The BBC is renowned for their period dramas, the costume department and locations available in the UK offering unparalleled authenticity. The most famous is still Pride and Prejudice, people can’t seem to shake that image of a moistened Colin Firth stepping out of a lake. Well, be prepared to broaden your horizons as BBC America continues its home video release schedule with Ghost Story: The Turn of the Screw.
Based on the 1898 novel from Henry James, The Turn of the Screw originally aired over the 2009 festive period. It tells of a young governess, or “nanny” to our American readers, Ann (Downton Abbey‘s Michelle Dockery) who takes a job caring for the two young children of a wealthy family on a country estate. What begins as an idyllic setting soon turns strange as Ann begins hearing voices and seeing ghostly figures around the grounds. Is there something supernatural at play or is her overactive imagination playing tricks on her?
The clue to the reality of the story does lie in the title, Ghost Story but it does play to the psychological as much as the supernatural. Unlike the original novel, this adaptation is set in the 1920s and actually tells the story through flashbacks, Ann being in a psychiatric institution telling her tale to her Doctor (Dan Stevens). This plays to that mental confusion angle well and allows some superb work from Dockery showing the gamut of stages her character goes through during the tale.
Fans of the original novel may find this interpretation to leave behind some of the deliberate ambiguity intended by James, the examination of her mental state and memories offers a interesting storytelling device but in many ways causes the film to lose some subtlety and ambiguity. Were the ghosts real, or was Ann’s mental state questionable? This adaptation leaves little doubt as to the truth. Aside from this, you’re probably more familiar with this style of storytelling than you think. Creepy children, check. An elderly relative not to be disturbed and sequestered away in the house, check. Flighty young girl thrown into the mix and things start to go weird, check. Turn of the Screw is one of the better stories that use these now established tropes.
It’s a case of implication vs. realization, the best ghost and horror tales often leave the most shocking parts up the the viewer’s imagination. Sadly that is not the case here with aspects of the story fully manifested on screen. It makes for interesting viewing in parts and some great scenes for the actors especially but does undermine the spookier aspects of the tale. That said, what is on screen is realized well, tension and mood successfully built and in addition to Dockery, the supporting cast deliver superb work.
As you’d expect from a BBC venture of this type, the production values are great, direction accomplished and the cast deliver fine performances. The release is free of extras which is a shame as some inside information on how the production was approached could have been interesting. Some may quibble with the interpretations of the source material but there is much here to savor and debate.
Ghost Story: The Turn of the Screw is available from April 28, 2015 from the BBC America store.