What makes The Innocents great

A breakdown of what makes the 1961 horror film, The Innocents, a classic. This video focuses on: music, camera, lighting, set design, symbolism, and ambiguity in the text of The Innocents.

Directed by Jack Clayton, written by William Archibald and Truman Capote, and starring Deborah Kerr.

This is by no means a comprehensive overview of The Innocents. If you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend watching/reading a few of the sources I used below to make this video:

“Hollywoodizing Henry James: Jack Clayton’s The Innocents (1961)” by Laurence Raw, John Hopkins University Press, Project Muse (2004)
Criterion Channel Interviews - Behind the Scenes with Jim Clark, John Bailey, et al.
"Deborah Kerr: A Biography" by Michelangelo Capua (2014)

[riccardoalcaro]

I saw this movie during the lockdown. It has stuck with me ever since I finished watching as one of the best made movies in cinema’s history, in fact one of the best overall

[salty]

love the passion and attention to detail - you did the screenwriters, directors, author, actors and everyone else involved in bringing this masterpiece to fruition - justice

[lauren_neub]

Ultra thicc aspect ratio to get more Deborah Kerr on screen. Great video!

[theStranger]

Few horror films or ghost stories are as subtle and as artistic as this, and not too many ask you to think. You don't need vivid gore to be frightening either. Is it all supernatural? Or just in the governess' mind? Could it be a little bit of both? I personally think that the film is scarier if the ghosts are real than imagined. I wish I could have seen it at the cinema huge in 'scope with an audience. Blu ray at least shows how beautiful the monochrome photography is.

[aro]

fantastic breakdown. I saw this film for the first time when I was about 6 yrs old and was riveted. IMO this is the greatest ghost movie ever made. I got goosebumps just watching your video. thank you.

[markbeck]

Just read the book again, and watched the movie for the first time. Deborah Kerr is just excellent. For those who love this story, I would also suggest seeing the Britten Opera, which is very good.

[StefanBorglducky]

So cool! I just feel like I can't let this movie go after seeing it, it's so interesting and mesmerizing and strangely cosy... Loving your breakdown and commentary here

[larsliljeblad]

Great analysis, very well done. Love 'The Innocents" such a beautiful, chilling and amazing film!

[andrewreed]

Great breakdown of one of my all-time favorite films! I loved it the first time I saw it and it was one of the most chilling experiences I've ever had with a film. But as you discussed, the script and filmmaking is so rich with detail and ambiguity that it improves with each subsequent viewing. A true masterpiece.

[brianmsahin]

I can't believe I never saw this movie until yesterday on YT. It is incredibly good. The atmosphere was suitably tense and eerie. The acting was outstanding as was the cinematography. I began to get some vibes from The Others with Nicole Kidman. Coincidentally as I was thinking about this there was a scene later in the movie between Deborah Kerr and Miles when he said there is only us here and she said "and the others"! I wonder was there some influence on The Others from this movie. Love your synopsis by the way! Just subscribed!

[kingkook]

That was really great, so insightful and engaging. I have always loved this film from the first time I stumbled across it accidentally on tv in 80s, to owning it on DVD and watching it at least once a year. Thank you for your excellent deconstruction of this timeless classic.

[erinrising]

Just watched the film (here on YouTube) and then your video popped up. Great job analyzing it

[andresdelcastillo]

Every halloween I urge my peeps to forsake modern horror films and watch the Innocents. It stays with you.  

Also recommend to themThe Turn of the Screw, which is just as disturbing.  

Very good analysis - thx!

[Lord_Heron]

Very good breakdown of this superb film. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Wonderful films like this one need to be kept alive, and you are doing your part, so thanks.

[thatssoraving]

This video should be on the criterion. Excellent analysis! Can’t wait to watch this again! 😊

[CannonfireVideo]

Many people have trouble understanding widescreen systems. The history DOES get a bit tricky.

I assure you that the aspect ratio of "The Innocents" was the same as any other 35mm anamorphic movie of that era. Originally (1953), Cinemascope used a 2.55:1 ratio and magnetic striped stereo sound. The image took up the space usually reserved for the optical soundtrack. A couple of years later, that aspect ratio was shaved down to accommodate a conventional optical soundtrack. (A lot of theaters didn't want to install stereo. Also, many producers didn't want to shell out for it.) The resultant aspect ratio was sometimes listed as 2.35:1 or 2.39:1. It all depended on the aperture plate in the projector, which masks all four sides of the image.

There was a small problem: When cuts occurred, people sometimes noted the white splice marks at the top or bottom of the frame. Remember, in those days negatives were cut by hand, and some splices were inexact. So at some point in the late '80s or early 90s (I forget which), Panavision began to recommend that projectionists use an aperture plate with a 2.4:1 ratio. By cropping a tiny amount from the top and bottom, the splice marks were covered up. So if you see the numbers 2.4:1, it's a reference to the new standard, which remains in place -- yes, even for "Endgame, " despite what you may have seen written down somewhere.

Trust me on this. I've been following this stuff since the early 70s, I've known projectionists, and I had a friend who worked at Panavision.

[spiral_heart]

I love your analysis. I learned so much about film in just 20 minutes. I'd love to see more videos from you.

[MrBulky]

Mrs Grose was a housekeeper rather than a caretaker. "Caretaker" suggests heavy duty maintenance of a building. The "housekeeper" was responsible for domestic arrangements e.g. catering, cleaning, sleeping arrangements, laundry, heating, keeping the house in order when occupied or ready for occupation.

[NoMoreNever]

I saw this movie when I was a kid and it's safe to say it left a lasting impression with me ever since. It and "The Haunting" from 1969 are among my favourite horror movies of all time and the reason they are so good is because they leave so much up to the viewers interpretation and also because the ghosts are rarely seen but when they do appear, they are all the more frightening.

[stefanhernold]

Both the "disfigured cupid" garden scene and the earlier one in which Miss Giddens is shown recoiling in terror from a statue in the twilight of the country house are recognizably quoted in the notorious nursery scenes of 2012`s "The Woman in Black".