Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Innocents Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 31, 2014

Jack Clayton's "The Innocents" (1961) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; filmed introduction and audio commentary by scholar Christopher Frayling; exclusive new video interview with cinematographer John Bailey; and new piece on the making of the film, featuring archival interviews cinematographer Freddie Francis, editor Jim Clark, and script supervisor Pamela Mann Francis. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Maitland McDonagh. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Miss Giddens

The beautiful Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr, Black Narcissus, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp) is asked to look after the orphans Flora (Pamela Franklin) and Miles (Martin Stephens), whose very wealthy uncle (Michael Redgrave, The Lady Vanishes, The Dam Busters) is busy managing his business in London. Having spent the majority of her life in rural Hampshire, Miss Giddins quickly agrees and then heads to the country estate where they live.

Miss Giddens finds the orphans delightful, but can’t get used to their large and eerie home -- there is something about the estate that makes her feel very uncomfortable. But before she can figure out what it is, Miss Giddens is informed that Miles has been expelled from school for improper behavior. Surprised and seriously concerned, Miss Giddens begins asking questions and soon after discovers that the orphans’ previous governess, Miss Jessel, died under some very strange circumstances. Around the same time, she also begins to see and hear things which convince her that something very evil has possessed the estate and possibly even the souls of its inhabitants.

Scripted by Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) from William Archibald’s Broadway adaptation of Henry James’ popular novel “The Turn of the Screw”, Jack Clayton’s The Innocents is a very dark and genuinely spooky film with two different identities. The first is that of a Gothic masterpiece whose incredible atmosphere has inspired countless directors to replicate it in their films (see the works of Victor Erice, Alejandro Amenábar, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, and J.A. Bayona). The foundation for this atmosphere is cinematographer Freddie Francis’ ingenious lensing -- for example, Francis used special filters to soften the edges of the frame and give the film that most unsettling blurriness -- and effective use of light and shadow. Just as important, however, is Capote’s input to the script, which effectively enhanced the film’s Gothic qualities.

The Innocents can also be viewed as a complex psycho-sexual drama. Indeed, there is an element of ambiguity that runs throughout the entire film which forces one to question and reexamine the key relationships and even the structure of its story. (In the audio commentary included on this release, Professor Christopher Frayling rightfully points out that the opening sequence could be a clue revealing that the whole story is in fact a product of Miss Giddens’ imagination).

The production design of the large mansion is by Wilfred Shingleton, who also worked with director David Lean on the period classic Great Expectations. There are some truly remarkable Victorian decors that have to be seen to be believed.

The film’s sound design is equally remarkable. There are various organic and electronic sounds and noises that are incorporated in a variety of ways to dramatically change the tone of entire sequences. Silence is also effectively used to add to the ambiguity mentioned above. (See the sequence where Miss Giddens is in the garden and can’t decide if she has just seen a man on the roof of the mansion). The film’s dynamic music score was created by legendary French composer Georges Auric (Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast, John Huston’s Moulin Rouge).

The Innocents Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jack Clayton's The Innocents arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an Oxbery wet-gate film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Revival, Cinnafilm's Dark Energy, and Pixel Farm's PFClean. Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain, and noise management.

The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX 3.

Transfer supervisor: Schawn Belston/Twentieth Century Fox, Los Angeles.
Layout: Janos Pileni, Ulrike Reichold/Cineric, New York.
Scanning: Simon Lund, Adam Wangerin/Cineric, New York.
Restoration: Seth Berkowitz, Shelley Plummer/Cineric, New York.
Colorist: Daniel, DeVincent/Cineric, New York."

The high-definition transfer is one of the very best that I have seen for a black-and-white CinemaScope film. I've done some direct comparisons with BFI's Region-B release of The Innocents and can confirm that there are dramatic improvements in every single area we typically address in our reviews. Detail and image depth are simply superb, with the darker footage in particular now looking far better balanced. What truly impresses, however, is the much improved range of nuanced blacks, grays, and whites. (See screencapture #3, which I believe convincingly demonstrates the far superior color balance the new 4K restoration has produced). Furthermore, grain is beautifully resolved and evenly distributed throughout the entire film. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is outstanding. Lastly, there are no damage marks, debris, cuts, stains, dirt, or annoying scratches to report in this review. All in all, this is an absolutely outstanding restoration and technical presentation of The Innocents, which I believe will remain the definitive presentation of the film on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-SA or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Innocents Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Considering the fantastic sound design, I think that it is essential to view this film with a strong lossless track. Fortunately, the LPCM track is outstanding and opens up the film in all the right places. The overall dynamic intensity is also very good. The dialog is clean, stable, and very easy to follow. Balance is terrific as well -- there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic activity. Finally, it is clear to me that additional work has been done to remove hiss and crackle and improve basic stability as best as possible. For the record, there are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in this review.

The Innocents Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The Innocents. In English, not subtitled (3 min, 1080p).

• Christopher Frayling Introduction - this introduction by scholar Christopher Frayling, which focuses on the production history of The Innocents, its brilliant script, and visual design, was shot at Sheffield Park (East Sussex) in 2006. It also appears on the Region-B Blu-ray release of The Innocents. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080i).

• John Bailey on Freddie Francis - in this new video interview, cinematographer John Bailey (The Big Chill, Cat People) discusses director of photography Freddie Francis' unique lensing of The Innocents. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in May 2014. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080i).

• Between Horror, Fear, and Beauty - in this video program, which was produced by Criterion in 2014, cinematographer Freddie Francis, editor Jim Clark, and script supervisor Pamela Mann Francis discuss the production history of The Innocents, its visual design and cutting, and Jack Clayton's directing methods. The interviews were conducted in 2006. In English, not subtitled (14 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary by film scholar Christopher Frayling was recorded in 2006. It also appears on the Region-B release of The Innocents.

• Leaflet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Maitland McDonagh.

The Innocents Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This hugely atmospheric film coscripted by Truman Capote, lensed by Freddie Francis, and directed by Jack Clayton is rightfully regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic cinema. Indeed, at times it is genuinely spooky. The Innocents transitions to Blu-ray after a new 4K restoration, which I believe allows one to experience the film as its creators intended. Amongst the supplemental features on the Blu-ray is a brand new and very interesting video interview with cinematographer John Bailey. Don't miss it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.