17th MoFo Hall of Fame
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It's on Youtube. I'll send you the link. The low quality does actually work for the film, but there were some issues with the subtitles (where sometimes the wrong letters were capitalized, particularly x and i).
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The Innocents
This was my second time watching this after first seeing it about 3 years ago. I feel pretty much the same but if anything my appreciation went up a little.
I don't have a lot to say because I don't really want to get into the story. I will say that I'm still not sure what to make of the result. What I think all along is contradicted by the end. Some movies with ambiguous endings frustrate me, but for whatever reason this one doesn't. There's an interesting sexual element to this movie to go along with some startling scenes. The acting and all of the technical elements are superb. I'm not sure why it's not on the level of favorite material for me yet but it is getting there. It's possibly a masterpiece and the best movie of it's kind.
@Miss Vicky
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@Miss Vicky
The Innocents is one of the defining horror films of the 1960s and one of my favourites as well. This and the works of Shirley Jackson at this time had a fairly massive influence on the psychological horror genre. The use of camera movement, candlelight, shadows, sound and blurring of images to throw the viewer off guard or to create intensity is excellent. In particular, scenes where Giddens is walking down a hallway, the camera seems to glide after her like a spirit. There's also some quality selection of wide shots that narrow in as a scene reaches a crescendo. Jack Clayton does this a couple of times approaching the end of the film and I think it was super effective in generating a cramped atmosphere. Technically, this film is superb.
The main strength though is the sheer psychological depth. I get this constant sense of mysterious tension and outside of a couple of scenes I didn't think that the film was being too explanatory. Most of the plot is purposefully ambiguous and this is generally what I want from a horror film. On first watch, its lingering unanswered questions stuck with me and they jumped out to me again here. It's perhaps unsurprising that the plot translates so well to the screen when you find out that Truman Capote co-wrote the screenplay with William Archibald.
Deborah Kerr deserves a shout out too for her performance as she descends from sociable and happy to a paranoid wreck on the verge of hysteria. Is she a reliable protagonist or does the oddness of her situation drive her to the edge? Regardless, I think she was great.
This is close to a film in my book.
The Innocents (1961)
The Innocents is one of the defining horror films of the 1960s and one of my favourites as well. This and the works of Shirley Jackson at this time had a fairly massive influence on the psychological horror genre. The use of camera movement, candlelight, shadows, sound and blurring of images to throw the viewer off guard or to create intensity is excellent. In particular, scenes where Giddens is walking down a hallway, the camera seems to glide after her like a spirit. There's also some quality selection of wide shots that narrow in as a scene reaches a crescendo. Jack Clayton does this a couple of times approaching the end of the film and I think it was super effective in generating a cramped atmosphere. Technically, this film is superb.
The main strength though is the sheer psychological depth. I get this constant sense of mysterious tension and outside of a couple of scenes I didn't think that the film was being too explanatory. Most of the plot is purposefully ambiguous and this is generally what I want from a horror film. On first watch, its lingering unanswered questions stuck with me and they jumped out to me again here. It's perhaps unsurprising that the plot translates so well to the screen when you find out that Truman Capote co-wrote the screenplay with William Archibald.
Deborah Kerr deserves a shout out too for her performance as she descends from sociable and happy to a paranoid wreck on the verge of hysteria. Is she a reliable protagonist or does the oddness of her situation drive her to the edge? Regardless, I think she was great.
This is close to a film in my book.
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great reviews for The Innocents and I've wondered if I did not know the ending previously if it would have frustrated me or gave me a pleasant surprise. Either way I was glad to have known it since it gave me a kind of false rewatch where I was able to really appreciate the subtleties of it all. And there really is so much to appreciate in this film where rewatches do enhance the enjoyment of it.
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The Innocents (1961)
Whoa, wasn't expecting this.
I read every review you all put in, and I agree with almost everyone regarding this film.
Loved the ambiguity though I'm still not sure about what to think of the last 5 minutes (I think it was CR who proposed the childs were raped by the couple who died? That makes total sense to me.).
The acting is pretty good from everyone involved, I was unsure about Kerr' perfomance at times cause her character just seemed to choose all the wrong options and look crazy while doing it (though that's more a writing issue) but I do understand that if I convince myself the ghosts weren't real.
I loved that song Flora sings in the opening titles, it made me think of Rosemary's Baby and The Night of the Hunter and this movie certainly has some similarities to both. I also adored how claustrophobic and tense the atmosphere was through out the whole picture.
Great Nom Siddon!
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Whoa, wasn't expecting this.
I read every review you all put in, and I agree with almost everyone regarding this film.
