Presence of Mind (1999)

Henry James' classic tale of terror, "The Turn of the Screw" receives yet another screen adaptation in this thriller shot in Spain. A young woman (Sadie Frost) is hired to serve as a ... See full summary »

Director:

Antoni Aloy

Writers:

Henry James (novel), Barbara Gogny (screenplay)

Stars:

Sadie Frost, Lauren Bacall, Ella Jones

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sadie Frost	...	Governess
Lauren Bacall	...	Mado Remei
Ella Jones	...	Flora
Nilo Zimmerman	...	Miles (as Nilo Mur)
Harvey Keitel	...	The Master
Agustí Villaronga	...	Fosc (as Agustin Villaronga)
Dayna Danika	...	Miss Jessel
Jude Law	...	Secretary
Jack Taylor	...	Father
Luz Fortuny	...	Aunt
Tom Keller	...	Photographer
María Dulce Roselló	...	Mourner 1
Lydia Zimmermann	...	Mourner 2
Daniel Isidro	...	Coachman
Juana Ginzo	...	Bel (as Juana Guinzo)

Storyline

Henry James' classic tale of terror, "The Turn of the Screw" receives yet another screen adaptation in this thriller shot in Spain. A young woman (Sadie Frost) is hired to serve as a governess for two children, Miles and Flora (Nilo Mur and Ella Jones). She is hired by their uncle, the Master (Harvey Keitel), who became the guardian of the youngsters after the death of their parents. While the governess is initially enthusiastic about her job, Miles and Flora soon prove to be quite a handful, and the housekeeper Mrs. Grose (Lauren Bacall), who oversees most of the activities at the Master's estate, is openly antagonistic to her. Before long, the governess discovers the house bears a dark secret involving Miss Jessel (Dayne Danika), the previous governess, and Fosc (Agusti Villaronga), the Master's former valet. El Celo was the first feature from Director Antoni Aloy.

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Plot Keywords:

governess | uncle | children | rear nudity | moral ambiguity | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 April 2001 (Spain)

Also Known As:

A Outra Volta do Parafuso

Filming Locations:

Bunyola, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Enrique Cerezo Producciones Cinematográficas S.A.,Presence of Mind LLC,Televisión Española (TVE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Governess: What are you doing here?
Flora: I told you. I come here to bury my secrets.
Governess: No more secrets, Flora. Tell me where she is.
Flora: Who, miss?
Governess: Tell me, my pet, where is Miss Jessel?
Flora: Miss Jessel?
Governess: Yes!
[to Mado Remei]
Governess: See? See? There she is! Out on the water!
Mado Remei: I can't see anything.
[...]

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Connections

Version of The Haunting of Helen Walker (1995)

User Reviews

not 'the innocents' but a good one

This movie is a good adaptation of the novel by henry james 'turn of the screw', thought it is not as scary and intense as the best adaptation of this novel 'the innocents'. First of all, it is quite surprising that this film is the first work of the director antoni aloy, and he managed to cast lauren bacall, harvey keitel and sadie frost, who all develope a correct performance. but ironically all these great actors can't fight with the kids, who act in a perfect way. the direction is quite correct and the cinematography and music are great. unfortunately due to economic problems this film hasn't been released in almost any country, just in spain in a few screens and it hasn't get the recognition it deserves.