THE TURNING
US, 2020, 94 minutes, Colour.
Mackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard, Brooklynn Prince, Barbara Marten, Joely Richardson.
Directed by Floria Sigismondi.
Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw is considered a classic ghost story. It was filmed in the early 1960s by Jack Clayton as The Innocents with Deborah Kerr striking as the governess. There was a version in 1974 for television and another in 2009. There was also a speculative recreation of the characters in the 1970s with The Nightcomers, starring Marlon Brando.
Here the narrative is made contemporary while keeping the key elements of James’ narrative.
This time the governess is Kate, played by Mackenzie Davis, a teacher, taking up employment in tutoring two children in an old mansion. The little girl, Flora, is quite vivacious. The boy, played by Finn Wolfhard, is a dark sinister look, has been expelled from his school for violence, behaves erratically, trying to dominate the new governess. Also in the household is an extremely severe housekeeper, Mrs Grose (Barbara Marten). The children’s guardian is away.
The treatment of the story is contemporary Gothic, especially with the house, the grounds and the forbidding gate, a lake. While Kate wants to take the children out, the housekeeper forbids it, Flora stating that she does not want to die. All the time there is the pervading influence of the previous governess, Miss Jessel, who mysteriously left (although the audience has seen her attempts to escape and her death in the prologue to the film). There is also the ominous presence of the dead gardener, Peter Quint. There is a mystery of his relationship with Miss Jessel.
The film depends on darkness in the house, the mysterious grounds, and Kate’s having a range of nightmares as well as ghostly experiences.
The ending seems particularly mysterious, real or unreal? Perhaps it is better to go back to the earlier versions.
1. The status of Henry James novel? The various screen interpretations, The Innocents, The Nightcomers, The Turn of the Screw in 1974, 2009. This updating?
2. The adaptation, the 21st-century? Characters, styles, costumes and decor? Contemporary? The musical score?
3. The introduction, Miss Jessel, her terror, the house, the attempted escape, the gates, the car, her death?
4. Kate, her life and style, roommate, her work, education, the invitation to the house, travelling, contacting the remake, the later phone calls?
5. The situation the house, the children, the absent Guardian, Flora and her age, playful little girl, Miles, his age, at boarding school, his appearance and look, the touch of the sinister? The presence of Mrs Grose? Severe in manner and speech? The hothouse atmosphere? The mansion, the grounds, the lake?
6. The touches of the contemporary, the town, car, the glimpses of the outside world?
7. Mrs Grose, her manner, in the family, her severity, forbidding Flora to leave, the reprimands to Kate? The buildup to her interventions, the clashes, confrontation, her death? The story of Peter Quint, his presence in the house, the influence on miles, his work, the relationship with Miss Jessel, her vanishing?
8. Kate, the tutoring, the classes, befriending Flora, her serious face, wanting her to go out, Flora fearing death? The play, the outings?
9. Miles, expelled from school, the bullying? His age, his appearance, his reactions, playing the drums, the rooms and his appearing, reprimanding Kate, the harshness?
10. The mystery, the touches of horror in the house?
11. Kate, her dreams, the nightmares, the lake, the body of Miss Jessel, the sinister influence of Quint? Sleeping and waking? The intimations of Quint’s presence in the house?
12. Gathering the children, Mrs Grose’s death, the presence of Quint, her wanting the escape? The drive, the gate? The reality and unreality of the ending?
