The Innocents

Mise-en-scene / Truman Capote

Presentation by Anna Moamenpour and Patrick Flisakowski

Directed by: Jack Clayton Produced by: Jack Clayton

Written by Novella: Henry James Screenplay: William Archibald Truman Capote John Mortimer

Starring: Deborah Kerr Michael Redgrave

Music by: Georges Auric Cinematography: Freddie Francis Editing by: Jim Clark Distributed by: 20th Century Fox Release date(s): December 25, 1961 Country: UK

Film Overview

The Characters

Actor Role

Deborah Kerr Miss GiddensPeter Wyngarde Peter Quint Megs Jenkins Mrs. Grose Michael Redgrave The UncleMartin Stephens Miles Pamela Franklin Flora Clytie Jessop Miss Jessel

Other Characteristics

• Color Type black & white

• Genre / Type horror haunted hause film gothic film supernatural horror

• Set in victorian era• Setting country estate in England

Themes Tones

• MENTAL INSTABILITY

• DIFFICULT CHILDREN

• GHOSTS

• ATMOSPHERIC• UNDERSTATED• EERIE• AUSTERE• CREEPY• OMINOUS• DELIBERATE• SPELLBINDING

Themes vs. Filminterpretation MENTAL INSTABILITY The governess is not stable and her mental condition slowly

disintegrates as she stays longer, leading her to create more and more paranoid dillusions.

DIFFICULT CHILDREN It is all a plot by the maid and the children to get rid of the governess.

For example the ghost only ever appears on the lake after one of the kids has been in the boat on the lake. There is always someone missing who could be operating a dummy.

GHOSTS There is a supernatural explanation/the place is haunted.

Truman Capote and „The Innocents“ • Edgar Allan Poe Award for T. Capote category: Best Motion Picture, “The Innocents” 1962 • “Truman Capote`s contribution to the screenscript gives the film a Southern Gothic

feel.” (Christopher Frayling)

• “When I got to work on the script, I saw how artful James has been. He did everything by allusion and indirection. I made only one mistake. At the very end of the film, when the governess sees the ghost of Miss Jessel sitting at her desk, I had a tear fall on the desktop. Up untill then it was not clear whether the ghosts were real, or only in the governess´ mind. But the tear was real, and it spoiled everything.” (Truman Capote)

Truman CapoteBiographical Note

• Original Name: Truman Streckfus Persons

• Born: 30-Sep-1924Birthplace: New Orleans,

• Died: 25-Aug-1984 Location of death: Los Angeles, Cause of death: unspecified

• Nationality: United StatesFather: Archulus PersonsMother: Lillie Mae Faulk (d. 1954, suicide)Father: Joseph Garcia Capote (stepfather)

• High School: Trinity School, New York City,

Some striking analogies between Truman Capote´s biography and the plot of „The Innocents“

• brought up without parents

• very mature as a child

• spent childhood in a large house

• brought up in a tradition of keeping private life secret

• fond of imaginative plays, making up stories, pretending things

Major Works by Truman Capote• Novels: Other Voices, Other Rooms · The Grass Harp · Breakfast at

Tiffany's · Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel• Short story collections: Music for Chameleons · A Tree of Night and

Other Stories · The Complete Stories of Truman Capote · A Capote Reader

• Essay collections: The Dogs Bark• Plays: The Grass Harp• Screenplays: Beat the Devil · The Innocents · The Great Gatsby• Musicals: House of Flowes• Non fiction: The Muses Are Heard · In Cold Blood · The Letters of

Truman Capote

Mise-en-scene Analysis

CLASSICAL CATEGORY OF MISE-ES-SCENE

Unobtrusive style – subordinate to the developement

Showing and narrating balance – linked to the function

Coherent fictional world

Credibility – within the fictional world

Parallel Development of the Plot and Mise-en scene Elements

• First part of the film: - a lot of light, sunny weather - cheerful sounds of nature, music - light costume colors - affectionate performance (emotions of delight, admiration, charm) - setting of prospering and well balanced country estate

The First Ghost Vision SceneThe Turning Point in the Film

• Canted frame – changed perspective• Shot against the sun – overlighted, blending• Props carrying images of nature´s prosperity and

decay ( birds chirping, butterflies, roses – smelling in the heat of the noon, ugly insects, broken statues, weeds, flies buzzing)

• Penetrating sound and following silence on the perception of the apparition on the tower

More Parallels between the Development of the Plot and Mise-es-scene

• Second part of the film: - bad weather, less light, clouds and rain - night darkness, spare candle light (extra darkened frame-edges) - strong wind blowing in the open windows, curtains flying, candles blown up - dark costumes - disturbed emotions (fear, disgust, contempt, weeping, sobbing, screaming, cruel laughter, whispering,)

Showing and Narrating Balance• We see and hear only what Miss Giddens saw and heard: - flashback – introduced by a superimposition (wipe) and a

changed timbre of vioce• Composition balance in scenes of conversations: - foreground, background - both persons (speaking and listening) are turned with their face to the camera – we see the performance of both, but the persons do not see each other• The story narrated by Mrs. Grose has similarly „bad effect“

on Miss Giddens, as the overwhelming nature, frightfully large estate and the children´s acting strange.

Miss Giddens´ House and ChildhoodInscription of the Scenetext

- Giddens: I lived in a very small house.- Miles: Too small for you to have secrets?- Giddens: Well secrets were a bit difficult.- Flora: But possible?- Giddens: Not for long. Secrets require a privacy that our little room did not provide.- Flora: Did you play games in your house?- Giddens: No. We had to be quiet usually because my father was preparing his sermon. But if he went out we'd play hide and seek all over the house.

Coherant Fictional World

• The plausibility of the things happening is guaranteed by a constant point of view of Miss Giddens

- apparitions of condemned ghosts - childrens´ wickedness and possession - steps taken to solve the situation (exorcist`s task)