The Nightcomers (1971)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Michael Winner

Writers:

Henry James (characters) and
Michael Hastings (writer)

Release Date:

27 October 1972 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Prequel to the Henry James classic "Turn of the Screw" about the events leading up to the deaths of Peter Quint and Ms...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Children | Death | Prequel | Governess

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Peter Quint
Stephanie Beacham	...	Miss Jessel
Thora Hird	...	Mrs. Grose
Harry Andrews	...	Master of the House
Verna Harvey	...	Flora
Christopher Ellis	...	Miles
Anna Palk	...	New Governess

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Company:

Elliott Kastner-Jay Kanter-Alan Ladd Jnr Productions

Trivia:

In her autobiography Britt Ekland claims that Michael Winner promised her the lead role if she could assist him with raising the finance for the movie.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Brando (2007) (TV)

This Screw Needs a Few More Turns...

This somewhat unjustly much-maligned prequel to Henry James' often filmed TURN OF THE SCREW actually has several things going for it. Marlon Brando, just prior to his awe-inspiring turn in Bernardo Bertolucci's likewise LAST TANGO, completely defies stereotype as the uncouth yet eminently desirable Peter Quint, object of Miss Jessel's inadmissible lust. A glowingly youthful Stephanie Beacham starts off a bit wooden – not entirely out of character, by the way – but vastly improves as the plot moves along and her character quite literally loosens up. Speaking of which, her three separate eye-pleasing nude scenes certainly don't hurt matters either. British character actress Thora Hird makes for a pleasingly grotesque monstrous housekeeper all too aptly named Mrs. Gross. The kids convey a credible malevolence without coming off as too precocious and the script has a considerable number of dark ideas floating about, most of which James would find little fault with. Now for the bad news. The budget-slashing zoom-happy cinematography is particularly ill-suited to a period piece such as this. The music seems composed for silent melodrama, sign-posting every single twist and emotion well in advance. On top of all that, Michael Winner directs in his usual ham-fisted way, draining all subtlety out of his promising material long before the end credits roll. Still, well worth a look for what might have been...