> And Jack Clayton did the oddest things to The Innocents when it was shown in the US. > Lang Thompson asked: Like what? And which version was released on US video a couple of years ago? Can't help you on the video release, except to describe the two tiny, but significant cuts made in the US release version. 1) during the hide and seek sequence as the Governess is on her way to the attic where the children are hiding the ghost of Miss Jessell passes in front of her. This was cut from the US version. 2) at the climax, as Miles is persuaded/forced to say Quint's name, the swirling camera stops as Miles says the name. This is followed by a close up of Quint leering down in triumph at Miles - in the US version this is cut and the movie jumps to the shot of Quint seen from behind standing among the statues. These 2 tiny cuts - less than 2 secs in all, change both the impact and balance of ambiguities. Many years ago I was sufficiently intrigued - after seeing the movie in London on its first release and later in NYC - to ask UK 20C Fox about the cuts. For 6 months I got no reply, and then a long rambling letter arrived all about the use of music before the Fox logo and US theaters no wishing to play this lead in - in fact the print I saw in NYC had the lead in. Years later I got the chance to ask Clayton himself, and he said he didn't remember, and then added that there had been disputes about the editing and that maybe someone had 'been given some scissors in New York.' All this may sound trivial but the 2 cuts make the movie much less frightening. Also make it more likely the governess is seeing things, etc. Such tiny cuts seem likely to be the work of the director. I think he may have wanted to make the movie less ambiguous - but at considerable cost to the movie, IMO Richard Davies ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ScreenSite