Loved the ambiguity though I'm still not sure about what to think of the last 5 minutes (I think it was CR who proposed the childs were raped by the couple who died? That makes total sense to me.).
The acting is pretty good from everyone involved, I was unsure about Kerr' perfomance at times cause her character just seemed to choose all the wrong options and look crazy while doing it (though that's more a writing issue) but I do understand that if I convince myself the ghosts weren't real.
I loved that song Flora sings in the opening titles, it made me think of Rosemary's Baby and The Night of the Hunter and this movie certainly has some similarities to both. I also adored how claustrophobic and tense the atmosphere was through out the whole picture.
Great Nom Siddon!
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Guess we all had the same idea for Halloween
The Innocents (1961)
Well this is a film you don't want to watch before you go to bed. The Innocents is the story of a governess who comes to take care of two children in a large estate. During the course of her stay in the estate she's confronted by two distinct haunting's of sort, the first being the actions of the two children and the other being apparitions of two people who died recently at the estate.
Deborah Kerr is fantastic in this but also the star is the atmosphere. Great horror films take locations and make them feel like it's own individual character and in the Innocents the estate "Bly" is the star. While the film is incredibly ambiguous you can look at it in a number of ways of intrepretations and themes. Is the governess crazy? Are the children possessed? Is their sexual abuse undertones going on...all of that is left up to audience.
The Innocents (1961)
Well this is a film you don't want to watch before you go to bed. The Innocents is the story of a governess who comes to take care of two children in a large estate. During the course of her stay in the estate she's confronted by two distinct haunting's of sort, the first being the actions of the two children and the other being apparitions of two people who died recently at the estate.
Deborah Kerr is fantastic in this but also the star is the atmosphere. Great horror films take locations and make them feel like it's own individual character and in the Innocents the estate "Bly" is the star. While the film is incredibly ambiguous you can look at it in a number of ways of intrepretations and themes. Is the governess crazy? Are the children possessed? Is their sexual abuse undertones going on...all of that is left up to audience.
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I wonder what the record for most consecutive reviews of the same film is haha.
I think Suspect is the only one who hasn't posted a write-up for The Innocents yet, so we probably won't get 5 in a row, but 4 is still an impressive number.
I think Suspect is the only one who hasn't posted a write-up for The Innocents yet, so we probably won't get 5 in a row, but 4 is still an impressive number.
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Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
I had been putting this off because a lot of people that I've heard that like this are the same guys that like movies like Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, Snatch, and Boondocks Saints. And those are all really films I don't like much.
I think my biggest problem with this film is that guy Ritchie seems to prioritize style over substance. I found the soundtrack to be not that great (I didn't mind some of the songs but I didn't think they really worked well with the scenes) and I found the characters to sometimes just seem like they were acting cool rather than trying to develop a few of them.
I wouldn't call it a really bad film, just one that was pretty average across the board. I did enjoy some of the action sequences, and some of the dialogue was decent, but overall, it won't leave a memorable mark on me.
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I had been putting this off because a lot of people that I've heard that like this are the same guys that like movies like Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, Snatch, and Boondocks Saints. And those are all really films I don't like much.
I think my biggest problem with this film is that guy Ritchie seems to prioritize style over substance. I found the soundtrack to be not that great (I didn't mind some of the songs but I didn't think they really worked well with the scenes) and I found the characters to sometimes just seem like they were acting cool rather than trying to develop a few of them.
I wouldn't call it a really bad film, just one that was pretty average across the board. I did enjoy some of the action sequences, and some of the dialogue was decent, but overall, it won't leave a memorable mark on me.
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I can promise once October is over this is my main priority.
I apologize I’ve been kind of MIA.
I apologize I’ve been kind of MIA.
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I watched Uccellacci e uccellini today. Will try to write a review tomorrow. For now I just say that like almost everyone else I didn't like it that much but at least I'm not going to be the most negative reviewer for it 
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It really looks like The Innocents may be the easy favorite to win here. Lots of love for it.
I'll be watching my own nomination, The Aviator next.
I'll be watching my own nomination, The Aviator next.
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It really looks like The Innocents may be the easy favorite to win here. Lots of love for it.
I'll be watching my own nomination, The Aviator next.
I'll be watching my own nomination, The Aviator next.
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Pixote (1981)
Man! that screen shot just screams it's a Cricket nomination
...I should've been grossed out by that scene, but for some reason nothing in the film disturbed me. In fact I think it was a well made film and I did like aspects of it. I won't say I loved it, as it's not the kind of film one loves. But it was unique.
