Benjamin Britten: The Turn of The Screw (part 1)

[ColonelFain]

Has anyone seen the 2005 version with Mark Padmore and Lisa Milne? How does it compare? Thanks for posting this entire opera!

[Brideshead09]

I actually rather like this illustration of Quint's "[being] free with everyone" - it does border heavily on the erotic, but still I think manages to work. And I don't get the complaints about this particular interpretation being disturbing - may I ask how it would be possible to interpret this opera in a manner that were not disturbing?

[ebf1957]

@Brideshead09

I've always thought the opening was more Bergmanesque. There's a surrealness that some may consider disturbing which begs to answer what did go one at Bly?

[treesny]

This film was directed by Petr Weigl (and released on VHS in 1992). It is performed by a cast of Czech actors, lip-synching to the voices of the singers listed above - and yes, that IS tenor Philip Langridge singing the Prologue. An audio-only version of this performance was released on Philips, but unfortunately is o.u.p.

[daydreamer1991white]

I must say, it annoys me that they're laughing so hysterically almost all the time throughout the beginning... Acctually, most things in this clip annoyed me. It's quite disturbing, isn't it? But the music is beautiful!

[ColtonBrook]

Mustache man's coat is awesome!

[78dal78]

weird.

[crazy78ist]

Hello, this interpretation is exactly what Britten meant! Do your research before getting all freaked out about the beginning. And it was suggestive. They shared in an apple. I loved it!

[LaCarusiella]

@crazy78ist yes because he was a bloody pedophile..



[carminum]

@LaCarusiella

So were Socrates, Leonardo Da Vinci and general Montgommery. And don't forget Baden-Powell.

[islandsylph]

this is too disturbing to watch. Sexually suggestive scenes involving children is wrong on all levels...disgusting.. What kind of mind makes a movie like this? They are children. Worse..what kind of parent sells out their child to act in this. Moving on..I won't watch it.

[crazy78ist]

someone who knows Britten. This is what his interpretation is. So answer your question.......a genius.

[islandsylph]

@crazy78ist I stand by my own opinion, as we are all entitled to have one. Any creation, be it pencil, ink, film or painting, that places children in sexual content is sickening. Children need to be protected at all cost. Genius is ofttimes linked to the absurd and abhorrent.

[andrew042886]

@islandsylph It's actually very faithful to the James' novella with regard to the relationship between the children and the ghosts -it was very inappropriate/sexual.  Literary theorist Craig Raine wrote that Victorian audiences/readers would have easily interpreted the ghosts as child molesters. So, while it may be unappetizing to watch, it IS faithful to the source material.

[andrew042886]

@islandsylph It's actually very faithful to the James' novella with regard to the relationship between the children and the ghosts -it was very inappropriate/sexual. Literary theorist Craig Raine wrote that Victorian audiences/readers would have easily interpreted the ghosts as child molesters. So, while it may be unappetizing to watch, it IS faithful to the source material.

[andrew042886]

@islandsylph It's actually very faithful to the James' novella with regard to the relationship between the children and the ghosts -it was very inappropriate/sexual. Literary theorist Craig Raine wrote that Victorian audiences/readers would have easily interpreted the ghosts as child molesters. So, while it may be unappetizing to watch, it IS faithful to the source material.

[AOG93]

The opening is just... wow... well... The Turn of The Screw is supposed to be more suggestive, isn't it? I think that implying the facts rather than directly showing them [specially at the begining] is much more powerful and effective at making your skin crawl...

[Igentenos]

WHAT PASSES FOR ART....

[MoonPhase94]

Pmsl, wtf is this???

[Sesquiltera]

My favorite chess opening.

[hiair]

What the bloody hell is that Pornographic and Unnecessary introduction? What Pervert director made this? He totally jerked off on the books pages and threw shit on Henry James face!!!! Well if there is a porno version of Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, I should not be surprised that there is one of The Turn Of The Screw.

[hiair]

What the bloody hell is that Pornographic and Unnecessary introduction? What Pervert director made this? He totally jerked off on the books pages and threw shit on Henry James face!!!! Well if there is a porno version of Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, I should not be surprised that there is one of The Turn Of The Screw.

[hiair]

Never mind The Pervert is Rusty Lemorande and he is FRENCH! that explains everything.

[lundijuno106]

disgusting

[tess5340]

I think subtlety is not a word this production has come across...

[marmadukesymesparker]

Good uploading.

[blueyedboy84]

Is the opera with Nessun Dorma sung by Paul Potts? Just joking sorry.. Seriously it is terrible that great British music like Britten is so little admired by the UK who are more obsessed by pseudo opera singers like Paul Potts.

