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The Innocents (1961)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
November 1961 (UK) moreTagline:
Apparitions? Evils? Corruptions? morePlot:
A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Loews Jersey City Presents Classic Ghost Films This Weekend: "The Innocents", "The Ghost And Mrs. Muir" And "The Uninvited" (From CinemaRetro. 25 March 2009, 3:46 AM, PDT)
Ted's Top 10 Thought They Were Original!
(From Icons of Fright. 4 July 2008, 9:14 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
The other Others moreUS TV Schedule:
| Sat. July 25 | 2:45 AM | AMC |
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Deborah Kerr | ... | Miss Giddens | |
| Peter Wyngarde | ... | Peter Quint | |
| Megs Jenkins | ... | Mrs. Grose | |
| Michael Redgrave | ... | The Uncle | |
| Martin Stephens | ... | Miles | |
| Pamela Franklin | ... | Flora | |
| Clytie Jessop | ... | Miss Jessel | |
| Isla Cameron | ... | Anna |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
100 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Certification:
UK:12A (re-rating) (2005) | UK:X (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | Sweden:15 | USA:UnratedFun Stuff
Trivia:
During the cursed video in The Ring (2002), about 25 seconds in, a young boy's muffled singing can faintly be heard. This audio track is taken from The Innocents. moreGoofs:
Continuity: When Ms. Giddens goes upstairs to the bedroom, the candle varies in size between shots. moreQuotes:
Miles: What shall I sing to my lord from my window? What shall I sing for my lord will not stay? What shall I sing for my lord will not listen? Where shall I go when my lord is away? Whom shall I love when the moon is arisen? Gone is my lord and the grave is his prison... moreMovie Connections:
Featured in Nightmare Theatre's Late Night Chill-o-Rama Horror Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V) moreSoundtrack:
O Willow Waly moreFAQ
Is "The Innocents" based on a book?more
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The Innocents is a masterpiece of atmospheric horror cinema. The obvious influence for 2001's 'The Others', The Innocents portrays themes of paranoia, death and madness; superbly wrapped around a plethora of great performances from the four main leads.
The story revolves around an uncle who doesn't have time for the children he has inherited, and therefore hires Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) to look after them. When Miss Giddens arrives at the mansion, she first meets Flora, the young girl and is 'enchanted' by the child. A few days later the boy, Miles, arrives at the house after being expelled from school. The fourth lead is made up by the housekeeper, Mrs Grose; played by Meg Jenkins. From the housekeeper, Miss Giddens eventually learns of what happened to the previous occupants of the house, and that's where the fun starts...
Martin Stephens (Miles) and Pamela Franklin (Flora) do surprisingly good jobs as the two adorable young children that are the centre of the story. Their characters are portrayed as nice young children, but at the same time there is something sinister about them, and that is where the tale draws a lot of it's suspense and mystery from. Deborah Kerr also shines as the watcher of the children. We know from the outset that her character loves children, which makes her plight believable to the audience when she does all she can to save the children from the evil she believes is haunting them. We never really know what is happening in the movie; the children's viewpoints contradict that of Miss Giddens, and as there is evidence to support what both sides say, along with evidence to support that of the contrary, the mystery is able to build itself through this and that, therefore, along with the empathy we are able to feel for Mrs Giddens due to the nature of her character; the film is able to remain interesting and suspenseful for it's running time.
The thing that this film does best is in capturing a dark and foreboding atmosphere. Through the way the story is portrayed and the beautiful cinematography, Jack Clayton is able to create scenes and sequences that are genuinely frightening and suspenseful; less is more rarely works to a great effect, but here it does. The 'ghosts' have very little screen time, but the time they do have is powerful and memorable enough to make it seem like much more. The film's creepy and menacing atmosphere never delves into violence or gore and relies solely on the story itself and the Gothic, atmospheric setting; and that is much to the film's credit.
If you liked the slightly later 60's paranoid horror films, such as Carnival of Souls or The Haunting, then this film is definitely one to check out.