems, Clayton turned to W. Lambert Williamson.

The Innocents received international distribution from the American film studio 20th Century Fox, and received its London premiere on 24 November 1961. It was released in the United States the following month on 15 December in Los Angeles and Christmas Day in New York City. The psychological underpinnings of the film's screenplay have resulted in it being the subject of numerous critical and scholarly essays, particularly in the area of film theory. It was selected by The Guardian as one of the 25 best horror films ever made.[7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference tcm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Slide 2013, p. 103.
  3. ^ Walker 1974, p. 163.
  4. ^ Solomon 1989, p. 229.
  5. ^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1962". Variety. 9 January 1963. p. 13. Please note these are rentals and not gross figures
  6. ^ Davies, Hugh (24 January 2003). "Obituary: Daphne Oram". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference no11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).