The Turn of the Screw

If you are thinking of seeing this movie because you liked the story by Henry James, don't bother. The film-makers took every iota of subtlety out of the story and ended up with an overly obvious portrayal of a sexually repressed naive catholic governess' descent into madness. The spirit of the short novel has been abandoned and only a general adherence to the plot is left. Follow the link to external reviews for a more detailed analysis.

To me "The Turn of the Screw" is a very good movie. Patsy Kensit played the role of "Jenny" marvelously. The story is very entertaining and leaves you hungry for more. The ending was very unexpectedly, but that makes it very fascinating. The setting is very beautiful and right for the kind of story it tells. It may have gotten bad reviews but to me this is one of the best movies I've ever seen!

...but not too good. The story starts with a weak narration in present times, telling a story... Then we flash back to the 1960s and some crazy scenery. The acting in this film is not the best; in fact, the best performances are by the children, who are the most believable characters in the film.

This certainly isn't the best adaptation of the novel, but also not the worst.

Some people who have read James' novella might be off-put by the changes made here: the change of setting, the change of narrator. However, I find that this adaptation is the most faithful to the source of any I have seen. It conveys the mood, the nature of the spectres, and the bewilderment of the novella extremely well.

If you want a grey, word-perfect recitation of the story, you can find it elsewhere, but this captures the nature of the torment better than any other.

I do not recommend it for everyone, however, since you have to leave your expectations at the door.

I have never had the pleasure of reading the story or seeing the previous film adaptions from which this movie is based on which probably explains why I liked this film so much. Anyway, the story is about a nanny (Patsy Kensit) who takes charge of a household for a strange man (Julian Sands- in a brief cameo appearance) and his even stranger children who seem troubled by some unknown terror. This is a frightening film with a slow pace that actually works in favor of the film. As a result of the slow pace the terror is allowed to slowly build up to a terrifying climax. Kensit does a respectable job in the lead role.

Rated R; Nudity & Sexual Situations.