X
- 1961
- Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
- 1 h 40 m
- 1961
- Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
- 1 h 40 m
Summary A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.
Directed By: Jack Clayton
Written By: Henry James, John Mortimer, William Archibald, Truman Capote
- 1961
- Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
- 1 h 40 m
- 1961
- Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
- 1 h 40 m
The Innocents
7.7
Summary A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.
Directed By: Jack Clayton
Written By: Henry James, John Mortimer, William Archibald, Truman Capote
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 17 Critic Reviews
88
88% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
12% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 17 Critic Reviews
88
88% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
12% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A ravishing neo-romantic takedown of Victorian repression, spooky and scathing in equal measure.
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 42 User Ratings
7.7
76% Positive
32 Ratings
32 Ratings
12% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
12% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 42 User Ratings
7.7
76% Positive
32 Ratings
32 Ratings
12% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
12% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Jan 24, 2025
From the ghost genre, the plot shines with the use of uncertainty, creating a surprise factor as one waits to see what is going to happen. Not for nothing did it serve as a reference for The Others (2001).
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Oct 7, 2014
The Innocents manipulates the viewer's imagination as few films can, with Kerr and Redgrave doing a masterful job of creating a sense of repressed hysteria.
By Michael Scheinfeld FULL REVIEW
Oct 7, 2014
The film thrives on unsettling images of overgrowth and rot, such as the dead flower that drops at Kerr’s touch, and the beetle that crawls obscenely out of the mouth of a cherub statue.
Filmed with a luminous brilliance by cinematographer Freddie Francis, The Innocents is the apotheosis of old-school Brit spookiness.
Oct 7, 2014
The film’s symbolism is never subtle, but that doesn’t make it any less effective.
Clayton lacks the Jamesian temper, and his film is finally more indecisive than ambiguous. Too much Freud and too little thought.
Jul 9, 2021
- Miss Giddens, may I ask you a somewhat personal question? Do you have an imagination?
= Oh! Oh, yes, I can answer that. Yes.
- Good. With that Miss Giddens seems to be fitting to take up the position of governess to two orphans. It's like being "imaginative" is the only caveat the kids' uncle has towards Ms. Giddens having the job, even if this is, in fact, her first position. Quite hesitant at first, Giddens agrees to be a governess for his nephew and niece, as she finds him "most persuasive." From the reclusive aristocratic bachelor, to the old mansion that Giddens is flabbergasted by its vastness, to the ominous sense that's been established in the first twenty minutes by the inexplicable occurrences and a sense of foreboding, the film is full to the brim with Gothic elements that just keep heightening as the story proceeds. Thematic spoilers ahead! The Innocents has a lot of themes that's inextricably linked to its Gothic style. First, hiding the secret that's fostered by the intentional repression of imagination. Mrs. Grose always tells the children to "pretend" they heard nothing whenever disconcerting noise blare at night, and it's only in a slip of the tongue that she gives away a glimpse of Bly's secretive quality to Miss Giddens. Considering her well intention, we can deduce she's nursing a secret that can entail grave repercussions. As the Uncle says early on, "Truth is very seldom understood by any but imaginative person," and Mrs. Grose tries her best to block even the faintest hint of imaginative thinking to bury the unwelcome truth. Another thing that could also be inferred from the Uncle's quote is that Miss Giddens is set up by him for a task, which is bringing this truth to light. The increasingly claustrophobic interiors of the mansion, and the environment as a whole, asseverate said suppression while contributing to Miss Giddens doubting her sanity. In the house, Giddens also often appears as if confined by light; when outdoors, the incandescent sunlight is depicted as a blinding glint that obstructs Gidden's vision and, thus, making what she aims to see as a blurry unattainable mirage. There's something about omnipresence as well. Flora once mentions to her governess that the idea of someone could be sleeping in different beds at the same time crosses her mind. Later, she asks Giddens if she's in the picture of Giddens' family. That slowly paves the way for the whole 'haunted house' thing story-wise, and makes us ready for some spectres and apparitions that, personally, scared the hell out of me! Speaking of which, Freddie Francis, the cinematographer, utilises the double exposure technique quite to great effect, blinding in superimposed images to create some impressive ghostly shots. That's not to mention that almost every scene-to-scene transition is a dissolving transition that lingers on the screen for more than usual. One more technique that's adeptly implemented is the deep focus, and it's so sharp it could be easily confused for being shot with a split-diopter lens. It keeps both characters in frame, juxtaposing Miss Giddens' bewilderment with the children's baffling indifference. Furthermore, it also suggests something sinister is cooking while lurking beneath the surface. We also get plenty uses of ingenious foreshadowing throughout that go hand in hand with amping up the tension and feel of unease. For instance, there is a slow-motion scene of a cockroach slithering out of a statue of an angelic baby followed by yet another slow-motion scene of pigeons flying by the tower. Both lend a sense of discomfort, but the former, in particular, emphatically foreshadows there's something not-so-innocent about the children. The 'O, Willow Waly' song is a recurring refrain. Whether it's hummed by Flora or played by a music box, it's as spine-chilling as it's implicitly melancholic, betraying a sense of sadness that has to do with the ambiguity of the film. All of these are quintessentially features of Gothic horror. What keep it away from earning a full-mark rating is that the detective diversion the story took near its denouement seemed a forced detour to get the conflict easily resolved, while also resulting in some exposition moments that are a bit out-of-character for a central character in the story. Putting that aside, The Innocents is the epitome of classic Gothic films that I've been craving for a long time, and I'd be hard-pressed to say there's any other film that had scratched my itch that perfectly.
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Nov 23, 2021
This is quite a well made period drama of its time. Its a somewhat spooky tale and I liked how the main character slowly started to see what was going on - the plot is slow paced but it works quite well. Its a film in which you may imagine yourself being the protagonist and trying to make sense of what your presented with. Its an interesting and somewhat entertaining watch which I'd recommend.
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Nov 2, 2020
All the -modern- critics seem to love this film, but to me it felt not ambiguous enough to work. The director clearly wants us to believe a supernatural version of events and not make us question the governess'character which is the intendended purpose of the original book. The Freudian undertones have also not aged well. Good photography though.
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Awards
National Board of Review, USA
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 2 Nominations
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
