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The Turn of the Screw

  • TV Movie
  • 2009
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
Michelle Dockery, Josef Lindsay, and Eva Sayer in The Turn of the Screw (2009)
DramaHorrorMysteryThriller

A naive and sexually repressed young governess is haunted by the ghosts of previous occupants of a mansion.A naive and sexually repressed young governess is haunted by the ghosts of previous occupants of a mansion.A naive and sexually repressed young governess is haunted by the ghosts of previous occupants of a mansion.

  • Director
    • Tim Fywell
  • Writers
    • Henry James
    • Sandy Welch
  • Stars
    • Michelle Dockery
    • Eva Sayer
    • Josef Lindsay
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    1.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Tim Fywell
    • Writers
      • Henry James
      • Sandy Welch
    • Stars
      • Michelle Dockery
      • Eva Sayer
      • Josef Lindsay
    • 33User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos26

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    Top cast17

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    Michelle Dockery
    Michelle Dockery
    • Ann
    Eva Sayer
    Eva Sayer
    • Flora
    Josef Lindsay
    • Miles
    Dan Stevens
    Dan Stevens
    • Dr. Fisher
    Mark Umbers
    Mark Umbers
    • Master
    Corin Redgrave
    Corin Redgrave
    • Professor
    Wendy Albiston
    Wendy Albiston
    • Baines
    Nicola Walker
    Nicola Walker
    • Carla
    Sue Johnston
    Sue Johnston
    • Sarah Grose
    Sarah Buckland
    • Diane
    Edward MacLiam
    • Peter Quint
    Katie Lightfoot
    • Emily Jessel
    Nellie Burroughes
    Nellie Burroughes
    • Abused Maid
    Peter Bygott
    • Ann's Father
    Honor Cargill-Martin
    Honor Cargill-Martin
    • Young Ann
    James Cameron Stewart
    James Cameron Stewart
    • Police Inspector
    • (as Cameron Stewart)
    Dee Taylor-Thompson
    • Maid
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Tim Fywell
    • Writers
      • Henry James
      • Sandy Welch
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews33

    5.41.8K
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    Featured reviews

    6Stevieboy666

    More drama than horror

    I have watched several MR James adaptations, both film and TV, and admit that I have found some difficult to follow. Thankfully at 90 minutes long no such problem here. This TV movie has good acting and the bulk of it takes place at a magnificent looking, old British country estate. With sex scenes and male violence against women it isn't really suitable for kids, what lets it down for me is that sadly it simply is not scary. Michelle Dockery plays the 20 year old governess but she was about 30 at the time, either they should've found somebody younger or up her age to say 25. I do enjoy watching classic ghost stories over the Xmas period and much as I felt this to be reasonably entertaining I won't be watching it again in Christmases to come.
    7chammouth

    Well-Rounded and Solid

    It's crazy because I put off watching this because of the reviews for the longest time, but I LOVED the mystery behind the story and the acting was genuinely surprising.

    Please watch this movie without looking at the reviews.

    Michelle Dockery is absolutely phenomenal, her acting, movements, and voice speaks volumes. The setting of the film coupled with the chemistry between the cast is enough to give you satisfaction. There is never a dull moment nor a moment that drags throughout the film.

    Perfect for anyone looking for a mystery flick that leaves them with a cliffhanger that leaves them asking what was real and what isn't.
    2TheLittleSongbird

    Hugely disappointing

    I like ghost stories as much as the next person. Turn of the Screw had all the components for at least a watchable 90 minutes, as its source material is so good, so suspenseful and so delightfully ambiguous. What a disappointment. Even on its own terms, Turn of the Screw was close to disastrous. In fact, the only redeeming quality was the excellent Sue Johnston, she is very believable as the sympathetic foil.

    If you want a great adaptation or film of the story/book, look no further than The Innocents with Deborah Kerr, a terrifying and unforgettable film that succeeds on its own merits too. This version of Turn of the Screw is a poor adaptation of the story, the atmosphere was empty and dull, also the ambiguity that made the story so unnerving is dumbed down. The dialogue is also very stilted, and doesn't flow very well from one scene to the next, while the story starts off well but becomes a series of disconnected scenes. The pace is another problem too, like the atmosphere it is uninteresting and profoundly empty.