[tzeqin]

@blueyedmonster84 - not funnnie!

Britten's overrated btw. Or sth. Musically, I like this, but visually, too flamboyant for my taste. You know, unlike Paul Potts.

*vomits XD

[amatorynumber]

overrated??? you must surely mean UNDERRATED... there is no operist like him in the XX century, except perhaps Strauss, and he is à cheval and can be considered as much XIX as XX century... Britten is a universal musical giant. And this is NOT an opinion. It is indisputable.

[WagnerMahler]

by the way, everything is great, but there is one serious question: The Narrator and Peter Quint is performed not by Robert Tear, this is not his voice! This is Philip Langirdge. Can you check this information also? Because I am sure about it.

[drtmuir]

Listen to the Music!!!

[ItsumoYume]

can someone tell me if this is the way its always sung?

I need to do a project on it, so I need to know.

[TOTSenthusiast]

@ItsumoYume I believe so but you can't just go by this visual...the director obviously took some artistic liscence here.

[noodles938940]

im so creeped out..will someone explain this to me

[TOTSenthusiast]

What would you like explained? It is such a creepy opera...creepy subject.

[er121tab]

I so love this opera although I'm not keen on this interpretation.... Cannot bear to watch the opening sequence with the children, Miss Jessel and Quint. Too overtly "erotic". Disturbing!

[ebf1957]

Maybe the opening sequence was to drive home what Quint and Miss Jessel was doing with Miles and Flora. That's how I interpreted it when I first saw it. If you seen the many versions of TOTS, Quint has been pictured as older and creepier. The actor playing him(not singing) is handsome and more seductive.

[TOTSenthusiast]

Oh I agree. Was this opening really neccessary? Was The Nightcomers w/Marlon Brandon REALLY neccessary? Ugh...my answer is no. I prefer it all implied.

[ebf1957]

In Brando's case he probably needed a paycheck and thought it was a good vehicle.

[TOTSenthusiast]

@ebf1957 Probably...according to the director, Marlon loved making the film. Me: You would have to say that, wouldn't you?

[ebf1957]

if you read books or seen documentaries about Brando, he battled studios. He had a picture deal with Universal (which produced "Nightcomers", but was released by AVCO Embassy). He was in a lot movies released by Universal that didn't do well at the box office. "Nightcomers" was his last movie for them. It was to Universal good riddance to bad rubbish.

[greenethump3]

@er121tab

True, it can be a little hard to watch, but at least you've tried. Much better than many people I know, and they're music majors. Britten lead a very interesting life, and I HIGHLY recommend the book "Britten's Children" it's a very scholastic and quire readable. No "erotic" undertones really found and not bias, ridiculing, ect.

It's art that reflects a very interesting a different (in the good way) human being, like you or me! :)

[er121tab]

@greenethump3

I've read that book too! It's really excellent, isn't it?!



[er121tab]

@greenethump3

I've read Britten's Children - a great book, isn't it?! Highly recommend it :)

[janeyrevanescence12]

@er121tab one interpretation of the story is that children (especially Miles) were sexually abused by Quint and Miss Jessel.

[operageek65]

@er121tab To be fair, it's a pretty disturbing tale!

[ebf1957]

I was watching Jeopardy last night and Benjamin Britten was a category. Unfortunately the contestants didn't get to complete the category.

[Rudziewicz]

That's always the way when it comes to classical music.

[rrobicon]

Thank you, carminum! how haunting those images are.

[pleutman]

"A YOUNG MAN,BALD,OFF HAND AND GAAAAYYYYYYY!" 7:39 a bit derick jarmanish

[er121tab]

Surely it's "bold" rather than bald (although 'bald is funnier!)

[TOTSenthusiast]

LMAO! Oh geez. hehe yes, it's "bold".

[ThePercussionMaster]

Doing something different for the sake of being different is a terrible attitude to have. If we as a musical worldwide society would stop bickering about who is right and what is real "classical" music then maybe one day we could recognize the true revolutionaries of our time and time that has passed.

[ThePercussionMaster]

Britten may have had these "pedophile" urges that everyone speaks about, but he never acted on them. Also, it is well documented that most of the "young boys" that caught his eye were normally around the 18 years of age mark, so to me that is not a pedophile. And lastly, just because his music was more "tonal" than other composers (schoenberg, boulez, webern, berg, etc., etc.) does not mean that he was not revolutionary and it also does not mean that he was not doing something "different."

