Here's the 2nd review of a Dan Curtis movie coming to DVD that will appear in Filmfax #97 (available next week). The issue, which can be ordered at
www.filmfax.com or found at Borders, Barnes & Noble, Tower Records, and other comic/sci-fi shops, will also feature interviews with DC as well as KLS and Lara Parker. This is posted here with permission of the author, David Nahmod. Many thanks, David!
"The Turn of the Screw" (1973) MPI Home Video. 118 minutes. $14.98.
118 minutes. Written by William F. Nolan, from the Henry James story.
Music by Robert Cobert. Produced and Directed by Dan Curtis.
What is considered by many to be the greatest Victorian ghost story
ever written is given a decidedly tame treatment by Dan Curtis, the
creator/producer of Dark Shadows.
The tale of a repressed Victorian governess battling the spirits
possessing her young charges was considered quite shocking when it was
first published in the late 1800s. The ghosts of Peter Quint, the
handyman, and Miss Jessell, the former governess, were involved in all
manner of "sinful" behavior that seemed to continue after their deaths.
Throughout the story, it is hinted that the children, Myles & Flora, are
not only possessed, but may be involved in Quint's & Jessell's perverse
behavior. In her battle to drive the spirits out of the house & free the
children, the new governess is forced to deal with her own sexual
repression.
Daring material indeed for the Victorian age. In some circles, this
story would be considered too strong even today. The book was superbly
adapted for the big screen by Jack Clayton in 1960, as "The Innocents",
and was also done as a theatre piece and an opera. I'm afraid those
versions are far superior to this one.
What's missing from this version is atmosphere. Dan Curtis made the
fatal mistake of shooting on video. Video's clarity of image can work in
a controlled studio setting, as it did on Dark Shadows. But Curtis took
his cast and crew to an English country manor house. Shot on location in
often natural lighting, the film looks and feels more like a Jane Austen
romantic comedy than a ghost story. Worse, Curtis chose, for some
unexplained reason, to shoot select outdoor scenes on a grainy film
stock. This might have worked if Curtis had done this with the ghostly
scenes only, as a way of setting them apart from the rest of the film.
But the switch from video to film seems almost random.
When Miss Cubberly (Lynn Redgrave) drives up to Bligh House in her
carriage, it's film. When she steps out of the carriage in front of the
house, it's video. When she and the children leave church on Sunday
morning, it's film. When they visit Peter Quint's grave in the
churchyard one minute later, it's video. The effect is pointless,
distracting, and annoying. Curtis needed to decide which medium he was
shooting in.
The film is not without merit. The script, by William F. Nolan, is quite
well written, and captures the nuances of Victorian language and
sensibilities. The chats between Miss Cuberly and Mrs. Grose, the
housekeeper, do much to develop both characters. When Cuberly realizes
what Quint and Jessell are up to, and that they're involving the
children, her shocked reaction is absolutely believable, in part because
the dialogue reveals the depths of her repression. Lynn Redgrave, of
course, is a superb actress in total control of her craft.
Megs Jenkins in equally wonderful as Mrs. Grose, the same role she
played in "The Innocents". Curtis was so enchanted by her performance in
the earlier film that he could see no one else in the role. Megs
Jenkins, who passed away in the late 1990s, was a superb old school
British character actress. Though never a household name, she worked
steadily in British film & theatre, and could always be counted on to
give a flawless performance.
Young Jasper Jacob is brilliant as Myles, the possessed child. About 13
here, Jacob is amazing in scenes where he presents himself as a boy
respectful of his elders. Yet seething beneath the surface of his good
manners is Peter Quint's raging evil and sexuality. The scene where he
says "let me kiss you goodnight, my dear", as Miss Cuberly turns away
from his lips will have you cringing in discomfort.
Sadly, too many of Dan Curtis' choices spoil the effect. The brightly
lit, shot on video interiors create no mood at all. The sets desperately
needed some of the "Dark Shadows" that Curtis employed on his famed TV
show. And after awhile, the jarring jumps from video to film make you
want to scream!
There are also two shots where the microphone is in full view of the
camera. These kinds of flubs were cute and charming on Dark Shadows, and
in fact became part of that show's appeal. But here it's amateurish.
Dark Shadows fans will love Robert Cobert's familiar score, which is
well suited to stories of this type. And look for Dark Shadows' Kathryn
Leigh Scott, seen briefly and silently as the ghost of Miss Jessell in
exactly six shots. Scott was doing a play in London when Turn of the
Screw was shot. She and Curtis met for dinner to discuss old times. She
did her cameo for her old friend for fun.
MPI's DVD presentation of Turn of The Screw is quite good. The full
frame picture is clear and sharp, as is the sound. Extras include an
English subtitles option, and interviews with Redgrave and Curtis. The
interviews, shot recently, are very well done. The two obviously like
each other, which is always nice to see. The interviews, shot
separately, cut back and forth between the two as they underscore each
other's points, and provides a lot of background information not only on
the production, but what led Curtis to it. I do wish he had talked about
the Quentin Collins character on Dark Shadows. Quentin was introduced as
a ghost on the show in late 1968, in a story loosely adapted from The
Turn of The Screw. Though the source material was not credited, it was
very obvious that Quentin was a stand in for Quint. The show even
recreated two scenes from James' story, albeit with different
characters.
All in all, Dan Curtis' Turn of the Screw is a decidedly mixed bag. In
spite of it's good points, I'm not sure it's worth two hours of your
time.
-------David Nahmod
