Review - The Turn of the Screw (1992)

Rusty Lemorande's film, starring Patsy Kensit as the governess, Miss Jenny, boasts a few significant innovations.

For one thing, this is one of the only adaptations of the story to contain a storytelling frame like the novel itself. In this case, the storyteller is a woman (Marianne Faithful) rather than the man called Douglas. Otherwise, the introduction to the events is the same.

This adaptation was also the first to shift the setting to the 20th century, specifically, the mid-1960s. The late Julian Sands appears in a brief scene as the children's mod young uncle. In keeping with its psychedelic setting, the film contains a series of phantasmagoric, erotic, and grotesque scenes from the governess's recurring nightmares. Though entertainingly trippy, they don't add much to the story. Finally, by the end of the film, Miss Jenny undergoes a Mia Farrow-esque makeover to underscore her vulnerability and victimization.

The children's sexual precocity is more advanced here than in other versions. When they perform their theatrical for Miss Jenny, it's quite lewd, though it isn't clear the children fully understand what they're saying and doing. Some of Miles's behavior, such as asking the governess to dress him or let him sleep in her bed, could be interpreted as signs of developmental delay rather than attempted seduction. The servants' sexuality, on the other hand, is overt throughout the film; Miss Jenny discovers revealing lingerie in Miss Jessel's room.

This Mrs. Grose (Stephane Audran) is a French housekeeper, withdrawn and diffident. Unlike Megs Jenkins in The Innocents, she is not the governess's confidante; nor, like Diana Riggs in The Haunting of Helen Walker, is she her opponent. When Miss Jenny tells her about the ghosts she believes she has seen, Mrs. Grose merely sits back and sips her wine. She doesn't fret and wring her hands, challenge Miss Jenny's sanity, or seem to think anything is particularly strange.

Lemorande's retelling possesses some artistic flair, such as the opening credits sequence with a curtain rising from a stage. Miss Jessel's ghost, when it appears, seems to be performing interpretive dance rather than merely standing and glowering. It's a little weird, but not off-putting.

Apart from these points, the script follows the dialogue of the original novella fairly closely. Very little period detail is present once the governess arrives at Bly, so the story maintains a timeless feel. Flora is largely a nonentity; the governess is chiefly concerned with Miles, the reasons for his expulsion, and his potentially corrupting behavior. Miss Jenny's father is a clergyman (possibly an abusive one), and though she is religious, she is somewhat less so than in other versions. (As an aside, I do wonder why the erstwhile governess was called "Miss Jessel," presumably her surname, whereas the new governess is called "Miss Jenny," her Christian name. It seems inconsistent). Overall, the performances are credible, but none are particularly memorable.