Film Review: The Innocents (1961)

Fig. 1 The Innocents (1961) Film Poster

Jack Claytons 1961 horror thriller The Innocents is full of the questioning of reality both within the real world and the film itself. Claytons film delves into the debate of apparitions and their existence; are they figures from the other side or fragments of our subconscious seeping out through our minds. In some ways The Innocents is reminiscent of Robert Wienes The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in that it deals with the impact of psychological effects on the way the world is perceived by the characters as well as how the films narrative is changed due to this however, unlike Caligari by the end of the film we are still uncertain of how to perceive the whole story; there are elements that sit well such as the knowledge of why Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) is at this estate but parts that are unheimlich to us like the overly grown up personalities of the children especially Miles (Martin Stephens). Clayton really allows his audience to pick apart the film and interpret it the way they see fit. The Innocents is not about a linear simplistic plot and narrative but rather about challenging the audience intellectually. The film is highly ambiguous due to Claytons want to play with the audiences minds. Throughout we are uncertain whether these ghosts are actually there and this is magnified through the attitudes of the children towards Giddens questions about the ghosts, they seem as confused about them as the audience is. There is also the fact that these hauntings are all through Giddens perspective which leads to intellectual uncertainty about Giddens encounters with the ghosts; are they actually figments of her imagination or is she even losing her mind. There is nothing black and white about it; its full of question marks and possibilities. I dont want, you know, to say absolutely what the picture means. There should be an area of uncertainty; thats what I think James intended. I want the audience to exercise its intelligence. (Chibnall and Petley, 2002)

Yet there is also the ambiguity of the sexual connotations throughout The Innocents. Miss Giddens father is a pastor so she isnt exactly surrounded by sexual references but when faced with the childrens uncle (Michael Redgrave) at the beginning of the film she is instantly smitten. The film explores Giddens sexual frustration and repressed desires through the projections of couple Peter Quint and Miss Jessel who were frowned upon in Victorian society due to their differences in status. This would be the same for Miss Giddens and the uncle. There is also the fact that the children seem to have too much knowledge of sexuality for their age which is uncanny and makes the audience feel awkward watching, this compliments the perception of The Innocents as a film about the possession of the children by these spirits so that they can continue their relationship. One of the most shocking scenes is the passionate kiss Miles gives Miss Giddens. It is something so grown up and sexual that it makes it uncanny. The audience is comfortable with sexuality but seeing a young boy embody the knowledge of it makes them just feel awkward and unsettled. This is the taboo in society not sexuality itself. The apparitions of Quint and Jessel could be metaphors for the monster of the film rather than the monsters themselves. The monster could actually be the cultural ideologies and beliefs of Victorian society and how they affect attitudes towards sex. According to this reading, evil in The Innocents does not come in the form of sexual demons but in a set of attitudes that sees sexual knowledge as evil The monsters in this reading are not Quint and Jessel but, the values and repressions of Victorianism. (Sinyard, 2000)

Fig. 2 Sexual tension between Miss Giddens and Miles

The Innocents is a film which manipulates our imagination with its ambiguity and evocative suspense. This is enhanced through Claytons unusual scene dissolves which leave images from the past scenes hovering in front of our eyes. This fits in nicely as it also makes us feel like we are in Miss Giddens shoes and are seeing things that arent actually there, or were but not now. Some scenes with full length windows actually look like there is a figure outside if you dont look closely and the reflecting of surfaces messes with our heads further in a way that we actually feel psychologically flawed. While Miss Giddens is trying to help the children and battle with her apparitions the audience sees themselves trying to combat against their dysfunctional imagination. Miss Giddens desperate desire to help while overtly suggesting a note of repressed hysteria, hinting that the ghosts may be externalizations of her own inner demons. (Biodrowski, 2008) The leitmotifs throughout the film also manipulate our imagination in that they seem to be a metaphor for ghostly possession as whenever O Willow Waly is sung there is a disturbance via the appearance of the ghosts. The songs of the film become uncanny as we start to feel uncomfortable when they start because we know what is going to happen soon and alongside the doll like porcelain complexion and creepy wide eyed gaze of the children we become disturbingly hypnotised and if it is possible more psychologically affected by the end of the film than Miss Giddens herself.

Fig. 3 The doll like appearance of Miles

Bibliography
Chibnall, S and Petley, J. (2002) British Horror Cinema. London. Routledge. (Accessed 02/12/2011) Sinyard, N. (2000) Jack Clayton. Manchester. Manchester University Press. (Accessed 02/12/2011) Biodrowski, S. (2008) The Innocents (1961)-Retrospective Review on cinefantastiqueonline. http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2008/04/film-dvd-review-the-innocents-1961/ (Accessed 02/12/2011)

List of Illustrations
Fig. 1. The Innocents(1961) Film Poster From: The Innocents Directed by: Jack Clayton. [film poster] On moviegoods.com http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/252262.1020.A.jpg (Accessed 02/12/2011) Fig. 2. Sexual tension between Miss Giddens and Miles (1961) From: The Innocents Directed by: Jack Clayton. [film still] On songfacts.com http://www.songfacts.com/songimages/13543.jpg (Accessed 02/12/2011) Fig. 3. The doll like appearance of Miles (1961) From: The Innocents Directed by: Jack Clayton. [film still] On filmfanatic.org http://filmfanatic.org/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/boy.JPG (Accessed 02/12/2011)