The Innocents is a British film from 1961 directed by Jack Clayton, which is based on the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James. In the film, the governess is called Miss Giddens, whereas she has no name in the novel. In my opinion, it is good that she has a name since it gives her more personality and it is not just any governess. Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) is portrayed as a usual governess in the beginning and becomes more and more strange during the film. However, in the film we can see the ghosts; and, therefore, it is hard to state that the ghosts are not real. After reading the book, I was quite sure that the ghosts do not exist and that the governess lost her mind. However, the film changed my opinion since I saw the ghosts, which seemed very real and was able to understand why Miss Giddens behaves so weirdly. How would we behave after seeing the ghosts of two dead persons?
Mrs. Grose (Megs Jenkins) is depicted as an old woman who does not really know what to believe. She just wants the best for the children and tries to protect them. However, she likes Miss Giddens and would like to help her. Flora (Pamela Franklin) and Miles (Martin Stephens) seem to be very polite and friendly. They are fond of Miss Giddens; but, towards the end of the film, they become afraid of the governess. I really enjoyed seeing Michael Redgrave playing the uncle of the children. He is depicted as a very handsome and charming man, and the audience can understand why Miss Giddens is so fond of him and why she overlooks his selfishness. While reading James’s novella, I always wondered why she did not recognize that he does not bother about the children at all.