blog




  • Essay / The real scenario vs. The Turn of the Screw Adaptation

    Henry James's 1898 novel The Turn of the Screw is noted for its ambiguity and its effectiveness as a psychological thriller. As a result, it has been adapted into numerous films, including one of the same name directed by Tim Fywell in 2009. This adaptation based on the original text promotes the idea of ​​supernaturalism while trivializing the unique storyline, thus making the filmmaking less engaging for a movie. public than the text of James. Many events, values, and themes present in both forms are articulated in different ways and to varying degrees. These are shown through many aspects, including the historical period, the characterization of the children, and the ambiguity of the ghosts – all of which contribute to an exciting and complex story, at least as far as the 1898 text is concerned. Say No to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the film adaptation, the historical era of The Turn of the Screw was transposed to a time period twenty years later. This affected the prominence of crucial themes, including sexual repression, in the novel. As James describes in Victorian England, society at the time was extremely repressive towards women and condemned the idea of ​​sexual interaction. The statement "It was a pleasure...quiet and justified...I was pleasing...the person to whom I had responded to pressure" (29-30) articulates the Governess's extensive speculations about her future in interaction with that of the Master. She is captivated by him due to his lack of contact with men excluding members of his family and is the victim of hormonal curiosity. As the film was set during Edwardian rule, society was more enlightened and freedom was granted to individuals, allowing them to express their sexual emotions. This was shown in a particular scene in which Mrs. Grose and the governess discuss experiencing similar emotions while being "carried away" into Whitmore Street with the Master. At ease, these women do not attempt to hide their reactions or reduce their extent. This particular modification undermines the tyranny of repression, thus losing a strong impact on the public. The film adaptation of The Turn of the Screw also made major adjustments to the characterization of the children, Flora and Miles. In the novel, Flora is 8 years old and is described, using purely physical observations, as incredibly beautiful and angelic. Miles is a precocious 10-year-old and mostly mystifying to the governess. The description of "my little girl...whose vision of angelic beauty probably had more than anything to do with the restlessness..." foreshadows the governess's unhealthy infatuation with the children. James used this specific description to remind the reader who the narrator of the story actually is and alludes to the possibility of events being distorted due to personal point of view. Subsequently, all opinions we receive are from the governess's point of view, conveying the idea that the children are more sympathetic characters in the novel than in the film. Recalling James's use of nested narration, the film's point of view is that of the psychiatrist. who interprets Bly's incidents from the governess's account of events. The children are older, play more talkative roles and are portrayed as hostile, unsympathetic and corrupt characters – as if they have different agendas. Although Flora is as angelic as described in the novel, she is shown with a different side to her character and therefore does not seem as naive or innocent. In the casefrom Flora picking flowers with another person and the governess assuming it was Mrs. Grose, we are shown a contrasting and cunning side of Flora. Essentially, this aspect of her character may have existed in the novel but was not portrayed by the governess. This could be because Flora did not show the governess a possible alter ego or her perception of the children's physical appearance masked all other aspects of them. Miles also plays a more dominant role and reflects his uncle's shrewd character. After arriving in Bly, he puts his feet up and expects the maids to take care of him. This allows the audience to see him with more authority, as if he is the “master” of the house. Although detracting from the original events of the text, this adaptation situates the film in a horror-based genre, favoring the transformation of the children into the characters necessary to heighten the suspense and facilitate the continuation of the altered story. and its film adaptation both present the idea that ghosts are real rather than existing as a figment of the governess's imagination. James constructs the novel in a way that, potentially, supports both arguments, to some extent rendering large parts of his work ambiguous. Indeed, the Governess tends to discover Quint or Miss Jessel when she is distressed or alone by thinking about Mrs. Grose's physical descriptions and opinions. This factor, along with the emotional impact of sexual repression and isolation in Bly, contributes to the idea of ​​the governess's downward mental spiral. Although partly set in an asylum, the film advocates the reality of the existence of ghosts. The statement “I believe in the other” (Anne, governess) gives an introduction to the theme of horror and helps convince the audience of the idea of ​​supernatural entities. As this quote appears earlier in the film, this idea contrasts with the fact that the authorities doubt the governess to the point of arresting her. In further contrast to the original, Mrs. Grose remains separated from planting the seed in the governess's mind through the introduction of Carla. This facilitates the latter perspective since a scene ensues where Miss Jessel appears to the governess in order to “save” her while Flora stood on the windowsill. While eliminating their ambiguity, this tactic also alludes to ghosts physically interacting with real-world objects. Carla commits suicide immediately after allowing the audience to contemplate how the deceased apparition physically communicated to the governess events that had not yet occurred. Many aspects of James' original The Turn of the Screw have been heavily altered in the modern film adaptation. This is the result of many factors, including time constraints, cinema-specific techniques (sound, visual cues, leif patterns and camera angles), and necessary changes in narrative structure in order to modify a novel that does not scene (necessarily) as a narrator. and literary devices. When you watch a movie, a different part of your brain is used to understand the meaning. In the governess's ravings throughout the book, the text is constructed in such a way that individuals must visualize them – all with varying perceptions. Yet the film insistently shows ghost scenes, incorporating the importance of recurrence to easily convey meaning. This tactic prevents audience members from missing crucial subplots and subsequently losing interest. Additionally, the narrative structure was transformed into voyeuristic narration to allow the audience.