DEBORAH KERR RIP
The recently deceased Deborah Kerr ("rhymes with STAR!" as the studios used to say) wasn't someone who I'd say was one of my all-time favourite actresses - there were many others whom I consider more captivating and memorable. I remember the classic scenes of her in such films as "The King & I" (dancing with Yul Brynner) or "From Here To Eternity" (on the beach with Burt Lancaster), and have probably seen her in a few more over the years that I've forgotten since. But she always had a very recognizable face, and one that could easily jump between purity and sin, depending on the role.
But in keeping with the spirit of the season (Hallowe'en, that is), I thought I'd point out what I consider to be her finest performance in a feature film. That film, I believe, would be The Innocents (1961), a British-made film with her in the lead role.
"The Innocents" is an adaptation of "The Turn of the Screw", written by Henry James. It is what I consider the penultimate Victorian ghost story done on film, and also one of the creepiest and atmospheric. Kerr plays "Miss Giddens", a governess hired to take care of two young children on an estate in the English countryside. Not long after arriving at the estate, she begins to believe there is a malevolent presence influencing the children in some dark way.
Shot in black and white, with strange sound effects and a setting that immediately pushes you into a sense of unease, Kerr comes into this scene with the proper mannerisms of an English governess having to deal with two young, parentless children, a boy and girl named Miles and Flora, respectively. Contemporary viewers will probably find the two children unbearably English and annoying in the story and maybe with their acting style, but it's something that serves an effective purpose in the film and how they deal with Kerr's character, Miss Giddens, and with the story itself, and with everything else that unfolds.
I should cut myself somewhat short, since I don't want to give away too much, but suffice it to say this is one of those films that immediately has you hugging yourself in self-comfort from the very beginning, and has images that will stay with your afterwards (certain scenes still give me chills just thinking about them). Kerr is so damn fine in how she moves from being the staid governess to the terrified-but-determined woman in the midst of unknown and malevolent forces, that you have to be amazed that she wasn't at least nominated for an Oscar. It's such a controlled bit of acting that it very much draws you into this ghostly tale. Of course, the film is very well directed by Jack Clayton, and the script has some talent behind it with Truman Capote, but it is Kerr's film, pretty much.
For those seeking a TRUE ghost story, one full of creepy atmosphere, "The Innocents" is it.
Thanks to the lovely and talented Deborah Kerr for bringing to film one of the finest acting moments ON film in my personal memory, one that will stay with me for a very long time.
Deborah Kerr RIP (1921-2007).
The recently deceased Deborah Kerr ("rhymes with STAR!" as the studios used to say) wasn't someone who I'd say was one of my all-time favourite actresses - there were many others whom I consider more captivating and memorable. I remember the classic scenes of her in such films as "The King & I" (dancing with Yul Brynner) or "From Here To Eternity" (on the beach with Burt Lancaster), and have probably seen her in a few more over the years that I've forgotten since. But she always had a very recognizable face, and one that could easily jump between purity and sin, depending on the role.
But in keeping with the spirit of the season (Hallowe'en, that is), I thought I'd point out what I consider to be her finest performance in a feature film. That film, I believe, would be The Innocents (1961), a British-made film with her in the lead role.
"The Innocents" is an adaptation of "The Turn of the Screw", written by Henry James. It is what I consider the penultimate Victorian ghost story done on film, and also one of the creepiest and atmospheric. Kerr plays "Miss Giddens", a governess hired to take care of two young children on an estate in the English countryside. Not long after arriving at the estate, she begins to believe there is a malevolent presence influencing the children in some dark way.
Shot in black and white, with strange sound effects and a setting that immediately pushes you into a sense of unease, Kerr comes into this scene with the proper mannerisms of an English governess having to deal with two young, parentless children, a boy and girl named Miles and Flora, respectively. Contemporary viewers will probably find the two children unbearably English and annoying in the story and maybe with their acting style, but it's something that serves an effective purpose in the film and how they deal with Kerr's character, Miss Giddens, and with the story itself, and with everything else that unfolds.
I should cut myself somewhat short, since I don't want to give away too much, but suffice it to say this is one of those films that immediately has you hugging yourself in self-comfort from the very beginning, and has images that will stay with your afterwards (certain scenes still give me chills just thinking about them). Kerr is so damn fine in how she moves from being the staid governess to the terrified-but-determined woman in the midst of unknown and malevolent forces, that you have to be amazed that she wasn't at least nominated for an Oscar. It's such a controlled bit of acting that it very much draws you into this ghostly tale. Of course, the film is very well directed by Jack Clayton, and the script has some talent behind it with Truman Capote, but it is Kerr's film, pretty much.
For those seeking a TRUE ghost story, one full of creepy atmosphere, "The Innocents" is it.
Thanks to the lovely and talented Deborah Kerr for bringing to film one of the finest acting moments ON film in my personal memory, one that will stay with me for a very long time.
Deborah Kerr RIP (1921-2007).
lyric:
hey thanks for the comment on my hopefulls set!