MovieChat Forums > The Innocents (1961) Discussion > My Interpretation....I just watched this...

My Interpretation....I just watched this movie for the first time.

posted 10 years ago by russellp20012001
8 replies | jump to latest

First off, I am a huge horror fan. I thought this movie was fantastic. The mere fact that this movie is over 50 years old and holds up so well is amazing.

Here is my interpretation....

The movie starts with Miss Giddons on an interview. Who is she? Where is she from? What is her past? All unanswered questions. What we do know is that she is hesitant about accepting this job.

Upon her arrival to this mansion she is completely overwhelmed by the beauty and size. This is where the first ''experience'' happens. Miss Giddons hears an angelic voice calling for Flora. Miss Giddons and Flora immediately hit it off however the maid gives us the vibe that something is just not right.

Experience 2 '' Flora mentions that her brother Miles is coming home'' How could she possibly know this?

The children are united and although they are children there is also a mature way to them.

"My feeling is that this beautiful place is actually demonic or possessed" Miss Giddons could feel it when she arrived and it just began to grow stronger.

The past story was the former Governess and a gentleman named Quint. It was said that Quint and the governess were lovers and the governess was succumb to him. She wanted and needed him. If I were to make a reference, it would be the brother and sister relationship in Amityville part 2. The sister knew it was wrong but she could not resist her brother's force or power.

Quint and the former Governess would have relations and make the children watch. I also believe that they would molest and hurt the children. After enough time the pain and the memory of the ordeal would cause these children to lock it away and pretend it never happened.

Another Question: Was Quint and the Governess bad or evil? My answer is no!! They were taken by the demonic forces. My thoughts on Quint's death is that he was fighting the possession which caused him to die. The same thing for the former Governess.

Moving along, the demonic forces were trying to take Miss Giddons. This would mostly happen while she was sleeping.

Miss Giddons began to see "Ghosts" Quint would be seen mostly in the boy's presence and the former Governess would be seen mostly in the girl's presence. They always seemed to have Sad or Anger in their faces. My thoughts are they were in fact trying to protect the children from Miss Giddons. They knew that Miss Giddons was slowly being taken or possessed just as they were.

Miss Giddons and Miles were at the start of having an adult affair. This stemmed when Miles had her in a choke hold. " Did it really hurt or did Miss Giddons like it?" Then Miles kissed her before he went to sleep. Another " Did she like it? Was she going to give in and move forward?" I will get to the very end after my next thought...........

Flora takes the boat and Miss Giddons makes Flora remember what she had tried to forget. The maid says something like, don't make them remember the nightmare..Not sure exactly how it was said.......All of what Flora had hidden had just resurfaced. Flora unable to handle the pain has an emotional breakdown and is unable to recover.

Getting back to the relationship between Miss Giddons and Miles. Miss Giddons orders everyone away to be alone with Miles. Why? My feeling is that Miss Giddons was giving in to the evil or possession. She was going to begin an affair. ( My interpretation of the final scene ) Miss Giddons was going to give in. She does indeed see Quint and she is trying to fight it. When Miss Giddons comes to the realization that she cannot fight anymore, she takes the boy's life. Thus holding him in her arms and knowing that Mile's only way to peace was in death. The end!!!

[–] markthebeing 10 years ago

Russell, I have to say that I have read many interpretations of this movie. Your interpretation is the best by far. All the points that you make really make sense. Well done!!!

[–] bunnywithanaxe 10 years ago

WhIle I lean toward the psychological interpretation of this film-- the kids were acting like traumatized kids, the governess was bats-- I totally agree that Miss Gibbons banished the house staff because she was about to use her delusion as an excuse to skeeve on a sexually confused kid.

[–] WalkAwayRenee 10 years ago

I totally agree that Miss Gibbons banished the house staff because she was about to use her delusion as an excuse to skeeve on a sexually confused kid.

I didn't get that out of the scene at all but that's just me. Now, it was implied by Mrs. Grose that the former lovers (Jessel and Quint) were indiscriminate with some of their affections with each other and that the kids may have seen these episodes because Mrs. Grose certainly had come upon them. One commenter here suggests that the kids may have been forced to watch them. Perhaps that's true, or they were otherwise exposed to sexual things that they shouldn't have. We know that Miles kissed Miss Giddens first, rather provocatively, lingering on her mouth. And sexually abused kids do tend to make sometimes overt sexual advances toward adults. We do see that she made no real effort to pull away from him when he kissed her like that. She allowed him to do it. That is the only instance in the movie where we could question her intentions when it came to her feelings about him. Other than that there is nothing to suggest that she had any sexual feelings toward him, or toward his uncle that may have been transferred to him, as someone else has suggested.

Which brings us to why she felt she needed to be alone with Miles that night. There could be any number of reasons for that, though again, I do not feel her intentions were sexual in nature. She tells Miles that she wants them to speak as adults. This could be because if she feels he is in fact possessed, she wants to speak to the person possessing him, and perhaps find out that person's intentions in order to figure out how to cast him from Miles. That being said, maybe she felt the ghost would more likely appear to her if she were by herself. As suggested also by others, maybe the ghosts didn't appear to some others, and maybe they had their reasons for that. Maybe knowing that the conversation between her, Miles and his possessor, would have the potential for becoming somewhat heated, she wanted as few distractions from others as possible. Maybe she felt Miles would more likely be open to telling her the truth about his troubles, whatever they may be, if there was only her, someone who was trying to understand and help him.

[–] WinstonLegThigh 9 years ago

BUT...
She does kiss Miles on the lips at the very end in an eerily similar way. I think the sexual tension throughout the film wasn't a coincidence.

[–] eweland 9 years ago

When Miss Giddens touched the tear of Miss Jessel in the schoolroom - did she right then "inhabit" some of Jessel's eternal longing for Quint? She DID immediately and abruptly change her plans to go see their uncle. And was she kissing Miles, or was the Jessel spirit now residing inside of her finally kissing the Quint spirit that was still inside of the boy?

He may be "gone" to Miss Giddens, but was he, to Jessel?
_

Kubrick's film - will always be the definitive version of THE SHINING.

[–] moviejunkie1 8 years ago

That was my thought, as well.

[–] nativenewyorker88 9 years ago

I hope you are being sarcastic.

[–] moviejunkie1 8 years ago

Very well stated, and I definitely agree with your explanation.