The Turn of the Screw (1999) (TV)

Director:

Ben Bolt

Writers:

Nick Dear (teleplay)
Henry James (short story)

Release Date:

27 February 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A governess put in charge of two young children begins to see the ghost of her dead predecessor. |

Plot Keywords:

Children | Governess | Ghost | Nanny | Dead Child

Cast

Caroline Pegg	...	Miss Jessel
Jodhi May	...	Miss
Colin Firth	...	Master
Pam Ferris	...	Mrs Grose
Grace Robinson	...	Flora
Jenny Howe	...	Cook
Jason Salkey	...	Quint
Joe Sowerbutts	...	Miles

Also Known As:

Skruen strammes (Denmark) [da]
Skruvens vridning (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

100 min | 120 min (DVD)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:PG

Company:

Martin Pope Productions

Movie Connections:

Version of The Turn of the Screw (1959/I) (TV)

Jodhi May's Heavy-Eyed Beauty Takes On A Classic Tale

The most daring thing about this adaptation of Henry James' classic tale is the way that stunning newcomer Jodhi May plays the ghost haunted governess as a living, breathing girl with flaws rather than a lifeless model of prim perfection. Deborah Kerr's interpretation was so cool and crisp that there was never any doubt that the governess would overcome the evil ghosts (and save the rotten children who serve them) through sheer icy self-control, pure virginity and stubborn virtue.

Jodhi May's performance shows more psychological depth, depicting a governess who is menaced not only by the ghosts themselves but by her own voluptuous desires. Temptation surrounds the governess in this version, not only in the attentions of her devastatingly handsome employer (a stunning and very youthful Colin Firth) but also in the very comforts and luxuries of her position on the secluded estate.

Watch the way she succumbs to the charms of Miles' piano playing in the film's climactic scene, not only losing track of the time but falling little by little into a deep, drugged sleep. The two children are both shown as being more alert, more aware, than the lovely governess, whose nights have been quite sleepless owing to both ghostly terrors and erotic dreams of her employer. During the piano scene, Jodhi May's shifting expression is worth watching closely, as her bewitching gray eyes sink from stern watchfulness to drooping weariness, an unwilling surrender every bit as haunted and erotic as her dreams. Note how the camera very knowingly cuts back and forth from the heavy eyes of the governess to the light fingers of Miles at the piano, his skill meant to suggest the feather-soft touch of a lover. There can be little doubt that this image suggests a woman who bears her crystal pure virginity not as a shining shield but as an exhausting burden. She wants to have her employer's hands touching her lightly and knowingly, drawing forth her full desires the way Miles draws exquisite melody from the piano. Her deep sleep leaves her at the mercy of the children, but it results from the adult strain of holding her own sensual desires at bay. What a rich, haunting story, and what an authentic, womanly performance from the beautiful Jodhi May!