I liked the direct-documentary style with little music score and no fancy cinematography. The film is effective as it literally puts us in the shoes of these forlorn Brazilian street kids who end up in a state run orphanage. The orphanage is just another kind of hell for them. I've heard that in places like Rio or Mexico City that they have so much crime from the street kids that they have death squads that go around and shoot the kids down in cold blood on the streets. It's really a sad thing and it happens for real, so I believe what I seen was a true depiction.
I wasn't too involved in the movie for the first hour but once the group of boys left the orphanage the film got interesting for me. I liked how the four kids interacted and both supported each other and fought too. The scenes with the prostitute was my favorite.
I suppose you guys think I was disgusted at the scene where Pixote suckles at the breast of the prostitute. I actually found that scene to be the most emotional of the movie, as it wasn't sexual, but it was a pathetic bittersweet moment between two deeply wounded people. It was touching.
I kind of hate that the movie didn't end on that scene, because when the prostitute then freaks out and tells Pixote to stop and get the hell away from her...it broke the emotion of the previous scene.
A truly Cricket type nom and I have to say it's a well made movie, not my favorite but differently different.
...I should've been grossed out by that scene, but for some reason nothing in the film disturbed me. In fact I think it was a well made film and I did like aspects of it. I won't say I loved it, as it's not the kind of film one loves. But it was unique.I liked the direct-documentary style with little music score and no fancy cinematography. The film is effective as it literally puts us in the shoes of these forlorn Brazilian street kids who end up in a state run orphanage. The orphanage is just another kind of hell for them. I've heard that in places like Rio or Mexico City that they have so much crime from the street kids that they have death squads that go around and shoot the kids down in cold blood on the streets. It's really a sad thing and it happens for real, so I believe what I seen was a true depiction.
I wasn't too involved in the movie for the first hour but once the group of boys left the orphanage the film got interesting for me. I liked how the four kids interacted and both supported each other and fought too. The scenes with the prostitute was my favorite.
I suppose you guys think I was disgusted at the scene where Pixote suckles at the breast of the prostitute. I actually found that scene to be the most emotional of the movie, as it wasn't sexual, but it was a pathetic bittersweet moment between two deeply wounded people. It was touching.
I kind of hate that the movie didn't end on that scene, because when the prostitute then freaks out and tells Pixote to stop and get the hell away from her...it broke the emotion of the previous scene.
A truly Cricket type nom and I have to say it's a well made movie, not my favorite but differently different.
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I've heard that in places like Rio or Mexico City that they have so much crime from the street kids that they have death squads that go around and shoot the kids down in cold blood on the streets. It's really a sad thing and it happens for real, so I believe what I seen was a true depiction.
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The boy who played Pixote never made it out of his teens. He was killed by police.
Did you see the squalor where the poor people lived in the beginning of the film. Ugh! I don't see how any kid coming from such a disadvantaged upbringing could end up having a productive & happy life. The cards are really stacked agaisnt them.
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The Innocents
Probably the most well shot horror film I've seen this month. The Innocents is an adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Miss Giddens applies for a job as a governess, it's her first job. She watches over two kids in this big mansion. She begins to question her situation when the children do odd things that seem out of character. She hears about the old governess who killed herself because her lover had died. She starts seeing apparitions of this woman and thinks the children might be possessed.
I find it interesting that people believe the children are victims of sexual abuse. This works within the confines of the story. It's possible the uncle knew about these atrocities and couldn't come to face the children, which is why he is away all the time and doesn't want any contact with them. He feels guilty and he wants someone innocent, young and sincere to look after them. Victims at the hands of whom though? The two deceased people our lead claims to see all the time? Their parents? The film doesn't offer an explanation, which is where the film works the best. A rewrite by Truman Capote puts the question in the viewers head, is any of this real? The original script leaned heavily on the ghosts were real aspect, whereas the final product isn't so clear.
Those final moments between Miss Giddens and Miles are intense and all they do is talk. They each seem to think they have the upper hand in the conversation, until those final moments reveal themselves, I had no idea what was going to transpire and was literally on the edge of my seat. Cinematographer Freddie Francis & Jack Clayton worked perfectly together to drill a sense of dread into the viewer. Are the children safe with her? Is she safe with the children. I honestly never knew...
Francis works the camera beautifully, creating a claustrophobic feel while Miss Giddens holds a candle in the dark. The edges of the character are constantly engulfed in black. Only she is lit and nothing else is visible, this leaves the safety of the character in question. We don't know what is around her, she doesn't know what is around her. All we have are the images within that circle and the audio that Clayton lets us hear. He plays with our visual and auditory senses to generate whichever emotions he pleases.
Not particularly scary, which is a shame, just a beautifully done film that knows what strings to pull. The Innocents is about a lot of things that smarter people than me know how to dive into and sink their teeth in the content.
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