Marlon Brando, considered by many to be the greatest film actor of all time, was in a bit of a career slump when he agreed to play the lead in 1971's "The Nightcomers." The star had been labeled box-office poison after a series of bombs. Still, he was director Michael Winner's first and only choice for the role of Peter Quint.
"He could play the 12-year-old girl, the nanny, the dog, he's a genius," Winner says in an introduction to "The Nightcomers," newly restored and released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber, purveyors of classic cinema for the home video market. The film is a prequel to Henry James' classic 19th-century ghost story "The Turn of the Screw," which was famously filmed as "The Innocents" by director Jack Clayton in 1961. In the earlier film, new governess Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) slowly comes to realize that her young charges, Miles and Flora, are possessed by the spirits of Quint and Miss Jessell, the late gardener and late governess at the isolated country manor Bly House. "The Nightcomers" introduces viewers to the living Quint and Jessell, and enacts the events that led to their deaths shortly before the arrival of Miss Giddens. Though inspired by the James story, "The Nightcomers" is an original work.
Quint and Miss Jessell are involved in a sadomasochistic sexual relationship, which the young Miles and Flora find out about. The children, whose parents are dead, attempt to emulate what they see the adults do, much to the horror of housekeeper Mrs. Grose. Quint is the children's hero. They're fascinated by the strange stories he tells them. When Mrs. Grose tries to get Quint and Miss Jessell sacked, Quint tells the children that death is the only way people can be united. The children decide to kill Miss Jessell and Quint in order to stop them from leaving.
It's a disturbing tale, though many reviewers have argued that it's an unnecessary film. In James' original tale, the causes of Quint's and Jessell's death are never revealed, giving the story an ambiguity that makes it more eerie. By showing how Quint and Jessell died, the ambiguity of "Turn of the Screw" is threatened.
As Quint, Brando displays his usual star power, though the thick Irish accent he assumes for the role is a bit cartoonish. Still, he is a commanding presence, enjoying entertaining the children and tormenting Miss Jessell, both drawn to and repulsed by him. The scenes in which Quint ties Jessell up and slaps her are disturbing, but not as disturbing as the scenes in which the kids emulate them. Due to the sexual nature of the story, Miles and Flora are presented as a bit older than they were in James' novela. Verna Harvey, who plays Flora, was 19 when the film was shot, though her character is younger.
Brando gets able support from the small supporting cast. As Miss Jessell, future "Dynasty" star Stephanie Beacham gives a strong performance as a repressed woman who finds herself drawn into Quint's rough-and-tumble world. Thora Hird, a British character actress, is good as the stern Mrs. Grose, horrified by what she sees. Harvey and Christopher Ellis, both one-hit wonders, will make some viewers cringe as Miles and Flora descend into a perverse world.
The elegantly appointed film was shot on location in a 16th-century manor in Cambridgeshire, England, which provides for some impressive visuals, though as the story rarely leaves the house or surrounding grounds, the film does feel a bit claustrophobic.
While not the masterpiece that "The Turn of the Screw" and "The Innocents" were, "The Nightcomers" is still a reasonably well-done film that adds context to the original story. Whether or not that context is necessary remains open to debate. Kino Lorber's restored Blu-ray of the film presents clear, sharp visuals and crisp sound. The extras menu offers the film's original theatrical trailer, a short intro from director Winner, and Winner's feature-length commentary track.