The Nightcomers

Marlon Brando, one of the most gifted actors of this century, couldn't manage to turn this sow's ear into much more than a slightly improved sow's ear. It's loosely based on Henry James' Turn of the Screw, which also served as the basis for the excellent film, THE INNOCENTS, but there the resemblance stops. This is a preamble to that film (the way BUTCH AND SUNDANCE: THE EARLY DAYS was prefatory to BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, although made later) and fails to satisfy on most levels. It's England in the early 1900s, and Ellis and Harvey are living in an old, dark house under the supervision of Beacham, their governess, and Hird, the housekeeper. Their...