[mryoung1989]

Ok then, yes he was probably a little disturbed. The trouble is you have no depth of knowledge. Do your research then we can talk like adults.

There are many composers I do not like - Boulez, Elgar..But I still can comprehend that they are great composers, you are completely blinkered by your own opinion. To suggest did nothing new outlines your ignorance. You are entitled your opinion, just dn't claim it as the law and you'll find  people don't think you're a complete arsehole quite as often.

[mryoung1989]

Once again you are completely incorrect, I am not a kid, I am certainly not dumb and I am not gay. But I am also not a narrow-minded bigot so I can see that it doen't make any diffeence to Britten's music. Maybe they devote so much "gay music discussion" to him because he was, in fact, gay.

[mryoung1989]

If you knew anything about Britten you would understand that what you just said is totally incorrect.Even if you do not like his music, think he is a horrible person to suggest he is not a great composer really does show your ignorance.And your last comment is laughable. You poor, bigoted man being gay has NOTHING to do with relating to Britten's music or the themes that his text deals with. I am not gay, not that that matters two hoots, and nor do I find the themes of peadophilia appealling.

[mryoung1989]

You really need to do your research! Makes me laugh.

Besides this, 90 percent of great composers are total gits - look at Stravinsky - he was a serial liar. But Britten wrote music for the people, trusting his own voice and rejecting atonality as a concept, and a composer is someone I have a huge amount of respect for.

[JeeRant]

I've never really seen Peter Grimes (one of my favorite operas, by the way) as a story about homosexuality. There's VERY little in the libretto (and nothing in the original story) that depicts Grimes as an suppressed homosexual.

Yes, The Turn of the Screw and Death in Venice deal with pedophilia. But neither condones it. In Death in Venice, Aschenbach's obsession with Tadzio leads to his humiliation and death.

[JeeRant]

If you don't like the story, blame Henry James. Or Thomas Mann. Or George Crabbe...Britten just wrote the music!

And he certainly wasn't a vile, disgusting person. Get your history right.

[caroline384]

Is ja stumpf e.e ...

[JeeRant]

Yeesh, this is a pretty poor production...the locations are all wrong, for one thing. Bly is supposed to be a mid-sized country house, not some garish Edwardian palace. The acting is hammy and the costumes are frilly and overdone.

[dahnbi]

The guy playing Quint looks like Alex Trebek circa 1970. hehe

Thanks for uploading. It's one of my favorite Britten operas!

[ebf1957]

Maybe the director was going for a Bergmanesque feel that was erotically charged.

[CHATMOSSMAN]

is this porn?

[dbryandolman]

Awful. To be clear, none of the people you see embarrassing themselves onscreen are the excellent singers from the soundtrack listed in the summary: they are lip-synching actors (although I guess they do their own giggles). I am curious to know to what extent respected Britten interpreters like Davis, Harper, and Langridge knew what a silly, smutty enterprise their recording was being used for.

[RedHead531]

:( I really want to watch The Innocents 1961 but Oh well something is better then nothing

[ebf1957]

The laughing as well as the "sensual sighing" gives it a surreal quality.

[Inu0XanimeluvaX0Nar]

the laughing at the beginning is so weird.

[maryjivinjane]

Thanks so much for posting this!

[cdyexhibit]

I would totally give Ms. Jessel a meat injection.

[Itsnotoveruntil]

Miles looks a little old to still be a soprano - unless he was castrated by Quint!

[cdyexhibit]

Is that Philip Langridge singing the narrator?

[Itsnotoveruntil]

Sounds like him!

[Dulciethecat]

Philip Langridge sings the Prologue, Robert Tear is Quint.

[3tristan]

I saw this opera two times in the theater and I like this film very much and placed it by my favorites. Thank you very much for placing it here by youtube.

[ebf1957]

I remember seeing this on PBS's Great Performances 20 years ago. I've always considered this a good gothic and erotic ghost story.

[trescanovich]

good when the music starts (hard to go wrong with that score) but the first 7 minutes must be a serious embarassment to all involved. I can't imagine how it could have been done worse. well, the same idiocy for eight minutes would have been worse.

[thisismyname007]

Are those House Finches in the background?

[Shulago]

Weigl did a fine job, especially in depicting Peter Quint and Miss Jessel as the beautiful and seductive creatures that Henry James and Benjamin Britten intended them to be.

I love this version best of all, along with Luc Bondy's modernist 2001 production in Aix-en-Provence.

[natiepiss]

What cloud in heaven do you live on? This is the best! Thank you.

[gittangran]

So much fun to finally see this version. Thank you, ever so much!

[singersmomalso]

Thank you very much!