Presence of Mind

This movie is completely ruined by Sadie Frost who can't act and is rather too 'common' and for a period role. Shame really as it could have been rather good.

I have always been fond of The Turn of the screw, so I was keen to watch this take on the story. It has a beautiful setting and some strong cast members, BUT! The lead, played here by Sadie Frost, destroys the whole thing. Also, a warning! There is what I felt was a very distasteful scene in it with the children who appear to be naked but covered, alluding to playing out an act they had witnessed between Jessel and Fosc (Quint) that I felt was entirely unnecessary. It could have been implied instead, especially given how young the child actors in this are. If you are like me and love the original tale, avoid this at all costs.

This movie is a good adaptation of the novel by henry james 'turn of the screw', thought it is not as scary and intense as the best adaptation of this novel 'the innocents'. First of all, it is quite surprising that this film is the first work of the director antoni aloy, and he managed to cast lauren bacall, harvey keitel and sadie frost, who all develope a correct performance. but ironically all these great actors can't fight with the kids, who act in a perfect way. the direction is quite correct and the cinematography and music are great. unfortunately due to economic problems this film hasn't been released in almost any country, just in spain in a few screens and it hasn't get the recognition it deserves.

I am surprise this movie only received a PG-13 rating? The frontal nudity and taboo subjects explored in this film warrants a "R" rating. I know European rating standards are different from the United States,but there should be a warning on the DVD. The movie wasn't scary as it tempted to address the psychological affects ghosts has on the children. I have seen several versions of this story based on Herny James "Turn of the Screw" This version rates average. The costumes and acting is far superior than the screenplay. The best "Haunted children movies" is by far Nicole Kidman's "The Others" brilliant acting and screenplay, which was influenced by "The Turn of the Screw" I have a bone to pick. Why hire a actor whose accent is not the same as the rest of the cast? That can be so annoying.

Little seen 1999 Spanish-American version of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Stars Sadie Frost, Lauren Bacall, and Harvey Keitel (Antoni Aloy was a first time director - not sure how he managed to assemble such a cast for this very low-budget (around $3 million) production). The location is transferred to a small Spanish island estate, but the story is essentially the same. Bacall easily dominates in the acting. Keitel is good but is actually seen very little. Frost is okay; in fact I've always had a bit of a thing for her, but her attractiveness distracted me from seeing her as an uptight, repressed governess (Deborah Kerr in Jack Clayton's 1961 version The Innocents was spot-on). The child actors (Ella Jones and Nilo Mur) are good, and the ghost sightings are fairly creepy, but the sense of tension could be stronger. It's competent, but nothing outstanding. 6/10.