TRUMAN CAPOTE Was Co-Writer
I just discovered that Truman Capote was vitally involved in the script. I'd love to know his contributions and thoughts on the Henry James story.
sharei thought there must be a pervert freak involved in this.
i mostly will not be able to answer your reply, since marissa mayer hacked my email, no notification
He worked on the screenplay while he was writing IN COLD BLOOD in Europe. He was reportedly a huge fan of James' original story and could not turn down the offer to rewrite the script, which was based on the play by Willian Archibald which played on Broadway in the early 50s. According to director Jack Clayton, Truman wrote the script incredibly fast, about 8 weeks, with some touch ups afterwards.
Truman considered it his best film script. "I thought it would be a snap because I loved THE TURN OF THE SCREW so much. But when I got into it I saw how artful James had been. He did everything by allusion and indirection. I made only one mistake. At the very end, when the governess sees the ghost of Miss Jessel sitting at her desk, I had a tear fall onto the desktop. Up until then it wasn't clear whether the ghosts were real or in the governess' mind. But the tear was real, and that spoiled everything."
He used the money from the film to buy a two room condo in Verbier, Switzerland.
To get a sense of Truman's contributions to the script you could buy a copy of Archibald's play, which is available from any drama shop online. Then follow the play as you watch the movie and note the differences. I have seen copies of the screenplay for sale online.