    The production values didn't do much for me either. The photography was good, as was the scenery and house, but the costumes felt like they came from another period. The music is nothing memorable, probably the most memorable moment of sitting through this was my dad saying "somebody crucify those violins!" Though amusing at the time, I see his point, they were very shrill and overbearing. The acting was poor. Johnston was very good though, but Michelle Dockery no matter how hard she tries looks too modern and any genuine fright she tries to convey feels forced. The children fare no better, the characters are written so poorly that I had trouble engaging with them and their situation.

    So all in all, a big disappointment. Back in 2009, like the other reviewers here(all of whom I agree with completely), I was looking forward to this more than any other programme(even more so than Cranford and Poirot actually, to be honest both were much better too), but like 2010's Whistle and I'll Come to You it was the biggest disappointment of the festive season. 2/10 for Sue Johnston. Bethany Cox
    7SeamusMacDuff

    Very Good, In Comparison

    To the latest version of this "The Haunting of Bly Manor". I turned to this more faithful adaptation after getting bored to death half way through season 1 of said series.

    Perhaps it's not fair to compare versions, although many other reviews are doing the same to yet other adaptations. How many times has this been done? I guess it did establish the now almost stereotypical Gothic story of a young governess at a rambling old estate in the English countryside.

    Dockery did a much better job of conveying a young woman trying to do her best and advance herself, although the obsession with "impressing the Master" detracted a bit. Compared to THOBM this was much more crisp, concise, believable, and even scary. That it was set in the 1920 instead of the 1880s? Who cares?

    Check this out when you to become bored with a bloviated version.
    7openminded1313

    Pretty Good adaptation

    Probably the best adaptation of this was done in 1961 with Deborah Kerr as the governess. The time frame presented there was turn of the 20th century (1896~1901); in keeping with the date of publication of this novella (1898) . The time frame for this version is instead the immediate post "Great War"; the father of the children being killed in the war, (the mother's death seems to have been just after childbirth of the younger child-the girl). The shortage of men in the United Kingdom, at that time, is emphasized in the beginning with the insinuation that a lot of young women, such as the governess, are lonely. This theme echos through the story. The new governess meets the guardian of the children before she departs for the estate where the little girl stays with the staff (all of whom are women due to the shortage of men). The guardian is the children's uncle; a handsome, young bachelor whom she is immediately infatuated with; but he does not return the interest. Nor is he particularly interested in visiting the estate anytime soon. Michelle. Dockery, as the governess, is presented as very plain young woman in this version; in order to enhance the frustration her character is feeling. Later, in the story, the older (though still a kid) brother of the girl arrives at the estate. All during this time disturbing things are occurring there, but what is actually happening? Can such things actually occur? Is her sexual frustration a part of this?

    This story is told by the governess, confined to a mental institute recounting this to a psychiatrist; who happens to be another handsome young man. Though she initially is in a catatonic state in the institute she does respond eventually to his questioning. The story we see is her story; what we see happening and how it happened is presented through her recollection. And, this recollection is by a person who is definitely mentally ill. Or, is she? This departs from the original story somewhat which implied the possibility of mental illness by the governess but not was not explicitly as this version does.

    A good adaptation though a little "too modern" (early 20th century versus late 19th century setting) IMHO.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Three of the future cast of Downton Abbey (2010) appear in this production: Sue Johnston, Dan Stevens and Michelle Dockery.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Flora: [to the new governess] There you are. We've been waiting for you.

    • Connections
      Featured in Half in the Bag: Borat 2 and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
    • Soundtracks
      Clair de Lune
      Composed by Claude Debussy

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 21, 2011 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Le tour d'écrou
    • Filming locations
      • Brympton d'Evercy, Yeovil, Somerset, England, UK(Manor House location)
    • Production companies
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • BBC Drama Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 33m(93 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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